News Archives
The Empire is still at War!
Much like the present here on Earth, war is a constant in that galaxy far, far away. Empire at War remains the ultimate Star Wars real time strategy game, despite having been released several years ago. With the full campaigns provided by the core game, the expansion pack, user-generated content, and of course multiplayer, there is still a lot to do in Empire at War. So, find a free evening, dust off that CD, and do battle once again!
Help Wanted: Graphic Designers!
HeavenGames is continuing to grow with the series of changes that are going on with the revolution that will be Cloud 9, so we need staff to take care of the new responsibilities that are arising. Right now, we’re looking for the following jobs to be filled:
- Site Designer
- Graphics Artist
In both of these jobs, you’ll be spearheading HeavenGames’ moves into new websites and games, which are critical to maintain its growth. They’re important jobs with great benefits; all of the information on their requirements and benefits can be found in the Join the Team! page.
Please contact oliver (at) heavengames (dot) com if you are interested.
HeavenGames announces StarCraft 2 Heaven!
HeavenGames (heavengames.com), the popular network of gaming fansites, has opened its latest chapter with which to bring the real-time strategy world yet another hallmark in game information and community: StarCraft 2 Heaven. Covering the highly anticipated game, StarCraft 2 Heaven promises to offer up-to-date content, the latest news, and an integrated and active community.
StarCraft 2 Heaven (starcraft2.heavengames.com) launched on August 25th, 2007 and already provides a wealth of coverage, including a preview from BlizzCon, a gallery of artwork and screenshots, news, game information, and discussion forums. Few other sites provide such various and complete content as StarCraft 2 Heaven!
HeavenGames Appoints Sergio Prado as new CEO
LOMBARD, IL – HeavenGames LLC, an internet leader in strategy fansites, today announced it has appointed Sergio “Socvazius” Prado to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective July 28, 2007. Mr. Prado, a driven executive with considerable experience in the gaming industry, has worked at HeavenGames for 7 years in addition to Vivendi Universal’s brand marketing department. He currently is a college junior at Harvard University.
Prior to this appointment at HeavenGames, Mr. Prado served as the company’s Chief Content Officer on the executive board, ensuring the professional quality of content present across the network. He also headed six of its sites: for Age of Empires III, Age of Mythology, Age of Kings, Age of Empires, Rome: Total War, and Cossacks. During his employ at Vivendi Universal, Mr. Prado worked to market World in Conflict and Empire Earth III, two of the biggest strategy titles of 2007.
Tom Mescher, the exiting CEO, served as HeavenGames’ leader since its incorporation in October of 2000. He is moving on to continue his career in the IT industry.
ABOUT HEAVENGAMES, LLC
HeavenGames LLC (http://www.heavengames.com), based in Lombard, Illinois, is a privately owned web-content publisher geared towards the creation of special-interest sites for Real-Time Strategy and City-Builder games. Its sites, content, vast amounts of resources, as well as a dedicated staff & management team make HeavenGames’ sites recognized by developers and press alike as one of the premier destinations for gamers worldwide.
Mac Demo and New Map Pack!
Petroglyph has released a demo for the Macintosh operating system. This opens up the original Empire at War for use in the Mac community!
Additionally, they have released some maps, which appear to look pretty good. Be sure to snatch them!
Downloads Survey
HeavenGames has started a survey in regards to the Downloads section. The management began this survey because they would like to know what you think about the Downloads section. It’s a simple survey – just answer 6 or so questions.
If you use the Downloads system, please check it out. You’ll be helping HeavenGames by doing so!
New Clan
We have added a new clan to our Clan Listing page. The Corellian Security Force, or CorSec, is a clan that offers matches in EaW, and also has organizations that allow participants to play in other games.
FoC Map Editor
For those EaW scenario designers looking to do some work for the FoC expansion, look no more. tacoman in our forums found the new editor and shared it with the community. Look in this thread, and take your pick of any of the links provided for it.
Happy designing!
Forces of Corruption 1.1 Patch
The new Forces of Corruption patch fixes various balance issues, tweaks multiplayer, and prevents some bugs. When opening FoC, you’ll be prompted to download the new patch, or you can get it right away from LucasArts.
Released along with it is the Forces of Corruption Map Editor. You can grab the 14mb file over at FilePlanet.
Download Section Changes
A recent download system update introduces an important change for all file submitters. If you would like to be notified of comments and reviews left about your submission, you need to now expressly indicate so by checking the option in your account profile.
FoC Review
I’ve completed my review of Forces of Corruption. I think it treats the game fairly, showing the many good points and few bad points of the expansion. You can find it here!
Keep in mind, this is my review, not the opinions of the other staff.
Forces of Corruption screenshots
A few days after finishing FoC‘s campaign, I’ve collected a bunch of screenshots together – about 50 in total – and uploaded them to our Gallery. The majority of them are from the Zann Consortium campaign – however, there is a multitude of units there. Ranging from the Eclipse, to Coruscant’s museum, to self-destructing Ewok suicide bombers, I hope the screenshots featured will convince you to get the game if you hadn’t.
On that note, I will be posting a review of my opinions on the game soon. Keep an eye out for it!
IGN rates Forces of Corruption 8.5
Another good review in for the new Empire at War expansion, Forces of Corruption. In a comprehensive review, IGN rated it 8.5, or, “Great”. Here’s their closing comments:
While there was a lot to love about the original Empire at War, there were some design decisions that left many gamers, including us, feeling a little dissatisfied. Petroglyph seems to have taken all of those criticisms to heart and improved on nearly every single aspect of the game. What’s more, they’ve managed to make all the necessary improvements to the original design while still creating loads of entirely new content. Those who disliked the repetitiveness of the original game will definitely appreciate the new faction, the new campaign and the units and abilities.
Forces of Corruption Expansion Pack to be released today!
Today is the official release date of the new Empire at War expansion, Forces of Corruption. The FOC section here on the site will be updated soon to reflect the new information. Expect lots of unit stats, screenshots, and other info! You can visit the official Forces of Corruption site here.
