DarthTex

That's a sure fire way to make the correct changes OK, I've reworked them; check your e-mail again. I'm crossing my fingers this works this time

Just an FYI, although you probably already know: Your number system above for the planet icons (going horizontally) for the new system names, ... will NOT work in the SYSTEMSD.DAT file. The SYSTEMSD.DAT file uses the system numbers going vertically; so when replacing the icon number and wanting the asteroid field, that would be number 12. Like I said: you probably already knew this, this is just an FYI (For Your Information) Check your e-mail. Let me know if you need anything else

If there is one thing that slows down the game play, it's definitely micro-managing. Your version of handling the "age" factor for maintenance is a good simple way of covering that; definitely no micro-managing to worry about And having maintenance costs "creep up" as time goes by for the same items makes things abit more realistic. Although I worry that such a system might be a limitation on game play. If maintenance creeps up over time it could get to the point of controlling 66% of the galaxy could max out your control. That next 1% control (for a total of 67%) might cost you more maintenance then you would get from the 1% just controlled. Basically, at some point you might have to give up the idea of controlling the galaxy . I'm sure with just 50% control of the galaxy I could beat the AI, then why would I go and conquer more territory? The micro-managing does solve some of these problems, by allowing "older" facilities to be replaced with "newer" facilities, thus reducing the maintenance "creep" for controlling so much. Maybe that could be an option for the Droids (if you still plan on using them)? Like the option to "Manage Production", there could be an option to "Manage Efficiency"; such that things would be replaced once their maintenance reaches some set threshold? If you don't want something replaced/updated, you can add the "Reserved" tag like that on facilities when using the Droids. Just my two bits worth

I'll get your info back to you soon

@Slocket: I know you're busy with the graphics of the game & coding such, but this is just a question regarding "game play" so I hope I don't distract you too much from your current task. Currently in the game, resources are generated by mines and refineries, and the "speed" at which these resources are produced are affected by the system loyalty (systems with 100% loyalty produce resources quicker than a system with 0% loyalty + garrison troops): basically an efficiency factor based on system loyalty. My question deals with "efficiency factors": do you think facility "age" should play a factor with efficiency? I just find it a bit strange that a shipyard (for example) can produce the same ship/fighter on day 1, as on day 2000 (given identical system loyalty & resource availability). I would think facilities should maybe have a "lifespan" (+/- some time from a base line), and then start requiring more "maintenance" to keep them going; maybe to the point of requiring twice the maintenance. At some point it would be more efficient to replace the facility with another (or upgraded version) to get the efficency back up. This adds quite a bit of micro-managing to the industrial aspect of the game, but it has been done in other games. When I get far along into a game and have a good portion of control of the galaxy, I usually turn production management over to the AI and concentrate on the game. After awhile, I have so many resources stockpiled, it just makes things ... anti-climatic/unrealistic. I could have a 100 shipyards (from Day 1) outproduce the enemy even though they have 40 advanced shipyards all produced in the last week; it just doesn't "add" some uncertainty to the game that you could still lose. Innovation/modern facilities can always outpace larger older facilities: it's all about efficiency. Maybe there should be an "age efficiency" added to anything manufactured: an X-wing produced on day 1 shouldn't be equal to an X-wing produced on day 2000 (theoretically it's possible, but that's stagnant thinking: in my opinion). What do you think? Anybody else have an opinion, I'm curious to know what others think?

