A huge amount of Star Wars Zero Company information has just been published. Developers Bit Reactor took part in a Discord Q&A late on Tuesday and gave fans responses to the most asked questions about the upcoming tactics game. Below are the most interesting questions and answers which will no doubt add more excitement to fans ahead of launch.
Can you have a whole team of Clones?
Operators in Zero Company have access to clone armor cosmetics with the ability to customize their armor from the start. Bonus: Clone Trooper helmets even provide a voice modulation to characters.
You will be able to unlock Clone Troopers after a certain point in the story, allowing you to have a full team of Clone Troopers.
How many hours will the game be?
Depending on your difficulty level and experience with the strategy genre, we estimate about 30-40 hours for the average player to complete the main story campaign.
What was it like creating the character Hawks and how early did you decide to make him the main character?
Hawks was a long conversation for our team. Stepping into the Clone Wars, we built a character who not only served as a figurehead for this group of unexpected heroes from all walks of the galaxy, but also as someone who cares. Balancing those characteristics with an identity that people could identify with and attach to was extremely important.
It took us a while to create a character that fits in that way. This also played a big role in how we approached the voice performance for Hawks. Depending on whether they choose the male or female version of Hawks, players might notice that the voice options feel more like an outlaw cowboy or a by-the-book FBI agent. Both voice actors brought different avenues for players to connect to. Coupled with the player’s option to pick the character’s species, first name, appearance, clothing and more, we made those choices customizable in the game universe so Hawks felt like they could be anybody.
Is Hawks only required to be deployed for story-related missions or can we not deploy him at all if we wanted?
Hawks is required on all story missions, but for skirmish missions players are welcome to bring any combination of Operators they want!
If Hawks dies/suffers 3 injuries, is he out as a unit, does the mission restart, or does it mean game over?
Hawks is your main playable character, so it’s an automatic mission failure if Hawks dies in combat, and you’ll need to restart the mission.
Can we have some news about the collectors edition please?
We don’t have anything to announce today but keep an eye out this coming weekend for more news.
For clone customization, will there be more unique types of armor/helmets like arf, airborne, commando, etc? And what options will there be for their armor patterns?
Our team here at Bit Reactor felt it was important to give players the option to have fun with character customization. We think you’ll be very happy with the selection of paint jobs and patterns we have for helmets, armor, and more for Clone Trooper customization.
Will the game have modding support? If so, to what extent would it be allowed?
We have a lot of respect for the modding community, but there is no official mod support planned for Star Wars: Zero Company.
With the option to customize hawks and him showing up in cutscenes in the trailers, it seems like the cutscenes will be real-time rendered instead of pre-rendered. Are most of the cutscenes in this game going to be real-time rendered?
Most of the cutscenes in-game are rendered in real-time, but there are a few minor exceptions where we use pre-rendered cinematics. It was important to our team for players to see the characters they’ve customized reflected throughout their gameplay experience.
What is the operator limit at HQ? Does it increase as the game progresses or does it remain static through the game?
The current operator limit is 20, but players will start with a maximum of 7 operators. This limit can be increased through different upgrades at The Den, story progression, and as new Authored Operators join the squad.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the variety in weapons and gear we can outfit our operators with?
Players will have a lot to discover once Star Wars Zero Company is released, but there is a deep well of equipable weapons and utilities for you to experiment with and customize as you progress in the game. We have four weapon classes, alongside 4 to 6 cosmetic models you can select from within each class.
Is the Squad limit capped at 4 operators?
The standard squad limit can go up to 4 Operators, but players will have the opportunity to control additional characters in certain missions.
It seems from everything we’ve been told that Jedi Padawan is tied to Tel-Rea herself, but what happens if Tel-Rea dies? Are we able to create/recruit more Jedi Padawans to Zero Company, or is she simply the only character that fits into that class?
Tel-Rea is the only Jedi Padawan class Operator in Star Wars Zero Company—be careful that nothing unfortunate happens to her!
Will there be enemy vehicles (or bigger droids like dwarf spiders) that you will have to fight during missions?
We can’t share specifics just yet, but there will be missions that involve some heavy machinery.
