Okay, I think this deserves it's own thread. Computer and
Video Games have just put up an interview with Raven...
and they have included 5 screenshots that can only
have been taken from the new Siege Mode.

























Here are a couple of the screenshots...

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/screenshots_library/dir_211/vortal_pic_105993.jpg)

This is apparently a Hoth map...where you will play as Rebels vs Imperials in a fight to secure Echo base (according to the interview)


http://www.computerandvideogames.com/screenshots_library/dir_211/vortal_pic_105996.jpg)

This is apparently a fight for a Jedi temple.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/screenshots_library/dir_211/vortal_pic_105998.jpg)

This one confirms that you can ride swoop bikes in Siege mode.


Here are some links to other screens showing the same format..

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/screenshots_library/dir_211/vortal_pic_105991.jpg)

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/screenshots_library/dir_211/vortal_pic_105997.jpg)

That last one shows a zoomed in sniper gun...and warns that "The Wall is Under Attack!"

As you can see in these screenshots...there is a 'radar' at the top indicating the locations of key objectives. There is also a clock (which I assume is a 'countdown clock'), which seems to bear some similarity to UT's Assault mode, in that achieving certain objectives is timed.

Your frag score is displayed down the bottom.

I have already updated the FAQ with the following information from the recent PC Zone article...

Siege mode is a new MP mode that is team-based, class-based and objective-based. It has been likened (in a recent review) to the Enemy Territory style of play in Return To Castle Wolfenstein. The following classes will be available:

Assault
Heavy Weapons
Demolitions
Scout (sniper)
Tech
Jedi

Each class will have a restricted set of weapons and equipment they can use, which will also be dependent on which side of the Force you choose (Lightside or Darkside). For the Scout class, for example, you will be able to use a Cloaking device (for Light Side), or a Jet Pack (for Dark Side). Other classes will have access to things like deployable shields, laser sentry cannons, Bacta canisters, and hovering Seeker Drones.

Feel free to discuss at your leisure. ;)

I LOve you STORMHAMMER!!!

Stormy, very nice! :)

I love Enemy Territory, and the option of having a class (Personally I'd be a Tech). And is that a Snowtrooper in the first pic there? Snowtroopers are the best :D

Reclaimer, please stay on topic....or post with something that even makes sense....:rolleyes:

:drop2: Holy...holy...holy...hol...ho...h...:drop2:

That is best Siege news yet!

I really hope there is an option (and it is on by default) limiting the # of certain classes per team.

In other games the option is there so as to limit "whoring" of certain classes (like in ET having 19 panzer guys on a team can really screw up a game).

But in JA I can kind of see everyone flocking to be "Jedi" so as to live out their star wars fantasies and those of us who are just there to play kind of getting screwed by it.

If the objectives are very "job specific" (as in only X class can win the map, like in ET you simply must have an engineer to win on the offensive team) it's going to suck if you need two or three classes to complete an objective but every other member your team is running around pretending to be darth chewbacca.

True. But remember...the non-jedi will have access to jetpacks and (I think) dual pistols. Perhaps not both at once, though. I hope the jetpack is balanced better than in, say, Forcemod II. Merc are a nightmare in large maps...they fly 300 yards straight up and just shoot and you can't get to them.

I can see this being a problem, though. Perhaps a limit to players per team, or a forced "add JediMaster bot" option to balance teams.

Hm, seige mode is starting to remind me of the "Movie Battles" mod for JK2, in which you chose to be a soldier, jedi, hero, or mandalorian, each having special qualities, weapons, and stats.

I don't think this needs spoiler blockage, but
the sniper picture shows that the disruptor rifle hasn't changed much if at all.

Oooh, it's getting harder and harder to wait to get my own copy. The new gamespot trailer also added to the anticipation. Come on, September 17th!

Originally posted by boinga1
True. But remember...the non-jedi will have access to jetpacks and (I think) dual pistols. Perhaps not both at once, though. I hope the jetpack is balanced better than in, say, Forcemod II. Merc are a nightmare in large maps...they fly 300 yards straight up and just shoot and you can't get to them.

I can see this being a problem, though. Perhaps a limit to players per team, or a forced "add JediMaster bot" option to balance teams.

