The Unexpected History of Star Wars: Empire at War

[@ThatOneBullet]

The Empire at War game engine is actually quite amazing and Petroglyph's continued support is why this game continues to be modded and relevant today. The EaW modding community is still growing and many amazing mods still coming out! Just this weekend Thrawns Revenge, Awakening of the Rebellion, and the Remake mod have all released updates.

[@Jacen436987]

yeah it's too bad there aren't really other RTS's that use the same type of system.

[@tTaseric]

@@TheCoolCucumber Empire at War uses the systems in an extremely simple way compared to most other RTS games. The most notable example being how there's only one type of resource to worry about. It's easy to read battles and understanding of what units do come from general knowledge of the franchise rather than implicit knowledge of the game. Basically, it's rare to find a game with these systems that's actually friendly to new players.

[@dirtnapready4738]

I’m sorry 😣 is a good have her baby 🍼 hher I got ghetto for about my her life so I’m home 🏠 I had him I hgot I got my hair cut here ghetto so he had me some how stretchy I thought 💭 is he going here in my car 🚙 and he’s a good 😌 dude I’m just

[@DIEGhostfish]

The only downside is that it's core limited.

[@dirtnapready4738]

man i really fell asleep with my phone in my hand and somehow commented this with the auto word generator...

[@spacecat409]

I can remember as a kid pouring so much time into this, and that was before I found out about the wonderful world that the modding community had added, thanks for doing a video one of the greatest Star Wars games.

[@rachellejanssen2655]

I think a day or two ago the star wars remake mod released their long-awaited 4.0 patch. It adds a lot of new features and changes the game quite a bit (instead of 10 ground unit slots you have 3 regiment slots that have a mix of units) but it's definitely an interesting spin!

[@wordenfreeman]

I think I have over 1200 hours of empire at war

[@spacecat409]

@@wordenfreeman here's to 1200 more!

[@codyelkins5614]

Dude same I was 8 when it came out I’m I played it first on disk and went like 7 years without playing it then picked it up on steam I’m like 5 k hours played

[@barkley8285]

To this day it boggles my mind they have not made more RTS star wars games. Like the best part of the series is the epic battles and wars.

[@airsoftman121]

So there's a tradition on the EaW subreddit of reaching out to the developers annually. In 2021 the developers mentioned they are very eager to add a second addition to the series, they're actively working with higher-ups to get approval and their most recent response hinted that the dream is not only FAR from dead, but may even be closer than we think! Great video as always, thanks for shedding some light on arguably my most-played Star Wars game of all time!

[@daankuhne1744]

Yes i saw when they said this, i really hope that they will be aloud to make a second installment

[@dreamypizza8458]

WAIT WAITWAITWAITWAITWAIT# YOUR NOT SHITTING ME HER WAIT WHAT?!

[@tombraiderstrums09]

Ugh I don’t want a canon version of EAW.

[@ostryy831]

Such a Great RTS and the fan made remake mod and mod community in general for the game make it so much better

[@nicolausteslaus]

Gay and mod community

[@schmick1018]

I remember when the 2021 update dropped and the hysteria from the community and myself that this game from 2006 had just gotten a patch out of nowhere. It drew me back in immediately and rekindled my love for the game and the amazing modding community that has added so much over the years.

[@nicolausteslaus]

Reddit consoomer moment

[@smokinjoe4709]

It got a big update just a month ago Oct 2023.

[@ClydeYouTuber]

You should do a video talking about the bad luck of many Star Wars games. I'm sure there's an hour of potential.

[@lopiklop]

Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast and it's great modded afterlife

[@forposterity4031]

1313 and the darth maul game that never came out cause disney likes to ruin everything.

[@roommaster]

star wars teres käsi

[@petesperandio]

Battlefront 3

[@nightterrors2976]

@@forposterity4031 Force Unleashed 3

[@CadetMom]

One of the best Star Wars games hands down with Mods.

[@-Raylight]

One of the best RTS ever created, the fan mods are also amazing What happened to Westwood was one of the saddest thing ever happened for RTS fans. We'll never forgive EA! 😭

[@johnv7317]

At least they came back as Petroglyph Studios. Weetwood Studios: "You can't win, EA. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

[@Ulvetann]

Argh. That two-letter name. You just burnt my eyes! You evildoer, You.

[@warfighter3128]

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one! I never could’ve expected this but thank you so much for covering this legend of a game!