Will there be any weather effects in the game that affect the squad’s visibility or efficiency?
The weather effects during combat are purely cosmetic and will not affect the squad’s visibility or efficiency.
Do outfits impact your character’s gameplay?
You have to look good to play good, but outfits do not impact gameplay.
Will we get Beskar armor for our operatives to wear? If so can we customize the armor?
You will have a ton of cosmetic options for armor in the game, but only Cly can wear the Mandalorian armor.
Will there be new game+ at launch?
We won’t have New Game+, but players will unlock certain customization options on subsequent playthroughs.
How early into the game can we make a full astromech team?
Astromechs are unlocked pretty early in the game, and you can build a full team as soon as you can recruit astromechs. Hawks is required for story missions, but additional slots can be filled with astromechs at all times. We want to see all the Astromech teams!
Can we recruit B1 battle droids or Separatist battle droids?
You cannot recruit Separatist droids as Operators in Star Wars Zero Company.
Will Zero Company have access to any specialized call ins? depending on if the theater of operation is in a warzone, can we count upon calling in LAAT support once per mission? or the ability to exfiltrate early from an operation if things are going poorly at the expense of mission failure?
There will not be any specialized call-ins. Hawks has to make it out, or it’s an automatic mission fail. We recommend taking your time with team planning to build a squad that supports your playstyle for mission success.
Will our characters have Nicknames? And if so, will they potentially get to get them over time with a nickname pool, like in XCOM 2?
Nicknames aren’t acquired like in XCOM 2, but players can fully customize recruited Operator names and backstories when you customize your character.
Are certain species/factions better at weapon proficiencies than others?
There are no certain species or factions with better weapon proficiencies because we don’t want players to feel they have to pick a specific species to optimize their gameplay.
How many different locations will we get to visit in Star Wars Zero Company?
The Galaxy Map includes over 150 planets where strategic Operations can potentially take place throughout your campaign. Many of these are the site of choose-your-adventure style war table choices. We then have over a dozen unique planets where Tactical Missions can take place, each with richly detailed environments developed in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Games team.
Can you romance squadmates or deeply explore the world?
No, there aren’t any romance systems or branching paths in Star Wars Zero Company. While we are excited about pushing the genre forward with a more cinematic approach, this is still a turn-based tactics game at its heart where adept skill and strategy are needed to overcome tense combat challenges. That said, there are story moments that can alter based on who you have in your squad, but the overall story is a linear one from beginning to end.
As far as exploration goes, yes, you’ll have the ability to explore a section of some planets prior to engaging in turn-based combat on them. This is a minor facet of the game that we feel adds a unique, immersive quality to Star Wars Zero Company. These small segments are a chance for you, as Hawks, to conduct the espionage that Zero Company excels at, and are main-story-only segments that can affect the subsequent combat by granting Intel and Advantage Points.
Are there different endings to the game based on my choices?
Star Wars Zero Company is a game about choosing different squads, battles, difficulty levels, etc. to see how the narrative will play out. While your choice affects character Bonds and some story elements, because who you have in your squad will be different, the story’s conclusion will be largely the same for everyone.
Will there be any DLC or Post-launch content?
Right now, we’re focused on making the best game we can at launch and don’t have anything to announce today.
Will there be any additional microtransactions?
No, we don’t have any plans for monetization or microtransactions at this time.
Can you share any other information about other prominent actors/voice actors from Star Wars animated or live action reviving their roles in Star Wars Zero Company?
Dee Bradley Baker will provide his iconic voice to Trick and the Clone Troopers. We look forward to announcing our full cast in the lead up to San Diego Comic-Con.
How does permadeath work in Star Wars Zero Company?
Permadeath is enabled by default but can be toggled off if desired. We encourage you to adjust the settings to create the best experience for yourself. For those interested in trying permadeath in their campaigns, we feel it provides a unique experience of experiencing loss, a core theme of Star Wars, and pushing through that loss to what’s on the other side of the emotional experience.
Will Star Wars Zero Company release on the Switch or Steam Deck?
We are still developing and optimizing the game across Steam and the PC, PS5 and XB X|S platforms. If we have any news to share on this front, we’ll be sure to let you know.
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