EA | Outer Rim News

FPS Mandalorian Game Cancelled, While Third Installment of Jedi Series in Development Amongst EA Shakeup

Posted on February 29, 2024 - 9:51 am by Ashley Wilbanks

Some huge news from EA dropped yesterday, and it seems many employees at the company have lost their jobs. The company announced a huge company wide shake-up, that is resulting in 5% of the company losing their jobs. This number equates to around 670 employees.

Following CEO Andrew Wilson’s announcement of the cuts today, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele shared a note with staff explaining in more detail what EA’s business priorities would be going forward. This includes her announcement that EA is shutting down an early development Star Wars FPS action game as a part of an ongoing focus on its own owned brands and supporting its existing games.

“It’s always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game,” Miele wrote. “Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.”

Website IGN reports that the team that was working on the now cancelled Mandalorian project will be reassigned to other games including Iron Man, Black Panther, Apex Legends, and the third entry in the Star Wars Jedi saga.

It hasn’t been a good last couple of years for the video gaming industry. For the financial quarter ending in December of 2023, EA reported net bookings of $2.37 billion (up 7% year over year) and net revenue of $1.945 billion, largely driven by EA Sports FC and Madden. The company’s layoff of roughly 670 individuals is yet another instance of ongoing mass layoffs rocking the entire industry, impacting roughly 10,000 developers in 2023, and approaching 8,000 in just the first two months of 2024. EA itself already laid off 6% of its workforce almost a year ago, with Wilson at the time citing very similar motivations to this year’s. Despite those layoffs, the total headcount prior to today’s cuts is higher (13,400) than it was during the last mass layoff (12,900).

The company’s SEC filing states that the company will take on approximately $125 million to $165 million in costs in connection with these layoffs, including costs related to office space reductions, severance, and costs related to licensor commitments, likely related to the canceled Star Wars game.

It seems getting a video game completed and out to the public is becoming harder and harder. With this news, it also seems like my dreams of a third installment of Star Wars: Battlefront will never come to fruition.

With all of that said, hopefully these employees that were let go, will get back on their feet quickly with different companies working on successful games!

Lightsaber Combat Changes Coming to Battlefront II

Posted on March 26, 2019 - 6:30 am by Ashley Wilbanks

Star Wars Battlefront II - General Kenobi

With the arrival of the next update we will be making the first of some changes that we have planned with lightsaber combat. For this update we’re going to be focusing more on the stamina system and how that affects the overall feeling and flow of close combat.

STAGGER CHANGES

One of the most visible changes to lightsaber combat is going to come in the form of the removal of the stagger for attacking heroes. In the current version of the game when a hero attacks a blocking hero, the attacker will stagger backwards.

We’ve seen feedback that this is not desired, and we agree. We feel this breaks the flow of lightsaber combat which is usually free flowing. With this change attacking heroes will no longer stagger backwards upon hitting a blocking hero, meaning they can continue to chain attacks until they run out of stamina.

Attacking with a lightsaber depletes a hero’s stamina and once this reaches zero the attacker will not be able to perform any attacks until their stamina regenerates. As a result of this, attacking will now be a lot more strategic as you will be unable to run up to someone and continuously swing your lightsaber. Instead, you will need to think more about utilising your other abilities alongside lightsaber attacks.

As well as this, blocking with a lightsaber also reduces a hero’s stamina. Meaning that nobody will be able to block indefinitely.

While all heroes have had changes made to their Stamina values, we’ve also made some additional changes to Darth Maul, Rey and Darth Vader.

Darth Maul’s attacks will now have a stamina cost associated with them. We will also be adjusting the unlimited stamina abilities of both Rey (Insight) and Darth Vader (Focused Rage). These now give a 50% reduction to stamina costs.

STAMINA OVERVIEW

As part of the changes we’re adjusting the stamina values for every lightsaber wielding hero in the game. The Stamina system is broken down into six separate categories:

Melee Cost

This is the amount of stamina required for each swing of the lightsaber.

Blaster Deflect Cost

How much stamina is reduced with the deflection of each blaster shot.

Melee Deflect Cost

The amount of stamina, per lightsaber hit that is reduced.

Regen Delay

How many seconds before stamina regeneration begins to occur.

Regen Speed

The speed in which stamina regenerates.

Deflect Spread

The angle in which lightsaber heroes can deflect blaster fire.

Overview
Stamina is reduced when:

Defending

A hero blocks a lightsaber attack with their own lightsaber
A hero blocks blaster fire with their lightsaber

When a hero is out of stamina:

Attacking

A hero can no longer attack if they have no stamina, they must wait for it to recharge

Blocking

A hero can no longer block efficiently. Any hero that gets hit by an attack that brings their stamina to 0 receives full damage and is caused to stagger

You can check out even more about the new lightsaber combat changes, including each hero/villain’s new lightsaber stats by visiting EA’s community forum right now.