[@kharak1050]

Great coverage of this gem, and thanks for mentioning Remake! The team has worked very hard for many years to take EaW to new heights. Although I would have liked to have seen a couple more minutes dedicated to the modding community's work, hundreds of people have spent over a decade and half keeping this game alive and taking it to places unimaginable back in 2006. It's truly amazing what the community has been able to achieve over the last 16 years. A couple of critiques, modding support was not patched into the game at any point, it was moddable and being modded from it's initial release. And while the game has gotten some patches, and unexpectedly one recently, I would not go as far as to say they added content, nor that the game has received continues support as implied.

[@kharak1050]

​@@TheCoolCucumber You are correct in that for a 16 year old game it has received a surprising amount of support, contrary to most games which receive none after official support drops. However, since it's launch on steam the game's five patches amounts to only 14 bulletpoints, most minor. Again, while this is more then most games get it's age, and is greatly appreciated, the video implies a much greater degree of support. And while technically correct that the two maps are added/unlocked content, it's considerably minor added content, while the video again implies much more. The game did receive additional modding support with the stream workshop feature with it's inclusion on that platform and 2017 patch , that however did not magically allow mods to be created nor did it open any new doors for modders, as is stated or at the very least heavily implied in the video. EaW has been modded from day one of it's launch, with the primary community centering around Moddb, where hundreds have been built over the last 16 years. Every single major mod for EaW found on the steam workshop with possibly the expectation of RotM, predates it's inclusion on steam or the 2017 patch.

[@mladenkulic446]

This is a big nostalgia trip for me. I loved Empire at War and it's dlc Force of Corruption. It's a shame we haven't got a new Star Wars Rts game on the same level with better graphics like Empire at War.

[@robertovonsohsten7526]

Give a try for Mods of eaw.

[@SangheiliSpecOp]

I still have this and forces of corruption on disc and steam. The chat room on forces of corruption online used to be crazy... lol

[@CanonGames]

One of my all time favourite RTS games ever! The Republic At War Mod just makes it even better!!!

[@CoolMoon]

This was the only game I would play on the disc when I was a kid! Now there's so many mods that really improve the game and makes it feel like a sequel. Makes me come back to it years later on Steam. Great to see EaW get some recognition here!

[@dylandaniels2647]

Woah, this is quite a surprise. By far my favorite Star Wars game despite its age, and me only starting to play it in 2020 and only now getting over 1,000 hours of playtime , thanks entirely to the fantastic modding community. I do hope a sequel or remaster is in the near future that improves upon the RTS experience this game provided.

[@MayfWasHere]

Just to point out, in the Star Wars RTS retrospective portion of the video, y'all forgot about the best one until Empire at War came out...Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds, which was made by Ensemble Studios. It was for all intents and purposes, an Age of Empires 2 Total Conversion...but it was still a damn fun game, and the game that made me love RTS games

[@RigobertosTacoShop]

Prob one of the best rts hands down if played with Awakening of the Rebellion. Magnificent visuals

[@ThatOneBullet]

As one of the developers of said mod, I can't thank you enough for the kind words!

[@Jacen436987]

@@ThatOneBullet yea awakening of the rebellion and republic at war are my two favorite mods

[@ICOMr.President]

Thanks for the praise m8, means a lot

[@jake_schroeder]

Literally one of the best games I’ve ever played

[@Magicman3990]

would love to see a similar treatment of LOTR battle for middle earth 1 & 2

[@Plinious]

Yes please

[@captaincurt396]

Only thing I want

[@Orginal_Sinner]

I was 20 year's old when this game originally came out. It's still excellent all these years later.

[@HighGroundSand]

Mag was amazing the only game I actually woke up at 3am to play before school thank you for making the video on Mag one day there will be a game like its equal

[@JonatasAdoM]

This game is just fantastic and addictive, even today. It has what any great game needs, a strong foundation. Like any other legend, if it doesn't do what you want, you simply need complement it with a mod. I remember finding about this games when I got Battle for Middle Earth. All I could see were screenshots that took time to be loaded by the internet. They were exactly what I wanted from a Star War game. It was like living a dream. So beautiful it all was that I was certain the computer would never be able to run it. I got it many years later after I finally found this game and it was above and beyond. It also added something missing in RTS - scale. Being able to see the planet and not just the ground, the whole battle unfolding gave it a scale I'd only come to see later in Total War.

