Anyone who is both an Age of Empires fan and a Star Wars fan will remember Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds, a Star Wars RTS that used the Age of Empires 2 engine; in fact the two were so similar that it was almost like a professional total conversion mod. I think the Age of Empires 3 gameplay model suits the Star Wars Universe even better, so have postulated on what Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds 2 could be like if they used the Age of Empires 3 engine. I was prompted to post this by Thundermuffin.
Note that this is just for fun: I don't plan to make this as a mod for the game (I know it can't be done), I'm just imagining what it could be like. I just thought you might like a read. I've based it entirely on the movies since I think the Expanded Universe are for the most part rubbish. Links go to Wookieepedia for more info on various things.
Overview
The resources gathered on the map are Supplies, Materials and Credits.
- Supplies are the basic resource for unit production. It is gathered from herded or hunted animals or plants.
- Materials are used primarily for constructing buildings and for some units. It is gathered from trees or mines.
- Credits are used for advanced units, buildings and research. It can be gathered from a wide range of sources depending on the map, such as plasma deposits on Naboo, tibanna gas deposits on Bespin, water vaporators on Tatooine, or lava flows on Mustafar.
Each faction has a Home Planet, which sends shipments as the faction builds experience, just like the Home City.
Players can ally with native settlements that appear on some maps, the same as in Age of Empires 3. They build an Outpost (which is like a Trading Post, not the AoE3 Outpost) near the settlement to gain access to native units and technologies. Instead of Trade Routes, there are Towns, which are similar in that they provide a trickle of a certain resource, except that no stagecoach travels between them.
Instead of 'ageing-up', the classification of the player's base is upgraded, giving them access to better equipment and technology. The different classifications are Station (Discovery) -> Garrison (Colonial) -> Installation (Fortress) -> Stronghold (Industrial) -> War! (Imperial). This is essentially the same as ageing-up, in that it costs resources and a Politician is chosen that gives certain benefits and shipments. It works more like the Native American system, with five options that give better benefits the later they are chosen. The five Politicians differ significantly between each Faction.
Some units and buildings can be upgraded to have Deflector Shields, which work the same as in Galactic Battlegrounds 1. Shields are basically a second set of hitpoints that auto-regenerate, that must be overcome before the unit's actual hitpoints are damaged. All Command Bases can be upgraded to have Shields, while most other units need a Home Planet shipment to get them.
Unit Classes
While there are few generic units, unit classes dictate the role of units. In the same way that Ashigarus, Sepoys and Janissaries are all variations of Musketeer, units within a unit class may have slightly different stats but perform basically the same role.
Heroes
Heroes work just like those in AoE3: they can't be killed but can be rescued or ransomed. Unlike AoE3, most factions can get additional Heroes shipped from their Home Planet. Players start with a Jedi or Sith hero, and can receive Military or Economic heroes through shipments. All Heroes can build Outposts or Command Bases.
Jedi/Sith - The starting Hero. Good for exploring, defeating treasure guardians, and excellent in combat but not against Workers or Buildings.
Military Hero - Sent from the Home Planet. Provide a combat boost to nearby military units.
Economic Hero - Sent from the Home Planet. Not very good in combat, but they provide a production boost to nearby Workers and Buildings.
Droids (Economic)
Worker - Settler-equivalents, workers gather resources and build buildings. Like Settlers and Town Centers, they cannot build Command Bases.
Medic - Heals units similar to the AoE3 Priest.
Infantry
All Infantry (except Scouts) are trained in blocks of varying sizes, just like the Russians in AoE3. This is the case for all factions.
Trooper - Standard infantry, good against other Infantry.
Specialist - Slow infantry good against Mechs and Aircraft.
Grenadier - Siege infantry good against Buildings.
Scout - Fast unit good for scouting.
Aircraft
Aircraft can fly over terrain and are good for fast strikes. Unlike Galactic Battlegrounds 1, all non-melee units can attack Aircraft with varying success.
Fighter - Versatile aircraft good all round.
Bomber - Slow aircraft good against Buildings.
Interceptor - Fast aircraft good against other Aircraft.