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

Star Wars Battlefront focuses on the fast frenetic battles that you love in the star wars saga. Fight dozens of troopers alongside memorable heroes like Darth Vader each with unique skills and attributes. Chances are you’ve already played the first one and Battlefront 2 promises to deliver where it fell short. You want a story mode? You want clone troopers? You want deeper gameplay? The team at DICE seems to be trying to please the fans with this one (unless you wanted those fun 32v32 battles from the originals).

EDITORIAL – Disney’s Biggest Mistake? EA

Posted on January 20, 2019 - 1:46 pm by Dom Richards

Hello there! It is good to be back at Outer Rim News, and I just want to thank Ashley and the team for welcoming me back after a long time frozen in carbonite. I wanted to do something positive for my first article back, but something has just really pissed me off this week, so it won’t be a positive first post back from me I’m afraid. It is a rant about Disney’s biggest mistake since they acquired the Star Wars franchise. I am of course referring to their decision to outsource the video games license to Electronic Arts.

EA has a somewhat tempestuous relationship with the gaming community. They are, arguably, the biggest game development company in the industry, and release some of the most popular (in terms of sales) titles with the likes of; FIFA and Madden getting a yearly release, and Battlefield getting a twice yearly release. There are a dozen or so studios under the EA banner as well creating even more games for the publishing giant. Why the somewhat questionable relationship with the gaming community then? Well, they have a history of rushing titles to release, therefore selling products that are really not ready to be bought by consumers. Secondly, they bloody love a loot crate.

Loot crates are a difficult aspect to try and talk about. Yes, they are optional, but sometimes you are left with either the prospect of dozens of hours worth of grinding to earn enough in-game credits to buy whatever content is hidden behind a loot crate, or spend more of your actual money on a game that already probably costs $60. I know people that will buy FIFA every single year and then spend at least another £150 or so on additional content in the game. Some people also accuse EA of not concentrating on the more important aspects of games, you know, like gameplay, but concentrate on loot crates, or the ever-expanding ‘pay to play’ mobile game market. The biggest example of this in recent memory is the release of the mobile version of the Command and Conquer series. It is ‘free’ to play, but there are numerous options to spend actual money within the game.

So now, onto Star Wars yes? Well, let’s get the most recent issue out of the way first. EA announced this week that they are cancelling the open-world game they had in development. Albeit, it was in early development, yes, but it has still been cancelled for apparently a title that is quicker and easier to make. There is no indication as to what this new, smaller game will be, but when the open-world game was first announced, there was a huge buzz around the potential the game had. This isn’t the first time EA has just cancelled an upcoming Star Wars game without giving much of a reason.

Amy Hennig, who was one of the creative minds behind the Uncharted series just had her game cancelled, which resulted in her leaving EA completely. So that is issue one with EA, the lack of games released.

During the golden period of Star Wars video gaming between 2002 and 2008, we had 18 releases! Not all of them were classics no, but not one of them was a terrible game. The highlights of those wonderful years are; Republic Commando, Knights of the Old Republic 1&2, LEGO Star Wars, and the original Battlefront games. During EA’s governorship over the Star Wars license, which began back in 2013, we have had two games. Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II. The same period, six years, and the only thing EA has to show for themselves is two, quite poorly received Battlefront games.

Are both editions of Battlefront bad games? Not entirely no, and they wouldn’t really be a main focus here if EA had released some other titles. Battlefront 1 lacked content, and was rushed out for release, whereas Battlefront 2 did have more content, but the loot crate controversy completely ruined the sales of the game, and they fell well below target. EA also has the unfortunate record of having the most downvoted comment in Reddit history when they tried to explain why Star Wars Battlefront 2 heroes and villains were stuck behind in-game credit.

Disney purchased Star Wars for one reason; to make money. Which, so far, they have, and lots of it. There could be a lot more though if they ditch EA (the reported contract between the two companies is due to end in 2023), and either go with a publisher who can handle such an iconic franchise, and treat it with the respect it deserves, or go back to the old way of just outsourcing to numerous developers instead of relying on one. Just imagine; CD Projekt making an open-world game, Naughty Dog creating an adventure title, and this one is a bit out there, but it is something I’d bloody love, A From Software, Dark Souls inspired Star Wars game.

The bottom line is, we and our beloved franchise deserve better than Electronic Arts.

What do you think? As always leave your opinions about the state of Star Wars video gaming below!

*** The opinions expressed in Editorials from contributors represent the views and opinions of their individual authors. These opinions do not necessarily reflect that of the ownership of OuterRimNews.com.

Have EA Access? Then You can Play Battlefront II for Free!

Posted on December 15, 2018 - 6:40 am by Ashley Wilbanks

If you are a current subscriber to EA Access, then you now have access to Star Wars Battlefront II. Gamespot is reporting that the game was just added to EA’s Vault. If you have never played, now is as good a time as ever to give them game a try.