Fan Fiction Contest Comes to a Close
After months of hard work and preparation, I’m pleased to announce that our first Fan Fiction contest is completed! There were 8 entries on total, all by very potentially talented writers.
Melkor1, Novel, 100 – First Place Novel Winner
Boba Fettucini, Novel, 72 – Second Place Novel Winner
Ninja Jedi, Novel, 49
kypjargon, Novel, 47Xaph, Vignette, 91 – First Place Vignette Winner
Friend of Old, Vignette, 79 – Second Place Vignette Winner
Leon Kennedy, Vignette, 78
BriJr, Novel, 55
Full copies of their works and my own reviews can be found in the main thread, which is located here.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to our judges, the participants, and the Force!
Demo out NOW!
Once again, thanks to Blackmoon, it has come to our attention that the FoC demo is out right now. I don’t know what he cause of this is, but I’m downloading it now! You can access it, currently, at FilePlanet. It has also just come to 3d Gamers.
Additionally, there are more screenshots at Petroglyph‘s site. Take a look at them while you wait for your copy of the demo to download!
FoC Demo!
Thanks to the forummer Blackmoon for alerting us to this find, 3dGamers will be uploading the official Forces of Corruption demo on October 6, just over a week away!
Step into the shadows that hide the likes of Jabba The Hutt in the single-player demo for Star Wars: Empire at War Forces of Corruption, the expansion pack for the best selling Star Wars: Empire at War. Command a whole new faction of ruthless criminals as you experience the beginnings of Tyber Zann’s rise to power as the galactic crime lord. Encounter upgraded Empire and Rebellion forces as you seek to replace Jabba the Hutt as the most powerful criminal leader in the galaxy. — 3d Gamers
I’m certainly exited to hear this, and you can find out all the information here!
EmpireAtWar.net Live Developer Chat – Sept 29
Interested in speaking with the developers of Empire at War: Forces of Corruption? You’ll get your chance on September 29th, at 5:00 PM, PST. The event, hosted by EmpireAtWar.net, can be accessed here.
More screenshots
Petroglyph has released some more awesome screenshots and concept art. My favorite of the four is this one. It kind of reminds me of a giant Raven’s Claw or Moldly Crow (it looks more like them in the actual screenshot, trust me), but that cool blue motif really makes it nice. There’s 4 images in the group, such as this one which visualizes some Droidekas fighting against Wookiee soldiers.
All of these and a podcast detailing the concept art can be found on Petroglyph’s main page for EaW here.
New Holocron Entry
Well, it’s been awhile, but we finally have another addition to our Holocron! Forummer Xaph has written a guide of how to get superiority in the Galactic Conquest mode of gameplay. You can check it out here.
IGN Forces of Corruption Preview
Check out IGN’s new preview of the upcoming Empire at War expansion, Forces of Corruption! They’ve got three pages, packed with information and screenshots. In the coming weeks, IGN will be covering more in-depth info on the game.
Here’s a few interesting points:
1) There will be a game replay/recording feature.
2) New pathfinder ships can arrive before a battle to scout.
3) The Zann Consortium can employ kidnapping, piracy, racketeering, slavery, and black markets to gain advantages.
4) Larger maps and more environmental effects.
5 New FoC Screenshots
Petroglyph has posted some more screenshots. Among the units shown is a Destroyer Droid Mark II. The image I show below is a design sketch, but it’s one of the coolest units I’ve seen yet!
Yeah, man. They also have some real in-game screenshots including the “Defiler” trooper. You can see the new eye candy here.
HeavenGames Forum Survey
The staff of HG would like to get some feedback! We’re considering some updates to our forum system (revamping, adding, taking away features) and we’d like you to tell us what you think we need. You can submit your survey results here.
Four New Forces of Corruption Gameplay Videos
GameSpot has just released FOUR, yes four, new gameplay videos for the upcoming Forces of Corruption expansion. Make sure that checking these out is part of your agenda for today.
FanFic Contest Nearing a Close
All participants in the SWU FanFiction Contest have only four days to complete their work. If you’ve joined in on the fun and the possibility of some great prizes, make sure to finish your work soon!
New screenshots
Petroglyph has released new screenshots for Forces of Corruption. Among them are bandit tanks and conceptual designs.
You can check them out on the Petroglyph main page, which is linked above.
Suggestions for Patch 1.06
Assuming there is going to be another patch before the release of the upcoming expansion, what are some things that you, the players, would like to see? If there is anything about the game that ticks you off, or you just feel should be added/removed/changed, then hop on over to our forums and give us your input. The thread is located here
Coming Up: Forces of Corruption Game Guide
With the release of Empire at War’s expansion, Forces of Corruption coming soon, Prima has readied their game guide to be released October 24th of this year. Both physical books and e-guides will be available. Here’s a few things that’ll be in the guide:
- New Units Revealed – Each of the 40 new units will be detailed with full stats. Vehicles and troops never before seen in the Star Wars Universe.
- New Planets Fully Mapped – Labeled and complete maps will be provided for every one of the 13 new planets and battle zones. Enabling players to plan their strategies to fit the battlefield.
- Corruption Tactics Covered – With the new faction (the eponymous Forces of Corruption) come new tactics of sabotage, bribery, and subterfuge. Prima will detail how to use these features to their full potential.
Copies may be pre-ordered at Prima’s website.
Ultimate EaW v3.2 Released
Fynbos, a member of the UEAW Team, has informed us of the latest release of the huge modification for EaW known as Ultimate Empire at War. For those who haven’t heard of it, this mod takes a big leap in the game, and lets you play in the different eras of the Star Wars timeline. Although I myself have not yet played it, from what I’ve seen it looks and sounds impressive.
Be sure to check out Fynbos’ posting here!