Transport - No attack, but can carry Infantry and Mechs across terrain.
Mechs
Mechs are powerful war machines, and provide a similar but more versatile role to Artillery in AoE3. There are no Ships in the game, but instead Mechs from all Factions can be upgraded with the All-Terrain technology at the Armory (which is available earlier than the Arsenal in AoE3) to allow travel across water.
Strike Mech - Light Mech good against Infantry.
Mech Destroyer - Medium Mech good against other Mechs.
Assault Mech - Heavy Mech good all round. Can transport Infantry.
Artillery - Long-range, powerful unit excellent for bombarding Buildings.
Other
Bounty Hunters - similar to militiamen but also good against Heroes. Each Command Base can muster Bounty Hunters once, or they can be sent in Home Planet shipments. They lose hitpoints over time.
Buildings
The factions all use a generic set of buildings.
Command Base - Like the Town Center. Instead of ringing the town bell, Command Bases can 'close blast doors' which has the same effect.
Shelter - Like the House. Additionally, herd animals can be tasked on Shelters to fatten quicker.
Outpost - Like the Trading Post.
Turret - Like the AoE3 Outpost, for base defence.
Spaceport - Like the Market.
Academy - Like the Barracks. Trains and upgrades all Infantry.
Hangar - Trains and upgrades all Aircraft.
Garage - Trains and upgrades all Mechs.
Laboratory - Like the Church, provides building and production techs. Builds Medics.
Armory - Like the Arsenal. Provides special technologies to improve Military.
Production Facility - Like the Rice Paddy, Workers can be tasked on the Production Facility for an income of either Supplies or Credits.
Control Center - Like the Capitol, provides advanced techs. Can also be upgraded to provide a powerful bonus ability, different for each faction.
Galactic Empire
- Home Planet is the Death Star.
- Can't send additional heroes, but Darth Vader (the Sith Hero) is especially powerful and can be upgraded to have the same abilities as both a Military and Economic Hero.
- To age-up, the Empire selects leaders such as The Grand Moff, The Admiral, The General, Imperial Advisor, and The Dark Lord.
- Control Center ability: Order 66 - All units gets a huge bonus against Heroes and Native Allies
Units
Darth Vader (Sith Hero) - can be upgraded with shipments to take on Military and Economic Hero roles.
ASP Worker Droid (Worker)
FX-7 Medic (Medic)
Stormtrooper (Trooper) - have the Stun ability, which immobilises enemies for a short period but does no damage.
Specialist Stormtrooper (Specialist) - appears differently depending on the map (Snowtrooper on ice planets, Sandtrooper on desert planets, etc).
Grenadier Stormtrooper (Grenadier)
Scout Trooper (Scout)
TIE Fighter (Fighter)
TIE Bomber (Bomber)
TIE Interceptor (Interceptor)
Imperial Shuttle (Transport)
AT-RT (Strike Mech)
AT-ST (Mech Destroyer)
AT-AT (Assault Mech) - can also switch to 'maximum firepower' to function as Artillery.
Unique Shipments
Probe Droids - Allows Probe Droids (weak scouts) to be deployed from a Command Base in a similar way to the Explorers' Hot Air Balloons in AoE3.
501st Legion - ships a squad of upgraded Stormtroopers.
TIE Advanced - ships Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, a powerful Interceptor with a Shield
Ground Assault - all Mechs are more powerful
Clone Aircraft - ships Republic Gunships
Clone Mechs - ships AT-APs and AT-TEs
Clone Artillery - ships SPHAs
Bounty Hunters - ships a group of Bounty Hunters that don't lose hitpoints over time
Leave That To Me - Darth Vader gains Military Hero abilities
Redoubled Efforts - Darth Vader gains Economic Hero abilities
Rebel Alliance
- Home Planet can either be Yavin 4 or Hoth.
- Military buildings can 'Evacuate', packing up into a skiff to be moved elsewhere and redeployed. When packed, they can be transported in transports.
- Can't build any Mechs, but similar to the Aztecs their other units cover the usual Mech roles.
- Can build two types of turret: Anti-Infantry Turrets, which are good against Infantry, and Anti-Armor Turrets, which are good against Mechs and Aircraft.