[@deadman1367]

one of my favorite games & rts of all time! the mods are amazing, thanks for covering it, needs more recognition

[@kristianwilliamson6527]

This game is truly special, many of the mods are essentially entirely new games just using the mods engine, similar to how LoL and Dota are warcraft mods but diverge a lot from the source material. There is nothing quite like this game and it really captures the magic of Star Wars, allowing you to battle huge armies on land and in space. EAW is THE Star Wars rts game. No other game even comes close

[@beefchampion2792]

I remember waiting for this to come out! I had a poster of it on my bedroom door from the pc magazine that did a preview of it! Can't believe it was almost 20 years ago!

[@nachtjager2467]

This was the first game I ever played on a pc and sunk so much time into it. It's really rare nowdays that such games stay relevant but when you build a solid foundation and provide the tool to your community and they stay alive even after 16years.

[@Logan_Daniels_Photography]

This is by far one of my favorite games, I still play it today!

[@StellarYankee]

I can remember it now. It was a summer Saturday in 2010, after begging my mother for months she finally ordered this game for me. I hugged the damn mailman when it got delivered. I've never loved a game as much in my entire 22 years.

[@kainer820]

One of my favorite Star Wars games, and RTS games of all time. Played the shit out of this as a kid.

[@Memnon45]

One of my absolute favorite Star Wars games. This video brought me so much nostalgia that I'm downloading the game to play again lol.

[@Salvothegamer]

One of my favorite games of all time, such a amazing experience in both ground and space battles. There is nothing more satisfying than ordering all your batteries on a Imperial Star destroyer to attack some rebel frigate and obliterate it in a few volleys or establish dominance on the ground by removing the rebel sympathizers from a colony. The mods also add so much depth and replayability to the game and some add very interesting mechanics or difficulty. Some change the timeframe, so you can fight against the Seperatists, thousands of years bevor yoda was even born or even after the fall of the Empire. If there is a vehicle, hero or ship you ever wanted to commandeer in a Star Wars video game - this is the place to go! 10/10 must have for any RTS fan.

[@SkyScourgeGod]

I still have this game physically from many years back. A few years ago I also tried out a mod that included Star Trek ships for space battles. It was really cool to see a Galaxy or Sovereign class starship take on Imperial Star Destroyers.

[@JDothan]

SW: Rebellion was one of my favorite games of all time. Had no idea it Was poorly received

[@33TieGuy]

I love it as well but I know I am in the minority.

[@GottHammer]

still prefer SW Rebellion over EAW. EAW's grand strategy 'layer' just wasn't as good as Rebellion's. The RTS segment was a mixed bag, too: I never liked EAW's ground combat, and while the space combat was fine, I never thought that it was 'great'. I wish Rebellion would get a remake/remaster, even if it's just to update UI/UX (I guess the 3D space battles could do w/ an overhaul, too). would be cool if you could try and simulate the Katana Fleet and then have all 200 or so dreadnaughts on-screen.

[@ryanhugh86]

It was one of my favorites as a kid. I bought it on steam a couple years ago and played it again. I still liked it but the main issue I had is that it is way too easy.

[@Indomitable92]

It still amazes me how well these videos are made. Absolutely incredible work as always

[@stevenschayer6312]

recently in an interview, it was said that 2 new star wars RTS's are in development so there is hope for a sequel

[@kisham]

This is probably the game i have spent more hours of my life, been playing it since it came out, one the best RTS experiencies and a plus if you are fan of SW. I love this game.

[@Jessie_Helms]

This is still my comfort game. I mostly play with the Republic at War mod, but I’ll sometimes realize it’s 2 AM.

[@haiguyzimnew]

1998's SW Rebellion is a hidden gem of a game, in my opinion.

[@vtier9375]

I loved SW Rebellion, I played a lot, but almost everybody I talk to hated it.

[@charliecooper6586]

I love this game so much, it’s the game that got me into RTS. I still play it now and again

[@nikolatasev4948]

One of my favorite games, the space battles were amazing.

[@theotherjared9824]

This game is consistently one of the most most played star wars games on steam at any given point. It's currently outpacing every star wars game made in the last decade.

[@AndrewMaksym]

Unfortunately I bugged mine out and it’s now unplayable 😢. Could be the mods I installed?

