EDIT: PvM 0.97 is now available for download!
Ladies and gentlemen, fans of Pirates vs. Mandalorians, it's been a while, hasn't it? School has often kept me busy, but it has not halted progress on PvM. In the near future, I plan to release version 0.97, an update primarily concerned with making the Galactic Conquest map feel more like the Star Wars galaxy. How will that happen?
Thyferran Medical Units
Especially around the time of the Galactic Civil War, Thyferra's a rather important planet. The source of the galaxy's primary healing agent, it became the main target of Moff Kohl Seerdon in his campaign against the Rebel Alliance. In canon, Thyferra was again contested when Isard took over the planet, a conflict appropriately dubbed the "Bacta War." Around the time period of Pirates vs. Mandalorians, Thyferra should be one of the most important planets in the galaxy, as it was during the Galactic Civil War.
In Empire at War, it's one of the most useless.
In standard Empire at War, Thyferra grants a healing bonus to...itself. Units stationed on Thyferra get an automatic heal. No other units benefit from controlling one of the galaxy's centers for medical supplies.
To that end, we have introduced the TMU, or Thyferran Medical Unit, a variant of the Mobile Defense Units from Forces of Corruption. TMUs provide a mobile construction point for a Vratrix Medical Station, a stronger version of the buildable Bacta Tank that can heal multiple units simultaneously. TMUs can only be built on Thyferra, a result of controlling the center of galactic bacta production. We hope that this change will put Thyferra back on the map of planets and help make it tactically feel like the critical Thyferra of Star Wars.
Planet Bonus Changes
Thyferra wasn't the only planet to get a canonically inappropriate treatment in Empire at War. While Petroglyph gave many planets appropriate planet bonuses, other planets received bonuses that correlate little with their existence and galactic role in canon. 0.97 marks the beginning of a planetary bonus overhaul designed to make planets play the part they play in general Star Wars. Besides Thyferra, four other planets have had their bonuses changed:
Carida
Old:
20% time reduction to recruit infantry
New:
30% health bonus to Stormtroopers
Why:
A universal time reduction bonus reflects a quantity over quality focus, and that seemed inappropriate for the Empire's most elite infantry academy world.
Ryloth
Old:
30% health bonus to Stormtroopers
New:
10% cost and time reduction to recruit Zann Consortium mercenaries
Why:
Ryloth having a major connection to the Empire never made sense. The new planetary bonus reflects Ryloth's role as the Zann Consortium's primary hub.
Saleucami
Old:
Damage boost to Mandalorian Cruiser
New:
reveals information about nearby planets
Why:
The old bonus didn't make sense for Saleucami, even in its original FoC form (a damage bonus to Interceptor IVs and MC-40s). The new bonus pays a homage to Forces of Corruption's original campaign by using the Hutt listening post as a basis for the new bonus.
Bespin
Old:
Damage boost to Aggressor Destroyers
New:
10% damage boost to all space units
Why:
A boost to a ZC unit doesn't make sense, especially one that plays a relatively minor role in PvM. We decided to give Bespin a bonus reflecting its large supply of tibanna gas.
For the Right Price
Empire at War often did a poor job of portraying the scope of the criminal underworld. Criminals were always organized and always employed by a major faction like Black Sun, the Hutt Cartel, or the Zann Consortium. Mercenaries, pirates, and anyone else simply willing to work for the highest bidder were unrepresented. However, that changes in PvM 0.97 with the introduction of a new mechanic: the derelict Star Destroyer.
The Empire's fragmentation prior to the time period of Pirates vs. Mandalorians left many derelict vessels behind, damaged beyond the point of usefulness to the Imperial Navy. However, criminal elements have commandeered what's left of these ships and turned them into a gathering point for anyone willing to fight...for the right price.
Derelict Star Destroyers can be found in Galactic Conquest in the space above planets with a strong criminal element. The derelicts function as a capturable build site; you'll need to secure the area around the derelict to activate the Destroyer's beacon. Once the beacon is activated (and funds transferred, of course), local mercenaries will flock to fight under your banner for the duration of that battle. Once the beacon's credit supply is depleted, the beacon will shut down and remain unusable for some time. The location of derelict Star Destroyers in a map depends largely on the context of the planet itself; centralized criminal centers like Nal Hutta will have derelicts close to the defender's spawn while chaotic hubs like Atzerri will have derelicts in the middle of the map, equally available to all potential employers. Derelict Star Destroyers allow players to temporarily augment their forces past the population cap with criminal forces, and this new mechanic will make fights above underworld planets much more interesting.
Coming soon!
PvM 0.97 will launch in the next few days, allowing you to experience all of these new features. In addition, the update will include some more tweaking to the Mandalorian AI and some new, more appropriate fightercraft for the Corellian faction. For a full list of changes, please see the changelog when the update releases.
Enjoy,
Sith of Steel/Mogenar and the PvM Team
Great news, don't forget to announce your release!
Edited in to the top of this article. I didn't feel the need to make an extra article, especially given that (contrary to expectations) this article and 0.97 were uploaded on the same day.