Day 600, current status: Coruscant sector: Rebels Orrimaarko and Ma'w'shiye abduction mission has been foiled, and unfortunately have evaded capture. After awhile my latest espionage mission shows them coming back. But this time they have pushed their luck too far as both have been captured! Mazer Rackus has shown up to abduct an unknown target. After his arrival, I have Palpy try to abduct him, but his mission is foiled as Mazer Rackus escapes. Deep Core sector: Ebaq has come under attack by 3 Rebel Escort Carriers (fully loaded with X-wings and Y-wings) and 2 Corellian Corvettes; my 6 Tie Bombers were no match for the enemy forces and easily destroyed. At the battles conclusion, the enemy fleet withdrawls. Admiral Daala is now aboard my fleet of 2 VSD's, 4 Lancer Frigates and 4 Tie Bombers heading to Byss. They are met by 6 X-wings; I send all ships to attack, but have the Tie Bombers remain in their hangar bays (I'll need them for the bombardments). All of the X-wings attack Admiral Daala's VSD. The Lancer Frigates work wonders on destroying the enemy fighters, but Daala's VSD has taken some serious shield generator damage. But nothing that can't be fixed, or will stop the upcoming attack on Byss! Unfortunately, Byss has 2 GenCores and my bombardment has no effect. Commandos from Tarkin's Fang and Galantos are on the way; it will be a couple of days before they arrive, and hopefully they will at least take out one GenCore. The enemy fleet of 3 Rebel Escort Carriers (fully loaded with X-wings and Y-wings) and 2 Corellian Corvettes has arrived at Vulpter! I have 12 Tie Bombers and 8 Tie Fighters to put up a good fight here. The Rebels are fleeing! Apparently they'll fight when they only have overwhelming odds, but never even odds. Garindan and some commandos have arrived on Daala's fleet. I send Garindan and some commandos after one GenCore and Noval Garaint and some commandos after the other GenCore. Noval Garaint has been captured! But Garindan has succeeded! The next bombardment has destroyed the remaining GenCore and the Rebel garrison troops. Byss is assaulted. General Andrimetrum has escaped, but I have captured Land Calrissian and Talon Karrde (both injured). That should throw a monkey wrench in the Rebel facility design agenda. I didn't mean to capture them; maybe I can figure out a way to have them escape. I'll have to give that some thought. Intelligence has come in showing 4 Rebel Escort Carriers (fully loaded with X-wings and Y-wings) and 2 Corellian Corvettes heading towards Byss. With only 4 Tie Bombers as fighters, the 4 Lancer Frigates won't be able to hold off the Rebel fighters from decimating my VSD (one of which still has significant shield generator damage). I withdrawl all forces save the troops and General Daala. Hopefully with my fleet gone they'll just leave. On the day in question, luck is not with me as the Rebel fleet bombards Byss destroying my garrison troops and capturing Daala. The Imperial system Tarkin's Fang is now in Uprising. The next day I send some commando to sabotage the Rebel Escort Carrier with Daala and Jerjerrod; maybe they can make an escape. Maybe getting the ISD and two Lancers in the Tapani sector will be sufficient to combat the Rebel Escort Carriers? But Tapani would be totally undefended from hit-n-raid missions (except those systems with fighter protection). I instead move all fighters in the Coruscant sector to Coruscant, then send that ISD (loaded with Tie Interceptors) to Vulpter. Coruscant has no capital ships in orbit for defense, but has 23 Tie Fighters, 36 Tie Bombers and 9 Tie Interceptors; that should be sufficient for defense until more capital ships are available. I have just one more Lancer Frigate to complete at Vulpter and my fleet will be ready to wreak havoc on Rebel systems in the sector. General Zuggs has just been abducted off Tarkin's Fang; he's enroute to Ojomm where the Rebel fleet waits. I need some troops for occupation if I plan an assault, otherwise a rescue mission is all that is needed. My fleet is ready: 1 ISD, 2 VSD's, 6 Lancer Frigates, 1 Escort Carrier with 6 Tie Interceptors and 10 Tie Bombers. On arrival at Ojomm the Rebel fleet waits: 6 Corellian Corvettes, 4 Escort Carriers, 1 Medium Transport with 12 X-wings, 11 Y-wings and 2 A-wings. I'm not sure if the Rebel fleet with flee or fight; they move to fight (I hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew, but I think I'll give a lot more than I take). I set everything to attack fighters with exception to the ISD and VSD's; they are to attack the Rebel Escort Carrier Wind (temporary prison for Jerjerrod). Hopefully Jerjerrod will get a chance to escape and not be killed. After that I'll try for Daala. My ISD and VSD's take some potshots at the enemy fighters as they zip past on their attack runs on my fighters. With my Ties launching singly, I worry they'll be destroyed as they deploy. I concentrate on the ISD as he makes his way forward; there are alot of messages about "reporting losses" with an occasional "target destroyed" thrown in. The ISD and VSD's open up on a Corellian Corvette at the front of the Rebel fleet as they keep closing in on the Wind. There are lots of messages concerning "target destroyed"; enemy fighters are passing my ISD and VSD's, and the Rebel fleet is going into full retreat. The Corellian Corvette keeps getting hammered and explodes as my ships press their attacks. The Wind comes under fire before she can reach her jump point; enemy ships are fleeing. Unfortunately, I only get her shields down to 50% before she made the jump to hyperspace. The enemy fleet is gone. I've only lost 6 Tie Bombers, with 3 damaged and 3 Tie Interceptors damaged, plus 1 Lancer with shield generator, weapons and hyperdrive damage. The Rebels have lost 1 Corellian Corvette, 1 X-wing, 2 A-wings and 9 Y-wings. I quickly take a quess to where they're retreating, and send my fleet in pursuit. I'll probably even beat them to the destination. I totally forgot to free Zuggs on Ojomm, but there were no troops to bombard, and I didn't have time to wait for a rescue. Since he's not going anywhere in a hurry, I'll get a rescue mission going soon. Menndo and Garindan have just finished an espionage mission, they're enroute to try and spring Zuggs. Zuggs escapes! My fleet arrives at Khomm, blockading the system. After awhile of waiting it's obvious the Rebel fleet is not coming here (it was the closest Rebel system to Ojomm, so that's where I thought the fleeing Rebel ships would proceed). 