[@ChiefCrewin]

I know it's empire at war but SWTOR MUSIC FOR THE WIN! Played for 3 years since beta, played off and on, now I'm back into it!

[@Man2quilla]

This game rules. I finally picked it up again and played some mods and it was amazing

[@timv2361]

i spent so much time on this and still do today !!!!! so grateful to those who keep uploading content on the Steam Workshop !!!

[@juliuscaesar4802]

You’ve touched my heart deeply ,I’ve played that game sooo much as a kid now a adult an recently downloaded it … that nostalgia never hit so different before

[@CybranM]

Don't know how many hours of my childhood went into this game, its truly a great game. The ground combat was very mediocre but the space combat was superb. Really wish they get a green light for a sequel, would be a dream come true

[@laisphinto6372]

mods this game lives from mods its inasne how much they improve the game

[@wolfleader17]

One of my favorite star wars games, and one of my favorite games period. Alot of good times with this one. Really glad you touched on the sound design, it was top notch. And the unit voice line interactions. Really made it a cut above to hear the pilots of the fighters you sent into battle speak their last words, or get pumped about a kill.

[@A7J7P]

So great, to see another game from my childhood, i spent thousands of hours in, to get attention in a video. Thank you GVMERS. Much love.

[@liberaceboiithe3rd5]

Production quality for these videos is outstanding

[@zach--m]

Did this guy do the voice overs for How It’s Made??? Literally sounds exactly like him

[@charliescene786]

If it wasn't for the modding community I probably would've never tried it. But man ami glad I did. I love that game so much. Nothing has been similar to it

[@darmansbar7900]

EaW is proof that a fanbase if passionate enough about a solid product it will continue to live forever

[@mariesharp3794]

GVMERS you are so amazing at what you do! Dont ever stop!

[@endorbr]

I played SO MANY hours of Rebellion, Empire at War, and Galactic Battlegrounds. Absolutely loved those games.

[@JotaDeeMeO]

Indeed! Oh, what a surprise to hear of Empire at War here. It's a great game and mods like Awakening of the Rebellion or Thrawns revenge deserve a better look at, they basically offer a future sight of what a proper sequel to Empire at War could be!

[@BioTheRebel]

Holy shit yes!!! Gvmers needs to cover Star Wars games more often!!! I remember finding this channel with the documentary on Battlefront 3.

[@joeylockie]

lol I worked (fqa and lqa) on these games love seeing people still playing them

[@roryscott2941]

One of my favorite RTS! I still remember swarming the enemy before they could retreat into hyperspace

[@TOSPEEDFIRE13]

Great video as always ! Please do a Lord of the Rings Battle for middle series one ! ✌️🙏❤️

[@oscarlundberg7462]

Wooooo, finally!!!! I have over a thousand hours on this game. I truly appreciate you doing this!

[@Admiral_Grufus]

There's some good news for a possible EAW sequel. As of early January the lead dev of EAW was asked if anyone in EA/Lucasfilm games was interested in making an EAW 2. The Answer: YES!!

[@ArnieS1947]

Absolutely loved this game and still do. I remember cackling with glee at pushing the lever to fire the Death Star's superlaser. "Commence primary ignition."

[@austinskywalker92]

Ooooohhhhhh, I remember playing this back in the day. I Actually enjoyed it a lot and this history is definitely unexpected. Thanks you guys for letting me learn the history of Empire at War.

[@ODST_Parker]

I played Force Commander as a kid too, but Empire at War was and still is one of my favorite RTS games of all time. I'm very excited at even the slim possibility that the same creators have their sights on a sequel.

[@moewzers9136]

This game is amazing, I really hope the studio gets the chance to make a sequel.

[@JVPTH3MVP]

Man, I just happened to have the hankering to watch a review for this game and see that this came out 4 hours ago. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

[@ArmouredProductions]

That intro using Clash of Destiny is perfection.

[@Moldy_Crow1315]

I've been playing this game nonstop for the last few days! its amazing

[@SmokeyBCN]

Petroglyph really are a gem of a company. They recently released a 64 bit patch for EaW 17 years after release, and the modding scene is more active and invigorated than ever.

[@AndrewMaksym]

💯 EAW is one of my all time favorite (classic 6th gen?) rts's. And always will be, not many games like it at the time, and still maybe even now. Well maybe some of the AoE games but still.

