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Author |
File Description |
Lt_Blitz |
Posted on 04/11/12 @ 04:17 PM
File Details |
Clone Campaigns required?: |
Yes |
Style: |
Mix |
Number of scenarios: |
1 |
"Chirpa's Crucible"
A scenario by Lt_Blitz
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It is the height of the Clone Wars and the battles rage across many systems in the galaxy. Endor's Moon, home of the Ewoks is one such system. This is the tale of Chief Chirpa and his brave band of Ewoks.
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"Chirpa's Crucible" is a challenge, bringing a unique style of gameplay to SWGB. It is a tale of the underdog, and victory against overwhelming foes.
While the story does not adhere to the Star Wars canon, it is my own interpretation of events and a story of how things *could* have gone.
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Credit to the original authors of all the mods I have included. These are all optional but are recommended for best possible gameplay experience.
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About the author:
I am a fairly experienced scenario designer but I have never posted anything on this site before. I am a huge fan of SWGB and am attempting to revive it. If you want to help or give feedback on the scenario email me at LieutenantBlitz@gmail.com, a reply might take a while though!
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Feedback/reviews here or at my email would be much appreciated.
Regards - Lt_Blitz
THIS SCENARIO IS NOT MADE, DISTRIBUTED, OR SUPORTED BY LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY LLC. ELEMENTS tm & (c) LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY LLC AND ITS LICENSORS
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Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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John Rambo |
Posted on 04/28/12 @ 12:46 AM
Before I continue I will just say that you should download this campaign just to see for yourself.
Playability: 5
This was indeed a beautiful sight, I played it through and couldn't find an error, I'll admit that it was difficult but that isn't exactly a playability issue.
Balance: 5
This wasn't exactly balanced because your enemies are better in every single way, the fact that they have blasters makes all the difference. I slugged it out with the republic for over three and a half hours before I managed to destroy there fortress, in that time I lost 64 of my men and I killed 134 enemies, half of which I killed with Plo Koon. In fact if I didn't have Plo Koon it would be unwinnable! Still, this is supposed to be a challenge and it far surpasses my original expectations.
Creativity: 4
This was a different genre than I'm used to, there aren't many ewok missions that I can think of besides the one included on the SWGB:CC disc, however this passed it. The one thing that I thought was most creative was the Ewok Civilization idea, I loved how you could create the ewoks, gliders and catapults instead of just having a fixed force like most missions. I didn't like the long wait for the catapult (a minute) but I guess it makes sense.
Map Design: 5
This is where you really shined in my opinion, the map was beautifully crafted - everything was placed just right. The thing I liked was how you hid the nova/ore/food stations so that it actually looked like the ewoks were putting the food in the ewok buildings. The narrow paths forced the enemies to meet in the middle yet at the same time it felt like you had room to move, it's hard to explain.
Story/Instructions: 3
The storyline was average, now normally that's okay but right here it really felt empty, you had the enemies trading blows with each other over the planet and the ewoks just want to be left alone - the solution? Drive one of the warring factions out. Not only that but Plo Koon suggested it, even though he just survived Order 66 doesn't mean that he doesn't still feel loyal to the Republic. He doesn't know what's happening, all he knows is the clones shot at him. Suddenly he's suggesting that the ewoks drive the Republic off the planet so that the Confederacy can take over, now while you do get to choose which side to drive off I found it troubling that he was so willing to abandon what he had grown up with his entire life. Maybe I'm just being picky but I don't think he shouldn't have even suggested it.
Additional Comments:
Overall this is a superb campaign but it needs a little work in the storyline to make it a 'Top 5' sort of campaign. While it is well worth the download I suggest that the designer pay more attention to what his cast of characters is capable of doing, if Chirpa had suggested it it might have been a little more acceptable but even that wouldn't have felt right. |
Jobiwan Kenobi |
Posted on 05/01/12 @ 05:24 PM
Playability: 4
This was hard! Not the individual skirmishes or the tasks involved, but the whole mission! Took me hours. a lot of time spent biding your time and acting only when necessary, and although you are bound by that mission you are not tied to any particular method of achieving it. This is eminently playable, and re-playable.
Balance: 4
The battle you are dragged into looks precisely balanced. Your force then becomes the deciding factor. Wish I'd thought of it. Outnumbered and outclassed, the plucky Ewoks come to the rescue.