The full game is included in the Vault version, though paid DLC is sold separately. Otherwise, you can play both the single-player campaign and the extensive multiplayer portion to your heart’s content.

Battlefront II’s launch was marred with microtransaction controversy after some fans labeled the game as “pay-to-win.” Developer DICE has since revamped the game’s progression system and continued to add more content.

The EA Access service costs $5 per month or $30 per year, and is exclusive to Xbox One and PC. In addition to playing Star Wars Battlefront II, members can also choose from a host of other EA titles to play included in the price as well.

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Gets Update to Include the Grand Arena

Posted on December 5, 2018 - 7:12 am by Ashley Wilbanks

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has a brand new update that will bring new challenges and tweaks to the popular mobile game. A new battle mode, profile changes and time zone options add to the best Star Wars game out there right now.

You can check out all the details below…

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes – Grand Arena Logo

GRAND ARENA
Get ready for Grand Arena, the ultimate test of skill!

Unlock: Grand Arena is a new table that unlocks at level 85. Similar to other timed features, a shortcut will display on the cantina home’s HUD when a player can participate in a Grand Arena event.

Matchmaking: Leveraging the new Matchmaking changes, players are placed into a group of 8 opponents that have similar collections so that all players have fun and challenging fights throughout the entire Grand Arena. Once players are in a group, matchmaking pairs players with a similar number of wins rising the highest skill players to the top of the group.
- Matchmaking avoids players that have already fought whenever possible.
- Grouping Edge Cases: In the instance that the number of participating players is not divisible by 8, we create 8 person groups starting with the strongest collections to the weakest collections. The final two groups are then split such that both groups have 4 or more players. For example, if there are 9 players between the final 2 groups, they will have 5 and 4 players respectively.
- Byes: In the instance of an odd number of players in a group, one player will receive a bye each round. Matchmaking continues to try to match players based on wins, but that will not always be possible.
Schedule: Each Grand Arena event is a week-long event that consists of a series of 3 rounds against different opponents. There are seven 24 hour phases: Join, Set Defense (Opponent 1), Attack (Opponent 1), Set Defense (Opponent 2), Attack (Opponent 2), Set Defense (Opponent 3), Attack (Opponent 3)
- At the end of the join period, a snapshot is taken of the players collection that will be used throughout the length of the event. This means that further improvements to units including changing Mods will not affect the Grand Arena event for any of the rounds.
Gameplay: Grand Arena is meant to be the ultimate test of skill, so we don’t have any plans currently to have combat bonuses. That said there are a variety of events including a differing number of territories and some events that have 3 unit squads.
Scaling Defensive Squads/Fleets: To provide a fun experience for all players, the number of defensive squads/fleets scales based on the GP of the lowest player in the group.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Grand Arena Board

Banners: Similar to Territory Wars, banners are earned for setting defenses, successful attacks, and conquering a territory. The one new aspect is that Ties are no longer possible. We’ve taken steps to both mitigate ties and remove them entirely.
- Existing ways to earn banners in Territory Wars will also exist in Grand Arena. This includes # of attempts, surviving units, and unslotted units. However the value of using unslotted units has been increased to emphasize the risk/reward of using an undersized party.
- Full Health/Protection: We have added two more criteria to further mitigate ties. An additional banner is earned for each unit at full protection and another banner for each unit at full health. This further identifies not only that the squad/fleet won, but how well it won. Bonus protection does not count and units that enter battle with no protection will automatically earn the protection bonus (ex. Nihilus lead, and low gear level units)
- Tiebreakers: In the rare occasion of the event ending with tied banners, the player with the higher GP will win. In the extremely rare chance of equal Banners and equal GP, a random player wins.
- No changes have been made to Territory Wars at this time.
Auto Deploy: To help players that forgot to set defensive squads during one of the setup phases, the squads/fleets set on a territory in a previous round will auto-deploy if no squad/fleets were deployed that round and squads/fleets had been deployed in a previous round.
Rewards: There are many opportunities for Rewards throughout the event including:
- Small rewards for every squad that is defeated
- Rewards based on winning/losing a round
- Event Rank based Rewards (number of wins)
Season 0 Exhibition Event: Our initial event(s) will be 1 round and a group of only 2 opponents to give players a chance to get used to Grand Arena.

PORTRAITS
Portraits is a new feature that lets you show off your accomplishments and express yourself by placing an image next to your name throughout the game. For example you can unlock the Darth Vader portrait for accomplishing the “Sith Master” Prestigious Quest. New Prestigious Quests have been created and some existing quests have been updated to award portraits and new titles.