1 Corellian Corvette and Escort Carrier (both damaged) have dropped out of orbit at Byss; the remaining Rebel ships are proceeding to Fresia to meet up with approximately a dozen other Rebel ships (mostly all Corellian Corvettes). I send my fleet from Khomm to Byss. Upon arrival, the Rebels are intent on attacking my superior force; I let them have their luxury. My ISD and VSD's target the Rebel Escort Carrier Wind while the Lancers target fighters; my remaining fighters also engage the enemy fighters. The Wind is held in a tractor beam while it's being pummeled. The Rebel fighters are fleeing, and the Corellian Corvette pulls out leaving the Wind to its fate. The Wind and 3 X-wings, 4 A-wings and 1 Y-wing are destroyed. I've lost all my remaining fighters; 4 Tie Bombers and 6 Tie Interceptors, plus Jerjerrod has perished aboard the Rebel carrier. The Rebel scum let him die in his cell rather than let him leave the dying ship, unlike their crew. All Rebel ships except for 4 Corellian Corvettes have withdrawn from the sector to Drall:Corellian sector. I then take my fleet to Fresia, but there is no Rebel fleet. Menndo has taken out the last GenCore on Fresia leaving the system open to bombardment. With one salvo the Rebel garrison is eliminated. I've sent Menndo and Garindan on an espionage mission to get the latest info before I decide to assault the system. Han Solo has just been captured trying to run my blockade of Fresia! Tura Raftican is found on Fresia, so Menndo and Garindan are sent to abduct her. Success! With no more targets on Fresia, the fleet moves to Vulpter for minor repairs and R&R (I did NOT assault and take over the system). I'm going to consolidate all of my prisoners at Tarkin's Fang, then send them all to Coruscant for trial at the Imperial courts. I'll probably send most of the fleet with it to make sure Coruscant is well defended. Kuat sector: I've been using my commandos to repeatedly sabotage enemy troops and fighters, just to have them send more replacements. There are now 3 SY's constructing the first Rebel Mon Cal Cruiser, with a fourth in construction; the Rebel Mon Cal Cruiser is approximately 60% complete. After another round of sabotage, the latest espionage mission has shown the last SY is enroute, the Rebel Mon Cal Cruiser at 90% complete, 6 new A-wings in place and more troops enroute. I've taken out one of the SY's to slow down construction, but I will need to hurry with the remaining SY's if I want to prevent the Rebel Mon Cal Cruiser from launching. Too many of my sabotage missions have been failing, and the Rebel Mon Cal Cruiser is gone. Apparently a Mon Cal troop has arrived and been foiling my missions. I'm going to have to take them out as soon as possible. A large Rebel fleet is gathering at Arkania, but when I check again after their arrival, they are all already gone to someplace else. The Mon Cal troop on Commenor is now destroyed. Corellian sector: Chewbacca and Mazer Rackus are enroute to Saccoria for a sabotage mission; their target is either a KDY or a GenCore. Their mission has been foiled, and Chewbacca has been captured! Han Solo and Tura Raftican are enroute to rescue Chewbacca; I think I'll transfer him out of the sector a day or two before they are set to arrive. Han has abandoned the rescue attempt on arrival, so Chewbacca is sent back to Saccoria to lure him back again. There are many rebel espionage and Longprobe missions to Saccoria, but so far it appears all have been foiled or destroyed. More systems are joining the Rebels; intelligence shows Borsk Fey'lya and Drayson both doing diplomacy. Nubia is the only neutral system left in the sector. I've send for reinforcements from the Tapani sector; commandos, espionage droids and Noghri are on their way, along with Labansat and Niles Ferrier. The Tapani sector fleet: 2 ISD's, 2 Escort Carriers, 5 Lancer Frigates and 9 Tie Interceptors, 15 Tie Bombers are enroute to Saccoria. Chewbacca has been sent to Tarkin's Fang:Deep Core sector. Tapani sector: The ACY's on Mrlsst, Bestine and Fondor are currently adding ASY's to Devaron. As soon as that task is complete, the updating of the older SY's to ASY's will commence. Devaron is currently constructing an ISD, while Abregado is constructing more Lancer Frigates (after completion of the 2nd Escort Carrier). Devaron has launched an ISD, and is now producing Tie Interceptors. I'm consilidating my fleet at Fondor and sending them all to Saccoria:Corellian sector for raiding purposes. Unknown sector: Margrathea and Earth MK II have joined the Empire, as well as Othala. I've sent Bin Essada and Pter Thanas to Thermia and Vulcan, repsecitvely. After several weeks every system in the Unknow sector (save Bob) supports the Empire. I just have to bring support upto 100% on all systems. Bin Essada has boarded a Carrack Cruiser for Triffis:Doldur sector to start diplomatic missions there. Pter Thanas will finish bringing remaining systems to 100%. My maintenace is currently ~2100. I have a small excess of raw materials, but things are still taking longer to manufacture than normal. The Rebel HQ has been relocated from Rampa in the Corporate sector to an unknown location. I have explored all of the sectors except the Ison Sector. The Mid Rim sector, Bothan Space and Hutt Space have all been garrisoned by Imperial Army troops, and ACY's are on the way, or producing mines/refineries. 111

