Star Wars: Rebellion (video game)

Star Wars: Rebellion (or Star Wars: Supremacy in the United Kingdom) was a LucasArts strategy game released on February 28, 1998.

Overview
Although a real-time strategy game in the wider sense of the term, it belonged to the 4X genre (a sub-genre of games often containing galactic conquest like Master of Orion), though the action of Rebellion was more abstract.

The game interface consisted of a map of the galaxy and an advisor droid (which in the case of the Rebellion, was C-3PO and in the case of the Empire, IMP-22). The map comprised sectors of 10 systems (the number of sectors was customizable for either 10, 15 or 20), all known from the Star Wars universe. Some of them belonged to 'unknown' regions, and needed to be explored. The sectors on the game map did not correspond to the canon information otherwise available, so it was assumed that the location of various systems was arbitrary for gameplay.

Story
The game started right after the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star. The Galactic Empire was ready to strike back against the Rebel base of Yavin 4, while the Rebel Alliance was readying to move to another system.

The player assumed the role of an officer of either the Rebellion or the Empire. He was called to manage command and maintenance, like colonization, diplomacy, creation of buildings and units, supervising of mines and resources, building and assigning of fleets, conversion of systems to one's own side, recruiting of characters, (60 in the game, both from the movies and the Expanded Universe) and dispatching characters or units to systems (up to 200 available) or fleets.

Apart from the given time of the beginning, the game stopped to be story driven and the scenario expanded freely. Events of the later movies might have occurred, (like the capture of Han Solo by bounty hunters or the Jedi training of Luke Skywalker).

Some characters were Force sensitive and could be trained by Jedi characters (like Skywalker or Vader) to augment their abilities. This would lead to a powerful team that could turn many missions successful, improve the morale of planets and fleets they were in, etc.

Objectives
The standard objective of each game was to take the HQ of the enemy (Coruscant or the mobile Rebel base) and capture the two leaders of the opposite side: The Alliance had to capture Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, where as the Empire's objectives were to capture Luke Skywalker and Mon Mothma.

Another mode was also available where you only had to find and destroy the enemy's headquarters.

Canonicity
The game is non-linear and open-ended (the player is able to do anything in any order, according to his own preference) therefore the player could change or avert some events of the canonical timeline, like not migrating to Hoth after Yavin, creating more than one Death Star, killing off important characters like Chewbacca or Lando Calrissian and even leading the Empire to victory.

There were, however, some inconsistencies to the canon, like having to 'discover' planets and characters who, according to the timeline, were already known. Gameplay values are also radically changed, many spacecraft have shield values different than their canonical values. The Interdictor cruiser, for example, has twice the shield power of the Imperial-class and the Super Star Destroyer is "merely" four times as strong as the Imperial-class.

The game contains a large amount of spelling mistakes regarding location and character names (Farrfin sector spelled as Farfin). Some bloopers also are obvious, such as the identity of Bob Hudsol and encyclopedia entries, such as the one on the Dark Troopers, suggesting they are Force sensitive Stormtroopers. Also, more noticeably, some planets are shown in the wrong sectors. As such, cartographic placements are treated as canon unless they contradict already established locations, in which case the original placement supersedes the Rebellion placement.

An additional aspect is the random way that Force-sensitivity is determined. Characters that have no known Force abilities outside of this game, such as Chewbacca or Thrawn, can randomly be generated as Force sensitive at the start of a new game and trained up to Jedi Master level. This presumably does not mean that all the characters featured are considered to be potential Force users in canon.

The above make its canonicity dubious.

Side strengths and weaknesses
Both the Rebels and the Empire have their own strengths and weaknesses, which affect how a player should use them.

Rebels
The primary strength for the Rebels is that, like in the movies, the Empire has to look for their headquarters, and the Rebels can move it to another location. The Rebels start with a larger number of diplomatic, recruiting, and combat characters than the Empire does, so they can start off with missions to move planets to their side or recruiting characters more quickly and at a higher rate than the Empire. The Rebels' main weakness is that, like in the movies, they are outgunned. It isn't until later in the game that they can get ships that can match what the Empire can build, but they compensate somewhat for having much better fighters than Empire for most of the game. Also, the Rebels are unable to do Assassination Missions, since it would be too cruel and "immoral".