Many of the existing titles will now have a portrait associated with it. Players that have already earned the title will have the portrait automatically unlocked. (The one exception is the rank 1 in Raids portraits will only unlock for players that have earned rank 1 in the past 6 months)

In addition, Titles will also appear next to your player name throughout the game.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes: Portraits

TIME SETTINGS
One of the most common requests is to change the time of the squad/fleet arena payouts or change when daily activities reset. Many players have found that they are not available to battle near their current arena payout time or that it was changed due to daylight saving time and they’d like it to be a consistent time. Time settings allow players to change these times twice a year to whatever they find to be the most convenient for them.

The following are examples of times that are altered when the daily activity reset time is changed:

Daily Reset Time
Event Timers
Squad Arena Reward Time
Fleet Arena Reward Time
Free Energy Reward Times

Guild timers are not affected including Guild Activities, Territory Battles, Territory Wars, and Raid Timers.

BUGS
General

Addressed an issue where the “Go” button for “Mod Energy” Daily Activity was redirecting the players to the Home Screen instead of Mod Battles or Mod Challenges.
Fixed a problem for several players who completed the onboarding Tutorial but were prompted to progress through the Training Droid tutorial again, thus blocking their accounts.
Addressed the issue where donations from Guild Chat would appear in Officer only chat when switching between chat rooms.
Fixed an issue where guild messages were overlapping in chat.
Fixed an issue where the Boba Fett bundle pop up was triggering on multiple devices and did not grant the stated reward.
Addressed a cutscene issue where the character animation was sped up if the player’s combat UI was also sped up.
Fixed an issue where the disconnect Facebook button had incorrect text following the first open of the settings menu.
Fixed an issue where the portrait keyboard appeared instead of the widescreen keyboard on Note S9 on 8.1.0.
Addressed an issue where long user names in chat would sometimes word wrap behind the player’s guild name.

Quests

Fixed an issue where Light Side Territory Battles didn’t count progress for Imperial Probe Droids defeated during the event.
Addressed an issue where the “Go” button for the third task in the main quest “Challenges” was directing players to events instead of challenges.
Fixed an issue where the Mod Quest “Mod Collection” was not tracking progress correctly if the mods needed for the part of the quest were sold from the Inventory.
Fixed multiple players who were unable to access Quests after getting an endless loading screen when accessing a Mod Quest.
Addressed an issue where clicking on the “Go” button from the “Guild Quest – Guild Exchange” tab redirected the player to an empty Guild Exchange screen.

Mods

Fixed an issue where the character mod inventory was reverting to the top row after reviewing mod details on a character.
Fixed a visual glitch which would sometimes appear on the Loadout screen.
Addressed an issue where the mod sets would erroneously display “Set Bonus” instead of “Level 15 Bonus.”
Fixed an issue in Portuguese where creating a new Mod load-out using the default set name which was longer than 20 characters lead to an error and restart.
Fixed an issue where the Mark V-A mod details were not displayed when viewing an Ally or Guild Mate’s Inventory.
Addressed an issue where rapidly clicking on “Create Loadout From” created multiple loadouts.
Fixed and issue in Russian where the price of assigning a Loadout overlapped with the word Assign.
Fixed an issue with Mod Battle 9-C endlessly loading for multiple players even after reinstalling the game.

Ships

Fixed an issue when searching for a ship in the ship PvE or Arena table, where the character filter was displayed.
Fixed an issue when viewing an ally’s ship inventory it was showing the player’s own shard count for non 7-stared ships.

Events

Fixed an issue where events that grant mods could be completed more than once.
Addressed an issue where Rebel Roundup Assault Battle was listed as active on the home screen when it had not been unlocked.

Raids

Fixed an issue where Darth Nihilus could respawn with 0% Health and 100% Protection after the raid reached Phase 2 in the Heroic Sith Triumvirate Raid.

Territory Battles/Territory Wars

Fixed an issue where players were able to complete Combat Missions in Territory Battles multiple times.
Addressed an issue where players who had joined the TW were removed once the Setup Phase started.
Fixed an issue in Territory Wars where the “Join” button was greyed out during the join phase despite being available.
Fixed an issue where tapping on a deployed Enemy Squad in the Enemy Squad list during the Attack Phase would navigate to an empty Select Attack Squad scene.

About Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes:

Collect your favorite Star Wars characters, like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and more, from every era – then conquer your opponents in epic, RPG-style combat. Build mighty teams and craft the best strategy to win battles across iconic locations to become the most legendary hologamer in the galaxy!

You can currently download Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes for free on the iOS App Store or via Google Play.

Star Wars Battlefront II: Battle of Geonosis Game Trailer and More!

Posted on November 21, 2018 - 7:20 pm by Ashley Wilbanks 1

EA has released new information concerning their big Battle of Geonosis update, coming November 28, free to all players. The update gives us new maps, new vehicles, new Clone Troopers, and most importantly – Obi-Wan Kenobi!

Check out the new trailer for the update above, and read about it below!

With Obi-Wan Kenobi being present throughout the Star Wars saga, we’ve had no shortage of inspiration to draw from. But it was his skills with a lightsaber and his combat prowess, especially in defence, that we decided to focus upon.

