TOPIC: Star Wars Battlefront beta, post your thoughts.

I've been playing the beta since it came out 10/8 in my region. The game is beyond my expectations, since I thought this game was gonna flop because it was being published by Dice (who didn't do very well on their last few titles) and of course because EA got a hold of it. The graphics are beautiful, so far I havn't experienced any glitches, spikes, lags, or bugs. The beta is suppose to introduce players to the core mechanics of the real game, this isn't a demo, it's a prototype. The sounds of the game make you feel like you're in real battle and makes you realize that Star Wars warfare is very gruesome and probably worse than real-life war. We only get access to three modes but players see that EA and Dice didn't reveal everything to us. For example, there are other modes not mentioned: supremacy, cargo, blast, droid run, as well as training; this is more than what we expected. Most people were pissed because we thought we were gonna get ONLY "four" planets when in reality its more like six: Hoth, Sullust, Endor, Tatooine, Yavin 4 (by what the picture is on blast which is not available yet) and Jakku if you preorder the game. Each planet has different outfits pertaining to that planet, which is awesome, so we can assume that on Jakku players will be able to play as the First Order stormtroopers. Weapons look realistic and not like toys. The four weapons available to use (five if you include the cycler rifle) are the BASIC weapons that will be unlockable in the final game, meaning, there will be A LOT more to come. Now, I talk a lot, so tell me what do YOU GUYS THINK OF THE BETA, as well as what we can expect from the future?

Let me just start out by saying: I absolutely suck at this game. My K:D ratio is something like .16

That being said, I've seen a lot of friends complaining about it, but I don't really know why. The complaints are strictly of the "It sucks" and "Ugh EA" variety, without any actual points of what, exactly, sucks so bad.

All things considered (the fact that it's a beta with very limited maps/modes/functions), I'm pretty happy with it. The graphics and sound are incredible, the controls are fairly intuitive (especially if you played the previous Battlefronts), and the maps seem pretty well designed.

The "Card" system they came up with for secondary weapons/powers is a bit... odd to me. But it functions well and takes a lot of guesswork out of figuring out your loadout. Making them ALL purchase items (using the in-game credits) seems a bit rough, though. Should at least give the noobs a thermal detonator or something. Especially since the skill curves so hard. I've been in Sullust Drop Zone games where the spread between most kills and least kills was something like 45 to 0. So, starting with at least one secondary would probably be helpful to people still getting their feet under them.

As for the levels/modes:

- Sullust Drop Zone is fun but a bit frustrating in that people on the other team seem to commonly spawn on top/right behind you while you're running to a pod. Other than that, it's good. Definitely pays to have teamwork on that map. Saw an Imperial team earlier that must have been friends/guildmates using voice chat or something. They moved as a group, used good squad tactics, and just whipped the absolute crap out of the PUG Rebel team I was on.

- Tattooine Survival Map is fun the first couple times, but quickly becomes repetitive. It's challenging, but not difficult (I successfully completed it on my second try, after losing all my lives in the last wave on the first shot). I suspect that having the "full" range of weapons available from the get-go on that map takes the difficulty down a bit.

- Hoth Assault Map is a glorious mess of Star Wars violence. Only played one round of that so far, but loved every second of it. It's huge and there's blaster bolts flying everywhere and people are running around going nuts and I love it.

I'm very much NOT regretting pre-ordering the full game. I AM looking forward to all the stuff that isn't available in Beta though, and also to being able to customize my character. Only thing on my wish list that isn't there (and probably won't be) would be a way to stick with a single faction instead of switching every round. I much prefer being a stormtrooper over being a rebel.

I downloaded it, but I have not yet actually played it. I know, that is unfathomable, but I was unaware that it was only going to be a beta lasting a few days. Had I known that, I probably would have just waited for the live release, so I could play all the features on my own schedule. Not always time/opportunity combined with inclination in a four day period, so I will likely catch it again in a month.

