Two Years, 250,000 hits and Counting~Merry Christmas! news

Legacy Era: Two Years and Counting

Merry Christmas everyone!

So, the last article was half a year ago and it's time for a new one. I've been extremely busy with senior year of high school and getting a job, so I've had to cut back on the time I spend modding (don't worry, it will be completed though).

While it may be a couple months late, but the mod is now two years old! Starting all the way back in September of 2009 I started this crazy thing by myself and my tiny bit of modding knowledge. Now it's become something bigger than I ever imagined, and I've met some amazing people. And not to forget, the mod's now reached over 250,000 views! Thanks to everyone in the community who has contributed to helping me get this far.

So to give an idea of the differences between then and now, let's do some comparisons.

Scythe then:

Scythe now:

Coruscant then:

Coruscant now:

Major things are different from the beginning, like new starbases, projectiles, units, amazing planet textures and nebulae like this:

And so on. Anyway, now for the main portion of the article. Let's talk space stations.

First off is the Y-12 Orbital Garrison. This little thing is built by the Krayt Empire as a defensive supplement to your space forces. As the name implies, it holds a garrison of fighters and bomers as well.

The station is designed as only providing support to your defenses and should not be treated as the backbone of your fleet. It is about equal in strength to a System Defense Station (level 2 starbase) and thus can stand up to multiple ships up to fighters, corvettes, and a frigate or two, but not much more.

Armament is as follows:
8 Medium Concussion Missile Launchers
6 Point-defense Laser Cannons
4 Medium Ion Cannon Batteries
4 Medium Turbolaser Batteries

Garrison:
12 Predator-class Fighter squadrons
10 Neutralizer-class Bomber squadrons
6 Fury-class Starfighter squadrons
4 Reaper-class Assault Fighter squadrons
2 Blitz-class Assault Bomber squadrons

This station will prove to be a very useful asset in defense against raids typical of the Galactic Alliance and is important for adding defenses to worlds where you are limited to smaller starbase sizes.

Credit to Warb for creating the station.

The Wheel

The Wheel is the other new space station, located in the Besh Gorgon System of the Mid Rim. The outer section of The Wheel, which gives the station its name, is a sprawling city with an untold number of casinos, including the Crimson Casino and the Grand Casino, which are two of the Wheel's star attractions. The Wheel is an enourmous hub, with thousands of vessels coming to and fro weekly.

Obviously such a station could attract unwanted individuals, and so it is armed and has its own security force.

The armament of The Wheel includes:
10 Medium Turbolaser Batteries
8 Point-defense Laser Cannon Batteries
10 Medium Ion Cannon Emplacements
Tractor Beam Emitters

Additionally, this station also has its own private patrol fleet. During the reign of Palpatine's Galactic Empire there were just 10 Guardian-class Light Cruisers, but now it has expanded to include starfighters, shuttles, gunships and frigates.

The patrol fleet contains:
10 Guardian-class Light Cruisers
10 Gladius-class Light Freighters
6 Besh-type Personal Starfighter Squadrons
6 A159 Invader Close Support Starfighter Squadrons
6 Nemesis-class Patrol Ships1 Victory II-class Star Destroyer
2 EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigates1 418 Immobilizer Cruiser

While this fleet can defend against smaller-scale attacks, it cannot protect from an onslaught consisting of capital ships and the like.

Many thanks Warb_Null who created it, and to z3r0x and the RaW team for permitting it to be used in the mod! It's very much appreciated.

New Units
You may have noticed two new ship classes listed in that line-up: the Gladius-class Light Freighter and the Guardian-class Light Cruiser. There are also a couple other new ones to show you guys.
Guardian-class Light CruiserWell as it may or may not be known, I've been trying to keep the usage of pre-Legacy Era vessels to a minimum by limiting their amount and role in the mod. Despite this, I decided to include this ship class but made it only available as a garrison from The Wheel, as following canon. It won't be buildable anywhere or at anytime, even at The Wheel itself; instead it just spawns in limited numbers during a space battle there.

These cruisers are quick, tough, hard-hitting ships which are intended to patrol remote systems without the immediate fear of destruction. The Guardian-class is quite capable of handling common freighter and smuggler traffic, but cannot hold up to an average large warship. Now essentially an outdated design, The Wheel still has 10 of these cruisers like during the time of Darth Sidious, but they've been slightly modified with improved weapons, which include 4 Point-defense Laser Cannons and 4 Light Turbolasers.

Credit to EvilleJedi for this model and Phoenix Rising for rigging it.

Gladius-class Light Freighter

Unlike the Guardian, the Gladius is able to be built and is not just a garrison unit. A KDY design, the Gladius-class light freighter is a sleek, fast and nimble craft often used by defense forces as a scout vessel or system patrol craft. It is armed with 2 impressive Advanced Quad Laser Cannons, but does not possess enough shielding to withstand attacks by heavily armed assailants. Its fast engines and hyperdrive allows the vessel to escape from most attackers and reach safety. It makes for a very effective anti-starfighter craft. Furthermore, being a freighter, it also brings in some extra income for whatever planet it is in orbit over.

Credit to Warb (are you surprised?)

The Gladius is buildable by all at planets that have a Trade Port in orbit.

In addition to those two, there are a couple other new units that have yet to be fully explained or disclosed. Here they are!

Crix-class Assault Shuttle

Just as the Nune Shuttle replaces the older imperial models such as the Lambda Shuttle, the Crix-class outphases the Alliance's Gallofree Transports. Named after General Crix Madine, it displays certain characteristics of both CEC designs as well as some Mon Calamari features, given their cooperation on the design. Also known as A-2s, they are heavily armed and shielded and possess significant firepower. The shuttle is armed with a pair of Laser Cannons and also has a Blaster Cannon Battery. Thanks to Warb for creating model... are you seeing the recurring theme?

Vortex-type Patrol Craft

The Vortex is a new design from CEC. Armed with 2 heavy laser cannons, 2 repeating blaster cannons, and 2 ion cannons, it is deadly against fighters and bombers. Being more of a dedicated warship than the Gladius, the Vortex is also popular with pirates, privateers, fringers and military elements alike. The greater firepower, coupled with stronger shields and hull plating make for a more expensive craft. It is a much more dedicated military vessel than the Gladius, and as such fares much better in combat but does not generate any revenue. While lethal to starfighters and smaller craft like shuttles or transports, they are vulnerable to corvettes. This is the ship class that Hondo Karr uses... a hint at what you'll see in the future. Also, expect Morrigan Corde, a possible few more new ships, and other special things. Credit to Warb once again! Let him know how much you appreciate him.

Wrapping Up
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little offering of a Christmas gift. Thanks to everyone, fans and contributors alike for your support! Without you this mod would not be possible. Hopefully this mod will blow you all away when it is released. There is so much planned that has yet to even be revealed to the public-and now I'm not just talking about the Legacy Mod. You'll find out soon enough what that means!

Until then, have a happy holiday season and New Year!