SPECULATION Star Wars: Battlefront II General Discussion

Wow!!! This is unprecedented. Amazing news. These microtransactions were making me super uncomfortable, because even if you don't use them, it feels as if you owed money to the company, even though the game already costs a lot. I'm very happy that system gone. I'm not ready to love EA yet, because something tells me they're more like a defeated villain in this situation. However, they deserve tons of positive PR for this move.

Can't wait to dive into the game later today!

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 17, 2017, Original Post Date: Nov 17, 2017 ---

Hold on, hold on. I've just read the statement more carefully - they intend to bring the crystals back after making "changes to the game." Damn... Well, let's hope for legit changes so this wasn't just a smoke screen at launch.

 

There's an overwhelming sense of pessimism about this, but quite honestly... I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, if cautiously. This time. Battlefront 2, minus the incredibly borked progression system, isn't a bad game. Not the greatest game out there for sure, but definitely the best multiplayer Star Wars game in years in terms of gameplay, and I'd really, really hate to see that potential squandered.

Quite frankly, I want to see this game succeed. Hopefully, with any luck, they'll take steps towards that by making the appropriate fixes/overhauls to the game.

 

As @srg rightly pointed out: “The ability to purchase crystals in-game will become available at a later date.” By saying this, EA hopes that people will give them the benefit of the doubt and purchase the game — before the system inevitably returns, in one state or another.

 

If they made all things that improve your stats impossible to buy with real money, it would still be a huge improvement. I don't see that happening, though... They would have to rebuild the whole star card system to make it independent from loot boxes or introduce some kind of "premium box" which you could buy with crystals (or more credit). Then, these premium boxes would have to be cosmetics only and you can't go crazy with cosmetics in a Star Wars game which aims at authenticity. And if they kept the cosmetic modifications authentic, there wouldn't be enough of them to justify paid boxes.

IMO the most likely scenario right now is that they'll tweak the credit drop to let people progress faster without crystals and the rest will stay the same. Another possibility that comes to my mind is a separate premium box you could buy with crystals, with content drop balanced in a way to make pay2win harder...

 

Well there's quite a bit of input lag on the Galactic Assault servers, so that might explain the number of times you have been killed. Try Strike. Servers are perfect.

 

Very poor effort in my opinion. I haven't been this bored playing a Star Wars game since Jedi Arena on Atari.

 

Fighter Assault definitely improved on Fighter Squadron in terms of settings and objectives, unfortunately the controls are terrible.

 

Here's the simplest solution (IMO) if EA is so desperate to bring back the system:

1. Make all lootcrates skins, MVP poses and maybe even voicelines. If people want to pay (crystals) for that garbage, good on them.

2. Make star cards unlock as you level characters/achievements, with Multiplayer credits usable to "upgrade star cards".

3. Duplicate skins, MVP poses or voice lines give you a small amount of crafting parts, which can then be used to only buy loot crates.

So Crystals and Crafting Parts = Skins/MVP/voicelines. MP credits + time played = Star Cards + Upgrades.

Result:

1. Premium currency/player cash can only buy useless items, nothing Pay-to-win.

2. MP credits actually provides the "sense of achievement" that EA/DICE keeps moaning on about. The more you play, the more credits you make, the more you can upgrade star cards.

3. Duplicate skin currency can only buy you more skins/MVP/Voicelines.


I don't want any lootcrates in games, and i'm not buying BF2 now, but if they are going to shove them back in, this is the best compromise (IMO).

 

This game was ruined by lootcrates before it even launched. Micro transactions are okay if you can only buy skins/outfits but locking heros is garbage. I was considering buying this game for the single player story but not going to now. Watch the campaign on YouTube

I play Star Wars games for the immersion and stories, would have bought 1313 and visceral game on day one, I'm not buying a game that is half locked out and requires grinding to get what I want.

EA is greedy and capitilazing on the Star Wars name and pretty graphics, If you only want to play single player I suggest you wait for a sale, especially since the story is ...to be continued, until TLJ comes out. Might as well wait for a Christmas sale

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 18, 2017, Original Post Date: Nov 18, 2017 ---

I don't mind multiplayer grinding if it's a normal progression system. I thought Titanfall 2 did it well, and it had a interesting concept for SP.

