LACWAC Member Interviews (★☆★ @07jonesj! ★☆★)

@Seerow

1. Clone Cadets
2. Ambush
3. Revival
4. Holocron Heist
5. Water War

Of these, only Water War is what I'd describe as bad or mediocre.

Hostage Crisis was a bit overrated, in my opinion. However, Lethal Trackdown was my least favourite finale.

It was pretty darn good up to that bloody conclusion. I still want to see Boba be forced to face the fact that being a bounty hunter has its risks and that he can't hold such a fruitless, destructive vendetta against just one guy if he's going to make it in the world. He doesn't have to like Mace at all, but really, getting thrown in prison for killing the crew of a Republic warship should be a wake up call that there are more productive things to do to follow his father's legacy than just mindlessly lashing out to the primary benefit of Aurra Sing and her anti-Jedi vendetta.

This was just so clumsily resolved that it dragged the whole episode down with it.

@Seerow

Ripped from an earlier thread devoted to this:

I'll continue with the S3 Mandalorian episodes. To be quite frank, they don't hold a candle to the S2 Mandalorian episodes in my view. The S2 episodes dealt with complex, relevant themes such as pacifism, terrorism, isolationism and nationalism. The S3 episodes only hinted at the problems caused by isolationism and the fragility of the Mandalorian state, but largely focused on incredibly simple-minded messages about how corruption is bad. Perhaps I expect too much from the audience when I assume that they appreciate what's so bad about bribing government officials, but whatever. One shouldn't allow this to dominate a return to Mandalore after the precedent set in S2. A new arc set on Naboo or Alderaan maybe, but in a setting of a war between a corporatist-controlled Confederacy and a militant central government, I'd raise the stakes in a corruption story beyond just a few kids getting sick from defective drinks. My idea of a corruption story would be Nute Gunray buying a gas giant and turning it into a star to harvest the energy with a Dyson sphere, resulting in major destruction elsewhere in the star system... for example.

My altered S3 Mandalore duology wouldn't be a story primarily about corruption, but about the home front in a struggle over nationalism. For many countries, national identity and geopolitical alignment are pretty big deals. They profoundly changed various nations' destinies. Reading up on the struggles between pro-U.S., pro-Soviet, nationalist, reactionary, radical and other factions in various countries during the Cold War can provide inspiration. Here in the UK, the nuances between British nationalism, pan-Europeanism and trans-Atlanticism (all dynamically related to domestic political factions such as socialism, liberalism, conservatism, fascism, sub-nationalism, etc.) affected and still affect the country's geopolitical reality. I'd make the Mandalorian episodes reflect this, albeit somewhat simplified.

Here are the changes:

- The smugglers are being drawn to Mandalore by and are working for Almec, who has intentions beyond just grabbing power for power's sake. The docker who tries to stop them gets killed by an armoured sniper working for Almec. They inject poison into the water supply and fulfil Almec's goal of causing mass panic.

- Padme arrives on Mandalore and doesn't witness some puny council meeting in Satine's throneroom. She witnesses a rhetorical battle in the Mandalorian legislature between pacifists and militarists; isolationists, pro-Loyalists and pro-Separatists. Legislators hail from all across Mandalorian space, not just the homeworld and capital. The pacifists have been losing ground recently to the militarists, who make the case that to deal with the Death Watch they need to fight fire with fire. Satine is adamantly pacifist, alongside an ageing political faction consisting of fellow Mandalorian Civil War survivors, and tries her hardest to consolidate power under her directly now that the legislature turns against them. Almec is at the head of the existing coalition government and has been making Satine seem like more of an autocrat, forcing her to veto bills proposed by the militarist backbenchers (presented as pan-coalition moderate legislation) while Almec retains his facade of reasonableness and moderation. Padme points this manoeuvre out to Satine, who desperately needs Almec's (apparently pro-pacifist) support and doesn't take kindly to some aruetyc Naboo telling her how to do her job. In the meeting which Padme observes, one of the legislators pulls out a gun and is tackled to the floor by Almec's new corps of paramilitary troopers.

- Almec's secret police have more to mark them out than a simple paintjob. They wear bulkier armour and T-visor helmets that conceal their faces. They more closely resemble the DW commandos and Jango Fett, exuding cool menace in true Mandalorian style.

