---

 

 

Alpha blue modding Alliance

A mod group introduces themselves! The Alpha blue modding Alliance aim is and always has been for mod teams as Sgt. Hicks mod projects, my (Jedi Consular's) projects, and additional projects to share help from mod teams to help produce our mods.

 

We share resources such as coding, modeling, mapping, and rigging. We also encourage team members to freelance between mods to help complete them. Each member in the project teams have a rank on Alpha blue determined by a user group, this shows clearly what level people in the group should be.

 

We also provide forum hosting and file hosting for the alliance and for the community we have http://eawfiles.alphabluemodding.com for public downloads and file submission, as well as providing updates and news on the modding community for Forces of Corruption and Empire at War.

 

We have separate levels of access in the group also - to ensure that the correct permissions are given to people and helps to protect the work from the senior members in the group so they can properly control their work within the community. High user ranks, such as Alpha blue master, are expected to help members of lower user groups to "train" people up to a certain skill level. These members usually begin as padawans and make their way up the group as they get better at modding.

 

- Sgt. Hicks, Alpha blue modding leader

 

 

---

 

A member's introduction

Codeuser (Dr. Knickers) shares his game experiences

 

Hi everybody! For those of you who don't know me, I go by Codeuser or Dr. (K)nick(ers) on most of the sites that I visit. As of now, I'm the assistant site manager for Empire at War Files, but I started my bout of EaW-fever as a modder.

 

When I first bought Empire at War, I knew I'd spend a lot of time playing it, but I had no idea that I would spend nearly three years of my life devoted to this game in one way or another. At first, I was just editing lines of code to see how they'd affect the game for me, but I soon made my way to the public modding forums and began to learn how to model.

 

It was around this time that I joined Ages of Star Wars, a total conversion that aimed to turn Empire at War into a galactic war centered around the events of the two Knights of the Old Republic games. Under the tutelage of Wildcat, the mod's main infantry modeler, I soon learned some of the methods used to create models in 3d Studio Max while I explored the limits of EaW.

 

I didn't just work on Ages of Star Wars during my time in the EaW community; I also joined and worked on Thrawn's Revenge, a mod that sought to expand the timeline of the game to the events after Return of the Jedi. Helping out these mods was pretty rewarding, since I touched up my modeling skills and was learning to texture and animate. I also gave my help to some other mods that wanted it at the time, so I wasn't short of practice material at any time.

 

After some time working for major mods, I found that I wanted to make a mod of my own, and I started what I simply called the FX Mod (not knowing that there was a Homeworld 2 mod of the same name until later). This was an entirely new experience for me because I wasn't following a plan dictated by Star Wars canon for once; I was just tweaking the gameplay and graphics of the game as I saw fit (Thankfully, Mike's particle editor was released).

 

With school cranking up the stress, I began to trim my modding workload. Soon, I found myself apart from every mod that I've worked on over my time in the community, though I'm still the assistant manager on EaW Files. Now that I look back at the years I spent modding the game, I can't help but wonder why I spent so much time on this particular game.

 

So why did I do it? The way I see it, Empire at War is the most recent Star Wars RTS with a great degree of moddability. It has both space and land battles with a galactic conquest mode to boot. What's not to love?

 

As it turns out, there was quite a bit to dislike, but that just made modding the game more interesting. One of the goals that I consistently tried to achieve was to improve the game in terms of gameplay and graphics. Thus, I was driven to keep modding the game so it could finally reach its potential as the greatest Star Wars RTS game that has been created to this day.

 

Although I don't mod the game very much these days, I still fondly remember some of the time I spent with the community as I tried to improve the game in any way I could. But I'm not the only person with that view. Other people in the community will find ways to make the game look and play better, and I can't wait to see how the game will turn out.

 

- Codeuser (Dr. Knickers), Mod leader

 

 

---

 

Micromanagement at War

UaW, a technical game or otherwise?

 

Contrary to some belief, Universe at War is a very micromanagement (Micro(ing)) oriented Real Time Strategy (RTS). The emphasis on microing units is embedded nearly every level of the game especially on: resource management, unit control, and combat.

 

In some RTS such as Starcraft, Age of Empires, and RA3, there are hub-style regions that represent key points of interest. You simply set your miners to drain the area dry then move on, very little babysitting required. Universe at War spends quite some time in the early game microing your economic workforce. Whether you play Hierachy, Masari or Novus, all players benefit from early game micromangement.

 

Universe at War's resource system quickly allows Hierarchy players who speed their workers towards Cows, to receive an early game advantage by quickly accumulating thousands of Raw Materials. Masari's economic workforce is not their matter engines, but their architects. Swiftly moving architects between structures can shave seconds off build orders and allow you to put out the troops necessary to attain a quick victory. Novus must constantly move their workers around expanding flow so their resource collectors spend less time in the air and more time in the much faster flow movement. For a player who micromanages their economic workforce, the early game advantage can often determine who will win the match.

 

If you're a new Masari player, I'm sure you've experience a crushing defeat by dark mode conquerors in a Masari Mirror Match. The trample/crush system is a beautiful example of why microing is vital in Universe at War. The Hierarchy's signature walkers can slowly trample over an enemy base, crushing vital economic structures and securing the battlefield. While Novus's signature Mirabel and Victor cruise over the battlefield hoping around sniping hardpoints and trampling architects.

 

Unit control and combat are very closely related due to the trample system. Key points like hard points, and unit special abilities, however do differentiate combat from unit control. The beauty of Universe at War is that micromanagement isn't a chore, it is a relatively efficient way to ensure players try to stay ahead of the enemy.

 

The reasons for spending quality time practicing micromangement is near endless in Universe at War. Good luck and Have Fun.

 

- Kelathin, Petroglyph community forum moderator