posted by
Fuego
July 15, 2023
“Don’t fail me again… Admiral…”
The much-anticipated implementation of Officer Ranks has arrived at Restoration. Developers have taken classic components of both Officer Ranks and Base Busting and woven them together into a custom system centered around region defense and planetary control in order to maintain higher ranks. As you climb the ranks the demands grow greater as do the powerful abilities…
“We decided to reprioritize the GCW for this update because a lot of things lined up at once: the combat system was being reworked, Empire Day was coming up, and it was clear that Officer Ranks missing was one of the biggest complaints coming from that portion of the player base. Once everything fell into place, it was clear that this update was going to be impactful enough to deserve being called 1.1, and that rounding out the game combat cycle this way would (finally!!) set the stage for a successful release of Jedi in 1.2.”
-Ornj, Developer
After being promoted from Sergeant Major, Rebel and Imperial Officers begin their journey. This is a high risk high reward system as the Combatant status has been removed for Officers and their only choice is to be On Leave or Special Forces (PvP enabled). Defending planetary systems is a big lift so Officers unlock special attributes and abilities to help defend their region.
Lieutenant
Spawn Perk: AT-ST / AT-XT
Captain
Buff Perk: "Adrenaline Rush" provides a 5% chance to heal your action by 560 points when you are hit in combat
Major
Buff Perk: "Last Man Standing" instantly heals you by 1,750 hit points if you are incapacitated while the buff is active.
Spawn Perk: GCW Turret Spawnable. This item is purchasable from a Factional Recruiter.
Lt. Colonel/Commander
Buff Perk: "Retaliation" provides a 5% chance to damage your target back when they hit you.
Stat Perk: +5% Innate Armor (applies to either your body or ship, depending on whether you are defending a ground or space region, and is only active while Special Forces).
Colonel
Buff Perk: "Unstoppable" provides a 5% chance to be healed by 950 hit points when you are hit.
Spawn Perk: "Backup Fireteam" spawns a single group of elite NPCs to assist you in GCW combat. This item is purchasable from a Factional Recruiter.
Ability Perk: "Stasis Laser" temporarily reduces the movement speed of all enemies in the area. If your faction also controls the space region, a root effect will be applied instead of just a reduction in movement speed.
Stat Perk: +10% Innate Armor (applies to either your body or ship, depending on whether you are defending a ground or space region, does not stack with 5% from the previous rank, and is only active while Special Forces).
General
Buff Perk: "Legendary Warrior" provides all players in your group +100 to accuracy and defense and +750 to kinetic and energy protection for 3 minutes.
Spawn Perk: "Backup Squad" spawns a large group of elite and boss NPCs to assist you in GCW combat. This item is purchasable from a Factional Recruiter.
Ability Perk: "Airstrike" calls in a ship to strike your enemies from above. If your faction also controls the space region, the damage dealt by the airstrike is doubled.
Stat Perk: +20% Innate Armor (applies to both your body and ship, but does not stack with the 5% or 10% from previous ranks, and is only active while Special Forces).
Regional and planetary control become much more important as you progress into the Senior Officer ranks. Failure to defend your region results in demotion. Lucky Lord Vader doesn’t call the shots otherwise your fate would be decidedly different…
Major
Lt. Colonel / Commander
Colonel
General
Once reaching the rank of Major, you are now responsible for a region. You must keep that zone in control of your Faction or face consequences. Select your region using the War Intelpad and select your region.
One of the core mechanics of Restoration’s Officer Rank implementations are Bases. Bases act as a stronghold that help maintain your region but also give boosts to GCW points for maintenance and control purposes. While a Factional Base is placed in a zone, that zone may not have GCW Points awarded to the opposite faction. Visit your local Recruiter to purchase your Base.
Your Base can also be fortified to some degree with purchased items. Various mines and turrets are available to assist in holding off the enemy.
Note that Bases are vulnerable immediately after placing for three hours. Thereafter, the base will be vulnerable every two days for those same three hours. You are able to reset the base vulnerability window to a different time of your choosing, but will immediately become vulnerable again.
Now for the fun part! Gather your assault team and plan your attack to breach defenses and bring down the enemy’s base.
When a base shows it is vulnerable on the Planetary Map (Sun) you may begin your assault. There are also notifications in the SWG Restoration Discord to alert you of vulnerability. Be sure to bring a Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, Doctor, Commando, and Squad Leader to complete the mini games and destroy the Base.
“Combining the Planetary Control game of NGE with Base Busting from pre-CU made for a really exciting combination of mechanics. That's why the GCW update in 1.1 is so cool. Each of those systems has their fun and their flaws, but we got to combine them into something fresh. Now there’s something to fight for!”
-Ornj
Uplink Terminal: Bounty Hunter
Jamming sequence mini game - Searching for signals to jam signal uplink
Security Terminal: Smuggler
No mini game, just activation.
Override Terminal: Doctor
DNA mini game - Repeatedly align two columns of DNA to create the desired pairs of letters until all letters in the original sequence have been paired.
Power Regulator: Commando
On switch mini game - Simple on off choices to activate all switches.
HQ Terminal: Squad Leader
No mini game, just activation.
In order to maintain their status, Officers must actively be contributing toward the War effort. As discussed earlier, there is no option to be Combatant and therefore will be vulnerable to PvP when on Active Duty.
Ways to gain GCW Points
Rank ups happen each week at Noon Pacific on Thursdays.
Both sides of the War have high expectations of their Officers. Ranks will require upkeep to maintain high standing.
Bases also help to maintain Officer Ranks. Earning GCW Points in the vicinity of a Base will yield a bonus to awards.
With higher risk comes larger rewards. Along with activating the ranks, associated rewards such as stronger bases, spawning NPCs, and unique armor among other items are all available at your Factional Recruiter.
General
Colonel
Commander / Lt Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Sgt Major
Senior Sergeant / Master Sergeant
Have feedback for us?
https://forms.gle/DQU316vYi6LhNB1SA
We'll address questions in a future Developer Diary, so ask away!
May The Force be With You,
The SWG Restoration Team
