Star Wars: Empire at War

Star Wars: Empire at War (sometimes abbreviated EaW) is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that takes place in the Star Wars universe. Promising to end the perceived mediocrity of past Star Wars RTS games (like Star Wars: Force Commander and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds), Empire at War started from the ground up.

The game was developed by Petroglyph, comprising many former members of Westwood Studios (known for the Command & Conquer series). Petroglyph developed a completely new engine specifically for EaW known as Alamo. It uses several higher-end shader effects such as soft shadows, specular lighting, and particle effects for dust clouds and explosions.

The game spawned an impressive mod community, and was followed up by an expansion pack, Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, taking place between the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor.

Opening CrawlsEdit

Rebel Alliance CampaignEdit

Rebellion! From scattered pockets of
resistance across the galaxy, a group of
freedom fighters known as the REBEL
ALLIANCE forms to challenge the awesome
power of the Galactic Empire.

Relying on cunning and strategy to strike at
Imperial targets, the Rebels have located
prototypes of the devastating new X-WING
fighter, and plan a bold raid to acquire them.

A ragtag fleet of Rebel starships, led by
Captain Raymus Antilles in his specially
designed flagship, the SUNDERED HEART,
moves into formation for the assault....

Galactic Empire CampaignEdit

The entire galaxy is under the rule of the
tyrannical Galactic Empire. The only
remaining resistance is a small Rebel Alliance
that dares to challenge their military
supremacy.

The impending creation of the Empire's
ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, threatens
to crush the Rebellion. Once operational, the
Empire will have the power to destroy an
entire planet.

Threatening to turn the tide of this struggle is
an unknown Imperial traitor, who deals in
military secrets. The Emperor has tasked his
apprentice, DARTH VADER, with tracking
down and eliminating this double agent....

GameplayEdit

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 granted resources based on how many planets the player controls. Controlling worlds increases a player's cash flow and provides unique bonuses depending on the planet (e.g., Armor increases, discounted prices, special unit production).

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 Reinforcement 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 bombing runs 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 Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, shields will form an actual physical barrier that must be penetrated and protect bases from artillery and bombing runs. Assorted building pads litter the playing field in both space and land battles. These pads allow the player to build useful structures (e.g., turrets which can easily destroy enemy units, bacta healing stations)

Empire at War takes place between Episode III and Episode IV, 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 (playable with XML modding; see below). Units in this game are a mix of Clone Wars–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—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 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 4, Tatooine, Dagobah, and others from the movies and Expanded Universe.

The destruction of Alderaan cannot be prevented regardless of the player's actions.

AppearancesEdit

By type 

Characters	Creatures	Droid models	Events	Locations
Organizations and titles	Sentient species	Vehicles and vessels	Weapons and technology	Miscellanea

Characters

Heroes Imperial Emperor Palpatine Darth Vader (and Black Squadron) Grand Moff Tarkin (by hologram only) Boba Fett (and Slave I) Colonel Veers (Blizzard 1 only) Captain Piett (Accuser only) Mara Jade Rebel Mon Mothma (by hologram only) Captain Raymus Antilles (Sundered Heart only) R2-D2 & C-3PO Gial Ackbar (Home One only) Han Solo & Chewbacca (and Millennium Falcon) Obi-Wan Kenobi Red Squadron Wedge Antilles Luke Skywalker Biggs Darklighter Jek Tono Porkins Kyle Katarn Princess Leia (Tantive IV only) (Imperial Mission) Other characters Moff Kalast (Avenger only) Naga Sadow (Mentioned only) Pirate Leader Unidentified pirate leader Unidentified Imperial commander Unidentified Rebel Pilot (Advisor) Unidentified stormtrooper (Advisor)

Creatures

Bantha Bogwing (Mentioned only) Desert Sketto Dianoga Dragonsnake (Mentioned only) Energy spider (Mentioned only) Gorax (Mentioned only) Mynock (Mentioned only) Rancor Sarlacc Snow slug (Mentioned only) Swamp slug (Mentioned only) Tauntaun Wampa Womp rat

