A galaxy that was far, far away has just come a little bit closer.

Welcome one and all to the guide for the latest game from Lucasarts, Star Wars: Empire at War. Whether you're a loyal member of the Empire or a piece of Rebellion-sympathizing Wookie-loving scum, you now have the chance to rewrite a bit of Star Wars history and unite the galaxy before the phrase "I am your father" became a cliché. The lasers will be flying, the ships will be exploding, and the Force will be as strong as ever as the war rages across space.

A nicely focused real-time strategy game, Empire at War will test your patience and aggression. Do you sit back and let your scientists research that new ship, or do you press the attack? Do you sink credits into spicing up your ground defenses, or will you put all that money and effort into the Death Star? Will blowing up the planet really help you tactically regardless of how much fun the mere act is? All these questions, and any others you may have, are answered in this guide.

Good luck, commander. Live long and prosper... Er, we mean, may the Force be with you.

In this Star Wars: Empire at War guide, you'll find:

• Planets: A crash course in what planets are as far as how Star Wars: Empire at War concerns them, and what they mean to you.
• The Empire: From Stormtroopers to the Death Star, this section will give you the skinny on the dark side.
• The Rebel Alliance: Han Solo and Chewbacca are hanging out here, and information on Rebel units and buildings can be found here as well.
• Tactical Battles: So just how is combat conducted? Take a look here for all the info.
• Galactic Conquest: The fate of the galaxy is not determined by a single battle. Come here for tactics and strategy on uniting the galaxy, as well as a few notes on Campaign Mode.

Get the Star Wars: Empire at War Online Strategy Guide

For the Empire do all the missions they ask because the stuff you get will help. If you wait a while you will recieve credits and Imperial Star Destroyers (started at tech level 4 for the Star Destroyers).

Soon planets will start revolting slowly to your side so build a Space Station and Barracks at the same time if you can't keep ships at the planet or get them there because if a single enemy ship that would trigger combat enters the system it will cancel the Space Station, but you will still have the barracks which should be done quickly.

Afterwards keep upgrading the Space Station and build a light factory and build 2 Storm Troopers for every AT-ST or TIE Mauler, but make sure to build the Storm Troopers first.

Conquer or capture all the planets except the mission planet. Then fortify the planets around your mission planet. Once this is done set the game to fast forward and let the game run. Check on it every so often to make sure you have not been attacked. After a while check your cash flow. If you like it resume normal play and beat the scenario. If not, just wait and let your money build.

For the Rebellion, find a planet with no ground structures using the map filters and make a fleet using only 3PO and Artoo. Once they land, they capture the planet instantly. If there is a fleet in space, you cannot build space structures, but it does not affect planetary occupation.