Hmm....I've not played that mod, but I agree that there needs to be some balance where things like jet packs are concerned. While every piece of equipment should have an inherent advantage, it should also have some kind of weakness to compensate. So maybe the fuel for the jet pack is limited or something.

I'm also starting to wonder if all classes will be able to ride vehicles, or if that will be restricted to specific classes.

And taking up unnamed's point about team balance, I agree with that as well. However, I don't think there will be quite as many people all wanting to be 'Jedi'. While I enjoy having access to Force powers and lightsabers in FFA, for Siege I really wouldn't mind trying something completely different. Running and gunning would suit me fine. ;)

Anyway, perhaps if certain classes are needed to complete objectives, maybe these are automatically assigned to players as they join the game. Didn't RTCW have something like that? So each time you spawn back in, you assume the role that is needed, rather than the role you would necessarily want to play. That could go some way to ensuring you're team is not 'left short' of the necessary skills...

Well, the Forcemod II pack DID take fuel...but it's still outta wack.


And I think unnamed is concerned about the "H0N0UR4BL3 RPG'3Rs", rather than the...sane gamers. The idea of limiting vehicles to certain classes would be brilliant...but we've already seen a saber wielder on a swoop in siege, so that looks like a negative. :(

It would be better to have fixed limits set by the game on number of users of one class. That way you don't get abusive server admins that disable the Jedi class because they don't like getting owned by someone with a melee weapon.

And if it's balanced right, whoring a particular class should result in a pathetic loss.

Originally posted by Emon
And if it's balanced right, whoring a particular class should result in a pathetic loss.

I certainly hope so. :)

Perhaps an idea would be to set up a 'Training Ground' for new recruits to Siege, to show them the ropes, and place an emphasis on team play. This would be useful from the Clan perspective, but also for the more casual gamers.

Considering there are six main classes, I wonder how many a team will physically need to complete objectives. 4 out of 6, maybe? Or less? Each will obviously have strengths and weaknesses...which may even be dependent on the individual maps (each map might favour particular skill sets).

The more we know...the more we need to know. heh. :p

:fett: Where do you get this movie battles mod?! I want it!!!:fett:

OMG OMG OMG that looks so sweet!!!!!!!!! Man now I REALLY can't wait. Looks to be Siege mode's gonna be my fave.

That looks sweet. Tech, Demolitions and Scout sounds most appealing to me. Siege will own so much.

Originally posted by boinga1
Well, the Forcemod II pack DID take fuel...but it's still outta wack.


And I think unnamed is concerned about the "H0N0UR4BL3 RPG'3Rs", rather than the...sane gamers. The idea of limiting vehicles to certain classes would be brilliant...but we've already seen a saber wielder on a swoop in siege, so that looks like a negative. :(

Ehh kind of/sort of but not really.

You have "class based" games like DoD (Half-Life mod) where each class is basically the same thing but just different weapons.

Back in that mods early beta days everyone, and I mean everyone wanted to be a sniper.

But no matter what people picked the objective could still be won.


Then you have games like RTCW ET where, if every person wants to be a soldier and no one picks engineer, the map simply can not be won.

I'm not sure how dependant the objectives will be on the specific classes but if it is very dependant then there should be limits on how many "X" class a team can have.

The Jedi class was just an example.

Not to mention, like in RTCW they limit the # of panzer troops in a lot of servers because having a ton of them just makes the game one big mess.

In JA siege if say, they heavy weapons guys are "one man tanks" then limiting class #'s per side will make for a much better game.

Well, this ends the debate over whether or not the AT-ST is still in MP or not!

Also, in that last shot of the Rodian about to be Sniped, notice the Speeder bikes parked in a row behind him, sweet!


I wonder if those Hoth Turret Guns are manned or not? I'm guessing so, since there was a screenshot that looked like a "blaster cannon" (from the player's perspective) that now make me think it was one of those from the back.

I wonder what the symbols on the radar indicate? There seems to be a symbol for the "shield generator" (the one from ESB) on the Hoth map. The others might be Turret guns, or vehicles being used... maybe they are player locations, and it shows an icon showing what their driving?

