There is Another Map... news

Greetings Troopers!

This news post comes from the pen of FSDev Twigs who'd like to introduce you to his new baby, and to accompany it we have a fantastic screenshot extravaganza which is a feast for the eyes, so read on...

This is my first news post on behalf of the team and I hope it meets your expectations! Our regular readers may recall a strange foot note to a news post:

There is another map...

Well, I'm extremely pleased to give you a little sneak peek at it, but first a little history lesson. The X-Wing series of games was produced under license from LucasArts by Totally Games. Proving extremely popular, the series mixed flight simulator with Star Wars, producing one of the greatest Star Wars flying experiences. The series featured four games in total, two of which could be played online. The first of these, X-Wing Vs TIE Fighter, thrilled players of the day and a clan following soon built up, some of which still continue to play.

My own online gaming experience began with XvT and its sequel, X-Wing Alliance. Like many I longed for another game in the series, one which would couple the unrivalled gameplay with modern graphics and network connections. There would be no sequel though, and ten years on many of us searched for another Star Wars game which could match the realism and thrill we wanted.

First Strike was eventually what I settled on to match the XvT thrill, while not a complete experience, the mod plays in some ways very much like those games. Many of the Dev team had in fact aspired to try and recreate the dogfights experienced in the series. When I gained access to the testing team, many of us would throw ideas around about how we could replicate some of the missions from XvT. Eventually, I learned enough about the mod to be able to do it myself.

So here it is. A homage to X-Wing Vs TIE Fighter. The concept is simple, score the most kills in order to bleed the oppositions tickets. The team that reaches the number of kills first, wins. There are no other objectives to complete, no flags to capture and no capital ships to destroy. Don't think this will be a simple walk in the park though, team work will still be vital. Going alone against a squad of TIE Fighters is suicide, always work with a wingman! Your choice of ship is also a factor, you will need to balance strengths and weaknesses in order to be victorious.

We're sure many fans of the X-Wing series that now play First Strike will enjoy this map, and perhaps even rekindle those memories from the MSN Gaming Zone! Maybe this familiar sight will help. Yes, that is a Virella Systems Cargo Tanker you spy!

In other mod news, work continues to add the final polish, the Sentinel is nearing completion and it's weapon loadout is almost complete. We won't give away the full armament of this impressive ship, but here's a little preview of the devastating fire power she has at her disposal.

1.5 is more than just two maps though, its the things behind the scenes that will help further propel the mod. New member Restnpit has been helping tweak the AI ensuring that Yavin will become more of a challenge as the bots bite back, while automated turrets throughout the mod have also seen a similar performance increase. Balance tweaks, bug fixes and much more all help to enhance the player experience.

Finally, Benu Kenobi has completed his apprenticeship and has now joined the mod team. We hope you'll join us all in congratulating him on his accomplishment. An experienced mapper, we're delighted to welcome him onboard.