Star Wars Battlefront III

[Syt]

It appears patch 1.03 is out today. In Walker Assault, each map is now played twice in a row, switching sides after the first round.

Also:

The below patch notes apply to PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
- General bug fixes for vehicles and physics improvements
- Game modes balancing tweaks
- HUD UI adjustments
- Audio optimizations
- General crash and stability fixes
- Online traffic performance improvements
- Various text fixes for all languages
- General bug fixes for both Missions and Multiplayer
- Legacy Controls should now work as intended

Which is ... vague. A German site says that supposedly there's some nerf to Barrage (explosion delay) and the DL-44 (less damage/range). May have a quick look tonight.

[Berkut]

Anyone have an overall "yeah/nay" feeling?

I played the beta and it was kind of "Meh".

Feels like the only thing it really has going for it is that it is Star Wars.

[Ed Anger]

It's fun in short bursts. Make some 10 year old cry when you shove Vader's saber up their butt.

[Syt]

Yeah, I occasionally play for an hour. The Star Wars coat of paint is impressive. It's possibly the best looking and sounding game I've ever played. But gameplay is meh and shallow.

Recommendation: wait for the expansions to see if it improves  (and if it will still have a player base at that point).

[lustindarkness]

I'm glad I did not pay for it. Like Syt said, good for an hour or so.


I'm having too much fun with Black Ops III, Call of Duty is finally back with a good game.

[celedhring]

Yeah, I occasionally play for an hour. The Star Wars coat of paint is impressive. It's possibly the best looking and sounding game I've ever played. But gameplay is meh and shallow.

Recommendation: wait for the expansions to see if it improves  (and if it will still have a player base at that point).

IIRC EA is using the same engine for all their games nowadays, so I hope to see that "coat of paint" emerging in a worthy game.

[Syt]

It's the latest version of the Frostbite engine which seems to scale really well on different systems.

The pre-release articles pointed out that they sent folks on location (e.g. the glacier in Norway where ESB was filmed, or to the Redwood Forests, and to Iceland for Sullust) for capturing the landscapes. And you can tell that A LOT of work has gone into the environments. Endor is just stunning with trees, foliage, bushes and ferns, puddles of water, and mud. The other maps (Tatooine, Hoth, Sullust) lack in vegetation, but the level of detail is still amazing, down to small pebbles, the inside of bases and hangars ... unfortunately, the same amount of effort hasn't gone into the gameplay.

[lustindarkness]

... unfortunately, the same NO amount of effort hasn't gone into the gameplay.

[celedhring]

Pretty sure I'll still pick it up when I buy a new PC next year, just for the OMG I AM ON HOTH!!!! effect. The videos I have seen in youtube are mesmerizing.

[lustindarkness]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/12/07/ea-star-wars-battlefront-may-not-have-the-depth-experienced-gamers-want

Electronic Arts' CFO Blake Jorgensen has acknowledged that Star Wars Battlefront "may not have the depth" experienced players want in the sci-fi shooter.

Talking at the Nasdaq Investor Conference in Europe, Jorgensen said that the game was intentionally designed to be accessible for those new to first-person shooter games, or kids wanting to play with their parents.

"Star Wars Battlefront is a first-person shooter, but it is [one of] the only teen-rated first-person shooters," said Jorgensen. "We had designed it to be a much more accessible product to a wide age group.

[Syt]

Well, there's ways to be accessible, but still offer a high skill ceiling. World of Tanks is pretty accessible and easy to get into, but offers a lot of depth for those who want it.

[Barrister]

Well, there's ways to be accessible, but still offer a high skill ceiling. World of Tanks is pretty accessible and easy to get into, but offers a lot of depth for those who want it.

WoT has been in development for years.

EA however has to keep cranking out multiple titles per year.

[Syt]

Partially true, but you'd think the developers, DICE, who make the Battlefield games, should know how to do a proper combined arms multiplayer shooter. Also, they're already developing the sequel (even though none of the expansions are out yet).

[lustindarkness]

My review after three matches on Battle of Jakku on PS4:
Go for objective and die from snipers and lose match, or have fun sniping from the edges of the map forgetting about the objective and lose anyway. Not sure there is anything else I can say other than its visually pretty.

[Syt]

Yes, the map is very pretty and feels larger and more diverse than the other maps. I wish there were more maps like that. I wish there were maps, period.

They've outlined what the season pass will have. http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront/season-pass

"Over 20 new pieces of galactic tech, including weapons, vehicles, and Star Cards for both Rebels and Imperials." (Do emotes and cosmetic items count as "galactic tech"? )
4 more heroes and villains
16 new multiplayer maps including new locations
4 exciting new game modes
Two week early access to each expansion
And most importantly: the "Shot First" emote

That sounds pretty anemic for a $50 season pass, but maybe they add super awesome maps and game mods that are totally worth it (I doubt it).