Petroglyph adds 64-bit architecture support to Empire At War in latest update

As 2023 draws to a close, Petroglyph has unveiled a new update for the beloved 2006 classic, Star Wars Empire at War: Gold Edition. The team comes back to the game every couple of years and has been diligently working on a new patch that upgrades both Star Wars: Empire at War and its expansion Forces of Corruption to support 64-bit architecture, enhancing the game for modern systems.

Petroglyph says this latest update will resolve the persistent “Out of Memory” errors that players on contemporary systems have faced for years. This enhancement is expected to not only stabilize the game’s performance but also provide modding teams with the opportunity to create larger scale battles and achieve smoother frame rates, thanks to the additional RAM availability.

Empire at War update fixes "Out of Memory" issues

Stability improvements have been made to the fondly remembered multiplayer mode, and several gameplay issues have been fixed by adjusting certain maps, graphic assets, and the core functionality of some of the units used in space and land battles.

“This work has been done with support provided by the outstanding team at Lucasfilm Games. We are profoundly grateful for their unwavering dedication to the game and community. A heartfelt shout-out also goes to the indispensable community leaders whose tireless efforts of reporting bugs, rigorously testing builds, and offering invaluable feedback have truly made a world of difference.” read a post from Empire at War’s community manager.

Here’s the full list of changes:

• [FOC] Restored Stop command functionality to its original state from EaW, correcting unit behavior.
• [EAW/FOC] Ship names are now selected randomly post-destruction, avoiding repetition.
• [EAW/FOC] Addressed an upgrade issue for Crusader Gunships, Interceptor IV Frigates, and Keldabe Battleships' targeting range.
• [EAW/FOC] Resolved crashes on some PCs caused by beam-type weapons or abilities.
• [EAW/FOC] Fixed freezing issues with Yoda and other Force users during ability use.
• [EAW/FOC] In Skirmish Mode, fixed friendly fire between allied players' projectiles.
• [EAW/FOC] Corrected inconsistent healing for units with targetable hardpoints.
• [EAW/FOC] Ensured difficulty settings are retained on user-generated galactic conquest maps.
• [EAW/FOC] Optimized loading of assets by fixing bad data references.
• [EAW/FOC] Hero health bars now accurately display health above units.
• [EAW/FOC] Solved self-destruct issues for hardpoint units when hyperspacing heroes in.
• [EAW/FOC] Updated Fresia and Byss land maps for better AI performance.
• [EAW/FOC] Updated Venator and MC80 shield meshes to cover ships properly.
• [EAW/FOC] Addressed a respawn bug for starting units in space skirmish.
• [FOC] Fixed missing flag on unit icons for starting units in space skirmish.
• [EAW/FOC] Resolved a bug with Mon Mothma or Grand Moff Tarkin preventing invasions.
• [EAW/FOC] Fixed building construction bug that hindered planet control changes.
• [EAW/FOC] Restored skirmish multiplayer lobby for 5+ players of the same faction.
• [EAW/FOC] Removed faction requirements for multiplayer, allowing any faction combination.
• [EAW/FOC] Made global object IDs accessible by lua for user-generated content.
• [EAW/FOC] Fixed cursor flickering caused by hardware mouse.
• [FOC] Fixed turret faction assignment on Galactic Conquest Felucia Space.
• [EAW/FOC] Adjusted space maps to correctly support two special structure slots.
• [EAW/FOC] Modified data for correct number of special structures on specific space maps.
• [FOC] Corrected fire visuals for Gargantuan deployment on planet surfaces.
• [FOC] Corrected skirmish land maps for Hoth, Mandalore, and Bothawui.
• [FOC] Updated Galactic Kamino space map to exclude unintended Zann Consortium units.
• [FOC] Adjusted damage multipliers for Crusader Gunship hardpoints.
• [FOC] Fixed missing AI data on Dathomir skirmish land map.
• [FOC] Extended boundaries on Yavin space base map to address asteroid issues.
• [EAW/FOC] Standardized damage multipliers for Acclamator turbolasers.
• [FOC] Updated map previews for accuracy in multiplayer and mission maps.
• [FOC] Restored attack animation for Rancor's infantry encounters.
• [EAW/FOC] Fixed Vader’s Force crush ability to prevent floating objects.
• [EAW] Adjusted GC Hoth Map for attacker's starting position.
• [EAW/FOC] Added new art for destroyed pirate frigates to correct scale inconsistency.
• [FOC] Garrisoned units with hardpoints no longer leave them behind.
• [EAW/FOC] Enabled higher screen refresh rates in video options.
• [EAW/FOC] Resolved a rare crash during group unit selection.
• [EAW/FOC] Corrected accessible locked planets in story campaigns.
• [EAW/FOC] Fixed the AT-ST barrage area stop firing issue.

OTHER INTERNAL GAME CHANGES:

• Forces of Corruption story lua scripts are now uncompiled in the 64Patch.meg.
• Added new event parameters for story rewards and xml tags for unit behavior.
• Exposed global object IDs to LUA for tactical modes.
• [FOC] Unit targeting inaccuracy now applies broadly across unit types.

UPDATED MAP EDITOR:

• Map editor is now 64-bit compatible.
• Enabled new functions like Decal, Tracks, Animations, Cinematics, and Object Overview Dialog.
• Editor retains shaders and textures not in a .meg file.
• Improved tools and map view divider for better resolution support.
• Fixed several crash-causing issues.

Be aware that save games from the 32-bit version will not be compatible with this update. To access your 32-bit save games, you can revert to the 32-bit version by going to PROPERTIES -> BETAS -> selecting ‘32-bit_version’.

You can grab the Empire At War Gold Pack from Steam.

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