It was important for us that when playing as Obi-Wan, not only would players feel like they are playing as the legendary Jedi Master, but it was also imperative that we capture the person that was often the leader on the battlefront and inspiration to the clones he commanded.

We wanted to capture the essence of Obi-Wan running head first towards a battalion of Droids, using his lightsaber to deflect blaster fire with perfect accuracy , which we see him doing in The Clone Wars™ animated series.

We also wanted to ensure that we captured his expertise as a Force user and we worked to ensure this was reflected within his ability set. We took inspiration from numerous sources, one of which was a battle against Anakin Skywalker. With both Jedi locked in a stalemate, one hand raised against the others. The use of the singular hand would play a key part in the animation on display with one of his abilities.

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

Battlefront II and Galaxy of Heroes Getting Halloween Content!

Posted on October 23, 2018 - 5:55 pm by Ashley Wilbanks

Nightsister characters from Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes

Looking for a way to bring Halloween into your Star Wars life? Well Disney has what you need! Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes will both be getting Halloween-themed content starting Friday the 26th!

You can check out the details for both games below!

Star Wars Battlefront II: October 26 – 31

A Halloween-inspired night-mode is coming to select maps, including Mos Eisley, Endor, Kashyyyk and Naboo. Players will also find the cloning facility on Kamino haunted by a furious ocean storm. To top it off, the Death Star II and Jabba’s Palace will re-appear and all of this will occur during a Double XP weekend.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes: October 30 – 31

The Defense of Dathomir event will commence as General Grievous, Count Dooku and the Separatist Army invade the planet. In this limited-time, 2-tier event, players can gather a force of Nightsisters and defend Darthomir from peril for special rewards: shards for Mother Talzin will be rewarded to victors in tier 1 and 2-4 coveted Zeta Ability Materials are rewarded to tier 2 winners.

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

About Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes:

You can currently download Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes for free on the iOS App Store or via Google Play.

Here Come the Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Microtransactions!

Posted on February 2, 2018 - 12:59 pm by Ashley Wilbanks

Star Wars: Battlefront II was not quite the juggernaut out of the gate that EA was hoping for this year. Mostly due to fan backlash over microtransactions announced for the game, fans never hopped on board the Battlefront II train.

In an investor call yesterday, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen broke down some of the sales numbers for the game. Battlefront II is trailing it’s predecessor by about 4 million copies during the same time span. The sequel sold about 9 million copies during its launch quarter, whereas the original sold about 13 million. EA had expected about 10 million sales for the game during that quarter.

During an interview with the WSJ, Jorgensen told the magazine that microtransactions would also be making its debut “in the next few months.” EA states that they believe that microtransactions have the ability to “enhance the experience in our games.”

“Going forward, we believe that live services that include optional digital monetization, when done right, provide a very important element of choice that can extend and enhance the experience in our games,” EA said. “We’re committed to continually working with our players to deliver the right experience in each of our games and live services.”

All is not bleak though. Jorgensen indicated that he thought the game would sell as many as 3 million more copies during this fiscal year. That would give them a total of 12 million copies sold, which is just 2 million shy of the first games mark during the same timeframe.

EA has said that efforts to keep players coming back is working. During the first three months of release, the game has logged over twice as much as its predecessor during the same timeframe.

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

Star Wars Battlefront 2 Patch 1.1 is Out!

Posted on January 16, 2018 - 3:17 pm by Ashley Wilbanks

The first Star Wars Battlefront II patch of 2018 is out! The new update includes a new Blast map on the planet Crait and we see the introduction of Iden Versio’s TIE fighter to the roster of hero ships available in Starfighter Assault. The update also includes some fixes and balancing tweaks that were submitted by fan feedback and bug reports.

Check out the entire list of updates included below:

Blast on Crait

EA is expanding the ways you can play on Crait by bringing this map to the Blast Game Mode! Battle in the mines among the machinery and crystals leftover from the previous occupants.

Iden Versio’s TIE/In fighter

Now available as a new Hero Starfighter in multiplayer matches! Iden Versio leads by example from her personal TIE/ln fighter. Custom-built for Inferno Squad, this modified TIE has seen heroic service in the name of the Emperor.

