USE THE FORCE, COMMANDER
Preview by Eitan Levi & Lee Brown

LucasArts takes Star Wars to the ground in "real-time" tactical combat.

Star Wars: Force Commander 
from LucasArts Entertainment 
 

By many accounts, Star Wars: Rebellion (see review) was not quite what the gaming community had in mind.  It was almost too detached - aside from cursory control over space battles between fleets, the player sat far back and had to concern himself with the mundane runnings of factories and mines - planetary battles were decided simply as a matter of numerical advantage, and took place off screen. 

     LucasArts appears to be filling the gap with the upcoming release of Star Wars: Force Commander, a Real Time Strategy game (RTS) that has already been dubbed by many as "Star Wars meets Command & Conquer."   LucasArts is currently promising a Fall 1998 release - which means you may see this game by Christmas time if the Force is with you. 
 

THAT FAMILIAR TIME AND PLACE 
In Force Commander, the player is once again thrust into that famous "period of Civil War."  The action in this game will take place via ground battles on different worlds, from immediately prior to the destruction of Alderaan in ANH to well after the Battle of Endor in ROTJ.  Players will be able to choose sides (Imperial or Rebel) and will control over 100 different types of units, from familiar All Terrain Armored Transports, TIE bombers, X-wing fighters and snowspeeders, to entirely new battle units designed specifically for this game.  In addition to having different vehicles, the two sides will also have different consoles/controls. The Imperials will be clean and state-of-the-art, whereas the Rebels will be more disheveled, with signs of wear, scuff marks, etc. 

      According to LucasArts, "Players direct all major strategic aspects of a mission, including the gathering of each world’s valuable resources as well as production and direction of combat units."  This will entail different victory conditions in each of the battle scenarios.  For example, if you're playing the Rebels during the infamous "Battle of Hoth" (yes, it's in this game) your "win" parameters aren't the normal victory conditions of war.  "The trick is to design mission parameters that are actually winnable," says Sean Clark, the FC project leader.  "Even though you know it’s a loss, you’re holding off the Imperial forces long enough to escape, so that’s a victory."  Force Commander’s goal is to "push the strategy part of [the game], but not to make it like one of those wargames that takes forever to take your turn." 
  

BUT YOU WON'T NEED THE GLASSES... 
One of the major sales points that LA is pushing is the 3D technology utilized in Force Commander.  For this game, 3D acceleration isn't just suggested, as with Jedi Knight and Mysteries of the Sith - it's required.  LA suggests that the whole battle environment of FC will be "more immersive and realistic than previous games in the real-time strategy genre."  The player will have control of a floating camera to get a multitude of angles on the ensuing battle.   Plus, the effects of fighting in a 3D atmosphere will be apparent in the handling of ground units.  For example, while climbing a hill, the unit will slow down; when descending, it will pick up speed. At the top of an incline, the unit will have a greater firing accuracy, and thereby the player will be able to see more of the surrounding area as well.  

      "Force Commander will embrace the latest 3D acceleration technology to the fullest extent, allowing a level of realism not previously possible," says Tom Byron, product marketing manager for LucasArts. "Shadows of the Empire™ , LucasArts’ first 3D accelerated title, established a new standard for game graphics. Force Commander will take 3D to the next level, providing the ultimate showcase for the technology."  

     Certainly the cut-scene art shown so far is on par with the best used in Jedi Knight and Rebellion, and if the gameplay can truly match that quality, then Star Wars fans will have a RTS they can sink their teeth into.  
 

(Eitan Levi (aka Jedi Nite) is the filemaster of Jedi Nights’s FILEdatabase, and works on the Force Commander Network.) 

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