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Message Edited by DaraShaku on 07-02-2004 03:55 PM

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DaraShaku wrote:

Hello, everybody!

Let me just start off by saying that I absolutely DON'T want to see the Imperial players get hooped in JTL, but I think we all agree that giving hyperdrives to TIEs is rather silly. But I believe that when a problem presents itself in Star Wars game design, one should first look to Star Wars continuity for the solution!

Mysolution in this case will 'keep it real' as far as continuity goes, and best yet, nothing much will have to change! The solution? The Kuat Drive Yards Imperial Escort Carrier. Here's a blurb from page 54 of the Imperial Sourcebook, Second Edition by West End Games:

ESCORT CARRIER

The need for a TIE escort carrier became apparent after the Battle of Ton-Falk. In that battle, two Imperial frigates and a Dreadnaught were lost due to, as Naval Command reported, "inadequate TIE support". So the Navy commisioned Kuat Drive Yards to construct a vessel that would serve the specific function of carrying TIE fighters into battle.

The main duties of escort carriers are to augment the starfighter strength of the fleet they are attached to, and to transport non-hyperspace shuttles from system to system. Box-like and inelegant in appearance, KDY's escort carrier performs these missions admirably.

Each carrier bases an entire TIE wing in its cavernous bays. Imperial policy dictates that at least one squadron of TIE Interceptors be included in the mix. Additional bays can carry up to six shuttles.

While carriers are equipped with weaponry, they are not considered combat vessels. They do not engage enemy targets and try to stay as far from the actual battle as possible.

Other missions that carriers regularly perform include augmenting the power of Imperial garrison bases. While the garrison quells planetary problems, The carrier assumes a stationary position in orbit over the planet. From this position, the carrier's TIEs can blanket the world to provide support from above.

All you have to do, devs, is have one of these things appear alongside each Imperial fighter group that 'logs into' one of your space zones. And a whole wing of fighters? That's 72 TIEs... the Imperials could definitely draw from this number for NPC 'pet' fighters, and swarm those Rebels with sheer numbers, just like in the movies. Heck, the Carrier itself could become a great mission objective, since you're going to have NPC Capital Ships in the game anyway. But even if it's just scenery in the distance, that would at least satisfy the continuity freak in me!

Also, this vessel has appeared in SW games before - X Wing Alliance and Rebellion, I believe, so it's not like you're creating something new.

This and lots of other great Space material is already out there, Devs... please use it!

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an escort carrier would be good BUT the Tie Advanced did exist in Starwars: a new hope, darth vader flew it

and those did have hyperdrives

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wildtrack wrote:

is everyone forgetting that in the han solo serise its said that tie pilots have the life expectancy of 3 i said 3 battles ?and only the best eve survied the 2 mandoraty years flying ties so tie should be weak compared to say an x wing but should be better against a y- wing which should be slower but if your in the imp navy you should not be able to costum your ship as they where only built to be expenable the only ones with shields and hyperdrives are one which belonged to high ranking officers and moffs such as vader

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Don't worry about that Wild. The rebels will make sure we stick to continuity for the sake of the game no matter what the empire players fly. Might have to lower that number a bit though...

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LRRCP wrote:

Its a game........................................

Why should one side have to do something extra just for continuality???????

In the movie time line the jedi were eradicated yet in the game we see them a dime a dozen.

you should be more upset with that then the fact imps can move from system to system as freely as the other Two sides.

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Why did you bump a thread that's a over a year old?

Whenever I make a hyperspace jump in my TIE, I pretend that a Star Destroyer picked me up, hyperspaced there, and dropped me off again. We've already cut out the several hours/days in hyperspace, I can ignore the fact that my Star Destroyer isn't there.

Maybe the person was making a point that no matter what we say or ask for, the Developers will do what they want.

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LRRCP wrote:

Its a game........................................

Why should one side have to do something extra just for continuality???????

In the movie time line the jedi were eradicated yet in the game we see them a dime a dozen.

you should be more upset with that then the fact imps can move from system to system as freely as the other Two sides.

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N-n-n-n-necrooooooooo!

I'm sorry, DarthGorilla, but I didn't read any of your post.

Paragraphs! Your post made my eyes hurt. Couldn't take it.

Here is the big problem with only using the movies as an example. There is nothing in the movies to suggest that a TIE could not have a hyperdrive. The only time we know for sure a TIE doesn't have a hyperdrive is the one that buzzes the Falcon when it enters Alderan space. Ben says "No it's a short range fighter" indicating that it had no hyperdrive. It's true all other TIE variants we see are launched from a capp ship but this does not rule out that a TIE could have a hyperdrive. A-wings clearly have one so the technology exist to put one in a small craft by the time the GCW is in full swing. Further the game clearly states that you are not a regular navy pilot. All squadrons are "special" squadrons who's pilots are special agents allowed to modify their ships for their own needs. That's because this is a role playing game and not a reenactment.

At least we get to fly TIEs and X-Wings and other movie ships. That was a major step as far as I am concerned. Getting to fly military craft however does not make you a regular military grunt. Do you really want to be a grunt doing little more than flying empty patrols all the time? How would you like to be assigned to patrol Nashal as a ground duty? You would have to do it at least 5 hours a week or you would be kicked out of the Empire. That would be more realistic but it would get old pretty fast. Do you want to sit at the Imperial base on Yavin for several hours just because your military commander told you to do it? That's real and true to life military duty for you. Escort missions are bad enough thank you. We are special agents so we don't have to pull guard duty at that tiny base north of Mos Espa. I'm sure that would be exciting. How would you like to have to earn your “On leave” status instead of just asking for it. “Sorry sergeant you still have 3 hours of guard duty here at the Rori base before we can process your leave request.” If you want to pretend your in the regular military that's fine. Start a PA or something. Give your troopers garrison and patrol duties. Make everyone decommission their Ties and fly between planets aboard a player Decimator instead of just hypering wherever they wanted. Don't be surprised however if some of your troopers skip their duty to go hunt Kryats with their friends.

Personally I can think of dozens of other things that need to be done to both the ground game and the space game that comes before making a little animation of a cruiser come pick up your TIE and dropping it off where you are wanting to go. Actually as an agent of the Empire it makes a lot more sense that they let you modify your TIE than giving you the power to divert a capitol ship just so you can go faction farming or grinding when you please. I'm more interested in them working on player run cap ships that we can dock and take off from than some goofy little animation of a carrier to pick up Imperial players because you feel they shouldn't have a hyperdrive. What happens when 10 Imperial players want to leave Tatooine to go to another system? Do 10 escort carriers jump in to pick each of them up? Imagine the lag.

I'm pretty happy with their reasoning for allowing Imperial players to customize their ships. It makes the game playable and is far more suitable to an RPG than trying to force player into a realistic military unit. There is nothing in the movies or even the EU to suggest that a privately owned TIE variant can't have a hyperdrive only that the Empire does not supply them to their regular military units. Therefore your TIE having a hyperdrive is not in fact an issue at all to anyone but yourself. It's certainly cheaper for the Empire to allow their special agents to install hyperdrives than to have them pick you up whenever you wanted to go from one system to the next.

Sorry but there are paragraphs just not spaces.

Message Edited by DarthGorilla on 07-06-2005 09:06 AM

DarthGorilla....

EDIT YOUR POST IF YOU WANT IT READ!