My only complaint is the guns. While I think the switch from ammo to heat buildup is alright, the apparent lack of skill to shoot the weapons is pretty lame. Seems that all that really needs to be done is point in the general direction of an enemy and fire away; eventually the lasers will hit the target. No recoil, almost no aiming required. Coming from BF4, it's a little disappointing, especially because the weapons in Battlefield all have unique characteristics and mechanics that take practice to master. We'll see if they make any changes to the weapons...

Other than that, the game is fantastic. The graphics are gorgeous! I have all my settings set to ultra and it definitely looks beautiful. The drop zone mode and map were pretty fun and exciting. The Walker Assault was good too (even though it's one sided to the Empire; but that's how the movie was so, why complain haha). Overall, I can't wait to play the full game. Looking forward to finally getting my fix of current gen Star Wars games!

McCloud wrote:
What platform you playing on McCloud?

I ask because I've been playing on PS4, and I noticed definite recoil (not to mention muzzle climb on the heavy blaster when going full auto), and my previously mentioned horrible performance got markedly better once I actually started scope-aiming before opening fire.

I played it all week-end long ... I could have been productive, bettered myself at something, but no. I played Battlefront all week-end long. And it was pretty awesome.

Let me first say this: I loved BF 1, 2, Vietnam, 1942, etc ... But BF3 and after, I HATED THOSE PIECES OF CRAP! No strategy needed, never saw any bit of it. Sheer luck on the shots fired. Absolute mess with the maps. Balanced weapons? Nope. Go f*** yourself player, said EA. The randomness of the deaths happening to you is what I hate most.
XXXXXX killed Faethien: But I just spawned FFS!

So yeah, I stopped playing FPS which were BF like after that, and switched to either Tom Clancy's style or ARMA III.


My first few minutes in Battlefront were chaotic, and I was getting shot from nowhere and everywhere and I hated those.
Colleague and friend of mine decided to join in on the fun and I went through the hassle of playing it more. From where I started to enjoy it.
My K/D ratio is absolutely horrible, somewhere in the 1/5 or 1/6. But it still is fun (my K/D ratio in other FPS I play is more like between 2/1 and 3/1, not extraordinary but relatively good).

The game, though I have a GTX 660 OC (3 years old GPU), is absolutely gorgeous and everything is stunning. The sounds are really beautifully rendered as well and the overall immersion in the game is easy and well done. I enjoyed that part very much.
Battlefront looks like a BF like game with a big noticeable difference: if you don't play at least a tiny bit as a team, you take the risk of getting trampled, and trampled quickly.

When playing on Hoth with my friend, we noticed that if the two of us sticked together, we could literally stand up to 5 enemies when using our extra hand right (ion grenade, torpedoes, cycler rifle, personal shield, thermic bomb, etc ...). I like to think that players will realise that and will actually play as team members and not members of a team, if you see what I mean.

I wish we could have played different classes during the beta as well. There's only the basic trooper for both the Empire and the Rebellion. I would have loved to be able to play as a sniper or as a heavy trooper. But, when you take the time to set-up your extra hand, it adds versatility to your character and it gives enough freeness to enjoy the show.
I also wish we could have played the speeder races or the space combat, that would have been grand!
But hey, free beta

I had the chance to play the closed beta of Rainbow Six Siege earlier this month. These are not very comparable I'll grant you that, but if I were to compare those, my personal preference falls to Rainbow Six Siege. I feel like we're more in control of what happens, there's less random chance that you'll get headshot from the other side of the map. And I like that better

When it's released, I'll definitely buy it. Maybe not from the get go, but I'll buy it, I'll play it and very likely, I'll enjoy it

Afadir wrote:
I'm on PC / Origin. You may be right. Perhaps I over exaggerated a bit. And maybe I'm just used to Battlefield's way of muzzle climb, recoil, etc. I don't know what it is but something doesn't feel right. The blasters definitely feel authentic though. The look and sound? It's 100% Star Wars.

I will stay on Planetside 2, its superior in everyway.