Then again, the symbols could be "objectives" (ie: if your goal is to destroy the base, you have to wipe out everything it shows... the turrets, the generator, etc). I think I see an Ion Cannon to the far left, just partway out of the shot too. ; )

I am also assuming that the HUD for the vehicles uses the same scheme as the regular HUD (ie: red = health, green = shields, blue = force, orange = ammo). If that's TRUE of course, does that mean the Speeder bike has guns on it (if it shows ammo, when the user is clearly armed with Lightsabers)?

I wonder if Taun Tauns will be usable in Siege? Hope so...

Jedi Academy just got a whole lot better.

I thought that this would be good, but not amazing, nice finds! And is that Lando on the bike? o.O

Just thought of something else.. in that first Hoth shot, what are those shots being fired?

The big purple things are either coming from the Walker or from a guy on the ground you can barely see, but they don't look like any existing weapons fire.

AT-ST's fire either rockets, orange bowcastor like shots, or red blaster bolts.

Then there's the odd fire coming from the Snowtrooper (and his gun is hidden in front of him). It's YELLOW. What gun to do we know of that fires yellow shots? I would say the Bryar, but you don't have the Bryar anymore, do you?

Then again, perhaps the weapons have changed in subtle ways we don't know about yet. The blasters probably aren't color coded by team (purple vs. yellow? the teams are still Red vs. Blue if I'm not mistaken).

Then again, there's a few other confusing things in that shot. Why is the crosshair for the Snowtrooper green? Is he shooting at his own guys? Lol.

Then again, perhaps the yellow bolts are the Turret shooting AT HIM. His ammo isn't exactly depleted and there are a bunch of shots as if he squeezed off a few. Then again, his health is also full, so if he's getting hit, it must have just taken down his shields to zero. Though of course a lot of these could be explained by the people taking the shots using cheats or details on the shot colors that were not complete at press time, etc.

Originally posted by Kurgan
Then there's the odd fire coming from the Snowtrooper (and his gun is hidden in front of him). It's YELLOW. What gun to do we know of that fires yellow shots? I would say the Bryar, but you don't have the Bryar anymore, do you?

But theres a screenshot at the official site where you see a AT-ST and your DLL-44 in first person view, and it's firing yellow shots. I'm pretty dissapointed about that since in the movies the DLL-44 fires red shots (I also despite yellow as the color on blasts). :|

Originally posted by Kurgan
I wonder if those Hoth Turret Guns are manned or not? I'm guessing so, since there was a screenshot that looked like a "blaster cannon" (from the player's perspective) that now make me think it was one of those from the back.

I'm thinking you might be right. I would go out on a limb and say that something like the Tech class or maybe Heavy Weapons class would have to man large turrets. That's just a guess.

I wonder what the symbols on the radar indicate? There seems to be a symbol for the "shield generator" (the one from ESB) on the Hoth map. The others might be Turret guns, or vehicles being used... maybe they are player locations, and it shows an icon showing what their driving?

I think you're right about the Shield Generator...and the other greyish icon at the top I believe shows the building dead ahead.

I've just been looking at the 'Tatooine' like map, and I believe I've worked out what most of the icons are on that one. On the top left is the Millenium Falcon, next to that is a domed like structure representing the building straight ahead, at the 2 o'clock position is C-3PO's head, at the 3 o'clock position is C-3PO's arm, at the 4 o'clock position is a bacta tank (and something else I can't quite make out), at the 5 o'clock position is another bacta canister, C-3PO's leg, and just above it (inside the ring) is C-3PO's torso.

It looks to me like you have to find his parts and reassemble him :p

That rocks! I love the humour in that, Raven. :D

I am also assuming that the HUD for the vehicles uses the same scheme as the regular HUD (ie: red = health, green = shields, blue = force, orange = ammo).

I'm inclined to agree with you. ;)

I wonder if Taun Tauns will be usable in Siege? Hope so...

I certainly hope so too. I know that snowtrooper in the first shot is sitting on something, but I can't quite make it out. There is also a red bar off to the right - could that be the 'health' of a turret? I know the turret the guy is attacking is showing a green bar at the bottom - again...turret 'health'? Very intriguing.

Yeah? Okay, mystery solved then, it must be the BlasTech pistol he's firing at (his own?) Turret.

