Because this is no MOD, just a patch that will try to fix the balance issues/lacks of EaW, i post it here. We hope that the XMLs files will be ready by the end of this weekend or the next one. Unless developers don't materilise them first :)

Note that this unofficial patch will try to fix only the Gameplay issues mentioned below. The AI-Graphics and MP problems are devs' job to do.

Feel free to suggest any more changes that can be done directly through XML editting. Issues such as "instant damage, camera angle view and diplomacy" are obviously part of an x-pack, not a simple patch.

Btw, it's obvious that anyone can sit down and edit the XML so that he balances the game as he wants. Yet, this is an effort done to help some players that cannot do this.

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Threads where the balance issues/lacks were tracked:
1. Official Petroglyph "Need to fix" Thread - 1.02 Patch Released
2. my rants and raves.... [contains spoilers]
3. Dear DEV. Team plz read this
4. Cheap AI tactics
5. Some Balance Issues

Balance issues/lacks according to those threads that can be fixed:

Gameplay
1) Disable TIE Maulers’ ability to run over infantry.
2) Reduce TIE Maulers’ attack damage made by their auto-destruction ability.
3) Reduce bombing runs’ damage made to enemy.
4) Activate friendly fire damage made by bombing runs.
5) Tweak superweapons fire damage/refill time.
6) Tweak Antilles and Red Squadron’s fire damage/speed/refill time.
7) Reduce Artillery’s damage made to infantry and increase it against vehicles/buildings.
8) Reduce Plex soldiers’ damage made to heavy vehicles.
9) Increase troops’ fire damage made against other infantry.
10) Reduce to zero (if possible) troops’ damage made to Armored vehicles such as ATAT.
11) Tweak ALL health/attack/defense/accuracy status to the space ships so that:
(a) Space battles last longer and so lay more strategies on the battlefield, (b) Capital ships oppose a serious threat against fighters.
12) Re-activate the color identification of cursor for in-range, out-of-range signal or re-activate firing-ranges both in land and space combat.
13) Apply TIE Mauler’s auto-destruction ability to all the space ships; when a space ship is destroyed, then the surround area feels the impulse of its destruction.
14) Deactivate pirates from MP or minimize their forces.


AI - Graphics
• Correct issues with objects flying through each other.
• Problematic path finding issue for infantry (mainly) on city maps.
• Fix AI’s “ability” to overpass the population capacity limit.
• Fix AI’s “ability” to track the enemy when inside nebulas.


Multiplayer
• Fix MP connectivity issues due to firewalls.
• Fix MP stability issue (exceptions, lag)
• Fix MP ladder system



IMPORTANT! -(will be editted shortly before the patch is out)
All the players that will download this unofficial patch must back up their original XML files stored in C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars Empire at War\GameData\Dat and named as:
1) …
2) …
3) …
The reason to do so is the MP incompability issues that arise when you alter you XML files. So, if your opponents do not have this unofficial patch as you do, you must copy & paste the original files for the MP session and then to copy & paste your fixed files for single player.

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but i actually dont like these settings

1) Disable TIE Maulers’ ability to run over infantry.
2) Reduce TIE Maulers’ attack damage made by their auto-destruction ability.
3) Reduce bombing runs’ damage made to enemy.
7) Reduce Artillery’s damage made to infantry and increase it against vehicles/buildings.
10) Reduce to zero (if possible) troops’ damage made to Armored vehicles such as ATAT.


the only space ship whos health is wrong is the corvettes

The 1 and 2 refer to balance issues, since infantry is eradicated by TIE Maulers mainly when AI is the empire. The 3 won't reduce the damage greatly (it's bombing after all!), but so as not to look like a nuclear bombing run. The 10 refers to infantry's ability to take out an ATAT (...). The 7 refers to imperial artyllery, which is overpowered against infantry.

Yet, all these will be taken in account, and the final list will be updated constantly before the patch for any changes.

Huh, would Maulers even be worth building if you add points 1 and 2?

Maulers are perfect anti-infantry units, due to their great fire rate of their triple lasers

Idk if i can trust another unofficial mod. After a different incident with a game that ruined over 100 peoples game by using a unofficial patch made by a fan. I'll leave it up to petro and lucasarts. Thanks though. :)

Um, I don't get that. First off, if you backup your xml files as suggested then there is no way it can ruin your game. You just replace with the backup and you have the game as was before you installed it. There is absolutely zero risk.

ok this might just be m but...