Petroglyph Game Days
Petroglyph Games, the creators of Empire at War, have announced something of considerable interest. They plan to offer “Game Days”, possibly a few times a month, in which players will be able to play representatives from Petroglyph. Hardcore players will be able to win prizes, such as EaW related-items, if they are able to beat the revered designers of the game itself.
The first Game Day is scheduled two days from now, Friday the 18th. The place – the General Lobby area in EaW. The time? 1 PM PST (GMT-8). If you’re up to the challenge, be there or…well, just be there.
You can find out more information here!
Petroglyph Contest: Outer Rim Customs
Check out Petroglyph’s (developers of Empire at War) new contest: Outer Rim Customs. To enter, all you need to do is mod your favorite Star Wars craft from Empire at War with your favorite graphics editing program. There are three categories: Capital Ship, Fighter, and Planetary. Here’s what they have to say:
Here is your opportunity to Pimp Out your favorite Star Wars Empire at War capital ships, fighters, and other planetary crafts! Will you bust out the bling blingin’ rims, turning your AT-AT into a low rider or give R2D2 a paint job matching your X-Wing Racer decals? This contest is only limited by your imagination. The Petroglyph Art Team are ready to check out what kind of creative you’ve got!
Prizes up for grabs include cash, Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic Sound Cards, and a variety of other cool items. You can read the full rules of the contest and view an example at Petroglyph’s contest webpage.
HGExpo 2006
What has been unofficially known throughout most of the HeavenGames community is now officially underway. Serious development on HGExpo, formerly known as HGCon, has started.
For those of you that aren’t aware what it is, HGExpo is a multi-Heaven event in which designers come together to showcase their work, representing their respective Heavens.
You can get more information here. Get active, get designing! I know I’ll be contributing my part.
Patch 1.05 Released!
LucasArts has just released patch 1.05 for EaW. Although the changes are smaller in number compared to the previous ones, it did some space battle balancing, mostly with the Imperials.
Download it from the LucasArts Mirror. Read all of the changes here.
Another Forces of Corruption Preview at GameSpot
GameSpot now has another Forces of Corruption preview, which is basically a part 2 version of their last article. There weren’t any huge surprises in this one, but the preview mainly focused on how they are planning to make the original content of EaW even better. At one point they talk about adding a little more depth and less restriction to land battles, which should be good news for many players.
“In Forces of Corruption we are significantly expanding land combat. This not only extends to letting you configure your base layout, but also includes many tactical elements that make combat more dynamic and less predictable. For example, the terrain itself will become even more important. Now you can battle on a planet where the vegetation can be a lethal foe or where you can actually summon a rancor to do your bidding. One such tactic I find enjoyable is placing a thermal detonator on an enemy vehicle and then waiting until the opportune time to detonate it.”
You can read the entire article here! Be sure to stay tuned for more previews to this expansion.
New Forces of Corruption Preview at GameSpot
GameSpot has given us a new preview for the upcoming Forces of Corruption expansion pack. The article goes into more detail explaining exactly how the new faction and the corruption concept is going to work.
The primary purpose of corruption is to generate cash, and it allows access to black-market technology. Essentially, it works like a mining facility, extorting a percentage of credits from planetary income generated during a galactic day. The Underworld requires large quantities of cash for pretty much everything, and corruption is the primary way for it to generate income.
Read the whole thing here!
Petroglyph Announces Official Map Contest
The map editor has been out for some time now – long enough for the community to learn the ropes. Now it is time to put those skills to the test in Petroglyph’s official map contest. You can enter either a space map or a land map, or both, but maps are due to be submitted by July 16th. Prizes are as follows:
1 st Prize Bundle = NVIDIA Video Card 7800GTX 512MB Board + Petroglyph T-Shirt + Map will be included in an EAW Nexus Mod (decided by Nexus Mod)
2 nd Prize Bundle = Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic Sound Card + Petroglyph T-Shirt
3 rd Prize Bundle = Developers Signed Collector’s Edition Empire at War + Petroglyph T-Shirt
*Top 10 Maps will be featured on the official Petroglyph website
Head over to the Petroglyph site and read the rules.
Summer Fan Fiction Contest
Some of our younger users might just have gotten out of school, but we got you covered – we’ll make sure that you remember all that English grammar and vocabulary!
Galactic Battlegrounds Heaven and the folks here at EaWH have just announced an exciting Fan Fiction contest. Based on the world of Star Wars which our two Heavens share in common, as well as the joint community of the Star Wars Universe forum, the contest will offer real, physical prizes for the most outstanding work of fiction in two categories.
The contest’s requirements are simple; register on our forums, choose a category and sign up! You can find more information and sign up here.
The best of luck to all participants!
New Units Section
We are proud to announce the opening of our new unit database! You’ll find all the spacecraft, vehicles, and infantry available in the game listed, with full stats and information. Take a look at the page.
Empire at War Fan Art Contest at Petroglyph
Petroglyph (developers of Empire at War) are holding a fan art contest. Here is what they have to say:
We’re looking for talented artist who yearn to show off their fan art to the community. We will be giving out Petroglyph goodies to art that really captures aspects of Petroglyph or Star Wars Empire at War. Notable pieces will be selected and featured here on the Petroglyph website.
Check out their website for more information.
New Holocron Articles
Darth Persia has brought us two new, great articles on the Strategy aspect of Empire at War. His first one, Campaign Guide tells us some of the most effective methods to win one of EaW’s several campaign maps.
The second of the bunch is the Heroes Listing, which describes, in full, the myriad of heroes and hero powers in the game.
Star Wars Universe Update
It’s time for my highly irregular update on our Star Wars Universe forum. As some of you may know, SWU has always been rather a mixing bowl of role-playing games; today, Star Wars fanatic and long time role-player Darth Persia gave a summary of the past, present and the future of role-playing within our community. He describes the plot of one of the most popular RPGs, The Old Republic Thread: Remastered.
Also, there’s a new RPG Calendar thread by forummer DarkSideFire so you can get the gist of all the active RPGs, and schedule one of your own.
