IMPERIAL VICTORY ANNOUNCED IN FIRST TWO REBEL ENCOUNTERS!

Imperial Frigate Inamo receiving a Tyderian Shuttle
(photo: Zach Slaton, uploaded onto AOL in 10/94)

The Office of the Wing Commander announced that the first encounters with the Rebels have produced victories for the glory of the Empire. Missions 1 and 2 of The Capture of Zaarin have been evaluated by the Wing Commander and have been approved for release to all Wing Members. Consequently, these files have been attached to this Newsletter in the compressed (hammer-5.zip) file. These Emperor's Hammer approved missions consist of b1m1fm.tie (Mission 1) and b1m2bm.tie (Mission 2). The original mission names have been renamed by the Wing Commander for consistency.

Although the second mission is difficult, it features the unit and personality names of the Emperor's Hammer. Mission 1 features the encounter with four Mon Calamari MC80 Star Cruisers detailed in Newsletter No. 3. Observe the MCS Cruisers attack one another but make sure the one holding the Rebels is destroyed by your pilot. It should be noted that Mission 1 was the first publicly known attempt at mission creation for TIE Fighter. Consequently, the graphics get a bit confusing if the Cruisers attack one another but the mission is still quite playable. The inclusion of this mission makes a revised total of 5 missions to be included in the new Capture of Zaarin Battle! It should be noted that the FSP Imperial Navy, administered by our Tactical Officer (Cliffy369), will also have access to missions in this Battle.

The following is presented as a supplement to the posting in Newsletter No. 4 regarding the combat plan for the Battle I - Capture of Zaarin, which has been submitted to the Wing Commander by the Executive Officer and has been approved for further development. Due to the inclusion of Mission 1 (b1m1fm.tie), the Executive Officer's original storyline has been slightly modified to accomodate it. The following posting will complete the storyline for the first battle...

Mission 1. Encounter with FOUR Mon Calamari MC80s near the Roche Asteroid Field. Find the MC80 carrying the Rebels and destroy it to complete Primary Goal. - author: Cliffy369 - file: b1m1fm.tie 2. Admiral Zaarin has finally been captured. Patrol platform GFK-739 until the ISD Devastator, ISD Victory, and the SSD Executor arrive transporting the Emperor, Lord Vader, and our prisoner Admiral Zaarin. PROTECT THESE SHIPS AT ALL COSTS!!!! If you get into trouble, there are reinforcements of T/Ds available. - author: Quackodile - file: b1m2bm.tie 3.THE STAR DESTROYERS ARE UNDER ATTACK!!! Protect the three ISDs as they go to their hyperspace point. Expect at least four large flights of Rebels to show up. The INT Doom will arrive and keep the Rebels from escaping. - author: Quackodile 4.RESCUE!!! -- The Rebels, in cooperation with Zaarin's remaining forces, are attempting a rescue. The Platform is being attacked by many ships with warheads and ion cannons. Pilot a TIE Defender to try to stop the rescue from being completed. - author: Quackodile 5. Relocating Zaarin. -- You are instructed to pilot a TIE Advanced in this mission. Find which ship is the Escort is carrying Zaarin. A disabling task force will be launched from the ISD Avenger (yes, the actual ship on which we are stationed). In this mission, you are introduced to a new Imperial traitor... - author: Quackodile

Status/ Completed Completed In Progress In Progress In Progress

Wing Commander's Note:

The Wing Commander would like to personally congratulate and thank the Executive Officer and Tactical Officer for their diligent work on the creation and revision of these missions. All Emperor's Hammer pilots owe these fine Officers a debt of gratitude. The Emperor's Hammer eagerly awaits completion of the remaining missions in the Capture of Zaarin Battle...

Capture of Zaarin - Mission 1 (b1m1bm.tie)

The following score is posted by the Office of the Wing Commander for General Ronin's
performance in Mission 1:

3,786 points (hard)
Primary Mission Goal Completed (Shaka 1 Cruiser w/ Rebels destroyed)
1 ship destroyed by General Ronin including:
- 1 MCRS

A copy of the film clip (b1m1-1.clp) for General Ronin's performance (destruction of Shaka 1)
can be obtained from the Office of the Wing Commander @ W Call.

Capture of Zaarin - Mission 2 (b1m2bm.tie)

The following score is posted by the Office of the Wing Commander for General Ronin's performance in Mission 2:

92,824 points (hard)
ALL Mission Goals Completed
46 ships destroyed by General Ronin including:
- 11 CRVs
- 9 M/CRVs
- 1 INT

A copy of the film clip (b1m2.clp) for General Ronin's performance (including destruction of the INT Harpong and several of Admiral Zaarin's CRVs and M/CRVs) can be obtained from the Office of the W,ing Commander @ W Call.