1. Disable TIE Maulers’ ability to run over infantry.

one question why? I understand that the AI will use them to run over infantry, but oh well... its like having a tank hit an infantry person and it just bounce off, not doing anything to the person... it is cannon to leave its ability in, as it would really happen... if a squad is stupid enough...

EO

I really have an issue with you calling it an unofficial patch. No offence, really... everyone likes an active modding community! Lucasarts will most certainly release more patches for this game and every user created changes should be called a mod. Call it a balance mod or whatever... but calling it a patch only confuses "Newbies".

But other than that: Really nice tweaks, I wouldn't agree with all changes but most of them do sound really good.

hey, it would be great if you added "speederbikes cant be run over"

Apply TIE Mauler’s auto-destruction ability to all the space ships; when a space ship is destroyed, then the surround area feels the impulse of its destruction.

Sorry tried that, doesnt work. It just stays blacked out, only applys for Land Units i think.

the only thing i dont really agree with is bombing run damage nerfs. Maybe increase the timer but trust me, even In real life if a building or infantry is bombed its going to be plain dead. That is a fact, especially given in Star Wars they use proton bombs, its devestating, i reccomend you watch some world war II movies if you think bombing runs are too powerful.

The dammage itself wont be touched but the spalsh area will be reduced. As it is now its the damn nuclear bomb not the bombing run.

its funny, when we first saw the plax solders vs the at-st video, we all said, "what, 16 rockets to take out an at-st?" now sence its fixed, ya want to decrease thee damage again.

Yep but now you need 16 AT-ST to take out one squad of infantry.

I seriously disagree with the following:
1) Disable TIE Maulers’ ability to run over infantry.
2) Reduce TIE Maulers’ attack damage made by their auto-destruction ability.

The tie maulers are incredably weak vs any sort of tank or anti-vehicle unit/turret.

For point 1: I personally think all vehicles should have the ability to run over troops. I mean, come on, the mauler is a tank! It is a fast, very weak-skinned tank and it needs the ability to run over troops in order to rush to where they need to go.

For point 2: I'm playing version 1.02 and the auto-destruct is not all that powerful. It took a whole unit of 5 maulers to take out a single turret, a cluster of troops, and a light rebel tank. I sent in about 2 and a half units (about 12 maulers) and all but 5 maulers survived long enough to self destruct. All the others were killed in the assault by the tank, troops (2 squads of plex), and the turret.

Also, these points should be posted in the feedback threads so the devs know about them and can fix them. It's their job to fix problems with graphics, ai, and multiplayer:

14) Deactivate pirates from MP or minimize their forces.

AI - Graphics
• Correct issues with objects flying through each other.
• Problematic path finding issue for infantry (mainly) on city maps.
• Fix AI’s “ability” to overpass the population capacity limit.
• Fix AI’s “ability” to track the enemy when inside nebulas.


Multiplayer
• Fix MP connectivity issues due to firewalls.
• Fix MP stability issue (exceptions, lag)
• Fix MP ladder system

I really like point 13, but it should only apply to large capital ships and the power of the blast should be scaled for the size of the ship. Larger ships have the bigger blasts that do the most damage, the smaller ones do less damage and have a smaller blast radius.

Reducing the damage done by bombing runs is unrealistic, you should just increase the timer. However, I do like the idea that the bombing runs do damage your own troops. That is much more realistic.

Yes, the TIE MAuler will retain its ability to run over infantry, yet we're figure out how this cannot be exploited by the AI (reduce its speed for example). And true, it's auto-destruction is not that major with 1.02. Thanx for info ;)

The 13 point is a tough one but we'll make a try for it. It's just out of physic laws when your Mon Cal is "hand by hand" with an ISD and one is destroyed, then the other just walks over....

The friendly fire can be done, Orao confirmed this. The timer will be fixed and their range, not power. No more "yeah, my units survive every nuclear run while the guy next to me is dust!" issue.......

MistenTH has worked, as you can see on other threads, on the 11 point (more or less), even before us so, we might get a united "mod" both for ground and space issues.

Stay tuned ;)