Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Updated Preview

By Greg Kasavin and Amer Ajami, GameSpotPosted Jul 26, 2001 5:36 pm PT

Galactic Battlegrounds will take the best aspects of the popular Age of Empires II and apply them in the Star Wars universe. Find out how in our updated preview.

It's like a match made in heaven: Take Age of Empires II, one of the best and most successful real-time strategy games to date, and apply its successful formula to the Star Wars universe. This bright idea occurred to LucasArts, and the result--the forthcoming Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds--is on schedule to ship around Thanksgiving. You might already be familiar with some aspects of the game, like how it will include not just the Rebel and Empire factions, but also the Naboo, Gungan, and Trade Federation factions from Episode I, as well as the Wookiees. In fact, the events depicted in Battlegrounds will span a full 5,000 years of Star Wars history--from before Episode I till after Episode VI. You've also likely heard that the game will have a lot in common with Age of Empires II, in spite of the fact that the battles in Battlegrounds will obviously be very different from those in Age II--for instance, they didn't have AT-ATs back then. This updated preview will give you a sense of exactly what to expect from Battlegrounds. You'll learn exactly which aspects of Age of Empires II will still be prevalent in Battlegrounds, but also what parts of the game will be completely new. Like Age of Empires II, Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds is a game about details. We've recently discovered just how interesting a lot of those details really are.

Battlegrounds will feature battles in deep space, and in many other Star Wars settings.

The decision to use the Age of Empires II engine for Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds couldn't have been more deliberate. Age II is one of the most popular, most accessible, most playable, and most interesting real-time strategy games to date. Battlegrounds will draw from its many good traits but will obviously feature all-new graphics and sound. Nevertheless, the game's interface and general look and feel will be very similar to Age II's, even to the point where Battlegrounds will use a lot of the same exact keyboard hotkeys, interface layouts, and design features. For instance, just like in Age II, groups of units in Battlegrounds will automatically array themselves into logical formations; cycling through idle worker units will be easy; and the game will be playable in a variety of modes. That is, not only will Battlegrounds feature six different story-driven campaigns, focusing on each of the factions, but it will also have Age II's robust skirmish mode, including a powerful, customizable random-map generator.

For good measure, Battlegrounds will also include a powerful campaign editor that will let you design your very own Star Wars skirmishes. The game will support up to eight players online or over a network, and its low system requirements promise to make it accessible to just about anyone who can read this. Battlegrounds will also have five different difficulty settings, making it a challenge for the novice or the seasoned RTS player. The game will also feature an authentic John Williams score, which comprises all the great pieces of battle music found in all the films. The resulting game is clearly being geared toward the masses--if it all pans out according to plan, just about any gamer should find something to like in Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds.

On the following pages, you'll learn more about the game's six different factions, its various unique characters, how the graphics have changed over the course of development, and plenty more about the actual inner workings of the game. Read on to learn about how Battlegrounds will incorporate the best features of Age of Empires II.

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1 Comments

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jakeboudville
Posted Sep 10, 2006 6:51 pm PT

kinda impressive
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