Day 400, current status: Coruscant sector: Daala has finished her tasks on Corulag and heads off to Metellos. Piett is doing diplomacy on Corulag, Chandrilla has now joined the Empire, and Darth Vader has finished his diplomacy tasks in the sector and is sent off to Ebaq in the Deep Core sector. Daala continues her mission of assaulting systems then doing Subdue Uprising missions, then pulling off 1 garrison troop and repeating the Subdue Uprising missions. After she finishes up with Metellos, I put her back on the Dreadnaught and Galleon, reload them with troops and send them off to Prakith in the Deep Core sector. Bin Essada and Pter Thanas have finished their diplomacy missions, so I load them up on a Carrack Cruiser and send them to the Unknown sector to start diplomacy missions on all of those neutral systems. Piett and Pellaeon then finish their diplomacy missions, so I send them to the last two neutral systems in the Deep Core, Galantos and Empress Teta, respectively. The only small thing of interest is the arrival of the Rebel Escort Carrier Wind with the captured Jerjerrod at Metellos. I transferred six each Tie Fighters and Tie Bombers there, which was sufficient to run it off. Research has released the ACY (Advanced Construction Yard) so as CY's complete their tasks they will start the process of upgrading to ACY's. My CY's on Coruscant and Anaxes have already started. Nothing much is really happening, Palpy does recruitment and I dispatch the new recruits to wherever is appropriate, espionage missions continually run on Coruscant looking for Rebel activity. I'm constructing more Tie Bombers at Bilbringi, and then a VSD. My ACY's on Coruscant and Anaxes are complete, the first order of business is to upgrade the TF's on Balmorra:Kuat sector to ATF's (2 out of 5 are already done). Afterwards, more SY's are being constructed at Bilbringi as I scrap mines/refineries. A Rebel abduction mission is discovered on Coruscant targetting Darth Vader or Palpy (just a guess); it's Orrimaarko and Ma'w'shiye, and they are due to arrive in two weeks; hopefully I'll capture both of them . I'm contructing 4 Galleons for outer sector exploration/occupation. Two of Galleons (completed) are loaded down with Army troops and sent to the Mid Rim sector. Another Galleon was just completed, but I don't have the troops yet. I'm sending it off to Balmorra:Kuat sector where I have some excess troops. From there I'll send it out to an outlying sector. Deep Core sector: With an influx of espionage droids and commandos, I have started my war of attrition with the Rebels. System defenses from Fresia, Khomm, Ojomm and Prakith have all been eliminated. I'm currently working on the garrison troops and fighters at Fresia. It's slow going, but at least I'm making progress. Latest reports show the large Rebel fleet massing at Drall:Corellian sector. Darth Vader has arrived doing diplomacy on Ebaq. A few short weeks later, Daala's fllet arrives at Prakith and assaults the system. She begins the first of her Subdue Uprising missions. Byss is the toughest Rebel stronghold in the sector, with General Andrimetrum; I'm avoiding sending missions there and losing my units. Darth Vader has brought Ebaq to the side of the Empire! But it now appears the massive Rebel Fleet is heading to Ojomm. I'm not sure where they are planning to go, but I'm sure it's not going to be good for me. I have some intelligence that two Corellian Corvettes, Han Solo, Page and some infiltrators are enroute to Khomm. I send my Dreadnaught from Prakith, to intercept them. The Corevettes run off, but Han Solo has made it past my blockade. I send the Dreadnaught back to Prakith. Espionage and sabotage missions continue. Shenir Rix has been killed trying an espionage mission at Ojomm to gather info on the Rebel fleet. Piett has fled Empress Teta as the system has joined the Rebels. A Rebel Escort Carrier loaded with 3 X-wings and 3 Y-wings has arrived at Prakith. I only have my Dreadnaught and Galleon there; I'm going to have to be careful with the enemy fighters as they'll wreak havoc on the old Dreadnaught. I'll stay as long as I can shooting at the fighters, planning to pull out once my shields get down to 50%. I've only taken out 1 Y-wing when my shield generators suddenly collapse. I call for the withdrawl hoping the remaining shields and armor can hold up to make the jump to hyperspace. Halfway through the retreat maneuver, the Rebel Escort Carriers comes into range and lands a crippling shot taking out my sublight engines; I can't complete the escape turn! The Galleon escapes, but the Dreadnaught is lost. Enemy fighters pummel the old Dreadnaught until it explodes, taking 1 Imperial Army troop with it. The Rebels then retreat. Without the Dreadnaught, I'm seriously outgunned in this sector, I begin to worry about which Imperial systems may next come under attack. A VSD is almost complete at Vulpter, but I need about 10 more days for launch. A Rebel abduction mission is discovered on Ebaq targetting Darth Vader; it's Orrimaarko and Ma'w'shiye, but they aren't due to arrive in ~40 days. Plenty of time for Darth Vader to complete his diplomacy mission and then escape. Another Rebel attack is happening at Vulpter, and my VSD is not quite finished! I'm afraid if I lose Vulpter, it's going to be a total setback in this sector. Instead of the Rebel invasion fleet, it's just an Escort Carrier. My 6 Tie Fighters and 6 Tie Bombers run the enemy off. My VSD launches the next day! I immediately have the SY's start on 2 Lancer Frigates; I need protection from the enemy fighters. Espionage missions have determined the reason for Empress Teta's joining with the Rebels; Luke Skywalker is doing diplomacy there. Darth Vader has just finished diplomacy on Ebaq; I send him to Vulpter to stage Luke's abduction. It only takes several days before Darth Vader confirms completion of his mission: Luke Skywalker has been captured! Once they arrive back at Vulpter, I send him and Luke to Coruscant. With my 2 Lancer Frigates complete, I'm building more Tie Bombers and them my own Escort Carrier. Menndo has destroyed the LNR on Byss, but his follow up mission on the GenCore has led to his capture. I sent him to get the GenCore because the all-commando teams were failing, and he usually succeeded. A new VSD with troops has arrived from Bilbringi:Coruscant sector at Vulpter. With my recently launched VSD, I'll use the two of them with Daala to invade Byss. The question is: should I wait for the Escort Carrier to be completed to carry 6 more Tie Bombers for the assault, or go without it. Construction of an Escort Carrier at Vulpter (5 SY's) would normally take 28 days, but with material shortages I'm guessing more like ~40 days. I think I'll proceed without; I can always send for it later if needed (once it's complete). My fleet of 2 VSD's, 4 Lancer Frigates and 4 Tie Bombers heads to Prakith to pick up Daala; from there Byss is the target. I sent the Galleon with its two troops to the far reaches