- The poisoned water is traced to the warehouse and a firefight ensues. However, these aren't just smugglers taking fire from Padme and the security forces. Some of the men they fight are wearing full Death Watch armour. When the dust settles, it turns out that the men beneath the helmets are some of Satine's AWOL personal guards, none of whom had any prior known sympathies with Death Watch. Padme surmises that this was a setup to make Satine seem like she's losing control, but Satine's response to this assessment is to order the accompanying police to burn down the warehouse, including the turncoat guards' remains. They don't understand why she would do this, but they realise very quickly that Satine is trying to hide something. The apparent involvement of Death Watch becomes common knowledge.

- Almec's goal is to overthrow Satine and re-militarise Mandalore. While Pre Vizsla and DW want to see Mandalore return to a blood-drenched past, Almec is closer to a modern Western militarist than a Nazi. He wants Mandalore to exert its influence with armed strength and, critically, form a united front with the Republic against the CIS. A humanocentric bigot, a traditionalist and a sabre-rattling militarist, Almec has been in contact with Halle Burtoni, whom Padme is surprised to bump into in the corridors of the Mandalorian parliament. She knows Satine will not listen to her, so she contacts the Jedi Order and asks them to send someone to investigate what is going on on Mandalore, leading to Ahsoka being sent in for the next episode.

- Korkie Kryze is an older teen with a keen interest in Mandalore's ancient history. He's a typical Mandalorian nationalist, holding the view held by the majority of the youth that the current pacifist direction is not working for them. The Academy is altered so as to focus more on his split loyalties between his aunt and his deeply held views. His friends are all patriotic citizens but all three are nationalists. Korkie has to actively go out of his way to defend Satine to his fellow students.

- Almec's plot is uncovered (albeit not by ridiculous hologram-enhancing technology), but Satine is left in disgrace after she dissolves the coalition government and all the police force in anger. Korkie, not sympathising with Almec over his aunt after the climax, is accused by Satine of doing just that when he expresses concern that she is going too far. He leaves Mandalore and joins Death Watch, playing a minor role in future episodes.

I wouldn't.

@Seerow

If I have to choose, it would be the final scene of ROTS. It ties the two halves of the film series together very well.

@Seerow

I don't mind how he was brought back that much, and I see some of the value he provides as a recurring enemy of Obi-Wan. My main change would be to sideline him in favour of Savage, keeping the elements which Maul brings while ensuring that the focus remains on the "monster". Similarly, I'd introduce another recurring enemy who poses a real threat. Maul has been described by some as an "honourary original character" due to his ambiguous fate, and this recurring enemy would be another of those. Its presence would indicate that Maul's return marks a major shift in format rather than just a cheap stunt.

Now there's a new idea... I sort of like that.

Out of the ones I've played, Republic Commando is my favourite. I like that it was a story-driven shooter that fleshed out the Grand Army of the Republic and the Clone Wars era from the perspective of the clones themselves. It was short as hell, but it was pretty damn fun while it lasted. The Battlefront series, while enjoyably broad in terms of gameplay, was far less immersive. If there's another SW shooter released in the near future, I hope it owes more inspiration to Republic Commando than Battlefront when it comes to story while retaining Battlefront's broad gameplay.

I give an honourable mention to the ROTS game on the Xbox and Playstation 2. It had the potential to be superlative, but it turned out incredibly flawed due to rushed development. The controls, camera and character animations were frustrating to the extreme.

Have it be an Imperial Commando game with the Battlefront style multiplayer (honestly don't really know what's stopping them)

It feels like Battlefront is meant to be played multiplayer. Playing it single player makes me feel like I'm playing Black Ops against Bots. It's OK, but I just feel like I'm playing a sad version of multiplayer.

@Seerow

I'm a fan of the Total War series, so I'd like to see a grand strategy game focused on a conflict in the Star Wars galaxy. I have a particular interest in the Clone Wars era because it's essentially the American Civil War, Napoleonic Wars, First World War and Second World War combined in its impact on the GFFA. However, a Clone Wars game would necessarily be focused on the specific campaigns of individual military commanders - Jedi, clone, non-clone, droid, Acolyte, et cetera - due to the infeasibility of taking command of either Sith-controlled faction. It would be cool to command your own legion of clone troopers or battle droids, but you wouldn't be able to conquer the galaxy and reshape it in your own image.

So my idea for a Star Wars grand strategy game would be of an alternate/far-future setting in which the Galactic state has collapsed like the Roman Empire and, much like in post-Roman Eurasia, various successor states vie for control and legitimacy. None of these states can match the canonical Republic, Empire or CIS for size or strength, and most attempts to form large power blocs result in ignominious collapse. The Jedi (or schismatic groups of them) actively partake in this power struggle. The player navigates this galaxy as a military commander or faction leader. Carnage and epic, fully-realised battles ensue.