- To age-up the Rebellion selects heroic figures such as The Former Senator, The Smuggler, The Gambler, The Strategist and The Heroic Pilot.
- Control Center ability: Ion Cannon - a powerful blast that deactivates Mechs, Aircraft and defensive buildings in an area.
Units
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Hero)
Han Solo (Military Hero)
Princess Leia (Economic Hero)
Astromech (Worker) - can repair Aircraft similar to how Medics heal Infantry
2-1B Medic (Medic)
Rebel Trooper (Trooper)
Rebel Vanguard (Specialist)
Commando (Grenadier)
Marksman - long-range Infantry excellent against other Infantry but weak against everything else.
Mounted Scout (Scout) - slower than other Scouts but tougher.
X-Wing (Fighter)
Y-Wing (Bomber) - also somewhat effective against Mechs.
A-Wing (Interceptor)
B-Wing - powerful Aircraft that operates similar to a weak Assault Mech/Artillery.
Airspeeder - slightly weak Aircraft that operates similar to a weak Strike Mech. Can use Tow Cable ability to tangle and weaken Mechs.
Medium Transport (Transport)
Unique Shipments
Wookiee Allies (Berserkers and Fluttercraft)
Ewok Allies (Warriors and Hang Gliders)
Secret Bases - Rebel Outposts can use stealth
Battlefield Construction - Rebel Troopers can build Academies, Garages and Hangars
Astromech Sockets - Aircraft self-repair when idle
Basic Aircraft Shields - X-Wing and Y-Wing get Shields
Support Aircraft Shields - A-Wing, B-Wing and Medium Transport get Shields
Trench Warfare - Buildings (especially Turrets) are more resistant to attack
Gonk Power Droids - all research is done faster
Bothan Spies - gives the Command Base an ability similar to the Portuguese Explorer's spyglass
Galactic Republic
- Home Planet is Coruscant.
- Get a free Military Prefab Kit (like a Wagon) with every age-up that can be constructed as an Forward Command, Hangar or Garage.
- Can build the Forward Command instead of the Turret and Academy: it acts as a combination of the two, like the Russian blockhouse.
- To age-up, the Republic selects support from planetary Senators, such as Naboo, Kashyyyk, http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Alderaan]Alderaan,Corellia and Malastare.
- Control Center ability: Jedi Infiltration - several Jedi appear in an area for an amount of time
Units
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Hero)
Yoda (Military Hero) - Yoda can also have Jedi Hero qualities with a unique shipment
Padme Amidala (Economic Hero)
CLL-M2 Worker (Worker)
GH-7 Medic (Medic)
Clone Trooper (Trooper)
Advanced Recon Commando (Specialist)
Clone Shock Trooper (Grenadier)
Clone Biker (Scout)
Republic Gunship - small Transport for infantry only that also functions as a weak fighter
ARC-170 Fighter-Bomber - versatile Aircraft, halfway between a Fighter and Bomber
V-Wing (Interceptor)
Republic Carrier (Transport)
AT-RT (Strike Mech)
AT-AP (Mech Destroyer)
AT-TE - versatile Mech, halfway between a Mech Destroyer and Assault Mech
Juggernaut (Assault Mech)
SPHA (Artillery)
Unique Shipments
Naboo Allies (Naboo Starfighters and Gian Speeders)
Gungan Allies (Militiagung and Fambaa)
Wookiee Allies (Berserkers and Fluttercraft)
Utapaun Allies (Varactyls and Snubfighters)
Ship Jedi Knights (like weaker Jedi Heroes that can't build buildings or see stealth)
Ship Jedi Starfighters (powerful Interceptors with Shields)
Accelerated Growth Modifications - all Infantry trained faster
Aircraft Shields - Clone Starfighter and V-Wing gain Shields
Creative Thinking - Infantry move faster and have increased line of sight
Aggressive Negotiations - Yoda has Jedi Hero abilities and can receive shipments
Confederacy of Independent Systems
- Home Planet is Geonosis.
- Don't need to build Shelters, start with full population.
- Can train Workers in blocks the same as for Infantry.
