Naja

I think the footage you're referring to is more of a marketing decision than anything else. Consumers like to see the good guy kick ass. The Imperials -are- however going to be the mass-producing faction that indeed does have disposable units like TIEs and Stormies. However, think of them more as Mordor in Battle for Middle Earth, if you've ever played that: Mordor has very cheap (and even free) and numerous weak units like Orcs. But later in the game, if they can build up a strong infrastructure and out-produce their opponent, they have access to cripplingly heavy technology like Nazguls and Mumakils.

Well, this is strange: the bodies do dissapear in the new footage. BUT In the oldest video footage I know of (the very first release: the one that starts off with the one-on-one ISD vs. Mon Cal, and then goes to Darth Vader hacking away at Jawas ), there is body persistency. The Jawa bodies that Vader and the 2-M Repulsortanks kill stay dead and lying on the ground, indicating that this option just might possibly be toggleable. I hope that this wasn't an aspect that they just axed.

I still hope that dead soldier bodies on the battlefield can be toggled to stay, and not simply sink into it. I see no point for it, considering that the only unit construction that happens -isn't- on the battlefield. I'm liking this more and more, though. The new footage is compensating for my (still tender) SSD letdown.

Everything is fantastic. My only real concern is the whole dead bodies dissapearing into the ground thing. They also could have more creative vehicle remnants (rather than a black splotch on the ground). I don't really see a need for dead bodies to do that, considering that there are only going to be a finite amount of units on the battlefield (since construction happens on the galactic level). I hope that you can toggle it.

Yeah, AT-ST damage would possibly be one of the most easy things to mod. Keep in mind, they're testing the waters with this thing. The Beta isn't even out!! Everything is AWESOME! This is what they should have been doing months ago! But it's alright, better late than never, I suppose. I like how the planets spin in such a 'realistic' way. One thing that concerns me is the graphics...it seems almost sort of hazy, which is inconsistent with the graphics we see in pictures - makes me wonder how clear the game really looks like in person. And I still hope that bodies don't dissapear into the ground like that. I hope that that can be modded.

I wouldn't call the AT-AA artillery, either. It's a specifically-designed anti-air unit. You won't exactly get artillery power from an airborne flak cannon.

Like I said earlier: XLM = God's jackhammer.

I would think that body persistancy could be modded, too. XML = God's jackhammer.

I've just thought of something: One way that you could distinguish the Empire and the Rebellion further is if Stormtroopers were naturally stronger and faster (being hardened, elite, well-trained, and well-supplied), and their Rebel counterparts (especially the Plex missile soldiers) - while not as strong or fast - could CLOAK (camoflauge) into the terrain, enabling them to stage very effective ambushes. That would verymuch encapsulate how a true rebellion is fought.

Yes, but that still is not sufficient exposure. After all, a demo isn't going to spread much information to people if the game's existence isn't even promoted in the first place.

Until then, I'll practice my pompus British military accents.

Look at it this way, Infinate, they've left it insultingly moddable! Look at the modding corner that PFF has developing already...good ideas are brewing! There will be something for everybody. All I'm worried about graphically is whether ship explosions are going to be as equally nice to watch as when an Imperator Star Destroyer gets destroyed.

Ooo. Your mod sounds more and more intense. Are you going to begin work immediately, or after EaW is released? Is there a way for a computer layman (like me!) to help the project in any way? I could voice act for new units, if you could use that. I can even do a decent Palpatine, if you're dissatisfied with Petroglyph's voice for him, and if I'm up early enough in the morning.

At least the Orcs of Warcraft 3 stood a chance of staying alive.

Hmm. After thinking about it, I really really like the corporation concept for technology trees. Especially since the most badass of technologies would require joint 'ownership' of multiple corporations by either the Rebels or Imperials. I take it that one corporation = one planet (for example, Kuat for Kuat Drive Yards, Geonosis for the Trade Federation technologies, etc)? Or would you have to own multiple planets for full corporate ownership of one particular company? However, I think that you should heavily put incentives to keep each faction in their proper 'places.' Rebels commanding Sovereign Star Destroyers and Imperials relying extensively on 20+ year old Clone Wars technology would be too painful to bear. Therefore, I think that just as in the current vanilla concept of EaW where each planet has a decisive advantage or disadvantage depending on who owns it, your mod should strongly reward or punish each faction for following a particular technology tree. The Empire should naturally profit from owning the traditional Sienar and Kuat shipyards. The Rebels should inherently be better off following the INCOM (sp?) line of corporations. This would still leave open the possibility for Clone Wars fetishists to pursue that technology if they would want to, for example, but it would be a harder path for them. The point should be to allow all of these extravegent options, but still to keep the factions basically as we know them by incentive, rather than by force.

He probably built the lightsaber while he was Palpatine's apprentice.

Will EaW come with a utility device to build ground and space maps?

I can understand why Lucasarts has every right to be so goddamned secretive about the release date of a demo that has practically all of its slowly dwindling fanbase practically drooling...

Space is still a "map." A modder could easily create those environments.

Could very easily be modded in as a mission, if anyone got determined enough.

Lucasarts has lost its mind. And its business sense. Give it the one chance it needs to disavow the cruddy 'Star Wars milk maid' reputation it has gotten from all of its usually-inferior quality Star Wars games, and create a potential LANDMARK in gaming history with an equal potential for a 5 year+ fanbase like Diablo or Starcraft...and they shit all over it.

What kind of prequel units can we expect? It would seem that the Imperials already have the lion's share of this 'older technology' in the form of their Acclamators, Venators, Victory SDs, and Pod Walkers. Oh, and brace yourself for the inevitable SSD question! Executor-class: buildable unit, or hero unit?

How easy or difficult would it be to add modded units into an otherwise vanilla game? Let's just be crazy and hypothetically say that I wanted to add the Legacy of War Yuzhan Vong Worldship for the Rebels. Would this be an easy-as-pie operation to create a new unit in the game's files, and simply add in the model? Or would it be more difficult?

I think that they'll stay there. At least in the campaign. Keep in mind, the units aren't being PRODUCED during battles, so there's a limited amount of units that can be killed, or structures that can be destroyed.

Yes, me too. I heard early December?