Events

Jedi Civil War (Indirect mention only) Destruction of Taris (Indirect mention only) Clone Wars (Mentioned only) Galactic Civil War Rebel missions Assault on Kashyyyk (Tutorial mission) Fresian campaign Space Battle at Kuat Battle on Wayland Battle of Fresia Space Battle in the Kessel Asteroid Field Prison Break on Kashyyyk Battle at Atzerri Raid above Corellia Scanning in the Vergesso Asteroids Raid over Corulag Smuggler's Raid on Carida Defense of Mon Calamari Battle of Yavin Imperial missions Battle of Ryloth (Tutorial mission) Assault on Thyferra Invasion of Fondor Battle in the Ilum system Subjugation of Geonosis Ambush at Mon Calamari Prison Break on Kashyyyk Skirmish on Carida Battle at Jabiim Arrest over Atzerri Capture of Kalast Mission to Bothawui Battle of Tatooine Destruction of Alderaan Other Rescue of Princess Leia (Indirect mention only)

Locations

Planets Abregado-rae Aeten II Alderaan Alzoc III Anaxes Atzerri Bespin Bestine Bonadan Bothawui Byss Carida Corellia Corulag Coruscant Dagobah Dantooine Endor and its Forest Moon Eriadu Fondor Fresia Geonosis Hoth Ilum Jabiim Kashyyyk Kessel Korriban Kuat Manaan Mon Calamari Naboo Nal Hutta Polus Ryloth Shola Sullust Taris Tatooine Thyferra Vergesso Asteroids Wayland Yavin 4 Other locations Ahto City Anaxes Citadel (Mentioned only) Bajic sector Lybeya system Crystal Caves Curamelle Corulag Academy Eriadu City Graveyard of Alderaan Kuat Drive Yards Orbital Array Mount Tantiss Perlemian Trade Route Bormea sector Spice Mines of Kessel Theed (Mentioned only) Trader's Plaza Valley of the Dark Lords Varl (Mentioned only)

Organizations and titles

Rebel Alliance Alliance Elite Guard Aratech Repulsor Company Aratech Mercantile Galactic Empire Galactic Senate (Mentioned only) Imperial Army Imperial Navy Imperial Elite Guard Jedi Order Jedi Master Sith Order Dark Lord of the Sith SoroSuub Corporation (Mentioned only) Tenloss Criminal Syndicate (Mentioned only)

Sentient species

Bothan Dantari (Mentioned only) Evocii (Mentioned only) Ewok Fondorian (Mentioned only) Geonosian Gungan Human Hutt Jawa Massassi (Mentioned only) Mon Calamari Myneyrsh (Mentioned only) Quarren (Mentioned only) Psadan (Mentioned only) Pyn'gani (First appearance) Selkath Sullustan Talz (Mentioned only) Tusken Raider Twi'lek Vratix (Mentioned only) Weequay Wookiee

