Thank you for trying out the Tides of War public beta release!  This release is intended to give people a preview of the combat system and generate interest for the first full version, due out ideally within a few months.  Of course, roleplay is still very possible even with some features missing; some ToW community members such as myself have been doing it for quite a while.

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In order to help newcomers out, here are some random questions and answers that will hopefully get you up to speed.  Plenty of other information can be found at the ToW forums (forums.swtow.com).


1. Generally, what is Tides of War?

It is a roleplaying community as well as a roleplaying system that attempts to recreate the action and adventure seen during the height of the Star Wars Galactic Civil War (right around Return of the Jedi).  You can still participate if you don't care much for roleplay, but things probably won't be as enjoyable for you.  Many aspects of ToW roleplay are carried out in-game, using the Tides of War mod for the flight sim Freelancer.


2. Why Freelancer?

It is inexpensive and easily available; also, it's what the ToW project started with.


3. How do I use this mod and play?

If you do not have the Freelancer Mod Manager installed, download the latest version from Lancer's Reactor (www.lancersreactor.com); note that the mod is compatible with older versions of FLMM as well if you already have it.  With FLMM installed, you will be able to install the dynamic and static mods (both have the .zip.flmod extension and will be recognized by FLMM).  Using FLMM, deactivate any other active mods and then activate the dynamic and static mods together, then run Freelancer and find the official ToW server by clicking multiplayer->internet.  Sorting available servers by version number usually helps.  Alternately, you may prefer to directly connect with the server, especially if the global Freelancer server is down; details on how to do this will be available on the ToW forums if it becomes necessary.


4. Is there anything I should know before going on the server?

Please register at our forums !  Once again the address is forums.swtow.com.  We probably won't know you exist unless you do this, and to participate in roleplay you're going to need to do it anyway.  Once you have registered, be sure to read the rules, which can be found in the aptly-named rules subforum (they're not that long, don't worry).  Remember, if you violate a rule, claiming ignorance is no excuse.  Other useful posts such as ship allowances can also be found in the rules subforum.  Remember that if you wish to join the Empire or Rebel Alliance, you must first post in the appropriate recruitment thread and be officially accepted; until you are accepted, you are a civilian.  Remaining a civilian is of course a valid option as well.


5. Why two mods?  Shouldn't the static and dynamic portions be combined into one mod?

The dynamic mod is currently about 13 megs, while the static mod is around 125.  The static mod is specifically set up so that it will never conflict with a non-ToW mod when it is activated; this means that you can safely leave it active even when you want to play other mods.  The dynamic mod contains the information needed to make Freelancer recognize the content in the static mod, as well as any content that could not be put in the static mod.  This effectively means that activating/deactivating ToW requires only the activation/deactivation of a 13 megabyte mod rather than a 138 megabyte mod.  Especially for some older machines, this is a big deal.


6. Why are the ships 1/4 scale?

This is an unfortunate consequence of using the Freelancer engine.  Large ships with equipment spread across the hull invariably generate greater lag, often much greater.  Since much of ToW combat revolves around the use of capital ships, consistent reduction of ship scale was a necessary evil.  However, relative to one another ships are all properly scaled; for example, the 150-meter CR90 corvette is now 37.5 meters, and the 1600-meter ISD is now 400 meters.  Without a full-scale reference to judge by, putting those ships side-by-side would result in the same appearance regardless of whether the ships themselves were full scale or 1/4 scale.


7. Why are the planets so small?  And why can I only see ships within 10 km?

The planet size may increase a bit in future releases, but the order of magnitude is not likely to change.  The reason is that we had to find a balance between accuracy and gameplay; 10 km turned out to be a satisfactory compromise for visibility distance, which in turn dictated the approximate maximum size that solar systems cou  If we knew we could expect a thousand people on the server regularly, we could make the solar systems bigger; however, this isome before the player interactions would be expected to fall to unacceptable levels.


8. Why do so many solar systems look exactly the same?

This beta release is built on an older release that was intended to develop slowly into the final version; in order to let people play immediately, basic template systems were used in place of more complex and unique systems.  However, after deciding to alter the galactic layout entirely, there was no longer a need to replace the template systems with real ones.  Solar systems in the full version will be much more interesting.


9. I'm not understanding the deep space systems.  What are they and how do they work?

This will be replaced with a different system in the full version, but as they are what the beta uses: When you jump out of a system, you will go to that system's deep space.  Once in the deep space system, select the jump to system you wish to go to, fly to it (be sure to use fast sublight!), and jump through; you will be in your destination system.  The hyperspace travel time is simulated by the amount of time spent moving through the deep space system.  If you need to get to a system that cannot be reached from the current deep space system, make an intermediate stop in a system that's in the same direction as your destination.  On a related note, the blue lines drawn onto the universe map indicate major hyperpace routes.  If you travel between any two systems on the same hyperspace route, the travel time will be significantly lower.


10. Why are Imperial and Rebel ships free, while civilian ships cost lots of money?

Imperials and Rebels don't participate in the economy directly.  As each of these player factions represents just a subset of their respective fleets, it is implied that a massive economic machine exists outside of the scope of normal gameplay.  Civilians, on the other hand, exist either in smaller groups or as independents, so any resources they possess must be gained with their own hands.  


11. So can I buy a ship that costs 1 credit if I'm a civilian?

Of course not.  Do it and your name will be mud.  Or something equally bad.  Even if the ship appears to be on the civilian ship list, if it is super cheap then it is obviously the IN/RA version of that ship, not the civilian version.


12. The infocard says "purchase restricted".  What does that mean?

Absolutely nothing at the moment.  It's a holdover from a previous release that I need to get around to changing eventually.


13. What are zomgbayz?

This is something that can only be understood by remaining in the community for a while, sorry.


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Credits:

It's been a long time since I first obtained many of these models, so my memory is rather hazy as to where they came from.  As such, I definitely apologize if I have forgotten you.  Most of our ship models come from EvilleJedi, the famed modder/modeler of the Warlords mod for Homeworld 2.  Skyblazer made the T-wing and, more importantly, was our initial connection to EJ and his mighty model selection.  The Venator model was made by Arvis Taljik.  I do recall that the C3, Gallofree and Executor came from CZW.  I believe the A-wing and Firespray models were made by Porsche, and quite possibly some others too.  I know we have at least one other model source (for the TIEs), but I cannot remember his/her/their name(s) for the life of me.  Again, I apologize; I really wish I had some records as to where things came from.  I imagine someone will remember at some point in the future.


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On behalf of all Tides of War members, welcome to our community, and may you find it a satisfying and enjoyable environment where you can let your inner Star Wars nerd roam free.

- Devast8or (Dev), lead developer