May the Force be with you!
Petroglyph Map Contest Soon?
Judging by their webpage, it looks like Petroglyph Games (Developers of Empire at War) will soon be hosting a mapping contest. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Map Editor Released!
At long last, the Empire at War map editor is available for download. You can grab it from fileplanet.
The STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR map editor is now available for download. The editor gives you the ability to create land and space skirmish maps. It also includes a 3D Studio Max plug-in allowing you to bring models into the editor that you’ve created. Patch 1.04 is required in order to play custom maps created by the editor. Please note that the editor is not supported and is only available in English.
Patch 1.04 Released!
The long-awaited patch 1.04 is out today! There’s been lots of bug fixes, including general balance issues and space & land tactical changes. Support for user-created maps has also been added. Expect a map editor to be available shortly!
You can grab the new patch from Lucasarts, or view the full list of changes on our patches page.
New Forces of Corruption Section Opens!
We’ve just opened our brand new Forces of Corruption (FOC) section here on Empire at War Heaven. Check out all the known info about the upcoming expansion! You’ll find an overview, comprehensive F.A.Q., a list of units known thus far, and of course, screenshots. We’ll be keeping the section updated as new information becomes available, so be sure to check back!
Scenario Design Classes at NYU
NYU is having a class on “Dialogue and Narrative Creation for Electronic Games” focusing on the creation of RTS games! The class is being conducted by Gordon Farrell, who has a large number of highly rated scenarios on the HeavenGames download systems. Gordon went on from HG to work at Stainless Steel Studios, Breakaway Games and Tilted Mill.
This is a great opportunity for those in the NY area to learn more about game design. The class runs from May 15th to June 23 and meets Monday and Wed from 5:30 to 8:30. This is an actual college class you can take for college credits. Check it out at this link.
Forces of Corruption Box Art and Clan Listing
There’s alot of news today. Firstly, Empire-at-War.com has claimed to have obtained an image of the art used on the box of the upcoming expansion pack. Here, you can see images of Tyber Zann, the Executor and all kinds of units.
Secondly, we now how a general idea of the release date. Fall 2006 is the timetable given for the release of this really hot game!
Also, the long awaited Clan Listing has finally been compiled. If you’re interested in joining a clan that plays Empire at War, you can find a great wealth of information on that page.
May the Force be with you!
E3 Forces of Corruption Video
The folks over at Petroglyph MW have posted two videos recording the presentation of Empire at War: Forces of Corruption on their website. Check ’em out and learn more about this newly-announced expansion pack. Fileplanet account required to download.
Forces of Corruption Screenshots
Check out some screenshots of the upcoming Empire at War expansion, Forces of War, right here in the screenshot section. See the might Super Star Destroyer and lots of other new units.
Expansion Pack Trailer!
Yesterday, I cast some doubt on the validity of the possible new expansion pack, but I retract those words. Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption has been officially announced by LucasArts, and there is already a trailer out! You can clearly see StarViper Assault Fighters that were employed by Black Sun, the Eclipse Star Destroyer of the Dark Empire comics, Droidekas, the IG-2000 (or perhaps just a regular Aggressor Assault Fighter) and even some IG assassin droids! I think that means we might be seeing the infamous IG-88 as a hero for this new criminal faction. There also seems to be some new units for the original factions; I think I saw some Phase II Dark Troopers and you can clearly see B-Wings.
Already, I think this is going to add a whole lot of depth to the game. I can see it now – Empire versus Alliance, and sneaking up between them are the criminal cartels that were pretty much silent in the original Empire at War. But I digress; check out the trailer here!
Also, here is a segment from the LucasArts official announcement of the expansion pack:
“Following the success of Star Wars: Empire at War, the best-selling PC game of Q1 2006, LucasArts announces an expansion pack titled Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption. A widely appealing strategy game, Empire at War let gamers play the Light Side of the Dark Side in an epic galactic civil war. Now, for the first time ever, Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption introduces a unique point of view – the corrupt side.
The Rebels have just destroyed the Death Star, and the galaxy is in turmoil. As an aspiring underworld figure named Tyber Zahn, spread corruption throughout the galaxy using new strategic gameplay elements to influence other factions, steal their funs, slow their production, spy on them and more, all en route to becoming the most notorious criminal leader since Jabba the Hutt. Exciting new land-tactical options like customizable, upgradeable bases and guerilla warfare allow for innovative battlefield tactics. Take command of and confront new fighting units for all factions (Rebel B-Wings, Imperial TIE Interceptors, Darth Vader’s Executor Super Star Destroyer and more), and take down anyone who stands in your way of ruling the underworld, be they new battlefield heroes like Luke Skywalker and Yoda or the forces of your most bitter rival — Jabba. Destroy capital ships with the awesome firepower of the Second Death Star, and satiate Tyber’s drive for the deadliest capital ship in the galaxy, a devastatingly powerful Super Star Destroyer known as the Eclipse.”
Remember to keep checking back for more information, because there’s sure to be alot of it!
Also, the original game is still important, so we have a new Strategy article for us, contributed by Darth Persia. If you want to know how to deal with retreating, click here.
An expansion pack?
Recently, there have been rumblings about a new expansion pack for Empire at War. Finally, it seems we have some credible information about it. Empire at War.net, another major fansite based on the game, reports the following exerpt from the UK PC Gamer magazine:
Hot of the holonews, we finally have word that an official Empire at War expansion is on the way!
An exert from a UK magazine saying, “George Lucas gets some things right: he may have desecrated the SW universe with his hideous attempts at the Prequels, but the recent RTS StarWars: Empire At War stepped into the original films’ timeline and was all teh better for it. You Spread your corruption through the galaxy Far Far Away, using your dark influence to earn money, suck up resources and wage space-and ground-based real-time battles. The Expansion brings you a new challenge, to go Jabba on the younglings. You’re Aspiring crime lord Tyber Zann, who is undermining the Empire, Rebels and Everyone else for the ULTIMATE PRIZE: A SUPER STAR DESTROYER, ELEVEN TIMES the size of the original. There’s a Machievellian undercurrent to the action, as you spy, cajole, threaten and steal from the rest of teh universe to fuel your own Infamy.”
