It does sound better than the initial description.

I wonder what the small spikey round thing is? It looks like a old sea mine, in space... so im guessing its a mine?

Yep. The preview does also touch on the race-specific minefields that we'll be able to create

I wanna mod it.

Get your chance soon you will, young padawan.

Everybody wins!

  They even tell us how to mod starbases in 'nilla soase

-Use a capital ship that looks like a starbase

-Apply or remove buff to self, switching weapons and engines

-pack it with weapons!

This will actually make modding minefileds in way easier, since I assume they are going to make a proper thing with it instead of a workaround.

Also, that image with the mines, is it me or have they actually started using specular maps properly? That mine texture is superb. I'm definitely going to get this, if only to use it as a reference for my mod work.

Oh. Emm. Gee. I WANTS!!

Just wondering if the developers have thought of the impact of fragmented expansions on online play, though. How will they manage that?

The contents of the expansion will be deactivated when playing with people who don't have it. So if you've got it and another guy doesn't, you can play but you won't have the Entrenchment features for yourself.

Must have! Can't wait till November, its sooo long away.

Looks nice.

Oh, and the concept art is breathtaking.

Sweet, sounds cool and the new space mines may make it easier for the DoV team to add in their own.

"will be rewarded with a defensive platform that makes the Death Star look like a kid's snow fort."

Believe me, some of the stuff we are doing with Star Bases (which isn't in the Gamespy preview) couldn't be done with modding. Likewise with much of the other new material.

Hi Blair, I just want to say that I have so much fun playing this game.  The community is so incredible that I wish it could stay this way forever, posting with such a smart group of gamers, nowdays, is just priceless.  

You know, since we are talking about Star Bases and the snow fort, I have always wished that I could just blow up a whole planet into bits in a game.  Can a Star Base do that for me?  And since Star Bases are such sophistacated structures, could it snatch another structure like a factory or even the super weapons?  For ex. if a Tec Star Base has snatched a Novalith Cannon within the gravity well, then... You know, I am just typing around.

Finally, I do think there should be some kind of rewards for us, the ones who are going to purchase the mini packs, instead of the later full expansion.  The reasons are pretty obvious: 1. We are pretty much supporting the next mini pack, and the one after that with our money and time.  2. We are supporting the Impulse and its future, which is going to be oh so bright, I can see it.  3. The full expansion package is probably going to be cheaper...comparing dl the mini-pack, separately (if you count out the joys).  I am not going to ask for a cake, just some special, and exclusive character portraits for the early buyers. 

P.S. The developers got to fix the online MP starting position problems, and maybe make Heavy Fallout a togglable ability?

Umm being able to play it first is the reward.

I hope they fix the number - to as many as possible - of diffrent types of strike craft entities can hold *hopes in vain*. I need 5.

Anyway, I wonder if this new mechanism for transporting 'platforms' can be used with other stuff.... *goes into Modder Mind Mode*

(If you didn't read it Im refering to: "A deployment cell is built from the capitalship factory which can move through both subspace and phase space. Once you have the deployment cell at the desired location, you can deploy the Star Base which is then immobile. While being moved / deployed the Star Base is very vulnerable which is why you would want an escort fleet (not for towing)." which sounds like good gameplay.)