I agree about the energy shot colors. Of course, the Bryar pistol also fired red shots until JK2. And the BlasTech fired red in MotS.
You could always reason that whatever "modifications" were done to the two guns made them fire yellow/orange blasts instead of red (this might even be a new technological development, after all in the films we only see red, green, blue, and purple shots).


What about the purple shots?


I figured at first that the "vertical red bar" to the right of the Snowtrooper was simply a team indicator (notice how the Snowtrooper's HUD isn't red colored like it would be if this was JK2). I don't see it in the other shots (I do see a red tinted Speeder bike in the Tatooine shot and some indicators that are color coded on the radar), but perhaps it is only a prelim team indicator? Or as was stated, perhaps it is some kind of "health" for some objective (perhaps the object that they have to protect?).


[Update] Stormy, now that I look at that picture more closely, it DOES appear as if the Snowtrooper is riding a Taun Taun. I just wonder why there is no "vehicle hud" like in past screenshots. Unless of course they differentiate the "live mounts" from "mechanical vehicles" and then the idea of the red being a "health bar" (since why would it have shields?) makes perfect sense.

Good eye...

Originally posted by BobaFett123456
:fett: Where do you get this movie battles mod?! I want it!!!:fett:

I think I remember that it was only at the maker's site, which I don't know the URL of. The WIP thread may still be there. Go check.

Originally posted by BobaFett123456
:fett: Where do you get this movie battles mod?! I want it!!!:fett:

You can get it at www.jk2files.com)

Originally posted by Kurgan
What about the purple shots?

I've been puzzling over those as well. They appear to be coming from the ground, towards the AT-ST. And it occurs to me that they may, in fact, be Ion canon fire like we see from the DEMP2, except on a potentially larger scale. It would make sense to fire an Ion canon at an AT-ST.

Originally posted by StormHammer
. . . Siege mode is a new MP mode that is team-based, class-based and objective-based. It has been likened (in a recent review) to the Enemy Territory style of play in Return To Castle Wolfenstein. The following classes will be available:

Assault
Heavy Weapons
Demolitions
Scout (sniper)
Tech
Jedi

. . .

Quite a wonderful catch of the day, Stormhammer.

6 Classes! Awesome! Last that I heard was only 4 classes! :)

This could be a very great thing. I hope they implement server restrictions on the classes. It shouldn't be too much trouble.

I am curious to what the "Assault" class is. Also, are one of these classes skilled from the start with vehicle handling?

Something is clear now that is available in JA that wasn't in JK2: emplaced turrets in MP. Screenshots show this.

WTF was up with the claim by someone that AT-STs couldn't be used in MP. It seems by the screenshots that the claim is false.

LET THE DROOLING COMMENCE!

Originally posted by JDKnite188
WTF was up with the claim by someone that AT-STs couldn't be used in MP. It seems by the screenshots that the claim is false.
I think it was a comment in the PC Zone UK article, but it didn't specify SP or MP. Obviously you can drive it in MP, as evidenced in the screenies.

I've never before had any excitement over a MP game ... until now. I may actually play a bit of Siege prior to completing my first SP run ...

Mike

*Drools*

Oh. Man.

This looks very nice, very lovely. I wonder how many maps they'll have?

Anyway, I think the purple fire is probably the DEMP. Finally, a use for it in MP.

Originally posted by txa1265
. . . I've never before had any excitement over a MP game ... until now. I may actually play a bit of Siege prior to completing my first SP run ...

Mike

Yeah, I was actually disappointed that I played SP first, finished the game, and then started MP. I am going to play each a little bit from the start.

I think one of the Raven devs said either on these forums or in an interview that classes are externalized, and can be changed on a per-map basis. If so, that would give modders great versatility. You could make your own special classes for your maps, instead of using the same ones over and over. I think that's one of the stong points of the system.

/\ That would offer some very...unique...possiblities.


I may well play MP before I finish SP, but probably against just bots or something just to get the hang of all the moves and such.

Originally posted by Emon
I think one of the Raven devs said either on these forums or in an interview that classes are externalized, and can be changed on a per-map basis. If so, that would give modders great versatility. You could make your own special classes for your maps, instead of using the same ones over and over. I think that's one of the stong points of the system.