of the galaxy (Bothan Sector) to explore and lay claim to systems for raw materials. Kuat sector: After destroying the garrison troops on Commenor, I'm working on the fighters. Just before the Rebel Dreadnaught is scheduled to be completed, I sabotage the last SY taking it out in the process! There is nothing left to sabotage on Commenor, but replacement troops and fighters are enroute. I try to keep the espionage missions going. A couple of weeks after a failed espionage mission, I finally get a success, but now there are three garrison Army troops and 5 X-wings. Plus there is now a new SY with 3 more on the way; a Nebulon-B Frigate is under construction. I'm having a much harder time getting successful missions sabotaging the garrison troops, or getting more updated info. I'll have to think up some new tactics. I've finally started to have success again; the troops and fighters are starting to blow up. The extra 9 commandos sure helped fill out the missions ranks. The next enemy SY is set to deliver in two weeks, and the Neb-B Frigate is 50% complete. I'm going to take out the current SY before the other arrives; that'll take out the Neb-B also The latest intelligence at Commenor shows more troops and A-wings enroute. The recently deployed SY there is constructing a Mon Cal Cruiser. Corellian sector: Many enemy missions to Saccoria keep failing. For a "worthless" system it sure is putting up a heck of a fight on its own. I decide to actively help the Imperial citizens on that system. I transfer some garrison troops, and construct 2 KDY's for defense (since the last KDY was sabotaged). I'm also going to send 2 GenCores there to prevent assaults. Then we'll see how things go. All facilities are in place, and enemy missions keep failing. Latest reports show a large Rebel fleet gathering at Duros. As long as I have 2 GenCores and enemy missions keep failing I'm not worried. I need to get some espionage droids there soon. Talus has now joined the Rebels; that means another Rebel diplomat is in this sector. With freshly arrived espionage droids, I find Borsk Fey'lya at Talus. Grammel has arrived at Saccoria and he is made General. Additional espionage droids allow me to start missions on other Rebel systems in the sector; it's just a matter of time until I find out what's going on here. Tapani sector: My ISD is in orbit at Fondor waiting to see if the Rebel fleet tries to make another attack. Intelligence reports show Chewbecca and Mazer Rackus enroute to sabotage something. I put Brandei on the system and make him a General; maybe that will foil their mission. I also get more espionage missions going and have my TF create some Noghri just in case. On the day of their arrival nothing happens; I missed them, but still have a chance. The next day the LNR is blown up and Chewbecca and Mazer Rackus are gone; they got away. I put Brandei back as Admiral and await to see if the Rebel Fleet will show. After a week there is no news; I take the fleet to free Ghorman. After the initial bombardment, the system is free! Kiffex, Mrlsst and Thyferra all join the Empire, and the Rebel systems of Bestine and Yag'Dhul go into uprising. I put garrison troops on Kiffex, Mrlsst and Thyferra. Labansat and some commandos are enroute to Thyferra; from there they will try to destroy the LNR on Yag'Dhul. So far all my missions keep getting foiled; General Willard I'm sure is responsible. I try sending more commandos and using more decoys ... success! I'm sending my ISD to Abregado to swap out my damaged Tie Fighters for a fresh batch of Tie Bombers, then it's on to Thyferra to pick up Labansat and his men. From there Yag'Dhul will be the next stop for Imperial victory. Eventually Bestine will be next, but first things first. On arrival at Yag'Dhul, 3 Y-wings and 3 X-wings begin their attack. The Tie Bombers can't deploy fast enough and are being destroyed too quickly, and I've only managed to take out 1 Y-wing; I call for a retreat. Labansat and his commandos are going to have to help beat the odds. I send for replacement fighters while the sabotage missions proceed. Not many are succeeding, this is going to take awhile. A Lancer Frigate is launched at Abregando and it immediately is sent to join the ISD. Intelligence has found Mon Mothma on Yag'Dhul doing a Subdue Uprising mission. I send my six Noghri to abduct her, but before they can reach the system the uprising has been put down and she is gone. On arrival of the Lancer and Tie Bombers, I head off to Yag'Dhul again. After fighting off the remaining Y-wings and X-wings, I bombard the enemy garrison; the system is in uprising again. One more bombardment and Yag'Dhul joins the Empire! I send my fleet to Mrlsst to rearm with commandos and some Tie Bombers. Mon Mothma is now Subdue Uprings on Bestine. I immediately send off the Noghri; the fleet will follow shortly. After fleet resupply, they ship off for Bestine; the 4 X-wings are no match for my fleet and Bestine is under blockade. Garm Bel Iblis is General, Chewbacca is there and Mazer Rackus is enroute. My Noghri have failed with their first abduction attempt of Mon Mothma. I send down various missions of abduction and sabotage (of the GenCore), but all missions fail. Fewer and fewer of my spec forces are returning. I don't trust Niles Ferrier, so he gets solo abduction missions; all are failures and eventually he gets captured. Labansat is not having any luck with the GenCore, and he too is eventually captured. Out of frustration I go for bombardment, and take out the GenCore plus just over half the Rebel garrison. With my last few (replacement) Noghri I attempt a rescue of Labansat; it's a no-go and they too are lost. My only option is to bombard again, and hope Garm Bel Iblis, Chewbacca and Mon Mothma get captured. The salvo is fired and the uprising ends on Bestine as it comes under Imperial control. Unfortunately, no Rebels are captured, but Niles Ferrier and Labansat are freed. Unknown sector: Bin Essada has convinced Epsilon III to join the Empire, and shortly thereafter Pter Thanas has worked his charms on Druidia; Altair IV follows Druidia's lead and joins the Empire also. Bob has joined the Rebels! I send some espionage droids there to see who is bringing me trouble, ... Drayson. There is a TF on Druidia, so they are training commandos; I plan to find out Drayson's next target, then send the commandos to start uprisings. This might slow down his progress. Drayson can't be found, so I send 2 teams of 3 commandos to Bob to start uprisings. Pter Thanas is now at Margrathea, and Bin Essada is now at Earth MK II. My maintenace is currently ~2900. I starting to get a small excess of raw materials, but things are still taking longer to manufacture than normal. I need to be careful on what and how many things get built. The Rebel HQ has been located on Rampa in the Corporate sector. I have no systems there, are close by; I'm just going to have to sit and wait until I can make a move. It will probably be long gone by that time. 61