Afadir wrote:
Fear not my friend and take heart that I suck worse than you do, I have never been good at PvP, or Co-Op for that matter, I am the king of casual gaming and RPGs that give you some sort of "out" when the real-time combat gets too hairy (such as Fallout's V.A.T.S.). Anyway by the time this game hits I'll be deep in the Wasteland, if I have my way, and will likely be there well into 2016.

I did not get to play much so I can't really give a well-rounded review but I can say the damn thing looks gorgeous. Between the graphics and that Star Wars score, I spent a good hour lying in bed trying to figure out this time travel thing so I can jump a head a couple of months (both for my sabers to get here and Episode VII) alas, no luck. As I am sure I need not explain to those here, there is just something about Star Wars music that moves me like no other score in the world.

McCloud wrote: Normally, I would agree with you about the weapons. But we need to remember that they're not "guns" they're blasters, the technology is very different; this is a universe where you have swords with blades made of pure energy, they emit no heat, and have no weight whatsoever aside from the hilt. Blasters don't have recoil because it's not shooting a projectile from a casing full of gunpowder causing muzzle flash and then causing recoil. Blaster bolts are technically lasers, they've got no weight, so no recoil. Dice was awesome enough to recognize this and made it easy for us to use the weapons. The weapons we do have DO have have stats, the E-11 has more damage but the A280C has a higher rate a fire; the DLT-19 has a huge rate of fire, cooling power, but damage sucks unless its from a long distance, also notice that this weapon needs to be fired with short controlled burst or else it would start to spread. This gun actually takes some practice to use, in my opinion. Anyway, all good points, glad you're enjoying the game.

I agree with greyjedi. They're energy weapons, energy has (unless I'm mistaken) no mass and thus no recoil.
Also, and that's the sniper in me speaking, I hate that there's no need for snipers in this game. I highly doubt we'll get anything close to that considering they're energy weapons and the beams go straight ahead for ever or until they meet an obstacle, such as a trooper or a rebel's head.

greyjediDude wrote:
Very true in all your points. It's been a long while since blasters have been fired in a Star Wars game lol. A lot of gun games were made in between Battlefront 2 and this new Battlefront. Guess I've gotten used to regular ol' guns. I'm interested to see what other weapons may pop up in the final version though.

Also, is anyone else missing clone wars era stuff? I hope it'll eventually make it in a DLC or something but how can you leave out one of the greatest conflicts in the SW universe?! My favorite times in the old battlefront games were the clone troopers and clone war era maps!

I expect that they will have the clone wars in their next game, Battlefront 2 maybe? Who knows, but trust me it has not been forgotten. From the looks of it, the game is focused on the Galactic civil war. What I was hoping for was an "infection" mode kinda like in Halo or any other FPS, and Star Wars DOES have zombie-like stories, the best example being Deathtroopers. Thank god that book takes place during the games era.

recently tested the game without the xbox control its bit harder knowin which buttons are which on the pc

greyjediDude wrote:
I hope so for CW. And the infection mode with deathtroopers would be a nice easter egg haha.

Oh yes! The pleasure of destroying clankers all over again

I enjoyed the game considering it is only a beta. As others might have noticed, Hoth is sort of one sided. A question I got is do you guys think they might be working on a campaign that they might add to the game later on after the movie is released so that the game wont "spoil" anything? It seems like it will have a lot of options to suit a good spread of players. I think my productivity in life will be coming to a halt in November.

Coot

I don't know about after the release, but with the release, if you preordered the game you get an extra mode called Battle of Jakku, basically this is the main planet of Episode 7. This map is essentially the battle that sets the stage for Episode 7 since it happens before the events of the movie. It is TECHNICALLY the campaign for the game.

There might be a sniper mode. While I was playing two player with my son, we did get attacked by snipers from quite a distance. I would prefer to play as a sniper. While I did enjoy playing this game a lot, I got my ass kicked. I think that I am was playing against a bunch of 13 year old kids that have nothing better to do than sit around and get really good at these kind of games! It was still very fun for me.

Yeah I'm not too concerned with the lack of a fully fleshed out campaign. It, hopefully, means that their focus was completely on the multiplayer aspect of the game and thus it should be fantastic. Hopefully...