Apparently the expansion will follow a new crime lord, Tyber Zann, and his quest to take over the galaxy.
View the first screenshot including TIE Interceptors and TIE Phantoms, along with a Super Star Destroyer, and post your thoughts and comments about this exciting news HERE.
I’ve not been able to find anything on LucasArts’ official website, but if this is true, we might be getting a totally official announcement in a matter of days! Better yet, Empire at War.net is also hosting a live dev chat with the developers of the game – be sure not to miss this great opportunity! You can find more about the chat here
You can join the community in discussing this new expansion pack right in our own forums. Enjoy!
EaW Map Editor and Patch 1.04
LEC Rogue has posted details of the 1.04 patch, which features several balance tweaks, bug fixes, and a couple of minor features. There is also a bit of information concerning the upcoming map editor. Check it out here.
Holocron Article Submission
After a trial with a horrible sinus infection, I’m happy to finally begin uploading some new, great Holocron articles. We’ve got some good ones on the way, and the first of them is by community member Darth Persia. He instructs us how to avoid that oft-annoying loss of credit income that can beplague any player. Check it out here!
EaWH Forum Party – Apr 21-22, 2006
It is that time again! The forum party on the 21st (Friday) will start at the usual time 6:00 PM EST and go until whenever. On the 22nd we’ll be starting at 4:00 PM. As always we’ll be glad to try to help you resolve connection issues if neccessary. Remember that we meet in the “General” room, not the default “1v1” room. Hope to see you there!
For complete time listings and more info check out the forum thread.
New Poll
With more than 1000 votes on our previous poll, we’ve closed it and set up a new one. Cast your vote and let’s see how many of you test your skills online!
Forum Party March 24-25
Another two weeks have passed and it’s time for the community of EaWH to get themselves online and start attacking eachother! This Friday and Saturday, we’ll be hosting our third Forum Party. The rules haven’t changed, and the times are listed here.
Even better, the Party is just after the release of the aforementioned 1.03 patch. A great opportunity to see what this new fix does. I’ll see you there!
1.03 Patch Available!
To download, simply access the Multiplayer feature in Empire at War. It will prompt you to download the patch. Here’s the changes it makes:
New Content
* Added a new Multiplayer Land Skirmish map: “Corellian Countdown.” This Skirmish map allows players to raise their own population cap by taking control points. This is similar to how land maps in Campaign games work.
* Added a new 43 Planet Multiplayer Campaign Map: “Lines are Drawn.” This is a larger Campaign map that contains all of the planets from galactic map used in the story.
New Features
* Added an “ignore” button to the Internet lobby. Ignored player chat is not seen in any Internet dialog, and Ignored players are shown in a different color in the player list.
* Added “Quality Lights” to the multiplayer game lobby screen to indicate connection performance between players. Detailed ToolTips will also display when the mouse cursor is hovering over the “quality”
lights.
* Added a “test connections” button to the multiplayer game lobby screen that allows players to test out their connections with other players in a match before starting.
New Fixes
* Corrected several issues that caused Quick Match to hang indefinitely.
* Corrected an issue where Quick Match would connect more than two players to a game, resulting in a sync error.
* Several stat exploits that have been discovered and abused have been corrected. As a result, the GameSpy Arena 1v1 Space Skirmish, 1v1 Land Skirmish and 1v1 Campaign ladders will be reset. It is important to note that the ladders will remain populated. However, the current stats will be cleared to coincide with the 1.03 update as this levels the playing field allowing all players to fairly earn a ladder rank.
* Victory movies can now be skipped in multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue where AT-ATs would stop moving when tow-cabled by Rebel speeders, allowing players to stop the unit from suffering a successful tow-cable attack.
* Client player in a match is now allowed to change color/faction after pressing accept.
* Increased Multiplayer stability for LAN and Internet games.
* Corrected an issue that caused CD-Keys to become invalid when playing on Limited-User Windows profiles.
* Corrected several text issues, including the removal of references to the Venator and corrections for “missing” text problems.
* Corrected an issue that allowed Empire heroes to be placed on the Death Star.
* Numerous other improvements and corrections have also been made in this patch.
Balance Issues
* Improved targeting priority for AI when fighting Star
Destroyers.
* Increased the tractor beam hard point health from 100 to
150 for Star Destroyers.
* Increased the Garrison spawn time from 15 seconds to 25
Seconds for most buildings.
New Patch Due Out Next Week
Patch 1.03 will be hitting the internet sometime next week. What can you expect? Improved multiplayer stability, a new map with a few special features, and a brand new multiplayer campaign with a total of 43 planets. In addition, there are several bug fixes and a much-needed “ignore” button for the online lobbies.
Empire at War ALO Model Viewer
adthrawn, community member, has informed us of an extremely useful modding tool that has recently surfaced. The new ALO Model Viewer is a new tool that allows modders to view the model files for Empire at War. It is still under development, so it seems that extracting and rebuilding them will be very possible in the near future. The page with all of the information you need is located here. The download link is located here. Keep checking back here for updates on this potential modding revolution!
Forum Party Wrap-up and New Article
The two-day festivities that we’ve been holding have come to a close. Our second Forum Party went over pretty well, I believe, and I managed to get in about 3 games. Unfortunately, most of the games played were those that took place in space (I was interested in playing a land battle or two) but it was fun. There weren’t that many people there, but that can be partially due to not posting the date and time of the parties until it was too late; I take that blame on myself.
Anyway, we had some pretty cool moments. There’s five new screenshots in our Space Screenshots Gallery. Also, there were a few funny times throughout the entire party, such as Ech attempting a bombing run in space, Zara and I saying the same stuff and Blood Phoenix believing he could fight 5 Imperial Star Destroyers with Rogue Squadron. It was a very fun party.