- To age-up, the Separatists select support from an organisation, such as The Trade Federation, The Techno Union, The Corporate Alliance, The Commerce Guild, and The Intergalactic Banking Clan.
- Control Center ability: Droid Control - all units have increased movement and hitpoints for a short period
Units
Count Dooku (Sith Hero)
General Grievous (Military Hero)
Nute Gunray (Economic Hero)
PK Droid (Worker/Medic) - Worker that also functions as Medic, as droid infantry gets repaired rather than healed
Battle Droid (Trooper)
Super Battle Droid (Specialist)
Droideka - powerful Trooper that can transform into wheel mode to move fast
STAP (Scout)
Vulture Droid (Fighter)
HMP Droid (Bomber) - Can also transport in small quantities
Tri-fighter (Interceptor)
Dwarf Spider Droid (Strike Mech)
Armored Assault Tank (Mech Destroyer)
Homing Spider Droid (Mech Destroyer)
Snail Tank Droid (Assault Mech) - transports less than other Assault Mechs
Multi-Troop Transport - well armoured transport like an Assault Mech but with weak attack
Hailfire Droid (Artillery) - very fast but has weaker attack than other Artillery
Unique Shipments
Geonosian Allies (Soldiers and Sonic Cannons)
Droid Foundry - Ships a Droid Factory that works similar to the Japanese Dojo by automatically producing a specified Infantry unit.
Ship MagnaGuards (melee Infantry good against Heroes)
Ship Octuptarra Droids (Mech Destroyer)
Ship Crab Droids (light melee Mech)
Buzz Droids - Aircraft attack increased against other Aircraft
Advanced Automation - Battle Droids and Vulture Droids are produced faster and much cheaper
Destroyer Droids - Droidekas have Shields
Droid Recycling - each Battle Droid or Super Battle Droid destroyed returns a percentage of their original cost to the stockpile
Trade Disputes - Outpost native technologies are much cheaper, and Outposts now have an attack
Native Allies
Native allies can be trained from Outposts built at their villages or sent as shipments from the Home Planet. They all can provide three different units in limited numbers that don't count against the player's population. They also provide a unique technology.
Ewoks
Warrior - stealthy but very weak Trooper
Trapper - similar to a Petard, but only used against Mechs instead of Buildings
Hang Glider - stealthy but very weak Fighter
Hunting Traps (Tech) - Supplies are gathered from hunt animals faster
Geonosians
Soldier - fast Trooper that can fly
Sonic Cannon - slow Strike Mech with short range area effect
Geonosian Starfighter - Interceptor with an area effect
Organic Technology (Tech) - Buildings are tougher
Gungans
Militiagung - mounted Trooper that can travel across water
Catapult - relatively short-ranged Artillery
Fambaa - slow-moving Mech-like unit that provides Shields to nearby ground units
Booma Weaponry (Tech) - Grenadiers have greater attack
Hutts
Gamorrean Guard - tough melee Trooper
Skiff - weak Strike Mech
Sail Barge - Mech Destroyer with transport ability
Vile Gangsters (Tech) - exchange rates at the Spaceport are improved
Jawas
Treadwell Droid - weak Worker
Scavenger - weak Infantry good against Workers
Sandcrawler - armoured transport Mech
Junk Merchants (Tech) - all Credit gathering is more efficient
Naboo
Security Guard - Trooper that can scale cliffs with an ascension gun
Gian Speeder - light Mech Destroyer
N-1 Starfighter - fast Fighter
Generator Complex (Tech) - all research is completed faster
Utapauns
Utai - less-efficient Worker
Varactyl - tough melee Scout
Utapaun Snubfighter - tough but light-attack Fighter
Ossic Architecture (Tech) - all Buildings cost fewer Materials to build
Wookiees
Berserker - powerful Trooper that can fight at range or in melee
Catamaran - light and slow Fighter
Fluttercraft - light and slow Interceptor
Life Debt (Tech) - ships Chewbacca (tough Military Hero)

[This message has been edited by SeanR (edited 01-14-2009 @ 11:59 PM).]

Very unique idea! Never would have thought of mixing starwars and AoE3