It was hard not to come away from 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront feeling slightly disappointed. While some fantastic visuals and sound effects made the whole thing feel authentic, there just wasn’t enough depth to keep fans engaged. Thankfully, after playing this year’s sequel, we’re pleased to report that Battlefront 2 looks set to offer the Star Wars multiplayer action that we’ve always dreamed about.
But there’s more to Battlefront 2 than what we saw at E3 2017, so to find out what fans can expect from Battlefront 2’s frantic online battles, we spoke to the game’s multiplayer producer, Craig McLeod. What have developers DICE learned from the last game? Read on…
DICE have listened to their fans
For those who didn’t pick up 2015’s entry, it was incredibly arcadey, allowing anyone to pick up a controller and make them feel like they were in Star Wars. Yet, while that accessibility sounds great on paper, it meant that the core gameplay lacked the depth of other popular online shooters. This, Craig McLeod reveals, is the biggest thing that DICE learned from the last game.
Battlefront 2 has been about adding that breadth and depth. We're taking the next step.
“We know that when we’re making a Star Wars game, it’s not just for the gamers,” says McLeod. “It’s also for fans who just like Star Wars. So [with the last game] we created something super accessible but we heard gamers saying: ‘It’s not deep enough’. So [developing Battlefront 2] has really been about adding that breadth and the depth. We had to build a foundation somewhere – now, we’re taking the next step.”
Classes make Battlefront 2 a more team-focused affair
With Battlefront created by the brains behind the squad-based military shooter, Battlefield, the absence of classes in the last Battlefront felt fairly surprising. This time, however, classes are making a very welcome appearance. Swapping between several during a match of the objective-focused Galactic Assault, the classes bring a much-needed team dynamic to the online action. With my teammates laying down sentry turrets and healing me as I run towards Naboo’s heavily defended palace, Battlefront 2 felt like a wonderfully team-focused experience.
McLeod explained the roles of each class, stressing that it was important to offer classes that suit everyone’s playstyle while still making them feel like they fit into the Star Wars universe.
You can still contribute to a team, no matter what your skill level.
“So we have our assault, which is for running and gunning, really trying to break through that frontline. We have the heavy, who goes into sentry mode, has a shield to protect itself and benefits from additional health.
"We also have a specialist class which has great long-range sniping abilities – great for recon. And finally we have the officer class. A lot of people were saying: ‘I’m not the best shooter, but I love Star Wars. How can I still be a part of this?’ And this is where the officer is really powerful for us, because it allows you to buffer your team-mates, so you can still contribute to a team, no matter what your skill level.”
Battlefront 2’s Galactic Assault mode is hugely cinematic
While the last game pretty much dropped you in and left you to your own devices, here it’s the little details that makes attacking Naboo’s Theed feel like an assault worthy of the movies.
It all just feels like Star Wars.
“What we want to do is make sure that the environments feel immersive and alive," says McLeod. "When you’re spawning as a Clone Trooper at the very beginning of the map, you see all these LA-ATs dropping off the clones going into more defensive positions. If you start as part of the Separatist droid army you see MTTs unloading these battalions of droids, see the dropships taking off, civilians fleeing and droids running about. It all just feels like Star Wars.“
Taking some inspiration from Battlefield’s Rush mode, here the player’s objective changes as the map opens up. “In the first game escorting your walker was basically your experience,” admits McLeod. “In Battlefront 2, when you escort your walker, that’s only the first phase. Here, the objectives are different. The first objective is to escort the MTT to the palace, the second objective sees you interacting with two unique objects to override the Palace’s security system, and then it culminates in focal point at the end, where both teams battle it out in a last stand in the palace. We want to use different mechanics and different objectives to really set the narrative for our multiplayer. “
Interestingly, McLeod hints that playing Galactic Assault on different maps will offer location-tailored objectives. “This is not a cookie-cutter mode. So when you go to another planet, let’s say Yavin 4, you might have a completely different objective.”
Expect far deeper character progression
As well as having all-new classes to get to grips with, players will also have extensive customisation options to match. Everything players do in-game will earn them Battlepoints, which can be used to call in hero characters mid-match and to unlock those precious Starcard upgrades, via Overwatch-style loot boxes.
“There are more collectibles, there are more cards and we now have rarities across cards,” says McLeod. “Our heroes are now customisable in the same way that our troopers are, too, whereas in the previous game your heroes just got three abilities.”
These star cards extend to weapon upgrades, too. “When we think about upgrading these cards to give you sort of modified abilities, you might do more damage, might have a lesser cooldown, you might have a longer duration of something. These are the kind of modifications that we’re looking at.”
The blasters feel infinitely better
In the last game, gunplay felt a bit floaty, but from our time with Battlefront 2, each blaster had a satisfying weight to it. McLeod assured us that along with the more satisfying gunplay, there will be a more distinctive feel to each weapon, too.
All post-launch content will be free
Much to everyone’s surprise, during its E3 conference, EA revealed that all post-launch Battlefront 2 content will be completely free of charge – something that McLeod and the team are incredibly excited about.
Now, every single person who plays Battlefront 2 will be able to see everything that we did.
“Look, we heard what fans said. You said you didn’t want that paywall. Does that mean that all future content will be free? Yes, that’s exactly what it means," says a grinning McLeod. “I’m excited personally as a content creator, because now, every single person who plays Battlefront 2 will be able to see everything that we did – there’s no split in the userbase.”