Also, lordbodin99 has submitted a new article about modding for the full version of Empire at War. It’s a great feature to get you started with modding and can be found here. Enjoy!
Forum Party March 10-11
EaWH is going to be holding its second Forum Party in what we hope to be a long, long line of ones to come. There are going to be two seperate times, in contrast to the last Forum Party’s one set time. We’re hoping the new times will be more accomodating for European visitors, and thusly the times of the Parties will be 6 PM to 11 PM EST (GMT-5) on Friday and 12 PM to 5 PM EST on Saturday.
Be sure to check out the Party Thread for more need-to-know information. See ya there!
IGN’s EaW Walkthrough
IGN has uploaded a Walkthrough regarding Empire at War.
A nicely focused real-time strategy game, Empire at War will test your patience and aggression. Do you sit back and let your scientists research that new ship, or do you press the attack? Do you sink credits into spicing up your ground defenses, or will you put all that money and effort into the Death Star? Will blowing up the planet really help you tactically regardless of how much fun the mere act is? All these questions, and any others you may have, are answered in this guide.
The article looks quite promising, but you must be subscribed to IGN to view the full guide. So, anyone lucky enough to be subscribed, go and check it out!
Star Wars Universe Highlight
To celebrate the recent live-linking of the Star Wars Universe forum to Galactic Battlegrounds Heaven‘s forum of the same name, I figured I should give a little highlight to get some people posting there and discussing what both Heavens have in common; Star Wars.
So, I bring to you, The Community Novel by Blackmoon, which is essentially a fanfiction developed by anyone that would like to post in it. Enjoy and have fun!
New Holocron Modding Article
With the unveiling of the Holocron, we’ve already got our very first forummer-submitted article. Demo Modding Guide for Newbies, a fabulous article written by lordbodin99, covers how to modify the Empire at War Demo. So, if you haven’t gotten the money to buy the actual game yet and are still playing the demo, you can check out the guide for information on how to do some editing to gain access to cool new ships and increased credits!
Two New Forums
We’ve opened two new forums here at Empire at War Heaven. For all your strategy and tactics needs, we’ve got the new Strategy forum. With the release of game modification tools from Petroglyph (designers) coming very soon, the new Game Modifications forum should be a good place to discuss changing the game.
Article System Now In Place
Mace and I are proud to announce that the basic version of our user-submitted content system, The Holocron, is now up and running. It already features a few articles, but what makes it cool is that you can submit your own articles. Just read the Submission Guidelines and start sending in articles!
To start off, we have the Forum Party and the Configuring Empire at War for Multiplayer guides. I really hope they help you in some way, but I also hope you’ll send in your own compositions.
New Planet Information Database
Check out our newest section, the Planet Database. Start from the galactic map and choose the planet you are interested in. Each planetary page includes vital information about the planet, as well as displaying the space and ground maps. There is a page for each of the 44 planets, with accompanying info.
Developer Chat at LucasArts Tomorrow! (2/23)
The developers of Empire at War will be holding a post-release online chat hosted by LucasArts tomorrow, February 23rd. Here’s the details:
We will be joined on Feb 23, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific time) for 60-90 minutes of questions and answers with members of the Empire at War development team from Petroglyph, including designers Chris Rubyor and Joe Bostic, lead programmer Mike Legg (tentative) and more!
First Forum Party!
Yep, that’s right. Our first event in which forummers from all around EAWH will play games together is coming up. The time is 6 PM-11 PM EST (GMT-5) on February 24th. Timezone Conversion
Games will be hosted in the General lobby and be prefixed with [EAWH] with the password of “discodarth”. Be sure to check out the Party Thread for more information.
I hope all of you can make it. This is an awesome opportunity to get to know people from the community and to just have fun. I know I’ll be there!
Upcoming Clan Features and Database
We’ll soon be setting up a clan database here at Empire at War Heaven for all clans affiliated with EaW. If you want any specific information related to your clan put into our database for possible members to see, post them in this thread!
Further to this, I’ll be doing a clan feature every two weeks. If your clan gets chosen I’ll visit your forums and interact with your community for a week, then you’ll get a place on our front page! Any clans interested should also post their information in this thread. Visit the thread for more details or if you have any questions. You must post to be in the drawing for the clan features!
Total Video Games Reviews Empire at War
Today’s Empire at War review is from Total Video Games. They’ve written a thorough piece spanning 4 pages. Their Final Word reads as such:
There’s no denying that there are a number of features implemented in Empire at War that separate the game from any other RTS title, and the excellent interconnection between strategy and tactics creates an enthralling experience; it’s just a shame that certain areas, cannot match the enjoyment provided by strategically taking over the galaxy in the galactic sections.
Ultimately however what Empire at War does to great success (unlike every other attempt) is replicate the Star Wars galaxy, so that fans of the iconic series will feel like they really are at the heart of history defining moments of the story. The Force is strong within this one
New RPG in Our Star Wars Universe Forum
Community member, Friend of Old, has started a new RPG in our Star Wars Universe Forum called Clash of the Titans. Hopefully, this and future RPGs will draw some new life into the forum, especially our new Empire at War players! It would be great to have an active SWU community like we had long ago. Don’t hesitate to participate and have some fun interacting with the other members. Be sure to check it out here.
Have fun!
IC-Games reviews Empire at War: 90%
Another Empire at War review rolls in, this time from IC-Games. Check out the full feature here. This is some of what they have to say:
Star Wars: Empire at War is a colossal game from the geniuses that brought us all Command and Conquer. This one is a no brainer really, if you like the idea of directing your own version of ‘A New Hope’ this one is for you.
New Patch for Empire at War: 1.02
Just out is the new 1.02 patch for Empire at War. It fixesthe server disconnection error when attempting to play multiplayer, and many other issues. Here are the general items fixed:
* Corrected an issue with server disconnection
* Corrected an issue that could prevent progress past
mission 4 in the Rebel Campaign.
