Because this is no MOD, just a patch that will try to fix the balance issues/lacks of EaW, i post it here. We hope that the XMLs files will be ready by the end of this weekend or the next one. Unless developers don't materilise them first

 

Note that this unofficial patch will try to fix only the Gameplay issues mentioned below. The AI-Graphics and MP problems are devs' job to do.

 

Feel free to suggest any more changes that can be done directly through XML editting. Issues such as "instant damage, camera angle view and diplomacy" are obviously part of an x-pack, not a simple patch.

 

Btw, it's obvious that anyone can sit down and edit the XML so that he balances the game as he wants. Yet, this is an effort done to help some players that cannot do this.

 

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Threads where the balance issues/lacks were tracked:

1. Official Petroglyph "Need to fix" Thread - 1.02 Patch Released

2. my rants and raves.... [contains spoilers]

3. Dear DEV. Team plz read this

4. Cheap AI tactics

5. Some Balance Issues

 

Balance issues/lacks according to those threads that can be fixed:

 

Gameplay

1) Disable TIE Maulers’ ability to run over infantry.

2) Reduce TIE Maulers’ attack damage made by their auto-destruction ability.

3) Reduce bombing runs’ damage made to enemy.

4) Activate friendly fire damage made by bombing runs.

5) Tweak superweapons fire damage/refill time.

6) Tweak Antilles and Red Squadron’s fire damage/speed/refill time.

7) Reduce Artillery’s damage made to infantry and increase it against vehicles/buildings.

Reduce Plex soldiers’ damage made to heavy vehicles.

9) Increase troops’ fire damage made against other infantry.

10) Reduce to zero (if possible) troops’ damage made to Armored vehicles such as ATAT.

11) Tweak ALL health/attack/defense/accuracy status to the space ships so that:

(a) Space battles last longer and so lay more strategies on the battlefield, (b) Capital ships oppose a serious threat against fighters.

12) Re-activate the color identification of cursor for in-range, out-of-range signal or re-activate firing-ranges both in land and space combat.

13) Apply TIE Mauler’s auto-destruction ability to all the space ships; when a space ship is destroyed, then the surround area feels the impulse of its destruction.

14) Deactivate pirates from MP or minimize their forces.

 

 

AI - Graphics

• Correct issues with objects flying through each other.

• Problematic path finding issue for infantry (mainly) on city maps.

• Fix AI’s “ability” to overpass the population capacity limit.

• Fix AI’s “ability” to track the enemy when inside nebulas.

 

 

Multiplayer

• Fix MP connectivity issues due to firewalls.

• Fix MP stability issue (exceptions, lag)

• Fix MP ladder system

 

 

 

IMPORTANT! -(will be editted shortly before the patch is out)

All the players that will download this unofficial patch must back up their original XML files stored in C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars Empire at War\GameData\Dat and named as:

1) …

2) …

3) …

The reason to do so is the MP incompability issues that arise when you alter you XML files. So, if your opponents do not have this unofficial patch as you do, you must copy & paste the original files for the MP session and then to copy & paste your fixed files for single player.

 

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from the eaw forums i love fanpatches...but before the parent company has abandoned the game i don't see the point!

Edited February 22, 200620 yr by Cain

Well I won't be DL this patch with its "fixes" its nerfing things already.... and I hate nerf bats SWG screwed everyone over with nerf Bats

in that case any change that doesnt support YOUR class is a nerf :rolleyes:

Eh, I don't care for any of these:

Gameplay

1) Disable TIE Maulers’ ability to run over infantry.

2) Reduce TIE Maulers’ attack damage made by their auto-destruction ability.

3) Reduce bombing runs’ damage made to enemy.

 

The tie mauler is already one of the weakest units, I hate to see it get waeker.

Maybe up the maulers hitpoints a little, but it running over your entire infantry is indeed annoying!!!

 

Bombing runs damaging your own units doesn't seem like a good idea to me, since you need units nearby where you want to bomb, due to the very limited line of sight of some units. This means you'd almost always end up damaging your units as much as the enemies...

 

I really like the other ideas. I think that the larger space units are far too weak at the moment... Making battles more intense and strategic by increasing the importance of shield generators is a great idea!

 

The ISD could use a decent special weapon, I can't seem to find a decent use for a tractor beam in the middle of a large space battle...

In case you rebels didn't know, your tanks can run over infantry too...unless you're disabling that too...

True, but the AI can move it's troops out of the way fast enough to avoid the slow T4-B tanks, but the Mauler is so fast that you can't get your troops out of the way in time...

I haven't seen the Empire troops move away from the tanks like the rebels and pirates do.  As I recall, the Factions.xml file has a crush avoidance entry that is negative for the empire.

I mean that when you are playing as the rebellion, the AI uses the maulers so fast that you don't have the time to move your troops out of the way manually, so you lose alot of them every time... You can't see em coming in time because the line of sight is so limited...

That is the point of the Mauler, low health but if it gets close enough, you are screwed. I can guarantee I won't be downloading this "patch"

I wanna see two AI-nerfs, that means:

 

- reduce usage of MPTLs in Land-Battle (its overused now by Reb-AI)

- reduce usage of Missile-Corvettes in Space-Combat (overused sometimes)

 

AND:

 

- reduce Antifighter-Damage of Missile-Corvettes to almost zero (for killing fighters we've got other ships !)

- remove MPTL as garrison-unit

 

Thanks. Thats all I wish. That Mauler is just fine as it is atm. It should NOT be nerved to death.

Most of those changes are just silly.

'Balance' in gaming is for people who can't use tactics or anything else...which is why balance sucks. If you can't stomach the fact that Imperials have better tech, bigger vehicles, more soldiers, and bigger guns, and an advantage in most combat situations, then you're just lying to yourself.

 

Rebels got lucky, nothing more...