If you're right about that, then it could very well open up some great opportunities for mod crews - and we could see greater diversity in the style of gameplay. I can just imagine a couple of other scenarios now...

An Assassin class - and you're given the objective to assassinate either a top Imperial or member of the New Republic within a certain time limit, aided and abetted by your team-mates, who have to secure your escape route.

A Bounty Hunter class - where your objective is to capture your 'bounty' and deliver it to a predetermined point (perhaps just getting them back to your ship).


You know, when you think about it, you could just totally take Siege in completely new directions if you could implement a range of classes to suit particular scenarios. Prison breaks...bank raids...destroying bridges... Hell, if someone could get X-Wings to work, you could re-enact the trench run...carry out pirate raiding parties on disabled cruisers... Just imagine recreating the opening sequence of Star Wars...boarding the Tantive IV to hunt for Leia...

*brain goes into overdrive and starts to overheat*

The question i have about this mode is how many players can you have simulataneously playing and how good will the fps be? Although it looks totally awesome and it might even make me start playing MP. Also, let's say you are playing siege by yourself. WIll the AI be any good at completing objectives and such?

*hands Stormie a glass of cold Blue Bantha milk*

Siege sounds great. Finally, Jedi combat with a purpose.

Will this usher in an era of organized Jedi Knight team play?

Can I make money betting on swoop races? It's only a matter of time until a swoop mod is made...

Originally posted by Tyler_Durden
The question i have about this mode is how many players can you have simulataneously playing and how good will the fps be? Although it looks totally awesome and it might even make me start playing MP. Also, let's say you are playing siege by yourself. WIll the AI be any good at completing objectives and such?

According to the official site, MP will support 16 players either online or via LAN, using 56k modems or faster.

So I guess for Siege Mode that puts a limit of 8v8 for balanced teams.

As for AI controlled bots...I'm certainly hoping that the AI routines have been improved since Jedi Outcast, or it may be difficult to play objective-based maps like those in Siege. Having said that...they managed quite well in Unreal Tournament's Assault mode, so it is certainly possible for bots to tackle intense objective-based scenarios, as long as the right coding is in place.

If the AI is not 'quite right' out of the box, then I'm sure there will be some effort from mod crews to address the issue.

Originally posted by Wilhuf
*hands Stormie a glass of cold Blue Bantha milk*

Siege sounds great. Finally, Jedi combat with a purpose.

Will this usher in an era of organized Jedi Knight team play?

Can I make money betting on swoop races? It's only a matter of time until a swoop mod is made...

*accepts Bantha milk* Thanks mate. ;)

Swoop races you say? Where do I sign up? :D

I hope that the three maps we've seen are not the ONLY Siege maps in JA. Look at the dearth of CTF maps we've gotten over the years. This makes me REALLY hope they went all out in making lots of decent Siege maps.

I also hope that in the community it will be feasible to create our own. I can see so many classic Star Wars scenarios that would be awesome.. the battle over Carkoon (say one team has to try to destroy the main Sail Barge by securing the gun inside to blow it up and then capture the smaller skiff and escape, while the other team tries to prevent it), Endor battle (one team tries to infiltrate and blow up the shield generator, while the other tries to stop them), TPM Palace attack (one team tries to capture the Trade Federation Viceroy, the other tries to protect him), Assault on Theed (one team tries to break into palace and capture Amidala, the other tries to stop them).

Scenarios with bigger amounts of people could also use AI or bots to enhance the experience, and the support vehicles would rock.

I'm so excited about this game mode...! ; )

I was looking again at the screenshots of the "vehicle HUD" in some shots of the speeder bike and I had an idea.

Perhaps the "ammo" (orange) bar for the Swoop doesn't necessarily mean it has weapons systems. Perhaps the "ammo" actually refers to FUEL?

Just an idea.

And that still doesn't answer the question of why there is a "force mana" meter for the bike (blue). I can buy that it has health (red) and shields/armor (green).

Also, that's an interesting idea about the purple shots being DEMP2 shots. In JK2 they were blue, its possible they have been changed to purple.

Or worse.. those could be the new Concussion Rifle shots (hope not!).

Reminds me somewhat of the "Shock Rifle" from UT.