[@rustyshackleford3160]

How did this channel get my favorite KZbin voice, to talk about all my favorite games!?

[@zebrastripe665]

One of my favorite RTS games ever, I still own the disc for this and the Zahn DLC

[@Grabacr]

Thank you so much for doing this! Such a nice suprise!

[@marctherrien2181]

My favorite RTS of all time. I hope you will do a video on the Jedi Knight series one day. It would be worth it.

[@somthingbrutal]

star wars rebellion/confrontation was a great game for its time. i still go back and play it now and again

[@DiogoSena]

Best gaming channel on KZbin.

[@cristinavuscan5610]

There were so many things what were done better in Supremacy aka Rebellion ... for example the research system... sabotage units... you were able to catch and imprison certain Main characters ... or send troops to check out system to find them then send out troops or characters to release them and many other features what were left out from Empire at War.

[@VoiceOfTheEmperor]

I played it way back in the late 2000s. I had to get a graphics card for my old desktop. I played that game so much that I was even able to beat it on Empire on Hard Mode. It truly was a challenge, but it was a fun challenge. Forces of Corruption introduced me to the EU and by the time I was in middle school, I was reading Wookieepedia DAILY on the computers in the computer lab in my free time. I'm beyond grateful that the modding community is keeping Empire at War alive. Keep up the great work everyone! We're getting a KOTOR Remake. It's only a matter of time before EaW gets its chance!

[@LeadingMole058]

I’ve been saving up for a gaming PC for a couple of months now and Empire at War is among the first few games I plan on getting. Also yes I know I don’t need something top of the line to run the game.

[@RigobertosTacoShop]

This guy is a true laser tag dominator.

[@thehigherdrake]

Never got to play this one 😔 Great coverage!

[@CrazyKosai]

4:00 you forgot Galactic Battlegrounds SW RTS

[@fonkyfesh-old]

Tons of modders keeping this great game alive

[@roach2269]

It's insane how drawn in you can get with these videos considering how captivating this persons voice is, you definitely need you're own tv channel or something

[@donaldpetersen2382]

The haunting scream of that fighter getting blow away. The game took sleep from you in more then one way.

[@manuelacosta9463]

Here's another gem from my early adolescence, this really introduced me to the Star Wars RTS games as rather sparse as they are. Can remember purposely turning skirmish mode into a 'survival mode' by purposefully limiting my unit numbers and placing them strategically to really chew up the oncoming AI. Multiplayer got pretty intense too. Glad I still have my old CD copy, dusty but pristine.

[@meh3277]

Just a note that didnt make it into the video it seems. Prior to the re-enabling of multiplayer and steam workshop support, there were countless years of mods on Moddb that thrive to this day.

[@Kaiju-Driver]

I ADORE the Command and Conquer Gamez. No wonder I love this game.

[@jsrocker248]

Best RTS game Ive ever played, love the history revamp for this gem of a game!

[@MrHeavy466]

This game has an almost gross amount of replayability due to the outstanding community and dev support. I love this game.

[@portman8909]

I want a sequel now.

[@M.W.Zastrow]

I'm still playing it to this day one of the best Star Wars game ever

[@ISAF_Ace]

I still play this game on a regular basis, a testament to its quality and survivability. The mod support as well was an amazing support

[@aceofhearts573]

Petroglyph is an amazing studio I am afraid they will close soon as the RTzs genre has been in a massive decline for years. Dark times indeed

[@igodreamer7096]

Awesome analysis, guys!

[@CoolSmoovie]

Empire at Wars Space gameplay loop is so fucking good that I’ve been coming back to it for like a decade. If a sequel or spiritual successor is made, a game with space and ground battles at the same quality would be crazy

[@MXCoriginal]

I need to play this so badly, I love klepacki and those Westwood guys so much

[@goingindieEN]

I spent so much time playing this game as a kid. Made some good friends on there.

[@hue_luca_d.b.9552]

Pure nostalgia.

[@plastichairball]

What strikes me most is the amount of intentional and player-centric design choices that shaped the making of this game. It seems to me, and this is just perception, that the design of games these days lacks that. They seem more rushed, more profit driven. I get the impression from the designers of this game that they really wanted the best for their players and they had deep respect for the source material.

[@RDJ134]

Luckly i checked the channel, because this didnt showed up in my YT time line...... As Always a great informative video.

[@matthewmclean9607]

I’ve never played it but would absolutely love to