Creativity: 5
It's honestly not that creative in terms of how the game feels. Many time honoured conventions are followed, but it's an Ewok base! It allows for many interesting encounters, so I'm giving it top marks anyway.
Map Design: 5
The varied terrain which was smoothly blended added much to the gameplay. There were no bottlenecks, corridors, empty expanses or pointless areas. I particularly liked the places for ambush and the overhanging cliffs to fire artillery from. There was always enough room to have a decent battle and that's important.
Story/Instructions: 5
There was a tutorial !!!! The rest of the instructions were clear, concise and to the point.
Additional Comments:
I'm really impressed with this. The terrain is well crafted. The layout uses the whole map. The gameplay, while limited is innovative and as far as I know, original. The setpiece battle you find yourself on the sidelines of is an impressive piece of work in itself. All in all, well done. Now I'm gonna play it again.
Thank you Lt Blitz. |
Gen_Rhys_Dallows
Staff |
Posted on 02/28/15 @ 03:00 PM
Playability: 3
Chirpa's Crucible is a very unique take on a typical 'Build & Destroy' scenario. Instead of producing a massive army and stomping on your enemies, you are essentially playing the 'third wheel' to a large battle between two vastly superior forces. Your actions will determine which side wins.
The map is set up similar to a MOBA-style game. There are three 'lanes' where Confederacy and Republic forces are battling it out. Lacking the strength to face either side head on, your task is to influence the outcome of their battle, which essentially means sabotaging one side from behind their lines.
That all sounds pretty great, but sadly, this otherwise excellent idea is marred by the marathon-length of the campaign.
The scenario can take upwards of two hours to actually break one side enough to attain a victory, as your forces are produced extremely slowly (essentially one new unit every five minutes) and die if anything so much as breathes on them. This causes the novel concept to overstay its welcome pretty quickly.
It feels as if you have very little impact on the natural outcome of the battle, and are actually doing most of the work yourself. Even if you completely destroy one sides' base (sans their Fortress) the armies will still be locked in a perpetual stalemate because their units continue to spawn indefinitely. Even if one side does manage reach the opposing base, they do not have any sort of siege weapons to do significant damage, and will usually be cut down by turrets or the next wave of spawns.
Reducing the spawn time of your units, and/or stopping the creation of enemy units once their production facilities are destroyed (rather than simply giving small upgrades to the opposing side) would go a long way into cutting down the campaign length and making this scenario much more enjoyable.
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Balance: 3
Your army is composed entirely of the various Ewok units, meaning they are exceptional at tearing down structures, but very fragile. Getting into a direct fight with anything with a gun is bad news. This means your strategy will mostly be reduced to waiting until the enemy clears out an area, sweeping in and doing as much damage to their structures before your Ewoks all die.
Your most important asset is Plo Koon, being the one unit who can tank damage and distract enemies while your Ewoks fight. Most of the work in the campaign is done using solely him because of the unreliability of the Ewok units.
There isn't much direct threat to the player otherwise. Plo Koon is tough enough that you don't have to worry about him dying as long as you aren't tossing him into the bigger skirmishes. Chirpa's survival is usually ensured by sticking him in the back of your village.
On rare occasion, Republic/Confederacy troops may wander into your village, which is exceptionally bad as nothing you have except Plo Koon can fight them. If he happens to be on the other side of the map, you're going to be hurting pretty badly.
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Creativity: 4
This is a rarely-seen concept in GB, and I really admire the craft put into it. Its MOBA influences (both good and bad) are pretty clear. And the various design tricks (such as the Ewok's method of resource gathering) are very well done. That said, the overwhelming length of the battle makes me have to shave off a point. With some additional polish this could be an outstanding addition to GBH's library.
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Map Design: 5
Nothing short of exceptional here. The map consists mainly of mountainous jungle and swamps. The three 'lanes' the battle takes place in look natural, and there are multiple routes available to quickly navigate between them.
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Story/Instructions: 5
The story and instructions were very clear, and a short tutorial is provided to explain the unique nature of constructing the various Ewok units. No complaints here.
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Additional Comments:
An exceptional idea with some very unique gameplay, unfortunately setback by a needlessly long runtime. If you have the time to spare, I still think it's well worth a playthrough.[Edited on 02/28/15 @ 07:46 PM]
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.3 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.0 | Balance | 4.0 | Creativity | 4.3 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 4.3 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 416 |
Favorites: [] | 1 |
Size: | 537.06 KB |
Added: | 04/11/12 |
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