I would even throw fighters in the mix. In the current game structure, the problem I see with that is transports are too costly (in materials) and would take too long to manufacture. This could be altered using RebEd, but the next problem I would have would be that you then should NOT use them for combat missions. Seeing large fleets of cheap transports loaded with troops bearing down on your systems would definitely be a game changer. In your Rebellion remake, you could have two types of transports: combat transports & civilian transports; one can be used in combat, and the other only for moving after combat action. This two-mode transport would work great for troops, personnel & fighters. Maybe use civilian transports only for facilities. First you would need to have, or build, the civilian transport, then set a "destination" like you do now for a manufactured item, but add a function to select which transport in orbit would deliver the item when manufacture is complete. Maybe there should be different transport types for troops and fighters. Personnel usually can hitch a ride on anything going the right direction.

EDATA files 166 through 191 are the planet pics. Regardless of their extensions, they are graphic files so you can drop&drag on your favorite desktop graphics editor program icon, or start your favorite graphics editor program and use OPEN on the pics. These 26 pics match up to the 26 icons used in game on the sectors (so if you change one, don't forget to change the other ).

Day 200, current status: Coruscant sector: Initial espionage missions have proven I was correct, the Rebels are massing an invasion fleet at Borleias: 15 Corellian Corvettes, 4 Escort Carriers, 1 Bulk Cruiser and 7 Medium Transports! I have no idea how a starting Rebel fleet can be so huge this early in the game. I can't see any troops or fighters on this fleet (actually about a dozen small fleets coming in at various times), but I'm sure they have some, but probably not the max. I've recalled the other ISD and Dreadnaught back to Coruscant immediately; they should arrive a couple of days before the final Rebel ships (fleets) arrive at Borleias. When my ships arrive, I put all of them in one fleet commanded by Admiral Ozzel. Palpy has recruited Daala, so I make her a Commander to organize the Tie Fighter attacks. It will probably be a few days travel before the battle for Corscant begins. The days tick by and nothing happens. Espionage missions in other sectors show parts of the massive Rebel fleet arriving in those sectors. I'm guessing an enemy mission has tipped them off to my reinforcements at Coruscant, and they have bugged out. But that's OK, I can now proceed with taking control of this sector with Daala's help. Admiral Daala takes one fully loaded ISD to Velusia and assualts the planet; it immediately goes into uprising as I don't have enough troops to maintain control. Daala is then assigned to a Subdue Uprising mission. After a couple of weeks she has restored order. I then pull one troop back to the ISD, which restarts the uprising. Daala continues her previous mission. I repeat this tactic until only 1 garrison troop is required. In the meantime I'm having problems in the Tapani sector and dispatch the ISD there. The Dreadnaught and Galleon, loaded with troops picks up Daala and proceeds to Borleias. Palpy in the meantime has recruited Pellaeon and Pter Thanas. They're sent out to neutral systems in this sector. Daala has repeated her assault/subdue uprising tasks on Borleias, and has moved on to Corulag. Bin Essada has now been recruited, and is doing diplomacy on Velusia; he'll follow Daala's path bringing support to 100%. As of now, Metellos is the only Rebel system left in the sector, and Chandrilla the only neutral system (Pter Thanas is there doing diplomacy). Deep Core sector: Menndo is doing an excellent job of espionage on all of the Rebel systems. He has found many Rebel fleet's enroute to Khomm. Tarkin's Fang is increasing its CY's and will then start on more SY's at Vulpter. Rebel sabetours are striking at my system defenses. I fear this is the prelude to ... invasion! The KDY has been blown up on Tarkin's Fang; I have to stop my CY's and rebuild this immediately, then go back to the previous construction. Vulpter just lost its LNR, but I have to finish the current SY before I can replace it. The Rebels now just took out my only SY on Vulpter. Klev now has no mission; I move him to Abregado in the Tapani sector for ship research. I'm having several espionage droids and commandos from Balmorra:Kuat sector sent immediately. When they arrive I start espionage missions, and targeting their defenses systems. Maybe they'll think I'm going to invade them! But that's totally impossible for me to do, but they don't know that. Kuat sector: There are only 2 Rebel systems in this sector; Arkania and Commenor. Arkania has just mines/refineries, but Commenor has SY's. After several espionage missions, I send the commandos to take out Commenor's defenses. This takes a couple of tries, but eventually succeeds. Since the Rebels attacked my SY at Vulpter, I target their SY's at Commenor; all but 1 are destroyed. That should slow down production of their Dreadnaught. Right before it's due to be complete, I'll blow the last shipyard with the Dreadnaught. I just hope the timing works out! Corellian sector: I've moved Needa from Saccoria to Vulpter to protect the SY's there. Saccoria only has mines/refineries, so even though it's my only system in this sector, it will have to remain undefended for now. Tapani sector: Fondor has finished up constructing its CY's and is making more SY's on Abregado for Klev's research. My espionage droids are trying to get information about what is going on in this sector. Apparently a couple of Rebel fleets are heading to Thyferra. Devaron has joined the Imperial cause; Jerjerrod is making progress. But several weeks later a Rebel fleet blockades the system, and then assaults it! Jerejerrod has been injured and captured by the Rebels. I have my only TF on Fondor start producing commandos so I can start taking out the Rebel garrison. Before my commandos are complete, the Rebels assault Abregado taking over my couple of SY's! Klev has escaped, and I send him back to Vulpter. I immediately send for a fully loaded ISD from Coruscant. This was Daala's ship, that is loaded with Stormtroopers from Coruscant, and has the lately recruited Brandei as Admiral. He's on his way to free Abregado. In the meantime, Rebel sabetours have taken out my GenCore on Fondor. I immediately build a KDY as this will hopefully prevent a Rebel assault (the GenCore will take longer to build, and won't prevent an assault without a second GenCore). My espionage droids find out I have 7 days before a Rebel invasion fleet will be in orbit. The day before they arrive, I send out all of my droids and commandos on missions so they won't be destroyed if the system is capture. The enemy fleet arrives, but the assault doesn't come; the KDY prevents their assault. After a couple of days they leave. My ISD finally arrives at Abregado! I take out the couple of X-wings with 2 Tie Fighter loses. There is a GenCore on the system, so I'll have to sabotage it first. Niles Ferrier and Labansat get the job. Apparently theirs something wrong, the missions failed. I'm beginning to believe that Niles might be a traitor, no mission he ever goes on succeeds. I send for commandos on Fondor. After waiting a couple of days, I try again with Labansat and the commandos; no problem this time. But while I was waiting for the mission to succeed, my KDY on Fondor has been blown up. I get another in production fast! When the GenCore comes down, Brandei bombards the Rebel troops. It takes two salvos, but Abregado is free from Rebel rule. Ghorman and Bassadro join the Empire! I take the ISD to Fondor. Fondor has completed the KDY and is now producing a LNR. A Rebel fleet has come to invade Fondor: 2 Escort Carriers with 2 X-wings and 5 Y-wings, and 4 Medium Transports. As the battle starts, I send the ISD to attack the fighters. The Tie Fighters launch then group up behind the ISD. After all the Ties are out, I send them after the Rebel fighters (just as they arrive to attack). With the ISD's help, Y-wings are starting to drop fast. And not before long, the Rebels are in full retreat! Their ships never got in range to shot my Ties, and I guess they lost enough firepower from the Y-wings to give it up. I have to call back the Ties as they chase the remaining Rebel fighters and start taking hits from the Rebel fleet. They make the jump just as my ISD gets in range. After the LNR on Fondor is complete, I load up on more commandos and head to Devaron. Devaron has just two X-wings, so the ISD takes them out. Brandei's first bombardment takes out half the Rebel garrison, but he has also hit a mine. Support swings to the Rebels abit, and Bassadro goes neutral. The Rebels have just assaulted Ghorman! The next bombardment is flawless, and Devaron is once again Imperial! Bassadro rejoins the Empire; Kiffex, Mrlsst and Thyferra all abandon the Rebel cause and go neutral. I take my ISD to Bassadro, and drop off 1 Stormtrooper for garrison duty. My next step is to free Ghorman, hopefully this will cause the neutral systems to join the Empire and the remaining Rebel systems to go neutral or into uprising. My maintenace is currently ~1400. At different times, I did have an excess of raw and refined materials, but alot of building/re-building has wiped out all of that. 33

Let me know if you need any help, I'll give you a hand. As for the asteroid graphics, the icon is from the game (a system after the Death Star destroys it), the EDATA.177 file (encyclopedia picture) I believe I created using asteroid pictures from the internet (NASA) and the Rebellion color pallet. I just had to find one that looked good with the colors and resolution available; feel free to use it. I believe that's a Rebel pilot in a snow speeder (from ESB) and it's for the Alliance aborting a combat(?) mission. It's supposed to look "fuzzy" like they're far away on the mission, and barely able to receive the transmission. http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7005/allianceabortmission.th.jpg In game graphic http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/2623/snowspeederpilot.th.jpg Snowspeeder cockpit+pilot

It depends if you have an Admiral in charge or not, and then what the Admiral's Combat ratings are (the higher, the better); and a little bit of luck. With a good Admiral, only the necessary amount of firepower is used to achieve the objective (being the efficient officer). Having no admiral, or bad a Admiral (or bad luck) will get you collateral damage, and negative PR.

