Star Wars: Empire at War

Star Wars: Empire at War, abbreviated to simply EaW, is the latest real-time strategy (RTS) game to take place in the Star Wars universe. Promising to end the mediocrity of past Star Wars RTS games (namely Force Commander and Galactic Battlegrounds), Empire at War started from the ground up. The game was developed by Petroglyph, comprised of many former members of Westwood Studios (known for the Command and Conquer series). This company has developed a completely new engine specifically for EaW known only as Alamo. It uses several higher-end shader effects such as soft shadows, specular lighting, and particle effects for dust clouds and explosions.

Gameplay
The game features a brand new style of play to make things a bit more realistic—instead of building workers, gathering resources, and recruiting individual units, players are be granted resources based on how many and which planets the player controls. Controlling worlds increases a players cashflow, but also provide unique bonuses depending on the planet (Armor increases, discounted prices, special unit production).



Units in this game, can comprise of anywhere from 9 (Stormtroopers) to 1 (AT-AT) individual characters. Battles are carried out both on a planet's surface and in orbit. Whoever controls the planet's surface, controls the planet itself. There are different factors to keep in mind depending on your status as an attacker or defender. Attackers must secure Landing Points to increase the number of units they deploy, while Defenders may deploy up to 10 "units" on a planet immediately. Attackers have their advantages, though. They may call in air strikes if they have Bombers in orbit. Likewise, ground-based installations (like the ion cannon and hypervelocity gun) can fire upon units in orbit during space tactical battles. Unlike in Galactic Battlegrounds, shields will form an actual physical barrier that must be penetrated and shield bases from artillery and bombing runs, while Turbolasers can easily destroy enemy mechanized units. The attacker must therefore destroy the power generators to disable these two buildings. Combining these, and many more elements (including special abilities and hero units) creates an intense tactical and nostalgic experience that any Star Wars fan can appreciate.



Taking place in the time between Episode III and Episode VI concluding with the construction and possible destruction of the Death Star. Empire at War features three factions, although only two are playable. These factions are the Rebel Alliance the Galactic Empire and the Black Sun (Non-playable without XML modding). Units in this game are a mix of Clone War-era and New Order-era. The Empire's advantages include powerful ships and swarms of Tie Fighters, while the Rebels, on the other hand, must rely on swifter ships and Raid Fleets (Small ground troop fleets that can bypass space defenses). Like many RTS games, Empire at War features a "Rock-Paper-Scissors" unit usage style&mdash;for every unit there is a counter-unit. Brett Tosti, the LucasArts producer, has stated that this encourages players to create diverse armies and fleets with units that counter other units, as opposed to being able to building a bunch of "super units".



Players are also able to call on reinforcements during battle, including heroes like Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Players can also construct planet-borne ion cannons, factories, and space stations. Over forty locales are featured including Yavin IV, Tatooine, Dagobah, and others from the movies and expanded universe. With differing worlds providing increased resources, more manufacturing capabilities, or special galaxy-wide troop bonuses.

Modding
As was revealed in early press releases and interviews, EaW is marginally open-source&mdash;with much of the game being controlled through Text files (*.txt), XML files (*.xml), DAT files (*.dat), and LUA (*.lua). Anyone with the knowledge and software needed to alter these files can do so.

The text files are easily edited in most text-editing programs (though Notepad is often the default editing program on the Windows platform) and control the unique ship names that appear on many of the capital ships as well as a fair amount of the stories used throughout the Galactic Conquest mode. The xml files control much of the data responsible for the appearance and behavior of units and buildings. These files are often, by default, launched in a web browser which allows for viewing only. For the purposes of editing xml WYSIWYG web editors (ie: Microsoft's Front Page and Adobe Macromedia's Dreamweaver), text-editors such as Notepad, or proprietary xml editors can all be utilized (through the latter two are most common due to their relative ease of use).

DAT files require the use of software capable of reading the information embedded within. In Empire at War, DAT files are used to store almost all of the text found within the game. Lastly, the Lua files are used primarily for high-level scripting and AI. Editing these files requires the use of Lua source code and a compiler, or the use of a Lua-friendly visual programming environment.