Empire
The Imperial Fleet outguns the Rebellion for most of the game. Part of this is because the Empire starts with the ability to construct Star Destroyers, which the Rebels starships can't compete against for most of the game. The Empire also starts off with a larger number of skilled generals and admirals, giving it an edge in battles, and they can research better ships, and troop types more quickly. The Empire's weakness in that, unlike the Rebels, they can't move their headquarters. It's always located on Coruscant and that fact will be known to the Rebels. The Empire also doesn't start off with as many recruiting or diplomatic characters as the Rebels do. Also, although the Empire's starships are better for most of the game, their starting fighters are extremely weak.

Encyclopedia
Every element of the game had its own encyclopedia-like 'card' with a short description and abilities sheet. This amounted to a total of several hundred encyclopedia cards.

Unit management
There were several kinds of buildable units. Each kind could be constructed by one of three construction facilities.


 * Installations were buildings on a planet's surface or in orbit. They could be construction facilities or defense installations.


 * Mines produced raw material from planets, while refineries refined them into processed materials that could be used for construction, an both increased maintenance and thus allowed for larger military forces.


 * Construction Yards built other installations.


 * Troop Training Facilities created troops and special forces.


 * Shipyards constructed starships and fighter squadrons.


 * Planetary cannons attacked assaulting starships and troop transports, and they were also used to defend units escaping a blockade.


 * Shield generators defended everything on the planet from orbital bombardment.


 * Troops were used to conquer and defend planets, and to claim uninhabited systems.


 * Starships could blockade systems, unleash orbital bombardments, and be the platforms for planetary assault. They could also carry troops and starfighters up to their respective limits and an unlimited number of characters and special forces.


 * Starfighters could be stationed on planets or capital starships, and were built in squadrons. They could fight in fleet battles, and add to bombardment and detection ratings.


 * Special forces included spies, saboteurs, and long-range reconnaissance teams.

As research progressed, new units and facilities became available for construction. Research could be sped up significantly by ordering characters with the corresponding ability to conduct design missions. Characters could also have the ability to research facilities, starships or troop designs.

Characters
There were two kinds of characters in the game: major and minor ones. Major characters were always available at the beginning of the game, while most minor ones had to be recruited. Only major characters could embark on recruitment missions and could not be killed in the line of duty but could be injured, removing them from play for a while.

Minor characters could sometimes be generated Force-sensitive and could be trained by Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, to augment their abilities. The main characters with Force control could also enhance their abilities by conducting missions. Characters with higher Force ratings had better abilities in diplomacy, espionage, and combat, and could therefore perform missions with a higher chance of success. Force sensitivity could be a two-edged sword however, as Force-sensitive characters stationed in a system could detect the presence of enemy Force-sensitives trying to perform a mission there, and foil the mission automatically. Princess Leia could become Force Sensitive but only if Luke Skywalker learns of his heritage (i.e. if he meets Darth Vader in combat and is not captured) and the two meet on a planet or ship somewhere in the galaxy where he reveals that she is his twin sister.

Some characters could be given military ranks by the player to put them in specific roles.


 * An admiral increased a fleet's performance by enhancing firepower, shields and speed.


 * A general increased the performance of troops and reduced the likelihood of successful enemy missions on a friendly planet.


 * A commander increased the combat efficiency and speed of starfighter squadrons. Ship based squadrons also launch faster with a commander present.

Rebel Alliance

 * Adar Tallon
 * Afyon
 * Ackbar
 * Bren Derlin
 * Borsk Fey'lya
 * Carlist Rieekan
 * Chewbacca
 * Crix Madine
 * Drayson
 * Garm Bel Iblis
 * Han Solo
 * Huoba Neva
 * Jan Dodonna
 * Kaiya Andrimetrum
 * Lando Calrissian
 * Leia Organa
 * Luke Skywalker
 * Mazer Rackus
 * Mon Mothma
 * Ma'w'shiye
 * Narra
 * Orrimaarko
 * Page
 * Roget Jiriss
 * Sarin Virgilio
 * Syub Snunb
 * Talon Karrde
 * Tura Raftican
 * Vanden Willard (confused with Bob Hudsol)
 * Wedge Antilles