Imperial Pursuit! I'm starting a new game (standard game, hard, large galaxy) as the Galactic Empire with my New Galaxy configuration. And to make it more challenging I'm using the following guidelines: 1) No RebEd changes. 2) Diplomats can only work on systems in the core sectors, with the following exceptions: a) any Imperial controlled system in the outer rim can have diplomats bring loyalty up to 100%; b) the Corporate and Unknown sectors (they have "civilizations" to sway). After the core neutral systems have been swayed to one side or the other, outer rim systems are fair game. 3) No Rebel outer rim systems will be assaulted until the entire core is Imperial (any Rebel systems in the core are fair game); with one exception - the Alliance HQ when found. 4) No sabotage of Rebel mines or refineries. All other units and facilities are fair game, with exception to capital ships (unless they are blockading or bombarding an Imperial system). 5) No Rebel characters are to be actively targeted for capture, with the following exceptions: a) Mon Mothma or Luke, b) they are on a mission on an Imperial system, c) characters not in the Rebel military (i.e. Page, Tura Raftican, etc), d) characters with R&D abilities are NOT to be captured (missions can be disrupted, but I'll try to avoid this), e) NO Rebel diplomats will be targeted for capture. Hopefully, this will give the Rebels plenty of time to build up their forces and a good infrastructure for a long and drawn out battle. It will be a priority to control the material wealth of the core systems to create my own infrastructure. I'm going to control the Coruscant sector first, and then concentrate on the other core sectors. So when the game started, this is what I had to start with: Coruscant sector: 1 Imperial, 4 Alliance and 5 Neutral systems. - Coruscant Deep Core sector: 2 Imperial, 5 Alliance and 3 Neutral systems. - Tarkin's Fang - Vulpter Kuat sector: 2 Imperial, 2 Alliance and 6 Neutral systems. - Alderaan - Balmorra Corellian sector: 1 Imperial, 5 Alliance and 4 Neutral systems. - Saccoria Corporate sector: 0 Imperial, 2 Alliance and 8 Neutral systems. Tapani sector: 6 Imperial, 1 Alliance and 3 Neutral systems. - Abregado - Fondor Ships: 2 Star Destroyers, 1 Dreadnaught & 1 Galleon. Construction yards: 5 (2 on Coruscant & Fondor). Training Facilities: 2 Shipyards: 1 Maintenance: 701 The first order of business will be for the construction yards (CY) to create more CY's where possible. My training facilities (TF) will produce espionage droids and eventually garrison troops. The ship yard (SY) will start off producing Tie Fighters (for defense), then Carracks (for raids & exploration) and maybe more transports (if troops are available for them). A big challenge will be the lack of TF's for troops and SY's for ships. My CY's are going to be plenty busy! Coruscant sector: I have Palpy doing recruitment on Coruscant, with Piett & Darth Vader going to Bilbringi & Anaxes to do diplomacy, respectively. Bevel Lemelisk in on Coruscant doing Facility Design. Niles Ferrier is on an espionage mission to Velusia. Kuat sector: Veers is enroute to do Troop Research on Balmorra. Deep Core sector: Klev is enroute to do Ship Research on Vulpter. Menndo is on an espionage mission to Byss. Tapani sector: Jerjerrod is enroute to do diplomacy on Devaron. Corellian sector: Needa is on Saccoria doing a Subdue Uprising mission as I move troops off-system to build up popular support without having to use a diplomat. Saccoria has no facilities, so it's not too terribly important; other than needing the resources and being the only Imperial presence in the sector. My biggest concern right now is the lack of any GenCores on Coruscant; it's basically wide open to assault except for the one ISD in orbit. The fighters and troops on the ISD have been moved planetside for better defense of the system (the Tie Fighter won't have to "launch" and troops aren't much good in space battles). I have no doubt the Rebels are already amassing for an attack. I plan to pull the other ISD to Coruscant ASAP; it's currently delivering Jerjerrod to Devaron. As soon as the CY's on Coruscant are finished, I'll have to scrap two refineries to free space for the GenCores. I hope I have time to pull this off. I plan to make Vulpter-Deep Core a SY system, and depending on my diplomacy missions there may be more in the Coruscant and Tapani sectors. Basically now I'm just building up the most meager of forces. But I do plan on assaulting all of the Rebel systems in the Coruscant sector soon; they don't have any facilities as far as I can tell, and only minimal defenses. I plan on assualting them with minimal troops (resulting in uprisings), then use Darth Vader and Piett to do Subdue Uprising missions; but that will have to wait at least until they're "in sector" and the other ISD has arrived at Coruscant.

Combat! When Tie Interceptors become available, have 1 T/I for every 2 T/B. This will help out on fighting fighters. If enemy fleets are on the attack (you're on defense) send the Tie Bomber after enemy escort carriers firsts, then ships capable of carrying fighters. If they're destroyed that can't bring fighters; damaged ones you can attack the next time (if they come back).

If you check the ENCYTEXT.DLL file using ResoureHacker, the system descriptions for Nam'ta (folder 7700) and Spefik (folder 7701) in the Arivis sector, have their descriptions written in HEX. The descriptions are very short, so when replacing these systems (for whatever sector you're now considering) remember to keep the new descriptions short. As for acutally changing the HEX data, you'll have to first write your short description; then write the ASCII code for every character, this includes spaces and punctuation; convert the ASCII codes to base 16 (HEX); type in the HEX values. Don't forget to save after each description!