An alternative "perfect SW game" would be a third-person action game featuring another lightsabre-wielding protagonist. One thing that made TFU a little hard to swallow for me was the fact that Starkiller was overpowered to the extreme. He was just too hard to mesh with the setting, where even Anakin, Yoda and Sidious are not capable of what he does. The ROTS game showed promise because it portrayed the main characters (mostly) as they were in the films. Both games suffered from a lack of diversity of gameplay. The Assassin's Creed series and Mass Effect series should be the models for the sort of diversity of gameplay that future Star Wars games should have. I can envision such a game set in the Clone Wars and Dark Times era.

@Seerow

The Muunilist 10's elimination of the anti-aircraft cannons is my favourite chapter. It was one of the first releases to show that the clone troopers are so much more than mere "wet droids".

The duel between Anakin and Ventress on Yavin IV is my second favourite. Anakin takes (yet another) step towards the Dark Side, and it was animated so superbly, with the ghost of Qui-Gon looking on in disapproval. It even got me to feel a bit of sympathy for Asajj.

The invasion of Coruscant was superb. Fordo was given a fitting send-off. Shaak Ti showed her chops. Grievous was genuinely threatening, toned down from his first appearance but the better for it.

@Seerow

The way the subject matter is usually discussed.

If you are unfamiliar with them, I might recommend:

Europa Universalis III - pick any year between 1399-1820 (1399 only if you have an expansion). Then pretty much pick any country that existed in that year. More love and attention was given to Western Europe and hardly any given to the Americas or Africa, so you only get a handful of choices in those regions. But you can choose to be France or obscure little constituents of the Holy Roman Empire. Any of the states in India, pre-unification, etc. As you cycle through the years before beginning a game, the map changes to account for what nations existed at that time. It has a steep learning curve, requires a lot of patience, but is pretty much an open sand box with no real goal (a winner is declared in 1820 based on points, but even the instruction manual encourages the player to ignore them and do whatever they want), because for some countries, merely surviving to the end is a huge accomplishment - i.e. when you're Africa and Europeans are sailing over to conquer you, but you can't even see them on the map (and can't counter attack), you might need to bribe them off or pray they don't annex you.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga's Ambition games from Koei. There are many entries in each series.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms - turn based strategy game. takes place during the Three Kingdoms period of China following the collapse of the Han dynasty, when power fell into the hands of warlords. You pick a warlord, pick a scenario/year and tried to unify China. ROTTK VIII and X actually allow you to play as anyone. E.G. you can play as the warlord of a faction, or a viceroy of the warlord, or a prefect of a city under the authority of the Warlord/viceroy, or a lowly vassal taking orders from those above you. It's a lot of repetition in carrying out tasks, but there's something satisfying about going from a vassal to rising the ranks. I never played X, only VIII, but it has more endings than I've ever seen in a game. Multiple endings for every rank. As you defeat enemies in battle and conquer their generals, you can choose to let the generals go, offer recruitment, or execute them. And the game responds to factors such as if you rule too brutally (officers more likely to betray and less likely to be recruited). The name of the period is due to three rival powers eventually dominating China with their rulers all declaring themselves Emperor. But at the beginning of the period, there were many, many warlords and like Europa Universalis, the factions on the map change according to year of a picked scenario (generals will grow old and die as the years go on).

Nobunaga's Ambition - Similar games. Take place in Japan during a period of similar strife. In the wake of the fall of the Ashikaga shogunate and which ended in the foundation of the Tokugawa shogunate (the last shogunate). It's the same time period covered in the Shogun: Total War games. Eventually they switched from turn based combat to RTS (though still involves a turn based management phase, like the Total War games. You pick a warlord and attempt to unify Japan. There are some events that are triggered when certain conditions are met that are consistent with what happened historically. I'm guessing it must be very popular in Japan, since they recently crossed it over with Pokemon

@QuangoFett:

Your bonus question: #21: Create a TCW arc that clarifies the positions of the Trade Federation, InterGalactic Banking Clan, and the Commerce Guilds within the Republic framework. Have fun!

@TaradosGon

I've heard of Europa Universalis III, and EU4 is coming out in Q3 of this year. Possibly more than even Total War: Rome 2, EU4 is one of the games I'm looking forward to the most. That sort of geopolitical intrigue like what is implemented in the Paradox games is what I'd like to see in a SW strategy game rather than just wall-to-wall battles. It's what I'd like to see in TCW, for that matter.

I hadn't heard of the ROTTK series or Nobunaga's Ambition though, so I'll look into them.

Do I get to hate you now?