Iden Versio’s TIE/In fighter Abilities:

Afterburner – Gives the starfighter a temporary speed boost and breaks enemy missile lock. The AFTERBURNER can be cancelled after a short time
Laser Barrage – Charges up a rapid fire barrage which deals high damage
Dual Proton Torpedoes – Fires two proton torpedoes which track the locked target and deal high damage
Inferno Leader – For the duration of INFERNO LEADER, all enemies within a radius are revealed to allied players. These enemies receive increased damage from all sources

TIE/In fighter Star Cards:

Engine Heat Dissipator – Decreases the AFTERBURNER cooldown
Advanced Torpedoes – Increases DUAL PROTON TORPEDO damage
Vengeful Barrage – Increases the damage of LASER BARRAGE
Flight Commander – Increases the duration of INFERNO LEADER
Reinforced Hull – Increases the total health of the starfighter
Tuned Lasers – Increases primary weapon damage
Advanced Capacitors – Improves the primary weapons resistance to overheating
Repair Systems – Reduces the delay before health regeneration begins
Elite Pilot – Increases the turn rate of the starfighter
Engine Upgrade – Increases the top speed and how quickly the starfighter can accelerate and decelerate

Iden Versio’s TIE/In fighter Milestones:

Rapid Assault – Used Iden Versio’s TIE/LN fighter AFTERBURNER ability 25 times
Precision Strike – Achieve 25 DUAL PROTON TORPEDO kills with Iden Versio’s TIE/LN Fighter
Hope Cannot Save Them – Achieve 25 LASER BARRAGE kills with Iden Versio’s TIE/LN Fighter
Avenge Our Emperor – Use Iden Versio’s TIE/LN Fighter INFERNO LEADER ability 25 times

Heroes:

Finn

Reduced base damage of his EL-16 from 65 to 45
Reduced the time before heat cooldown kicks in from 3.5 to 1.5 seconds
Reduced damage of each Deadeye shot from 40 to 30

Phasma

Reduced the heat generated per shot of her F-11D

Lando

Fixed a bug where Maximized Efficiency was not properly granting cooldown reduction

Boba Fett

Reduced the damage per rocket of Rocket Barrage from 90 to 78
Reduced the inner damage radius for each rocket of Rocket Barrage from 2 to 1.5 meters
Reduced the outer damage radius for each rocket of Rocket Barrage from 4 to 3 meters

Classes & Special Units

Wookiee Warrior

Reduced Bowcaster center projectile damage multiplier from 1.3 to 1
Lowered Bowcaster fall off distance at the start from 20 to 10 meters & at the end from 30 to 25 meters
Reshuffled Bowcaster explosion damage and projectile damage to make falloff have higher effect
Increased Bowcaster heat per shot

Specialist

Reduce size of scope glint
Added scope glint to the following long range weapons: EL-16HFE, A-280, Pulse Rifle, and Captain Phasma’s F-11D
Reduced heat per shot for the following long range weapons: Valken-38X, E-5S, DLT-20A, DLT-19x, A280, and DLT-19D
Increased the bursts per minute of all Infiltration variants from 100 to 130

Heavy

Reduced the AOE of Supercharged and Explosive sentry
Increased heat per shot for Supercharged Sentry from 0.015 to 0.017

Officer

Reduced explosion damage when turret is destroyed by blaster fire from 150 to 25
Added ability icons denoting that a player has been boosted by Recharge Command
Turrets now have an icon that show when the turret is engaging an enemy

Weapons:

CR2

Lowered start damage from 17 to 16
Lowered end damage from 9 to 8
Reduced damage falloff end distance from 40 to 30 meters

Barrage

Reduced inner blast radius from 3.5 to 2 meters
Increased outer blast radius from 5 to 6 meters
Increased explosion damage from 55 to 100

Blurrg-1120

Reduced falloff start distance from 20 to 15 meters
Reduced start damage of Explosive Shot from 29 to 26
Reduced end damage of Explosive Shot from 10 to 8
Reduced inner blast radius of Explosive Shot from 0.8 to 0.7 meters
Reduced outer blast radius of Explosive Shot from 2 to 1.8 meters
Reduced accuracy of the final shots when Burst Mod is equipped

Trip Mine

Increased the number of mines that can be deployed at the same time from 1 to 2
Raised the time until the mines disappeared after death from 5 to 15 seconds

Galactic Assault:

Kamino

Updated spawns to help the Droids attack
Phase 2 capture areas are now only the platforms

Tatooine

Removed the A-Wing
Reduced AT-ST Battlepoint cost from 2500 to 1500
Reduced explosive objective timer

Naboo

Updated spawns to help the Droids attack
Reduced health of the MTT
Reduced explosive objective timer

Death Star II

Reduced explosive objective timer

Endor

Reduced explosive objective timer

Hoth

Reduced health of the AT-ATs
Reduced explosive objective timer

Kashyyyk

Reduced health of the MTTs
Reduced explosive objective timer

Crait

Updated spawns to help the First Order attack
Reduced health of the Phase 3 objectives from 5000 to 4000
Increased the cost of the Ski Speeder from 0 to 200
Reduced health of the AT-M6s

Jakku

Made 2 AT-ST’s available in Phase 1
Updated spawns to better orient players
Updated combat area for Phase 4
Reduced explosive objective timer

Yavin

Lowered Battlepoint cost for AT-STs from 2500 to 2000
Lowered Battlepoint cost for Deathtroopers from 3000 to 2000
Lowered Battlepoint cost for Imperial Rocket Trooper from 2000 to 1750
Reduced explosive objective timer