And single player dlc can be great too even if you pay for it, i liked dead space 3 awakened more than the main game, witcher 3 also had worthwhile dlc. EAs first battlefront had good dlc too I LOVED the Death Star dlc and i see how that's an afterthought/add on. Their other dlcs in the season pass were not that great (IMO) cloud city was fun, should've been in the main game though or free like Jakku

 

http://mp1st.com/news/report-disney...microtransactions-exclusivity-deal-threatened

Looks like the bad PR did more than just make EA's shareholders uneasy...

 

I know the reaction to this game has been mixed, but in all honesty, I REALLY love this game. Overall, it's such a huge improvement from the first game (which I loved, sans a few issues). I love Rey and Kylo Ren in this game. To be honest, with Battlefront, I gravitated toward Leia and Han mostly because I didn't like how the lightsaber characters played. Now, I usually choose Rey or Luke, but also know that if I need a character with awesome shooting abilities, someone like Han or Leia is there as well.

I really hope they add more maps to the single player arcade mode (Bespin, Hoth, Jakku, and a few of the other maps would be nice additions). I also hope we get some skins for the other characters. If Luke ends up using his lightsaber at all in The Last Jedi, I hope we get a skin for that. I also would love some screen-accurate skins for Leia (her A New Hope outfit is a given, but I think if she's on Hoth or Endor, the costumes should be accurate, especially considering that's the look they used for her in the previous game). I don't like that they gave her an outfit that she never actually wore in a film. She looks a little like Padmé from The Clone Wars when I'm playing as her. (And for the love of God, what was the point in giving Han facial hair when he's in his outfit from A New Hope?)

I also hope they add more Prequel Trilogy characters. (Don't go overkill, but give us some of the more necessary ones!) I'm hoping the Obi-Wan/Grievous rumor is true, and I think it would be great if they added characters like Qui-Gon and Padmé, too. (They could add Dooku and Jango Fett to go with them.) I also hope we get Jyn and Krennic. I'm disappointed we'll probably never get Cassian or Poe in these games, though.

God, I just have so many thoughts! I really loved this game! I haven't finished the Campaign mode because I've been trying to mix it up with the different modes to make sure I hit everything, but I'm really impressed. They've done a great job, and I really appreciate that EA is listening to fans on this. People can complain all they want, but the fact that EA has already made changes based on how the fans initially reacted speaks volumes about the extent to which they're going to please fans, and I really appreciate that.

 

OK, I've spent only 2-3 hours in the game so far (I'm having a more busy weekend than I expected...) but it's time for some early impressions:

- I'm surprised by how well the game runs on my PC compared to the beta (apart from long loading screens...). Night and day. It's super smooth and looks beautiful. However, I'm experiencing some serious stuttering in the campaign... It seems like it's not the fault of my hardware, because, as I mentioned, multiplayer runs great and more people have the same problem. I hope a patch is going to fix it. I just wish it came ASAP, because I don't want to wait with the story...
- Gameplay is great. Very engaging. It's easy enough to get to play as special units, so the battle point system works rather well. Heroes vs Villains is much more dynamic than in the first Battlefront, which is great.
- As for unlocking heroes, I played like 3 hours in total and I can already afford Luke or Vader (the most expensive heroes). So it looks like it really isn't difficult to get them now...
- I still need some time to judge the card-based (or should I say box-based...) progression system.

I hope they will add tons of skins. There are so many possibilities...
- Luke: Bespin, Tatooine, yellow jacket, Emperor's throne room (the basic one is from the beginning of RotJ)
- Kylo: TFA without the hood, TFA unmasked, TLJ without the cape
- Rey: Resistance outfit, Resistance outfit without the vest
- Lando: Bespin, Bespin without the cape, Han's outfit (lol)
- Even Boba could have some: animated (Hot Toys did a figure and it looks cool), white prototype

And many, many more... There are a few heroes you can't do much for, though, like Chewbacca or Bossk.

 

Microtransactions were created for people that don't want to grind or play the game. Impatient people, sore losers, and those that don't have time to put in allot of hours in the game but want all the goodies now. Anyone that played the first dice Star Wars Battlefront game knows about the Hutt contracts. I could have easy bought all the Hutt contracts for $29.99 but I wanted to get them on my own and I did. But there are those that want things now and thats what micro transactions in my opinion were created for.

