Welcome to the Maw Installation, professor. It's a relief to have a weapons engineer of your distinction on staff.
The chief engineer, Bevel Lemelisk, had hoped to be on hand to greet you, but he suffered an unfortunate near-fatal choking. He's lucky to be alive, really. I've heard the Emperor is even less forgiving than...
Be that as it may, with Lemelisk in long-term disability in a bacta tank, you are now the ranking engineer assigned to this installation. As such the responsibility for the completion of the Empire's ultimate weapon has fallen on you.
The project is officially known as the Expeditionary Battle Planetoid Development Initiative, but those in the Ministry of Propaganda have taken to calling it the "Death Star". Catchy, wouldn't you say? Whatever you want to call it, I will be arriving soon for a full design review, so you will need to redouble your efforts.
Security is tight here at the Maw, especially now that notorious Rebel spy Rianna Saren has been spotted in system. We'll need you to enter your Imperial personnel records into our databank, if you've not already done so.
In Death Star Designer, your goal is to design the Empire's ultimate weapon. During gameplay, you will be presented with a variety of Options to choose from in building your Death Star. These Options will determine your Death Star's rating in each of 5 Attributes.
The 5 Attributes are:
- Power Output - The energy output of the station's reactors
- Firepower - The destructive potential of the station
- Defense - The station's protection against capital and fighter craft assault
- Personnel Capacity - The station's habitability and crew capacity
- Naval Capacity - The extent of the station's harbors and docking bays
Grand Moff Tarkin's commission for the Death Star recommends a rating of at least 50 in each of the 5 Attributes. You will have to spend your Trillion Credit budget wisely on the various available Options in order to meet the Moff's requirements.
Unfortunately, Imperial construction and design bureaucracy being what they are, it is very likely that some of your choices will introduce certain vulnerabilities into the design. And if you're not careful you'll end up over budget, which carries its own set of risks.
The aggregate Risk of an attack by the pitiful Rebellion will be evaluated after your design is complete, and an Overall Assessment of your Death Star provided to you.
The Build Screen
The Build Screen is the core of Death Star Designer. Here you are offered a selection of clickable Options, ranging from hulls, docking bays, and superweapons to recreational facilities that perhaps the Imperial appropriations committee was not anticipating.
Each Option has a particular cost associated with it; total budget for your Death Star is limited to 1 Trillion Imperial Credits. You might find this isn't enough of a budget to create a station capable of meeting the Empire's exacting requirements, so don't feel bad if your design goes over budget. Lemelisk has assured us that there won't be any critical station vulnerabilities... of course, you probably shouldn't believe him.
The Build Screen consists of three panels:
- The "Structural View" panel shows the entirety of the Death Star.
- The "Zoom View" panel shows a close-up of the surface of the Death Star.
- The "Options" panel shows your remaining budget and available Options. The Option panel is subdivided into several sub-panels, which you will scroll through, including:
- Hull Upgrades
- Power Systems
- Superweapons
- Defensive Systems
- Naval Facilities
- Personnel Facilities
Once you have completed your design, click the button marked "Review Design" to get your Attribute Ratings and find out if Grand Moff Tarkin thinks your Death Star design is strong enough for the Empire's intended purpose.
Design Review Screen
Clicking Design Review takes you to the Design Review Screen. The Command Review screen replaces the Structural View panel with a display of your battle station's 5 Attributes. This is where the Death Star's Power Output, Firepower, Defense, Personnel, and Navy are evaluated, based on the choices you have made. Scores should be greater than 50 in each Attribute in order to pass the Design Review and move to the next stage.
If your Death Star doesn't pass muster, you will get a warning message from Grand Moff Tarkin. Tarkin is not a man to cross, so you might want to go back to the Build Screen to re-work your choices should this occur. But you can press on if you're confident in your vision!
Note that you can always return to the Build Screen even if your design passes the Review, should you want to further tinker with various aspects of your Death Star. To ensure that your designs get saved to the databank, make sure you are logged into the site and that you click "Review Design" at the end of your design session.
Secret Plans Screen
When your Death Star has completed the Design Review, a "Submit Design" button will become active. Clicking this button will generate a customized page with the secret plans for your new battle station, presenting the overall power of the station in technical language, along with its critical vulnerabilities.
Once your Death Star's Secret Plans are generated, you should email them out to your comrades and friends in the Empire. If you don't, Bevel Lemelisk will get credit for YOUR great achievement! You may also choose to submit an anonymous design, but you will not have the opportunity to brag about your engineering prowess, and where is the honor in that?