Jump To Lightspeed Archive

Oh I just got JTL on 4 days ago. I was happy as I was on my wedding night! I remembered all the fun I had playing an imperial pilot in the old Tie Fighter game (still in my opinion the best Star Wars game ever). I imagined docking with Star Destroyers, seeing my ship launch from it, and hearing yes 'hearing' commands being barked to me by some cold imperial commander. Oh how I loved flying for the Empire. The game was totally mission based, you got better craft based on your completion of missions but still had the option of using the simulator if you wanted to play missions you already completed or new ones. The game made you feel like you were a major part of the Galactic Civil War.

No my thoughts on JTL. I first fired it up and spent an hour until I got into space. No problem with me here. However I noticed immediately that the interface had changed since the lucas arts fighter games. I don't know why either. I noticed that the keyboard map that came with JTL was wrong only after trying to dock my ship for about 30 minutes. Once again no big deal.I got the updated keyboard map from the website, and guess what, gasp! it looks exactly like to keyboard map from Tie Fighter game! I was very happy.

Here is my only issues with the game, which I really enjoy playing.

Number 1: Where is the gosh darn audio at? Not even that darn station manager doesn't talk, it is all text based? When I complete missions or get new waypoints I need I have to read it. I read very well, but it takes away from the experience. Simple to do, but very powerful.

Number 2: Why can I not get stationed on a ship like a star destroyer and get missions? I mean everybody knows Tie Fighter DO NOT work alone. I mean I don't mind grouping but there should be some NPCs who either command me or I command them. Another thing that would add to the experience.

Number 3: What is up with this upgrading of ship components? For the Privateers I understand. But do you think and IMP pilot goes running around modifying his standard tie fighter? No it is an assembly line fighter just like an F-16. Pilots don't worry about that all they are concerned with is that it works. IF any changes on Reb or Imp craft need to take place, it doesn't happen at the pilot level. An admiral or someone of importance issues it and the modification is done for him. The present methodology creates a situation where ones tie fighter can be modified to be superior to a stock Tie Advanced. It doensn't make sense.

Number 4: There is no sense that what you are doing matters to the bigger part of the GCW. There should be missions so collosal that it requires hundreds of players. For example the storm squadron must take out the Mon Cal cruiser at sullust named 'whatever' and once it is done, all involved recieve a badge and that ship is never respawned. Then a real history/ranking system like the imp control these space lane and the rebs control these over there, and thanks to the exploits of storm squadron particulary 'so-and-so' the battle was won. Then there could be famous pilots in the game who are non-npcs just like the Baron Fels, and Wedge Antilles from the SW EU.

I like the game, but like it lacks the polish that would make it specatacular. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, stand on the shoulders of the genuises who created the previous Lucas arts star fighter games and make an experience so incredible, that I dream about it at night. My thing is DEVs, go back and play the old games (i wish i could, but they are all DOS based) and compare the magic you feel in those versus in JTL.

Thanks for all the hard work and I look forward to the future with JTL

Aryu Foreel
Imperial Volunteer Pilot
Storm Squadron
Tatooine

2: Why can I not get stationed on a ship like a star destroyer and get missions? I mean everybody knows Tie Fighter DO NOT work alone. I mean I don't mind grouping but there should be some NPCs who either command me or I command them. Another thing that would add to the experience.

Number 3: What is up with this upgrading of ship components? For the Privateers I understand. But do you think and IMP pilot goes running around modifying his standard tie fighter? No it is an assembly line fighter just like an F-16. Pilots don't worry about that all they are concerned with is that it works. IF any changes on Reb or Imp craft need to take place, it doesn't happen at the pilot level. An admiral or someone of importance issues it and the modification is done for him. The present methodology creates a situation where ones tie fighter can be modified to be superior to a stock Tie Advanced. It doensn't make sense.

You hit the nails right on the head here. The empire is the same as rebel/freelance except they have weaker ships. No star destroyers, no huge empire behind you, no strength in numbers... Why didn't they make up for that SEVERE disadvantage. How about imperial training 1 call in tie fighters. Then on Tier 2 training, call in tie/in. Tier 3, tie bombers/Interceptors, and tier 4 tie advanced/aggressor. Instead they give us a tie bomber strike at tier 3 that is all but a complete joke. (It's one saving grace is that it distracts turrets who would otherwise be firing at you) We get bigger bomber strikes as we go up, BUT they don't stack.(...do they? Can't use other specials after Bomberstrike 1) Emergency weapons and bomberstrike 3 are the only ones I anticipate using... If bomberstikes did stack then it could start feeling like the empire by calling in massive reinforcements. Haven't seen bomberstrike 2/3 but I would hope they at least call in a gunboat at 3, something to give the imperials a fighting chance. The AI on the NPC ships called in to help is pretty poor as well...