Galactic Empire

 * Brandei
 * Bin Essada
 * Bane Nothos
 * Bevel Lemelisk
 * Covell
 * Darth Vader
 * Dorja
 * Natasi Daala
 * Palpatine
 * Grammel
 * Griff
 * Garindan
 * Jerjerrod
 * Klev
 * Labansat
 * Menndo
 * Niles Ferrier
 * Needa
 * Noval Garaint
 * Ozzel
 * Orlok
 * Piett
 * Pellaeon
 * Pter Thanas
 * Screed
 * Shenir Rix
 * Thrawn
 * Villar
 * Veers
 * Zuggs

Other

 * Boba Fett
 * Yoda
 * Jabba the Hutt

Imperial

 * Assault Transport
 * Carrack light cruiser
 * Death Star
 * Galleon
 * Imperial Dreadnaught
 * Imperial escort carrier
 * Imperial Star Destroyer
 * Imperial II Star Destroyer
 * Interdictor cruiser
 * Lancer frigate
 * Star Galleon
 * Strike cruiser
 * Super Star Destroyer
 * TIE bomber
 * TIE Defender
 * TIE Fighter
 * TIE Interceptor
 * Victory Star Destroyer
 * Victory II Star Destroyer

Rebel

 * Alliance Dreadnaught
 * Alliance escort carrier
 * Assault frigate
 * A-wing
 * Bulk cruiser
 * Bulk transport
 * Bulwark battlecruiser
 * B-wing
 * CC-7700 frigate
 * CC-9600 frigate
 * Corellian corvette
 * Corellian gunship
 * Dauntless cruiser
 * Liberator cruiser
 * Medium transport
 * Mon Calamari cruiser
 * Nebulon-B frigate
 * X-wing
 * Y-wing

Imperial

 * IMP-22
 * SD-7

Rebel

 * C-3PO
 * R2-D2

Imperial

 * Dark Trooper Regiment
 * Imperial Army Regiment
 * AT-AT
 * Imperial Fleet Regiment
 * Stormtrooper Regiment
 * War Droid Regiment

Rebel

 * Alliance Army Regiment
 * Rebel Armored Freerunner
 * Alliance Fleet Regiment
 * Mon Calamari Regiment
 * Sullustan Regiment
 * Wookiee Regiment

Imperial

 * Imperial Commando
 * Imperial espionage droid
 * Imperial probe droid
 * Noghri Death Commando

Rebel

 * Bothan spies
 * Guerrillas
 * Infiltrators
 * Longprobe Y-wing Recon team

Planetary batteries

 * KDY v-150
 * LNR series I
 * LNR series II

Planetary shields

 * Death Star shield
 * GenCore Level I
 * GenCore Level II

Sectors and planets
Many of the planets in the game are placed in the galaxy map in the wrong places. Those marked with an asterisk are correct.

Dolomar sector

 * Balfron*
 * Caprionil
 * Kamparas*
 * Ketaris
 * Omwat
 * Pantolomin*
 * Phorliss*
 * Sarka
 * Tangrene*
 * Wor Tandell*

Farfin sector

 * Bilbringi
 * Byss
 * Charmath
 * Firro
 * Khomm
 * Kinyen
 * Phraetiss
 * Rishi
 * Taanab
 * Wistril

Sluis sector

 * Bothawui
 * Bpfassh*
 * Denab*
 * Dagobah
 * Kothlis
 * Mon Calamari
 * Orto*
 * Praesitlyn*
 * Sluis Van*
 * Sullust
 * Umgul

Fakir sector

 * Ando
 * Berchest
 * Bimmisaari
 * Carida
 * Delaya
 * Halowan*
 * Mrisst*
 * Obroa-skai
 * Palanhi*
 * Ralltiir

Corellian sector

 * Commenor
 * Corellia*
 * Corfai
 * Drall*
 * Duro*
 * Selonia*
 * Talus*
 * Tralus*
 * Vagran
 * Xyquine

Seswenna sector

 * Averam
 * Balmorra
 * Bortras
 * Chandrila
 * Corsin
 * Coruscant
 * Ghorman
 * Svivren
 * Uvena*
 * Yaga Minor

Kessel sector

 * Akrit'tar*
 * F'tral*
 * Fwillsving*
 * Ithor
 * Jerijador*
 * Kessel*
 * Kubindi*
 * Morvogodine*
 * Norval II*
 * Skor II