Vehicles and vessels

Ground Units Imperial Stormtrooper Platoon Speeder Bike (Scout trooper) TIE Mauler All Terrain Scout Transport 2-M Saber-class repulsor tank All Terrain Armored Transport SPMA-T (Self-Propelled Medium Artillery) All Terrain Anti-Aircraft Emperor's Royal Guard Rebel Rebel troopers Alliance Special Forces Infantry Company Plex Missile trooper Company Infiltrator T2-B repulsor tank T4-B heavy tank MPTL-2a Artillery T-47 airspeeder Longvision LV-38 spotter/probe droid Other Bounty hunter Bantha-II cargo skiff Field Commander Fleet Commander Sandcrawler Smuggler Swoop bike (Mentioned only) Pod Walker Swamp Speeder X-34 landspeeder Space Units Imperial Acclamator-class assault ship Aggressor Arrestor Bel'reen Candaserri Danticore Defiant Doneeta Drakmha Eliminator Enforcer One Fire's Path Galactic Guardian Grey Shadow Harilin Implacable Majestic Marauder Odeaon Triumph Broadside-class cruiser Acheron Agincourt Almirante Caledonia Centurion Dexterous Diomede Imperieuse Mercator Observateur Renown Royal Sovereign Scipion Scourge Spartiate Stormont Death Star Immobilizer 418 cruiser Aggregator Binder Black Asp Claw Compellor Constrainer Detainer Dominator Fireclaw Grappler Harpax Immobilizer Imperator Rampart Restrainer Red Claw Requital Sentinel Stellar Web Imperial-class Star Destroyer Allecto Implacable Mathayus Tyrannic Tyranny Valorous Vengeance Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Accuser Basilisk Conquest Death's Head Devastator Judicator Relentless Thunderflare Tyrant Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Avenger Chimaera Stalker Vehement Visage Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft Slave I Tartan-class patrol cruiser Agility Aspirant Attentive Battler Encounter Executioner Fantome Formidable Impeccable Inveterate Invincible Retribution Skirmisher Turmoil Vindictive TIE Advanced x1 TIE/LN starfighter TIE/sa bomber TIE Scout Victory-class Star Destroyer Bombard Crusader Harridan Iron Fist Pestage Rampant Red Harvest Subjugator Strikefast Tempest Wachtor Victory I-class Star Destroyer Dominator Gallant Gauntlet Hunter Stalwart Victory II-class Star Destroyer Corrupter Protector Warlord Lambda-class T-4a shuttle ST 321 Emperor Palpatine's shuttle Sentinel-class landing craft Theta-class AT-AT barge Rebel Assault Frigate Mark II Abolisher Aelena Criterios Daynora Echelon One Echelon Two Gallant Haven Illian Ina'angs Star Neladeen Paragon Pe'aty Shayan Storm Wind Theed's Reach Thunderflame Titanius Vindicator BTL Y-wing starfighter Corellian Corvette Arrow Burke Coffey Dodonna's Pride Frazier Freedom's Messenger Mahan Manx Masanya Master Nimble Rancor's Tooth Raze Razor Sonnel Stellar Damsel Sundered Heart Swift Tantive IV DP20 gunship Active Adventure Bruizer Diligence Incomparable Kingsmill Mediator Orion Pervail Strathadam Thracian Thrasher Victorious Vindicta Vindictor Warspite Watchful MC80 Home One type Star Cruiser Home One Nebulon-B frigate Akaga Angelus Antares Six Chancellor Free Lance Fugazi Kalla's Stanchion Kuma Liberator Lightning Lion Mercy Peacemaker Persistence Provocateur Rebel Star Redemption Tedevium Tharen Yavaris Marauder-class corvette Aeolus Agamemnon Albion Bellerophon Bonaventure Cadmus Canopus Devaron Indefatigable Maidstone Speedwell Swiftsure Tribune Triton Undaunted Venerable Venturer YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser Alliance Ardent Autonomy Cathleen Crucible Endeavor Equity Falcariae Liberty Lulsla Maria Maximus Ossus Day Reef Home Renhoek Tano Valorous Yali RZ-1 A-wing interceptor T-65 X-wing starfighter Z-95 Headhunter RM-09 Alliance shuttle GR-75 medium transport Other IPV-1 System Patrol Craft Pirate interceptor cruiser Rihkxyrk assault fighter Venator-class Star Destroyer

Weapons and technology

Structures Imperial Imperial Command Center Imperial Barracks Imperial Light Vehicle Factory Imperial Heavy Vehicle Factory Imperial Advanced Factory Imperial Officer Academy Hypervelocity gun Magnapulse cannon Imperial Space Station Research Facility Anti-Infantry Turret Anti-Vehicle Turret Anti-Air Turret Rebel Alliance Barracks Alliance Light Vehicle Factory Alliance Heavy Vehicle Factory Alliance Officer Academy Infiltrator Training Facility Alliance Command Center Ion cannon Alliance Space Station Anti-Infantry Turret Anti-Vehicle Turret Anti-Air Turret Other Abandoned Sensor Array Cantina Mining Facility Shield Generator Hutt Palace Communications array Power Generator Turbolaser Turret Abandoned Turbolaser Turret Vehicle Repair Station Sensor Node Bacta Healing Station Abandoned Heavy Factory Resource Pad Asteroid Mining Facility Laser Defense Satellite Missile Defense Satellite Orbital Long Range Scanner Merchant space dock Mercenary outfitter Black Sun pirate asteroid base

Miscellanea

Bamboo Blba tree Glitterstim spice (Mentioned only) Gnarltree Kolto (Mentioned only) Life Zone (Mentioned only) Adegan crystal Stygium Tibanna (Mentioned only) Wroshyr tree

Hidden ItemsEdit

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. A few of these planets (such as Kamino) & units (such as Luke Skywalker) were included in the expansion pack.

