First Strike v1.2 Update: Ryloth news

This is the first of several articles we will be publishing prior to the release of First Strike v1.2. This article deals with the issues raised by introducing combined arms gameplay into the world of First Strike by introducing you to one of the maps to be found in our next release: The Battle of Ryloth.

Backstory

The planet of Ryloth is the homeworld of the Twi’lek, the tentacle headed aliens best known for their exotic dancers and criminal major domos such as Bib Fortuna. Located in the outer rim, this arid world has the interesting quirk of having one side of the planet always facing the sun, and the other forever hidden under the cover of night. This results in a twilight region between this perpetual day and night being the only habitable area on the planet. Yet even in this twilight region, dust storms ravage the landscape and living is no easy task. Such an inhospitable and remote place became an ideal location for a Rebel base. Unfortunately, Imperial Probe Droids discovered the Rebels, and the Imperial Star Destroyer Vengeance entered the system to crush the Rebel forces. After pounding the surface from orbit with its batteries of turbolasers, the Vengeance deployed ground troops to mop up any Rebel survivors. However, due to their hidden underground base, much of the Rebel forces had survived the initial bombardment, and a fierce battle ensued between both factions' forces both on the ground, and in the air.

Combined Arms

Now that you know why we are on this planet in the first place, we can get into what can be expected from the Battle of Ryloth. One of the major elements missing from First Strike v1.1 was a full scale map utilizing ALL of the types of assets that the team had created, all in the same map. With Escape from Hoth and Taloraan you get air (space) combat, and with Mos Espa and Endor Strike Team you get ground combat. With the Battle of Ryloth, the team decided to bring in that missing element, the gameplay that the Battlefield engine is best known for: combined arms. You will be gaining access to several new vehicles on this map, not to mention the fact that this will be the first FS map to feature starfighters on a ground map. However, adding new vehicles and new roles for existing vehicles causes balance issues. The trick here is to get everything balanced just right, and our testers are working extra hard to make sure that Ryloth will be balanced and fun by the time we release v1.2.

New Toys

Without further ado, here are some of the new vehicles you will get to play with come the release of First Strike v1.2.

Rebel Armoured Freerunner

Manufactured by the Kelliak Arms and Armour Company, the Armoured Freerunner was considered one of the most powerful additions to the Rebel ground arsenal. Able to be easily reconfigured to meet any combat need, the Freerunner was roughly equivalent to a medium tank in its standard configuration.
Armament: 1 anti-vehicle turret (middle), 1 anti-personnel turret (rear)
Crew: 1 pilot, 2 gunners, 4 passengers

S-1 Firehawke Heavy Repulsortank

Despite the Firehawke's deceptive classification of 'Heavy Repulsortank', it was quite fast and agile. Armed with a heavy laser cannon mounted on its primary turret, the Firehawke combined its speed with its ability to strike with precision from great distances, making it a dangerous foe indeed for Rebel ground forces.
Armament: 1 heavy laser cannon (primary turret), 1 medium blaster cannon
Crew: 1 pilot, 1 gunner (operates medium blaster cannon)

T1-B Hovertank

Although equipped with little armour in order to preserve its agility and speed, the T1-B was not to be taken lightly. Armed with a pod of concussion missiles (homing), and a dual-laser cannon turret, the T1-B helped immensely in neutralizing the Imperial air threat. While vulnerable to enemy armour in one-on-one encounters, it excelled at supporting Rebel armour and working in combination with heavily armed infantry.
Armament: Dual laser cannons (forward turret), 1 missile pod
Crew: 1 pilot, 1 gunner (operates laser cannons)

Every element has its place, and our new vehicles have roles to fill, but we haven't forgotten our infantry. To deal with the threat of additional armour on the ground, and starfighters in the air, the heavy weapons specialist class has had their missile launchers upgraded with a newly added homing functionality. As a pilot you will come to fear the infantryman with his homing missiles, and you will need to adjust your strategies and flight patterns accordingly. Other changes of note include the Y-Wing being converted to its bomber role, and the addition of several fixed weapons emplacements.

In Conclusion...

After playing the Battle of Ryloth in its current form for hours upon hours with our testers, we have tweaked, fine-tuned, and dramatically altered many aspects of the map. It is very important to us as a team that we turn out a map that provides a compelling atmosphere/setting, is graphically satisfying, and ultimately is a map that you, the players, will enjoy playing. There are still things left to be done such as balancing our air vs. armour vs. infantry scenarios and tweaking the graphics, but we are working hard and continue to press on towards our v1.2 goals. We appreciate the dedication you have shown to us by sticking with First Strike while you eagerly anticipate the next release.

Maybe Next Time Buddy

In our next news update we will discuss another of our new maps for First Strike v1.2, the Battle of Yavin. That's all for today, see you next time and may the Force be with you!