Mayagil sector

 * Anchoron
 * Chalcedon*
 * Clak'dor VII*
 * Cona
 * Dantooine
 * H'nemthe*
 * Kabal*
 * Oetrago*
 * Triton*
 * Urdur*

Glythe sector

 * Altarrn*
 * Arkania
 * Elrood
 * Fef*
 * Fornax*
 * Nentan*
 * Sedri
 * Valrar*
 * Vortex*
 * Yag'Dhul

Sumitra sector

 * Alk'lellish III*
 * Boordii*
 * Flax*
 * Geedon V
 * Kashyyyk
 * Linuri*
 * Qat Chrystac
 * Tierfon*
 * Woostri
 * Yavin

Jospro sector

 * Azbian
 * Cardooine*
 * Chrondre
 * Dar'Or*
 * Douglas III
 * Engira
 * Jomark
 * Kiffex
 * Trogan*
 * Waskiro*

Orus sector

 * Bakura
 * Chazwa*
 * Daltar
 * Joiol*
 * Kimanan*
 * Lafra*
 * Mantessa*
 * Poderis*
 * Ryloth
 * Tatooine

Xappyh sector

 * Ambria
 * G'hro
 * Kirdo III*
 * Neelgaimon*
 * Norulac
 * Ruuria
 * Stic*
 * Thanta Zilbra
 * Thila
 * Tund

Abrion sector

 * Abregado
 * Cathar
 * Da Soocha
 * Galpos II*
 * Garban*
 * Hefi*
 * Hishyim*
 * Intuci*
 * Tieos*

Dufilvian sector

 * Algarian
 * Filve*
 * Gamorr
 * Klatooine
 * Ord Mantell
 * Ord Pardron*
 * Ord Trasi*
 * Toprawa
 * Zebitrope IV

Kanchen sector

 * Culroon III*
 * Davnar*
 * Derra IV*
 * Mindar
 * Munto Codru
 * Nal Hutta
 * Smarteel*
 * Spuma
 * Vodran
 * Xa Fel*

Churba sector

 * Allyuen
 * Anoat
 * Bespin
 * Deyer
 * Gentes
 * Hoth
 * Lelmra*
 * New Cov*
 * Storthus*
 * Tokmia

Quelii sector

 * Amorris*
 * Corstris*
 * Dathomir*
 * Kirrek
 * Pil Diller*
 * Rafa V
 * Selaggis*
 * Thrakia
 * Varn*
 * Vinsoth*

Moddell sector

 * Adega
 * Agrilat
 * Annaj*
 * Basilisk
 * Endor*
 * Gandolo IV
 * Hozrel XI
 * Khuiumin
 * Pzob
 * Vjun

Atrivis sector

 * Despayre
 * Fedje
 * Generis*
 * Moltok
 * Nam'ta
 * Spefik
 * Tibrin
 * Togoria
 * Trammis
 * Zeffliffl

Reception
The game split many fans and players. Some loathed it, reacting with heavy criticism, considering it as one of the most low-quality products of LucasArts, a failed attempt to bring Star Wars into strategy. Others loved it, and praised the value of gameplay over graphics, and considering a high water mark before the proliferation of games connected to The Phantom Menace.

Its orientation towards broad strategy and relatively slow play turned off players who looked forward to controlling battles with greater control. The only action of the game was focused on space battles above planets that were realized through poor graphics, difficult controls, and a lack of interesting options. Indeed one of the factors most criticized, was the complex interface, which discouraged players at first. Despite this, some players embraced the alternative gameplay for its challenges and enjoyed the contrast Rebellion offered against the deluge of real-time strategy games released nearby.

Modifications
One of the main problems of Rebellion and surely one of the reasons of its poor success was its rather limited gameplay. This problem was solved when a player named Revolution released his Rebellion Editor (or RebEd). This program allowed to easily edit many aspects of the game, going from ship power to ingame interface. These modifications could be saved as 'cards', which could then be loaded by any other person who had the Editor. Thanks to this, a solid community has been growing, which offered over a thousand cards to download freely.

The last RebEd version to ever be released was 0.26. There had been speculation and suggestion about Revolution having written a 0.27 version; since this version was never found, this was believed to be untrue. The release of the Editor had also allowed the game to be reborn when more and more people started to play it again.