In general, I'm much more enthused about this game than the last one. I'm still leery of preordering, but on paper it sounds a lot better.
I'm not sure if the deluxe version is worth it though. Anyone have any insight on that?
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Yyeeeaaaahhhh....soooo...about that?
I pre-ordered. :$
And so far, after having played for one evening in the multiplayer beta, I'm liking it. It's taking some real getting used to, but I think there's a lot of potential.
For those who don't know, the multiplayer beta (which is open to all pre-orders as of 10/6) has the following maps and modes:
- Galactic Assault on Naboo. (Clone Wars era)
- Starfighter Assault above Fondor (OT era)
- Strike on Takodana. (TFA)
Galactic Assault
Description This is basically the old Walker Assault, although it's more varied now. Objectives are different. For this map, you have to escort the big droid transport tank to the palace, after which you have to attack the palace and gain entrance to the throne room. Design-wise, it's a real change of pace. Not simply doing the same thing in different locations anymore. It's a nice change of pace, too, actually, if the map plays out fully. You get varied locations, varied goals, and different types of combat.
Pros Naboo is
gorgeous. I almost never watch the PT, so I forget just how pretty Naboo really is. The varied gameplay is also really appreciated. You start in much more open combat in the streets, then work to closer quarters combat in the palace, where you have to capture zones (I think -- I haven't played that far into the map). When you're in the streets, you need to either protect your transport, or destroy it. Destroying it ends the match. Protecting it moves you to the next phase. In a way, this is like the Scarif DLC, but instead of having the phase where you blow up the ships, and then another map where you escape with/protect the tapes, you have it all in a single map. Nice! The Clone War era stuff is well done, too. Weapons feel appropriate to the classes, visuals and sounds are solid.
Cons Due to how the map spawns are designed, you spend a lot of time running to get into the action, especially as the Droid army. So far, you don't have "partner spawn" so there's no way to instantly spawn ahead. The "Reinforcements" concept -- where you use "battle points" (usable only during combat) to spawn in as a suped-up unit of some kind -- is neat, but in execution, it's a mixed bag so far. For example, the Republic forces can spawn a LAAT gunship (the flying suckers in Attack of the Clones that ferry the troops around). In theory, it's a cool idea. It rides on rails, you operate one of the laser beam turrets, and can shoot at ground troops. In practice, it's useless. It's too hard to see the enemy, the gun doesn't do enough damage, and the "ride on rails" aspect of it makes it that much harder to use. On the Droid side, you can spawn in with their big battle tank. Trouble is, there's an animation sequence, and DICE forgot to make the tank invincible during it. Meaning you sit there in the open, getting shot to pieces, only to spawn in for a few seconds and then die. DICE is aware of this, however, and will hopefully fix it for full release. It seems more like an oversight than a deliberate choice. Sadly, there are no AI troops backing you up, so you lose the sense of scale that BF2 (2005) had.
Starfighter Assault
Description Remember Fighter Squadron? Remember how it was kinda cool, but a bit limited? Well....forget all that. This is way, way different. It's a lot closer to the starfighter attack on the Star Destroyer from Death Star. Only that map looks more like a "proof of concept" design by comparison. Starfighter Assault has the Rebels attacking a space station that is repairing a Star Destroyer over Fondor. They start by having to take out two small Imperial cruisers, akin to Rebel corvettes. After that, they have to blow up shield generators inside the station. After that, they have to attack the Star Destroyer itself...I think. More on that in a bit. You get three basic classes of ship: fighter, bomber, and interceptor. There are also hero ships, but I haven't played as them yet. Interceptors are fast but lightly armored. Bombers are slower, but more heavily armored. Fighters are the midpoint.
Pros Holy
crap this is different! I mean, yeah, you're still flying starships and shooting each other, but design-wise it's WAY better than Fighter Squadron was, and way more intense! Much if this is due to the changed flight mechanics. You no longer get to lock on to enemy targets with a pseudo auto-aim that then has to cool down. Instead, you get a slight zoom to do precision aiming. Also, there are no more evasive maneuver buttons, so no pulling a loop anymore. Basic flight controls are different, too: roll is left-right on the left stick, while throttle is up-down on the left stick, and pitch is up-down on the right stick, while yaw is left-right on the right stick. Coming off of BF2015...it's taking some getting used to. Actually, a LOT of getting used to. I'm debating breaking out my Ace Edge HOTAS from Ace Combat 6, and seeing if it works. If it does...I shall rule the skies (maybe)! If not, this will be an up hill battle. You can turn roll off in the options, but you roll faster than you yaw, meaning you're way more nimble if you can use the new system to the fullest extent. They also cleared up the cockpit glass so that you can actually see out of it, and the viewpoint is a little more forward, so it's less of a showcase of the cockpit interior and more of a functional view. That said, you give up all peripheral vision from 3rd person, which is disappointing. I wish they had servers that locked things to first-person only.
Cons So far, after about 5-6 different games, I've yet to see the Rebels win. It's still very early days, though, so this may be down to people not really knowing how to PTFO. The TIE interceptor is in need of some rebalancing. Its guns overheat way too quickly, and a single burst isn't enough to kill another ship. I haven't flown as a TIE fighter or bomber yet, so more on those when I get a chance. On the Rebel side, X-wings seem kinda meh, which is a shame. I think the problem is that the three roles aren't quite distinct enough. I'd try to differentiate them a bit more, so that interceptors are a good bit faster, but more fragile or with less powerful cannons. Bombers would be slower, but much tankier. Their guns would have a good bit more punch, but have an even lower rate of fire, being designed for attacking heavier ships. Fighters, therefore, would have a niche that actually worked for them. I've enjoyed flying the Y-wing, too, but I'm still getting the hang of it. It's so far the better objective-killer. Evading the enemy seems a lot harder now. In and of itself, this isn't a problem, but the way the Rebels lose this mode is by running out of reinforcements rather than running out of time. I'd change that, personally. I far prefer the "You ran out of time" thing.
Strike I dunno. Haven't played it yet.
More later.