I haven't played much multiplayer, but some suggestions: Put a good admiral on board your fleets and bombard enemy (military) facilities to destroy enemy troops. Use commandos to destroy enemy facilities (especially GenCores & Laser/Ion cannons; see above) and military units. Use Noghri to assassinate/capture enemy characters (especially those pesky diplomats). Use espionage droids on neutral planets to locate enemy diplomats; use on your own systems to foil enemy missions against you (not full proof though); use on enemy systems to locate targets (see all items listed above). Concentrate on building a super shipyard system to speed up capital ship building; supper training facility for troops/special forces; super construction yard to build the other super systems. One GenCore/Laser/Ion cannon will pretty much deter causal enemy bombardments & assualts (only on the MOST important systems, at least in the beginning). If you're worried about Neb-B's, concentrate on building Tie Bombers (lots of them) & escort carriers. As long as you have an advantage in fighters/bombers you can put some "hurt" on enemy ships (always concentrate on 1 ship at a time). Even a system with 1 shipyard can get you ~18 tie bombers in ~200 days; I think Tie Fighters are totally worthless, but you have to decide on that at the beginning or building capital ships. Admirals/Commanders/Generals really do help, check their stats before deciding who goes where. A good admiral on a fleet could mean the difference when bombarding on hitting an enemy troop or civilian facility (one will decrease enemy popular support and the other increases enemy popular support). Do this enough in a sector and popular support can swing dramatically (but be careful!). Commanders help your fighters in the tactical battles & Generals will detect more enemy missions and protect your troops. Avoid inciting uprisings as these are totally worthless and a waste of time and materials; go for sabotage & kidnapping (which is actually easier than assassinations). Good Luck

That is the thing about most mods; they replace files, so any previous changes would be lost. The only way my mod would work for Reloaded would be to supply "modified" Reloaded ENCYTEXT & TESTSTRA DLL files. Unfortunately, there are no "update scripting" or "save/mod only certain field" options for these programs/files (ResourceHacker & the DLL's), so they manually have to be done (20 sectors names, 200 system names & 200 encyclopedia descriptions: UGGH! Maybe someday that will be an "option" to my New Galaxy download I'll look into those for you; it might be awhile as my files have been "archived" on my old computer & I have to find them, but I will get you the info They look good; more ... "brilliant/intense" in color compared to the originals. Been there, done that

Well good for you MrPhildevil! You should take credit for creating your own mod & giving it its own thread. I can't wait to here about all of the things you will be changing and why, plus all of the new "pics" of characters, troops, ships, etc. Good Luck on your galaxy overhaul. What do you mean you want ? Are you trying to imply my planets are "unworthy" or "fictitious" or located incorrectly? Just kidding! You are right about everyone having different opinions on the galaxy. There are way too many sectors and systems to choose from for the limitations of this game. You will find out however, due to the "space" of the "game sectors" that realistic positioning of the systems will be near impossible because system icons are too big and things will "bunch up" on you. And to keep the game "playable" you are going to have to make some sacrifices to your vision. That's just the limitations of this game; unless of course you're making an entirely NEW GAME like Slocket, steel, DavidAdas, etc. One little hiccup you should lookout for, there are two systems where the encyclopedia descriptions are typed in HEX. These descriptions can NOT be replaced with standard "text", and the "new description" can NOT to longer than the original (anything longer than the original description length is truncated). I believe these two are literally "hard coded" into the game; they can be changed, but the changes you can make are limited. I hope your new planets & Slocket's planets work out. I definitely would have liked to have better planet icons to choose from; but you work with what you got Keep us posted on your progress. Your English is very good; what is your native language?

I had a couple of interesting things happen in a recent game (I'm playing the standard vanilla Rebellion, with exception to using my New Galaxy Configuration). I'm playing as the Rebels; the Empire controls the entire Coruscant sector except for the Averam system. I'm using this as my base to spy on Imperial systems. Darth Vader was reported as being on the Bilbringi system at one time, and now that Luke has returned from Dagobah, I wanted him to confront Vader already. I'm using Han Solo as a glorified taxi cab to get Luke to Averam. Once there, I have Luke and Han do an espionage mission to Bilbringi (I put Han as the decoy; Han gets Luke there AND back really quick). Anyway, after a couple of missions (some successful, some not), a recent successful mission revealed one interesting piece of info ... http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/8605/bountyhuntercard.th.png there are Bounty Hunters on Bilbringi! I've never seen a Bounty Hunter card in the game, ever. I've seen the picture someone downloaded via ResourceHacker in the forums, but never "in game". I tried to use infiltrators to "sabotage" the Bounty Hunters, but C3PO wouldn't allow the mission; I also couldn't "abduct" them. It might be you can NOT do missions against them, or they "already moved on" and I was trying to do a mission on a unit that was really not there (intelligence data was not yet updated again). The second weird thing happened right after that Luke/Han mission; they were "returning" to Averam and I detected an Imperial Espionage mission on Averam. I put some infiltrators on sabotaging the two Imperial droids already on Averam (on mission). One of the Imperial droids was destroyed but the other sabotage mission failed; the Imperial espionage mission was foiled. I then looked at my system screen ... http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4868/swrebellionalliancedroi.th.png There's an Imperial Espionage droid on my side? I didn't know droids could "defect to the other side"? It must have been a fluke, because I could NOT use him for any missions and when I closed/re-opened the system screen, he was gone. He must have been the droid from the "foiled mission" and got "lost" trying to get home. That's about my best guess. I just thought I would share these interesting occurances to see if anyone else has had them or something similar happen. EDIT: This was originally posted June 29, 2011 but "lost", therefore I'm reposting it

How did you get 20? You must have used RedEd on Coruscant or Yavin, and got "more resources found" on them, because the default max is 14. Getting 6 "more resources found" is astronomically against the odds, much less ALL on the SAME system. Unless you have a saved game editor?

Hey J! Nice splice! I took a look at some of your other videos, ... nice. Good to see you're enjoying yourself. When you get a chance, your avatar link needs updating

Do you have updated video drivers?

I see two possible solutions (of course there can be more ...) 1) Blockade several/couple dozen/all of the Empire's systems and use the decline in Maintenance Points to start the scrapping of Imperial units/facilities. Maybe you'll get lucky and some of the Coruscant defense sites will go down. This could take awhile as "scrapping" doesn't happen instantaneously; more like molasses flowing in the Arctic 2) Get yourself an UBER fleet; I'm talking Bulwarks, and lots of them loaded to bear with Y & B-wings. With enough bombardment value you can blow through the shielding (hopefully you have enough to take out the LNR's before they get you though) Good Luck!

You've been posting your story on some other website!? How much have "we" missed? Keep up the good work Def, I just wish your posts were more often (and consistent? ). How's things going otherwise?

I like that! Brings back some good memories