There is a part of the game which are not editable, at present time the .Lua scripting files (they seem to have been compiled using some as yet unknown version of the language)

The community has been pressing forward in terms of moding, going so far as to enable Star Destroyers in low orbit above land maps, unlocking the existing units which were not put in place, and even some total conversions have begun. There exist some fan-made programs to assist with the editing of what can be edited, as well as a (at present primitive) .alo file viewer.

Mod Projects
There are many large mod projects now in the making, huge mod projects that add entire timelines.
 * Imperial Assault II
 * Legacy of War
 * Ages of Star Wars
 * Sith War(mod)

Species and Creatures

 * Bantha
 * Bothans
 * Desert Sketto
 * Ewoks
 * Geonosians
 * Gungans
 * Human
 * Hutts
 * Jawas
 * Mon Calamari
 * Rancor
 * Sarlacc
 * Sullustans
 * Tauntaun
 * Tusken Raiders
 * Twi'leks
 * Wampa
 * Womp Rat
 * Wookiees

Heroes
{|-
 * valign=top|

Imperial

 * Emperor Palpatine
 * Mara Jade
 * Captain Piett
 * Colonel Veers
 * Grand Moff Tarkin
 * Boba Fett
 * Darth Vader
 * valign=top|

Rebel

 * Mon Mothma
 * Kyle Katarn
 * Captain Raymus Antilles
 * R2-D2 & C-3PO
 * Admiral Ackbar
 * Han & Chewie
 * Red Squadron
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * valign=top|
 * }

Ground Units
{|-
 * valign=top|

Imperial

 * Stormtrooper Platoon
 * Speeder Bike (Scout Trooper)
 * TIE Mauler (TIE ap-1)
 * 2-M Repulsor Tank
 * AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport)
 * SPMA-T (Self-Propelled Medium Artillery Turbolaser)
 * AT-AA (All Terrain Anti-Aircraft)
 * AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport)
 * Field Commander
 * valign=top|

Rebel

 * Rebel Soldiers (SpecForces Infantry Platoon)
 * Plex Missile Troopers (Specforces PLX-2M Missile trooper Platoon)
 * Infiltrators (SpecForces Infiltrators)
 * T2-B Repulsor Tank
 * T4-B Heavy Tank
 * Assault Speeder
 * MPTL-2A Artillery
 * Field Commander
 * valign=top|

Other

 * All Terrain Attack Pod
 * Infantry Support Platform
 * Desert skiff
 * }

Space Units
{|-
 * valign=top|

Imperial

 * TIE fighter
 * TIE Bomber
 * TIE Scout
 * Tartan patrol cruiser (Tartan-class patrol cruiser)
 * Broadside-class cruiser KDB-1 (Missile Ship)
 * Acclamator (Acclamator-class assault ship)
 * Victory-class Star Destroyer
 * Interdictor Cruiser (Immobilizer 418 cruiser)
 * Imperial Star Destroyer
 * Death Star
 * Fleet Commander
 * valign=top|

Rebel

 * Z-95 Headhunter
 * X-wing (T-65 X-wing)
 * Y-wing
 * A-wing
 * Corellian Corvette
 * Corellian Gunship
 * Marauder Missile Cruiser
 * Rebel Cruiser (Nebulon-B frigate)
 * Alliance Assault Frigate (Assault Frigate Mk. II)
 * Mon Calamari Cruiser (Mon Cal MC80 Star Cruiser
 * Fleet Commander
 * valign=top|

Other

 * TIE Advanced x1(Used by Vader in space)
 * Carrack-class light cruiser(can be obtained by editing the XML)
 * Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter(can be obtained by editing the XML)
 * Venator-class Star Destroyer(can be obtained by editing the XML)
 * Pirate interceptor cruiser(can be bought at pirate docks)
 * IPV/1 Patrol Craft(can be bought at pirate docks)
 * Rihkxyrk Attack Ship(can be bought at pirate docks)
 * }