* Added AI improvements for Land Control games.
* Corrected an issue to count troop transports towards
unit cap in space tactical battles.
* Improved AI to move units within firing range when using
Tractor Beam/Proton beam weapons.
* Corrected an issue where proton torpedoes would ignore
hardpoints when applying damage.
* Corrected an issue in tutorial mission 5 that caused hint
Voice Overs to stop repeating if the reinforcements
objective has not been completed.
* Corrected multiple text and voice issues in Japanese,
French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Polish versions
of the game.
* Corrected an issue that prevented two Force-sensitive
heroes from targeting the same building.
* Corrected an issue that caused ground troops to be
destroyed in space tactical battles when using
Auto-Resolve.
* Corrected an issue that prevented enemy units from
displaying their team color in the mini-map.
* Corrected an issue with the magnapulse cannon that
required double-clicking in order to target enemies.
* Corrected a collision issue with Land Skirmish map
“Clash on Tatooine” that allowed units to fire through
the terrain.
* Disabled Save/Load functionality when in tutorial
missions.
* Corrected an issue that allowed AI to use Luke
Skywalker’s special ability without waiting for the
recharge timer.
* Corrected multiple issues with the cinematic camera.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the Interdictor Cruiser’s
Gravity Well to remain active after it was destroyed.
* Corrected an issue that prevented multiple units from
using the Barrage ability on the same target.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the Death Star to fire
after a tactical battle completed.
It also resolves issues regarding performance, graphics, multiplayer, and balance. You will be prompted to download the patch when you enter the game, or you can download it here (from LucasArts).
New Screenshots added
Even though most of the staff are busy playing the game from dawn till…well, next dawn, we have managed to get some more screenshots up, and more will be following soon. Be sure to give them a look, there are some good ones!
GameDaily Reviews Empire at War: 4.5/5
One more for today: GameDaily’s extensive review of Empire at War. Their four page writeup details many of the game’s features and mentions all the high points. Read it at GameDaily. Here’s their conclusion:
What’s the bottom line on Empire at War? Buy it. If you are a Star Wars fan, or are even intrigued by the universe, this game is for you. If you’re an RTS fan, you will play this game for dozens of hours. Even if you’re not normally a fan of either Star Wars or strategy titles, you might like Empire. It handles each of these elements very differently from most games, so there might be something you find in Empire that wasn’t in your previous experiences. This is one of the best RTS games in recent history.
GameSpot Review of Empire at War: 8.7/10
Rated “Great” by GameSpot! Check out their brand new two-page review right here.
Here’s some of what they have to say:
As a strategy game, Empire at War delivers a true Star Wars experience. If you’re into AT-ATs stomping around battlefields, Darth Vader knocking over 20 soldiers with Force push, or space battles thick with dozens of fighters swarming in between gargantuan capital ships, Empire at War will deliver all that in a fun, compelling package. You can’t really lose in any game in which you can blow up a planet with the Death Star, can you? Combined with a presentation that is as epic as the films that inspired the game and a slick, dual-layered strategy design, Empire at War is easily recommendable to any strategy fan, especially those who are fond of George Lucas’ space classic.
UGO Reviews Empire at War
Next in the ever-growing lineup of Empire at War reviews is UGO.com’s entry. They rated the game with a B+ and certainly seemed to enjoy it.
To sum it all up, Star Wars: Empire at War is a decent RTS. It isn’t the second coming of StarCraft, but it is the first good Star Wars RTS ever. It’s a must-have for fans of the saga, mainly for all the references and characters that pop up throughout. If you have a powerful gaming computer, it’s worth checking out for the visuals, too. If the game was a girl, I’d want to kiss her.
1up.com Reviews Empire at War
Yet another Empire at War review surfaces, this time from 1up.com, the same good folks who brought us the original previews of this game. They rate it a solid 8/10. .
Strategy Guide Available
LucasArts has made available for purchase the official Empire at War strategy guide. You can find it for sale at LucasArtsStore.com.The Star Wars: Empire at War PRIMA Official Game Guide provides players with sound tactics and strategies for the real-time-strategy (RTS) battles they will face. The guide has full and complete information on each unit and structure, maps of every battlefield, tactics for the entire single player game, and strategies for multiplayer domination.
Thanks to the sharp eyes of Blood Phoenix for this news.
EmpireAtWar.net Review: 9.1/10
One more review hits the ‘net, this time from the EmpireAtWar.net fansite. Check it out. Here’s some of what they have to say:
Empire at War never set out to be Rebellion and in all fairness, its not. It just hasnt got that level of strategy. However, what is does do, is bring Star Wars gaming to the masses (and I dont just mean the low specs needed to play) and I’ve come away feeling that Star Wars fans and RTS will get months of fun out of this and for those entering the RTS genre for the first time will be extremely happy with their purchase.
Yahoo Games Reviews Empire at War
Empire at War’s second official review has hit the internet. They rate the game 4/5 stars. Check it out over at Yahoo Games. Their conclusion reads:
While the ground stages don’t quite match the rest of the game’s quality, there’s still something superbly delightful about marching a group of AT-ATs into battle, or commanding a fleet of star destroyers, or chopping up stormtroopers with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Empire at War captures these emotions perfectly, and backs them up with a robust large-scale strategic game and no end of single and multiplayer content. What more could you ask from a Star Wars game?
Empire at War Patch 1.01
If you’ve just purchased the game, be sure to update the version 1.01. It fixes a few issues that made it into the retail version. Grab the update now so your full gameplay experience will be at its best. Get the patch by selecting the multuplayer option in the game, or via direct download at Yahoo.
The patch fixes some general issues (listed below), as well as perfomance, graphics, multiplayer, and balance issues.
• Corrected an issue that could prevent progress past mission 4 in the Rebel Campaign.
• Added AI improvements for Land Control games.
• Corrected an issue to count troop transports towards unit cap in space tactical battles.