MEDAL OF DARKNESS REQUIREMENTS POSTED

The Office of the Wing Commander has also released a hand painted PaintBrush (med-dark.bmp) rendering of the newly announced Medal of Darkness, to be awarded to pilots who successfully complete all four missions in the Capture of Zaarin. This will include successful completion of ALL Mission Goals at HARD level. In addition, realism settings must be set at realistic levels during all missions (i.e. NO "unlimited ammo" or "invulnerability"). However, Members may play these missions with "ship collisions off" without penalty or prejudice in the award of this medal.

It should be noted that the award of new Medals is at the sole discretion of the Wing Commander. Upon completion of all 5 missions in the Capture of Zaarin, the medal applicant(s) will personally submit all required documentation specified by the Wing Commander (i.e. *.clp files) via E-Mail with a brief written description of their scores (such as presented above for General Ronin). However, to save some file transfer time, pilots need only submit the portions of the mission requested by the Wing Commander (i.e. Shaka 1 destruction at end of Mission 1 or destruction of INT Harpong at end of Mission 2).

Upon review and approval, the Wing Commander will make an announcement for award of the medal to the Wing in the following Newsletter. In addition, the recommendations of an applicant's Squadron Commander may be considered by the Wing Commander in medal award reviews.

VERY IMPORTANT...WING COMMANDER'S COMMENT REGARDING MEDALS...

All pilots should note that the Wing Commander will have flown and completed all of these missions. Consequently, ANY forged, edited or fictitious applications submitted for medal award will result in immediate dismissal of the offending pilot from the Wing...Imperial Officers are bound by a Code of Honor...

WING COMMANDER POSTS RANK ADVANCEMENT PROCEDURES

In response to recent inquiries regarding "rank" within the Emperor's Hammer, the Wing Commander herein posts the recommended procedures for advancement within Sqaudrons

WING MEMORANDUM

TO: All Squadron Commanders
FROM: Wing Commander General Ronin

Since the Emperor's Hammer was commissioned as an elite strike wing, Member pilots will be allowed to retain their military ranks previously earned in TIE Fighter and DOE. These military ranks were primarily useful in gaining entrance to the Wing. "Rank" within the Emperor's Hammer will be determined by position. In addition, intitial appointments were made in a first come, first position format. Consequently, I felt a more impartial and fair system must exist within the Hammer to give Members an opportunity to improve their position within the Wing.

The following presents the Order of Command within the Emperor's Hammer:

Wing Commander*
Executive Officer*
Tactical Officer*
Flight Officer*
6 Squadron Commanders*
12 Flight Leaders
54 Flight Members
72 TIEs total

* - primarily administrative positions

Following posting on AOL, Member pilots (excluding Command Officers and Squadron Commanders who are often distracted by more mundane management responsibilities such as creating missions or writing newsletters) will have one week to complete the mission objectives and save their results in a film clip (*.clp) file. Following completion of the waiting period for the last mission in a given battle, each Squadron Commander will review the petitions of all pilots seeking promotion within his Squadron. The Squadron Commanders will then compare the performance of all qualified applicants with respect to their performance on the missions. For example, if a Flight Member performs all of his missions brilliantly and his Flight Leader does not perform one or more of the missions, does poorly on them, or refuses to submit *.clp files to defend his position, the Squadron Commander has the authority to promote the pilot and/or demote the Flight Leader. Conversely, if two pilots were both applying for a vacant Flight Leader position, the pilot with the better record should get the position.

Please note that, as stated in Newsletter No. 1, the responsibility of overall management within a Squadron rests with its Sqaudron Commander. The procedures outlined above are only recommended for consistency within the Wing. In addition, these "Battle Performance Reviews" may only be conducted following completion of the last mission within a Battle.

Finally, it should be noted that the Wing Commander and other Command Officers reserve the right to overrule ANY and ALL position promotions/demotions with a majority decision. Although this policy will not be enforced regularly, it serves as a reminder to the pilots of the Command structure of the Emperor's Hammer. Any questions regarding this matter are to be directed to the Office of the Wing Commander @ W Call.

SSD Executor and ISD Avenger prior to Battle
for the Capture of Zaarin...although the Avenger
seems large by comparison, the SSD Executor
is several klicks in the background
(photo: Zach Slaton, uploaded onto AOL in 10/94)

AOL EMPEROR'S HAMMER FOLDER ANNOUNCED!