Takodana

Added AT-ST to Phase 1
Updated Phase 2 objective locations
Reduced explosive objective timer

Starkiller Base

Tweaked Resistance spawns in Phase 1
Updated First Order combat area in Phase 1
Reduced explosive objective timer

Strike:

Tweaked Bomb Timer duration
Minor balancing tweaks

General:

Added a night variant to Tatooine Maps
Increased the frequency of alternative lighting variants across all maps
Updated visual appearances of the First Order on Crait
Fixed a bug where the LAAT overheat sound would affect everyone in the match
Milestone completion call out’s in-match
Armor class Battlepoint multiplier reduced
Fixed a bug where both the Officer’s Recharge Command and Finn’s Big Deal abilities were not affecting Heroes or Special Units properly
Fixed an issue where each sector on the minimap would not light up properly the first time an enemy fired
Reduced fade in time for a minimap sector from 0.3 to 0.1 seconds
Stability improvements
Misc. bug fixing

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

Jump into the boots of an elite special forces soldier, equally lethal on the ground and space, in an emotionally gripping new Star Wars campaign that spans over 30 years and bridges events between the films’ Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Ultimate Star Wars Battleground! A Star Wars multiplayer universe unmatched in variety and breadth where up to 40 players fight as iconic heroes, authentic-to-era troopers and in a massive array of vehicles on land and in the air – as battle rages through the galaxy.

Why Starfighter Assault Is The Highlight of Battlefront 2

Posted on October 31, 2017 - 6:56 am by Matthew Unwin

So, the Battlefront 2 Beta has ended now that the (delayed) deadline of October 11th has come and gone. As someone who was lucky enough to secure one of the randomly dispersed email codes for the closed alpha, I thought the game was solid. Of course, this is probably jaded by the fact I love the saga (duh). Hell, I played the original game despite its lackluster combat depth for over 100 hours. However, it’s one of the key new features of the game that’s really persuaded me to buy the sequel at launch instead of wait for a sale like I did the previous installment and that’s one of the plethora of new game-modes, Starfighter Assault.

Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the boots on the ground combat in the closed alpha and the vast improvements it’s made compared to the first game in terms of strategy, gameplay, classes and unlocks, but the slew of game releases over the last few years has left me a bit petered out on the whole FPS concept. It’s ridiculous fun, but I’m not yet ready to sink another hundred hours into another shooter. So, when I opened the game I was expecting to be entertained, but maybe be a little bit bored of the concept. As someone who hated the starfighter gameplay in the previous game, I was met with a pleasant surprise.

Starfighter Assault, despite not being the game’s “flagship” mode, and probably having the least content in the beta, easily made up most of the 8 hours of gameplay I got from the demo. Probably because I don’t play many flying games, the concept was unique enough to interest me much more than the ground combat. For those unaware, the beta version of Starfighter Assault sees a team play as the rebels attacking a Star Destroyer that’s under construction, first taking out two Imperial Cruisers, then flying into the cavernous scaffolding of the shipyard to blow up the shield generators in typical Star Wars fashion. The plucky group of 12 rebel players must then damage the clamps connecting the Star Destroyer to the shipyard to expose the reactor and deal damage to it, all the while being attacked by the enemy team of 12 playing as the Empire.

Sound design is on point, as is the visuals – just like in the last game. Unlike the previous installment though, the smattering of turrets placed all over the map and on the advancing rebel and Imperial cruisers adds even more realism to the experience, allowing you to shoot these larger ships out of the air with enough teamwork and proton torpedoes. Thanks to this, the maps feel so much more alive than the barren starfighter maps of the previous game, especially at launch where ships flew around, essentially, an empty sky only shooting at each other. The fact that I enjoy that there’s more things shooting might seem fickle, but it really does make everything feel more action packed, frenetic and complex.

The main reason I disliked starfighter combat in the previous game, especially when more detailed maps like that beautiful assault on a Star Destroyer in an asteroid field were added, though was the controls. It all felt very clunky. Trying to make precise movements with your ship was impossible since a brief move of the mouse or control stick caused your little fighter to continue to slide slightly afterwards. Furthermore, to stand any chance of hitting the fighter you were chasing, you had to keep the target in the middle of your screen for a few seconds to get a “lock on” and then shoot or bomb them. This is all meant you had to wait to take out enemies, making combat less fast paced and feel much slower and more boring. It also meant that it was fairly easy to take out enemies, making dogfights feel less rewarding and more trivial. Thankfully, the new game completely overhauls this control scheme. Now you just aim your reticle inside the circle near to your target and fire. The lock on system remains but now it’s only used for firing missiles. Controlling your starfighter, especially the snappy interceptors, feels great, removing the awkward sliding from the first game and replacing it with a tighter scheme that allows you to pull off precise movements. You’ll be needing these tight movements to be able to pull off dodges which are no longer assigned to the push of a button, further making you feel accomplished when you dodge that pursuing TIE’s torpedoes successfully.