MissionsEdit

RebelEdit

• Assault on Kashyyyk (Tutorial mission)
• Shipyard Diversion
• Interpreting the Network
• Theft of the X-Wing
• Kessel Rescue
• Imperial Liberation
• Highest Bidder
• Rescue the Millennium Falcon
• Needle in a Haystack
• Borrowed Time
• Handle with Care!
• The Defense of Mon Calamari
• The Final Battle

ImperialEdit

• Battle of Ryloth (Tutorial mission)
• Taking Thyferra
• Crush. Kill. Destroy.
• The Pirate Menace
• Subjugating Geonosis
• Attack on Mon Calamari
• Trouble on Kashyyyk
• A New Weapon of War
• The Rebel Fortress
• The Traitorous Moff (Part 1)
• The Traitorous Moff (Part 2)
• An Engagement with the Emperor
• Capturing a Princess
• The Destruction of Alderaan
• End of the Rebellion (A speculative scenario in which the Empire manages to destroy the Rebellion on Alzoc III, Polus, Shola, Hoth and Yavin 4)

EndingsEdit

There are two different endings to Empire at War's campaign mode depending on the side the player chooses to fight for. The end of the Rebel campaign closely follows the canonical ending of Episode IV. A cutscene shows Luke Skywalker's X-Wing destroying the Death Star and the award ceremony that follows afterwards. However, this ending should not necessarily be treated as canonical, as the final battle with the Death Star can take place over any planet in the game. Moreover, it is still possible for the Rebellion to "win," even if the Empire destroys other planets besides Alderaan, including Yavin 4.

The end of the Imperial campaign is non-canonical, as it is intended to be more of an "alternate history" in the vein of the Infinities universe. The ending cutscene depicts Darth Vader leading a ground assault on what is presumed to be the main Rebel base, the Rebel defenders are quickly crushed as Vader orders his troops to move in. If the player uses the Death Star in the final battle, the game plays a different cutscene where Moff Tarkin successfully fires the superlaser against the last Rebel world. Afterwards, a shuttle is seen flying to the Death Star, flanked by six TIE Fighters. In a scene reminiscent of the Emperor's arrival in Episode VI, an assembly of Imperial troops is shown waiting in one of the battlestation's hangars for the shuttle to land. As the shuttle deposits its contingent of Royal Guards, the Emperor disembarks, greeted by a kneeling Lord Vader. Palpatine congratulates Vader, claiming that the last Jedi and the Rebellion are defeated, and that it is all as he had foreseen.

Two other non-canon endings can be seen in Galactic Conquest mode. If the Rebels defeat the Empire without destroying the Death Star, or the player loses the game as the Empire, the ending cutscene depicts a pitched space battle over an ecumenopolis, presumably Coruscant. A Rebel fleet closes in on an Imperial Star Destroyer with Darth Vader aboard. As the Imperial defense crumbles, Vader chokes the Star Destroyer's captain for his apparent incompetence and escapes in his TIE Advanced x1 moments before the ship is destroyed. From there, the same award ceremony cutscene follows that was in the campaign ending. Also, if the Empire destroys the last Rebel planet/one with Mon Mothma on it, the battle will be replaced by the Death Star destroying a planet, followed by the Death Star cutscene.

ModdingEdit

As revealed in early press releases and interviews, EaW is marginally open source—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 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. WYSIWYG web editors (e.g., Microsoft Expression Web or Adobe Dreamweaver), text editors such as Notepad, or proprietary XML editors can edit XML (though the latter two are most common due to their relative ease of use).

DAT files require software capable of reading the information embedded within. In Empire at War, DAT files store almost all of the text found within the game. Lastly, the Lua files are used primarily for high-level scripting and AI. The decompiled files come with the Map Editor, and can replace the scripts in the EAW directory without having to compile them.

It is now possible to create new ground and space maps with the map editor released by Petroglyph. Included in the map-editor download is a plug-in for 3ds Max 6 that can export models into .alo format used by the Alamo engine. However, 3ds Max 8 users who patch their software to the Service Pack 3 version are able to use the separately released 3ds Max 8 exporter in conjunction with the shaders provided with the map editor. Modified shaders created by EaW modder Mike.nl fixes an issue where the models in the viewports using Rskn shaders are invisible. 3ds Max 8 SP 3 is also necessary in order to use the exporter included with the Forces of Corruption map editor.