God, I hope the that's not the conc's fire. That'd be terrible.

Are you sure the DEMP2 shot blue? I thought it was a kinda purplish.

Another idea for Siege could be some sort of swoop race. Almost sort of a relay. Two teams start at different points, with something vital at the center, that you can easily pick up from a swoop. (And far enough away to make using a swoop a truly viable option) Then you would have to return to the ship, base, whatever. The other team would try to obviously stop them and pick up the plans themselves.

:fett: Man this Movie battles mod will tie me over untill I buy JA!!!
What I was wondering is how good the bots will be? When I'm not playing on the net , I just play with bots. Will I be able to do that in siege?:confused: :fett:

Originally posted by StormHammer
According to the official site, MP will support 16 players either online or via LAN, using 56k modems or faster.

You certantly wouldn't want to go over even eight or ten players with 56k, but the maximum number of players will be 32 at least, if not hackable to make it 64. I mean, they once said JO only supported eight player MP, that was a load of crap.

Siege probably won't function as well as a pub thing as a scheduled match between organized clans unlike ffa and other gametypes.

Yes it will. ET, RtCW, DoD, etc, none have problems as public games.

Wow, the Siege mode looks teriffic. Finally, it's every Star Wars fanboy's dream come true being able to play down and dirty on both sides of the Battle of Hoth. (despite the fact that Echo base does NOT look like the Siege map shown) Oh, can't September 17 come any sooner?;)

I hope the Siege levels have some wide open spaces.

Whats the use in swoops when your just riding through alleys ?:D

hmmm I wonder if the community will make an epII arena for siege mode. With the new vehicles it would be easier.




Can map makers make siege maps with objectives and stuff?

Originally posted by $am
Can map makers make siege maps with objectives and stuff?

Well, if they can't then Siege mode will die a very rapid death. There's no point in making the game editable and allowing them to make their own maps if they can't utilise the same functionality that goes into the overall design of the game mode they're modding for. So I'll go out on a limb and say 'YES'. ;)

Neverhoodian...you're probably right in that it is not an accurate reconstruction of Hoth. I mean...there are limits to what they can achieve in the engine. However, if they have managed to incorporate areas that do appear like those in the movie, I think it should be good enough to start with. Mod teams should be able to tweak the map to add any further details, I would imagine.

Obi-Wan X...I agree, there need to be some nice wide open spaces for swoop bikes. It looks like we'll be getting them in SP, judging by some of the screenshots with swoop bikes, but MP is another matter. If the Arioche Terrain system can be utilised in MP, the I don't see much of a problem.

And as far as the 'purple shots' go, there is now another possibility since I watched the second trailer again. The secondary fire for the Imperial Heavy Repeater is definitely a purple blob - but it does travel in an arc, and not a straight line like the shots depicted in the screenshot under scrutiny.

Looking at the screenshots, I'm pretty sure that's the DEMP2 fire there.
Just an observation. ;)

I certainly hope mappers can make them.
I would deffinetly try at least one. :)
This game mode looks awesome...
Can't wait for September 17th!

Originally posted by StormHammer
Neverhoodian...you're probably right in that it is not an accurate reconstruction of Hoth.

Yeah, it's not meant to be. I already started on a map that is, though, using official layouts and blueprints. :)

Originally posted by Emon
Yeah, it's not meant to be. I already started on a map that is, though, using official layouts and blueprints. :)

That will be great to see when it's finished. Are you planning to use it for Siege mode, or something else? :)

Siege of course. I have most of the terrain done, it's massive. You're going to need vehicles to get anywhere.

Corto is making and animating an AT-AT, I'm hoping he'll let me use it.

Originally posted by Emon
Siege of course. I have most of the terrain done, it's massive. You're going to need vehicles to get anywhere.

Well, that fits in nicely with the battle sequence in the movie. ;)

And it occurs to me...couldn't you simply swap out the swoop bike models for the Air Speeders instead? That would rock, especially if you could make them 2-man flyers, with a tow-cable, to take down the AT-ATs.

Corto is making and animating an AT-AT, I'm hoping he'll let me use it.

Awesome! I hope so too, because that would be fantastic. Would they actually then function as troop carriers, and if so, how many troops?

I wish I could help out with this in some way...