• Improved AI to move units within firing range when using Tractor Beam/Proton beam weapons.
• Corrected an issue where proton torpedoes would ignore hardpoints when applying damage.
• Corrected an issue in tutorial mission 5 that caused hint Voice Overs to stop repeating if the reinforcements objective has not been completed.
• Corrected multiple text and voice issues in Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Polish versions of the game.
• Corrected an issue that prevented two Force-sensitive heroes from targeting the same building.
• Corrected an issue that caused ground troops to be destroyed in space tactical battles when using Auto-Resolve.
• Corrected an issue that prevented enemy units from displaying their team color in the mini-map.
• Corrected an issue with the magnapulse cannon that required double-clicking in order to target enemies.
• Corrected a collision issue with Land Skirmish map “Clash on Tatooine” that allowed units to fire through the terrain.
• Disabled Save/Load functionality when in tutorial missions.
• Corrected an issue that allowed AI to use Luke Skywalker’s special ability without waiting for the recharge timer.
• Corrected multiple issues with the cinematic camera.
• Corrected an issue that allowed the Interdictor Cruiser’s Gravity Well to remain active after it was destroyed.
• Corrected an issue that prevented multiple units from using the Barrage ability on the same target.
• Corrected an issue that allowed the Death Star to fire after a tactical battle completed.
Empire at War Hits the Shelves!
It’s release day! Empire at War can be found on shelves around the United States (either today or in a few days elsewhere in the world). Be sure to pick it up!
First Review from IGN
While perhaps a bit early for a comprehensive writeup, IGN has posted the first official Empire at War review, rating the game 7.6. Here’s an excerpt from the conclusion:
Star Wars: Empire at War definitely scores big in terms of style. Gamers who are looking for an authentic Star Wars experience will not be disappointed with this one. It evokes all the charm and excitement of the childhood action figure wars that have been fought all across the nation over the last thirty years. When you add in the great sense of scale and the comprehensive roster of units available, Empire at War is like the ultimate digital toy box, at least for the original trilogy.
There is both a four-page text review and an accomapanying video review.
Empire at War in Stores Tomorrow (USA)
Empire at War will be availabe in stores tomorrow, February 16th. Here at EAW Heaven we’ll also be adding some new features, as well as opening the download section.
Designer Diary #5
Gamespot has posted the latest in their series of Designer Diaries features, this time about the history of Empire at War. It’s about two pages long and a really interesting read. Here’s an excerpt:
“A high bar was set for this game from the beginning: Create an all-new Star Wars real-time strategy experience for the PC with a brand-new cutting-edge game engine. Empire at War had to feature both amazing tactical real-time space and planetary surface battles, which then needed to be elegantly integrated with a strategic galactic map that represented the Star Wars planetary systems from the movies and lore. It all had to be created from scratch, and it had to be done in roughly two years. There was going to be a ton of work to do. In October 2003, we made the jump to light speed and development was under way.”
Check out the full feature here! Also, thanks to Vuredel for pointing it out on our forums.
Empire at War: Mod Help Central
Blood Phoenix from our forums has compiled a list of useful links containing tutorials and various tools for all the modders out there. Anybody who has another resource to add to it is welcome to post it, and Phoenix will update the thread as needed. He also mentioned that he will be adding an FAQ in the near future.
Official Empire at War Website Updated
Continuing the recent series of in-depth looks at the creatures, units, and locations of Empire at War, the official LucasArts site has again updated with 16 new game elements. Check out information on AT-ATs, the Death Star, and more.
Six more days until Empire at War is available!
EaW – Mod Manager ALPHA 2.0
lordbodin99 has posted a link to a new Modding Manager created by Quickshot14, a member of the Petroglyph forums. According to his description, this will make the lives of demo modders a bit easier, and will be releasing a version for the full game soon after its release. He did warn us however, that since it’s still in its ALPHA stage, bugs would not be surprising.
“First and foremost it’s a manager and I want to make it as originzable for the user as possible, this will also help the modder out in the long run. Basicly there will be a catagorey/sub-catagorey system for example 3 catagories may be Total Conversions, Major Mods, Minor Mods. These are basicly folders ie something like TC_CAT, MM_CAT, and MinorM_CAT as a rouge example. Whats great about this system is the user can move the mods around to diffrent catagories and even create sub catagories ie having a Star Wars Type sub-catagory under Total Conversions.”
Check it out here!
Empire at War Video Podcast
PCG_Norman from PC Gamer has posted a link to their new video podcast covering the game. They took a tour of LucasArts in San Francisco and filmed what they saw. The video includes new gameplay footage and notes from the developers. Check it out!
First clan opens at EaWH!
That’s right, even though the game hasn’t yet been released, the ambitious adthrawn has posted a recruitment thread for the first official clan on Empire at War Heaven. The name of the clan is The Imperial Security Squadron. They’ll obviously focus on excelling as the Empire, and their thread may be found here.
Good luck guys!
XFire Empire At War Dev Chat
It appears that the guys over at XFire had a little chat with Empire At War’s developers on Thursday which revealed just a little bit more about our favorite upcoming game, including confirmation of a multiplayer ladder! Check out the transcript here!
TheForce.Net also interviewed Petroglyph last week. Be sure to check it out.
Empire At War Gone Gold!
This news might be a couple of days old for some, but LucasArts has posted on Empire At War’s website that the game has gone gold! This is certainly good news for those of us who have been waiting months for this game. Remember, the game comes out on the 16th! There’s still plenty of time to pre-order!
Welcome to Empire at War Heaven!
At long last, Empire at War Heaven has opened! Here you can find comprehensive information about the game, as well as engage in discussion on our forums. We’ll be bringing you continual Empire at War coverage up and through the release date of February 16th. In the meantime, you may want to check out the single-player demo. If you have general questions about this game, head over to the F.A.Q.
Thanks for stopping by – we hope you’ll enjoy your visit. Don’t hesitate to leave us feedback in the forums or via email!