People that don't have patience or time to play the game and foolish people that think if they buy everything they will be a better player. In my favorite game Call of duty I've received numerous awards for taking out the top player who for the most part is better equipped then me, so microtransactions or pay to win didn't bother me because I knew the type of players that would take advantage of that, and I understand what dice was doing with the loot crate progression system. I'm glad that the complaints were heard and we are now getting a better game. Battlefront 2 is a gorgeous game. the wildlife on Yavin 4 really immerse me in the game. I'm playing on a ps4 pro 4k tv and wow its a beautiful game.

In Star wars Battlefront 2, I'm using the assault class. I will unlock everything for that class and move on to unlock every class where as some people will only use the heavy class because they think thats the strongest class, anyway my point is if you simply enjoy playing the game and hone your skills you don't need micro transactions to win. I was appalled when a good friend of mine spent $200 on microtranaction (gambling in gaming is real!!! he could have bought 3 $60 games for some poor souls that can't afford it for xmas) in call of duty because I thought he had earned the weapon he was using from playing the game but he told me he got it from buying supply crates yet he still sucks and will never master prestige cause only the best players master prestige.

 

I've just finished the campaign. It was great (even though the potential was bigger). Very, very short, but this doesn't bother me too much, because I think it's best to consider it an addition to the multiplayer, not the other way around. It's a relatively simple shooter, so the game's mechanics don't lend themselves to long, complex narratives. Besides, it's a canon story, so they can't do non-linearity. I will say, though, that this kind of game is a perfect medium to present movie-like stories, so I'm cool with it being basically a movie with gameplay intermissions. I would welcome a big expansion with a completely separate story of the same length.

It was very cinematic, especially the last chapter (very strong ending). I loved the vibe of the new locations. They felt 100% Star Wars, great job by the art department.

Spoiler corner:

Spoiler

One thing I found iffy was how quick all the changes in allegiances were. I'm halfway through Inferno Squad (unfortunately I haven't managed to finish before the game) and based on how I see the dynamics between characters in the book, it seemed weird when Hask became a villain. I thought he would be more loyal to Iden. Same for Iden and Del joining Rebels - it seemed a bit too easy for them. Also, it's funny how the game was advertised as "the Empire's point of view" but they join the Rebels so quickly. It doesn't bother me that they do, though. Star Wars makes it clear who's good and who's bad and even though flirting with the opposite point of view is interesting, you can't make the protagonists evil.

 

Responding to "spoiler corner":

Spoiler

The quick switching of allegiances is a common complaint, and one I mostly agree with. A lot of people say it came out of nowhere, however there are hints earlier in the campaign at Iden's frustration/uncertainty with Imperial command post-Endor. The problem stems from the fact that not enough time was really given to explain the importance of Vardos to Iden or what Operation: Cinder are in-game, and, instead, the game relies on the players already being familiar with pre-established canon material before going into the game. Otherwise, Iden's extreme response to the purging of Vardos and the motives for Operation: Cinder both come off as being extremely confusing, and have both been complaints levied towards the game's story.

 

Just finished the campaign had some time tonight. Looking forward to the single player DLC in December and how the story continues...

 

I'm not interested in the campaign but I begin to know the maps a little better and to have a lot of fun in galactic assaults !

 

@TK-1204, @srg: about the whole ending, etc.:

Spoiler

i watched the cutscene film all the way through and although i agree they switched quick, i do like that they seeded it with Del working with Luke, first of all, and I also liked how Iden at least tried to save her father (though I was surprised he let her go--urged her to go--in those final moments). i also feel like Iden's "turn" started with the destruction of the Death Star. she tries hard to recommit, but you can see the fight's gone out of her: she understands the futility of it--and the Empire's arrogance. Vardos is just the last straw for her.

watching all this go down is, to me, interesting thematically with regard to the ST. all the EU canon points to this idea of making choices and jumping allegiances--that doing the right thing is what's important now--not your past, not your baggage, etc. i really like the scenes with Lando and how he gives them the ships and says: you decide. a little facile? sure. but it's Star Wars, so i'm okay with that.

i was mad that Hask killed Del at the end, though ~ hahahaha