The community has been pressing forward in terms of modding, going so far as to implement diplomacy, create new particles, and even have detachments of transports assigned to a specific fleet in Galactic Conquest mode. There exist some fan-made programs to assist with the editing of what can be edited, such as an .alo file viewer and importer.

DemoEdit

Before the full game, a demo version was released. It consists of one Galactic Conquest mode not featured in the full version. In this mode only three planets and a few units are available. The story is set some time after the establishment of Echo Base on Hoth as the Rebel Alliance learns about an Imperial base in the Vergesso asteroid belt. Fearing that it may detect their presence, the Rebels send Han Solo to deal with it. After the base is destroyed, Han is sent on a mission to liberate Tatooine. There he finds out that the Imperial forces are commanded by Boba Fett. The demo ends after the player captured the planet. This may contradict other sources as Tatooine appears under Imperial control until after the Battle of Endor, though it is possible that the planet was contested or recaptured at a later date.

Expansion packEdit

Main article: Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption

An expansion pack was announced at E3 May 9, 2006. It adds 40 new units, 13 planets, a new faction and new warfare and features. It was released October 24 in the U.S. and October 27 in Europe.

ContinuityEdit

The game has several inconsistencies with established canon. Some of those in the following list may be an issue of game balance or mechanics.

• Gial 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.
• Antilles, R2-D2 and C-3PO all partake in a mission to Wayland, the Emperor's secret storehouse. No one in the Rebellion had heard of the planet, let alone operated on it, until Thrawn's campaign.
• Imperial troops deploy from the AT-ATs underbelly rather than the sides.
• Several ship armaments and hard points do not match up with the descriptions of the ships. For example, the batteries on the side of an Imperial-class Star Destroyers are made up of turbolasers rather than ion cannons. Corellian gunships are stated in the game to have four banks of concussion missile launchers and two laser cannons, when earlier published games and media state it as eight double turbolaser turrets, six quad laser turrets and four concussion-missile launchers. Capital starships also have far fewer weapons than canon sources indicate. This is possibly to cut costs and increase game performance, preventing hundreds of guns per ship from overloading most computers.
• Several ships have more or less weapon hard-points than stated in other sources, such as the EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates having two turbolaser and two laser-cannon batteries and the Victory-class Star Destroyer's two enhanced turbolasers and single ion-cannon battery.
• Proton torpedoes are falsely declared to be able to penetrate any shields, instead of simply being limited use heavy ordnance.
• Most units in-game are poorly scaled, especially fighters and bombers during space battles, though this is mostly for game mechanics.
• The locations of many of the planets ingame are not exact. An example is the population of the Unknown Regions by well-known and canonically established planets, such as Taris and Thyferra. Differences such as these are due to game mechanics and are thus considered non-canon.

ReceptionEdit

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. Some critics, at the worst, claimed the game to be shallow and repetitive, while others considered it fun but basic.

The game holds an overall rating of 79 on Metacritic.^[2] Individual websites such as Gamespot praised the game's "epic-looking battles," "spot-on sound effects," and contrasting gameplay styles between the two factions, the Rebellion and the Empire. However, the game was not without fault, as Gamespot found the battles somewhat repetitive and the land battles lacking compared to other facets of gameplay.^[3] Another popular gaming website, IGN, reviewed the game, giving it a 7.6/10. They said that it provided "an authentic Star Wars experience," relating the experience to playing with Star Wars action figures as a child. IGN also complained of the game's repetitiveness and relative lack of variety, although recognized that the game's creators were somewhat hampered by the setting.^[4]

CreditsEdit

BibliographyEdit

•  This Fall: Star Wars: Empire at War on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  Star Wars: Empire at War Trailer on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  Empire at War Demo and Collector's Edition on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  Empire at War in Stores Now on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
• "The Rebel Bruiser"—Star Wars Insider 152
•  Star Wars: Force for Change Announces New Star Wars Humble Bundle III to Benefit UNICEF on StarWars.com (backup link)
•  Replaying the Classics: Empire at War on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and referencesEdit

External linksEdit

•  Empire at War on LucasArts.com (backup link not available)
• Petroglyph (Backup link)
• Star Wars: Empire at War on Wikipedia
• Empire at War Heaven
• Star Wars: Empire at War on MobyGames
• Star Wars: Empire at War at the Internet Movie Database