Continuing this trend of overhauling the foundations laid by the previous game, the starfighter classes have also been expanded. Unlike boots on the ground combat there are only three, but each one has just enough different attributes to make it feel unique. The interceptors allow for fast, sharp maneuvers and feature powerful blasters at the cost of health and the bombers are able to dispense volleys of powerful proton torpedoes, ion blasts etc at the cost of being slow and a bit more unwieldy to pilot (though this never felt as uncontrollable as the original for me). Fighters offer a middle ground, having fairly powerful weapons and a respectable amount of health and maneuverability. Each class has their own strengths, but unlike the ground combat classes, I found myself happily switching between them. None of them, to my casual eye at least, felt particularly over or underpowered and they were all huge fun to control and experience. Each team has slightly different variants of these classes, replacing one or two abilities, like switching out the X-Wing’s health restoring astromech for the TIE’s speed boost. More variation would have been nice but the changes are enough to make each ship feel at least somewhat unique.

The map showcased in the beta is also fantastic, perfectly blending large open space for fast paced dogfighting with tight corridors and spaces to navigate and cover to duck behind. It begins with a nice open space to allow players to get to grips with controls without having to dodge around tight corridors and the space means players aren’t concentrated in one small area so there’s less incoming fire to avoid. Of course, you still have the Imperial cruisers to fly behind for cover should you so need it. The fight then transitions into a narrow corridor of scaffolding with obstacles littering the ceiling, floor and walls to avoid. This focuses the action down a small path, forcing you to engage in quick dogfights and bombing runs but you lack the space to make complex dodges (unless you want your little A-Wing to become a little ball of flames against the walls). Finally the fight moves to around the Star Destroyer. Thanks to the clamps overhead, you still have tight spaces to maneuver through and obstacles to avoid. Fighting is still focused around a small area so your skills are put to the test but now you have the added space to make larger dodges and evasions again, allowing you to flex your piloting muscles in the mode’s climax.

Overall, the brief snippet of the game-mode I’ve played so far has me converted. I used to think I would hate the starfighter combat of this game but now it’s shaping up to be the part I’m probably most excited to experience fully when it releases on November 17th 2017.

Full Star Wars Battlefront II Trailer Released

Posted on September 27, 2017 - 7:02 am by Ashley Wilbanks

EA and Lucasfilm have released a brand new Star Wars Battlefront II trailer. The new video features John Boyega giving us the details about the game. If you haven’t seen anything about the game to this point, this trailer breaks down everything you will see in the game from new maps, to improved gameplay mechanics and more!

Check out the video above and don’t forget to pre-order the game now from Amazon #ad, so that you can have access to it a few days earlier than those that wait on the street date!

About Star Wars Battlefront 2:

Jump into the boots of an elite special forces soldier, equally lethal on the ground and space, in an emotionally gripping new Star Wars campaign that spans over 30 years and bridges events between the films’ Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Ultimate Star Wars Battleground! A Star Wars multiplayer universe unmatched in variety and breadth where up to 40 players fight as iconic heroes, authentic-to-era troopers and in a massive array of vehicles on land and in the air – as battle rages through the galaxy.

New Battlefront 2 Starfighter Assault Trailer Released

Posted on August 19, 2017 - 2:30 pm by Matthew Unwin

Gamescom is right around the corner and EA has released a new trailer (viewable above) for Battlefront 2 to coincide with the event. As EA promised a few days ago, the trailer focuses on starfighter assault, a new multistage gamemode which boasts improved starfighter controls and a deeper class based system than the first game.

The trailer shows off all of three eras playable in the game, the prequel, original trilogy and sequel eras. It first begins with a brief snippet of a map based around a Resurgent Class Star Destroyer showing off the sequel era style of X-Wings and an incredibly short glimpse at a new hero ship, Kylo Ren’s starfighter from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Next it gives a brief glimpse of an original trilogy map presumably set after Return of the Jedi in the debris of the second Death Star above Endor. The new Fondor Imperial shipyard map is shown briefly as well as (what looks like) playable Y-Wings, X-Wings and TIE fighters. The hero ships, Luke’s X-Wing, the Millennium Falcon, Slave I and Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced are shown off as well (all returning ships from the first game).

After the rebels blow up one of the star destroyers in the Imperial shipyard map, the trailer cuts to a prequel era map above the planet Ryloth centered around a Lucrehulk battleship (that massive ball shaped space station from Episode 1). V-Wings and ARC 170s are shown off.

Finally a map based around a research base on Kamino is shown alongside prequel era Y-Wings and two new hero ships, Darth Maul’s Scimitar (which appears to have some sort of cloaking ability) and Yoda in his comically small starfighter from the Clone Wars TV series.

If the trailer interests you, then you can try Starfighter Assault in the upcoming Battlefront 2 beta in October.

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