Ground skirmish release to stable news - Stargate - Empire at War: Pegasus Chronicles mod for Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption

Dear Community,

it has been quiet around us for a long time, but the wait is over - we are back with big news for you! Unfortunately, it is not yet the highly anticipated Systemlord-GC that we presented in the last news. However, it is making good progress and will be fully revealed to you as soon as the last little things are done.
Today, we are reaching another important milestone as we are launching a new version that will further round off the ground combat that was only included in the beta version until now. It is now being integrated into the stable version together with various other improvements and extensions. The Asurans, which you were already able to play as the fourth, pure space faction in the beta, are now moving to the stable version as well to be enjoyable for all players.
What's new? A few examples: We have added several effects and sounds for the ground units and fixed many bugs. The easy AI is now a bit softer towards new players, the balancing has been adjusted again and many missing details have been added. We've also tweaked the skirmish menu a bit so that our mod maps are now displayed by default instead of the Star Wars maps. While we’re at it, there are three new ground maps that weren’t previously included in the beta: Vorash, Pangar, and Revanna. In addition, we have included some optimizations for older content: We've made the hyperspace routes visible in the Pegasus Prelude GC, so you don't have to guess the planetary connections. Last but not least, there is a small optical enhancement. The Prometheus, otherwise, knowns as the X-303 series of the Tau'ri, has now got a much more detailed model, which some of you are probably familiar with from Martin's 3D printing videos. The complete overview of all changes can be found in the changelog as usual.

Since some of you are not playing the beta, are new to the mod or have just been waiting for the ground combat to be officially released, we want to take the opportunity to explain it in more detail and mention all our innovations.

What is ground combat?

Ground battles are battles that are performed on ground maps and work like space combat. You'll have to build buildings, research upgrades, and raise an army to destroy the enemy base. Depending on which map you play on, there are special features and special units or buildings that can give you advantages. You can discover many familiar worlds from the Stargate universe and re-enact iconic battles. Fight your way through the streets of the capital of Tagrea, lead your troops through the forests of Juna, walk through the tunnels of the Tok'ra base on Revanna, climb the sandy dunes of Vorash, infiltrate Yu's homeworld, conquer Othala and many others. More maps will follow over time.

The factions

Play as Tau'ri, Goa'uld (Anubis) or Wraith. Each of the three factions is unique and has characteristics typical of it. The Tau’ri focus is on infantry and research. They have many different infantry types and strong heroes, but only a few vehicles, which are mainly used for support. Their buildings are simple and functional. The Goa'uld are conquerors, their culture is designed for faith and war. They too rely mainly on infantry, but also have strong vehicles and air units. Their buildings are massive and lavishly designed. The Wraith, on the other hand, are driven only by hunger and do not want to explore or conquer. Their weapons and tactics are therefore predominantly designed for stunning but should not be underestimated. They have only a few infantry units but have a large arsenal of insect-like combat vehicles. Due to their organic structure, the soldiers as well as the vehicles and buildings of the Wraith can regenerate. The Asurans, as mentioned at the beginning, are not available for ground combat and until further notice can only be played in space battles.

Special features

Some maps offer special buildings that every player can take advantage of. For example, you can use the Ring Transporter to bring infantry or heroes behind enemy lines and surprise the enemy. The Goa'uld Staff Weapon Tower can also be used equally by all players after the construction site has been conquered. Outpost construction sites also offer more options than just mines for resource extraction: each faction also has a special building that provides a unique advantage. The Tau'ri have an outpost that gives them greater visibility and regularly sends a squad of Special Forces into battle that cannot be recruited in a normal way. When the Goa'uld build a shrine, they gain access to the Priest, who can heal allied units, while the Wraith can construct the indoctrination camp which gives them access to a militia of people (Wraith Worshippers) with projectile weapons. There are also some innovations and improvements to special abilities. Tau’ri Special Forces now also have smoke grenades to take away the enemy's view. Selmak can summon allied Tok'ra fighters who can camouflage themselves in any terrain, making them perfect for ambushes and surprise attacks. The already known, but usually underestimated, special abilities include those of Daniel Jackson, who can call an Asgard ship to help, and the Wraith Queen, who can receive support from a cruiser (this last ability we already presented in an earlier news).

We hope you enjoyed this short overview. Of course, there is much more to discover in the release ... Let us know how you like it on our Discord! Have fun playing and we'll see you in the next news!

Yours,
SGMG