Special Weapons
{|-
 * valign=top|

Imperial

 * Death Star
 * Hypervelocity Gun
 * Magnapulse Cannon
 * valign=top|

Rebel

 * Ion cannon
 * }

Buildings
{|-
 * valign=top|

Imperial

 * Imperial Light Vehicle Factory
 * Imperial Officer Academy
 * Imperial Advanced Factory
 * Imperial Barracks
 * Imperial Command Center
 * Imperial Heavy Vehicle Factory
 * Research Facility
 * Imperial Space Station
 * valign=top|

Rebel

 * Alliance Barracks
 * Alliance Command Center
 * Alliance Officer Academy
 * Infiltrator Training Facility
 * Alliance Heavy Vehicle Factory
 * Alliance Light Vehicle Factory
 * Alliance Space Station
 * valign=top|

Other

 * Anti-Infantry Turret
 * Anti-Vehicle Turret
 * Anti-Air Turret
 * Bacta Healing Station
 * Sensor Node
 * Vehicle Repair Station
 * Communications Array
 * Abandoned Heavy Factory
 * Abandoned Sensor Array
 * Mining Facility
 * Cantina
 * Hutt Palace
 * Mercenary Outfitter
 * Orbital Long Range Scanner
 * Power Generator
 * Shield Generator
 * Turbolaser Turret
 * }

Hidden Items
The following are units and planets that were removed for the final version and are hidden or mentioned in the internal game files. Some have been unlocked via XML and MEG editing. (Thanks to Mikan Cyclone at the Petroglyph Fan Forums for the comprehensive list)

{|-
 * valign=top|

Land Units:

 * Prince Xizor - Unlocked
 * Tani Ab'yla - Unlocked
 * Kyle Katarn - Unlocked
 * Mara Jade - Unlocked
 * Imperial Navytroopers - Unlocked
 * Killer Penguin - Unlocked (Non-canon)
 * General Dodonna
 * Luke Skywalker (ground & pilot)
 * General Reeikan
 * Lieutenant Tanbris
 * Raymus Antilles (ground)
 * General Veers (on AT-AT)
 * Mon Mothma
 * Leia
 * High Inquisitor Tremayne
 * Jedi Padawan
 * valign=top|

Space Units:

 * Shadowclaw-Class Destroyer - Unlocked
 * Virago - Unlocked
 * Moldy Crow - Unlocked
 * Singularity (ISD)
 * Venator-Class Cruiser - Unlocked
 * V-Wing Fighter - Unlocked
 * TIE Advanced X-2 (Tanbris')
 * valign=top|

Indigenous Units:

 * Bespin Cloud Car
 * Duro
 * Ssi-Ruuk
 * Trandoshans
 * P'we'cks
 * Kaminoan
 * Vratix
 * Hapans
 * Gamorreans
 * Chubbits
 * Oevvaor Jet Catamaran
 * valign=top|

Planets:

 * Antar 4
 * Arkania
 * Aridus
 * Bakura
 * Balmorra
 * Brentaal
 * Duro
 * Gamorr
 * Garos 4
 * Hapes
 * Honoghr
 * Kamino
 * Lwhekk
 * Ralltiir
 * Rakata
 * Rhinnal
 * Rothana
 * Trandosha
 * Tynna
 * }

Expansion pack


An expansion pack was announced at E3 May 9, 2006. It will add 40 new units, 13 planets, and new warfare and features.

Inconsistencies with established canon

 * The Rebel Alliance won many battles before even learning about the Death Star.
 * Ackbar was discovered during the siege of an Imperial space station over Corulag.
 * A-wings are in use in the early Galactic Civil War. The R-22 Spearhead retcon partially reconciles this frequent inconsistency.

Trivia
This is the only non-Dark Forces saga game that features Kyle Katarn.

Reaction
Empire at War was well received by fans, and many considered it the best of the Star Wars RTS games. Gamespot called the game "The RTS fans had been waiting for." Others were disappointed that a sequel to Rebellion had not been made.