Star Wars Battlefront detailed preview

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STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT


10 Feb 04 Begun, the Clone Wars most certainly have, but end in a protracted lawsuit, they quite possibly will. Impressed with the phenomenal success of EA's Battlefield 1942 franchise, LucasArts will soon, ahem, 'pay homage to' said series with a full-blown skirmish simulator of its own. Dubbed Star Wars Battlefront, the title should make 'large-scale online warfare' a household term when it ships this year. The only question is, will this be the online shooter Star Wars fans have always dreamed of, or another slap in the face for loyal Wars buffs?

Obviously hopeful of the former, we tracked down the Battlefront bods at LucasArts for an early look at their new project. What we discovered was a game that builds cleverly on the Battlefield 1942 formula, as well as going out of its way to keep the fans (that's you) happy.


STAR WARRIORS
For the uninitiated, here's the gist. Participants plug in, link up, choose a team and blow each other sky high with an array of brand-specific weapons and vehicles. Like Battlefield, the main game sees you vying for control of a number of checkpoints in each map, and like Battlefield you can switch between first- and third-person perspectives at will. Learning from the fact that only one of Battlefield's modes (Conquest) is widely enjoyed, Battlefront offers only two major multiplayer modes - Instant Action and Galactic Conquest. And that's where the differences really begin.

"Gameplay in Battlefront is clearly similar to Battlefield 1942 in nature," admits LucasArts producer Jim Tso. "However, we want to immediately differentiate the titles, and we feel that adding a layer of strategy and depth between maps will achieve this." To wit, hostile exchanges aren't merely one-off encounters; they actually have a lasting effect on a campaign's outcome. In the Galactic Conquest mode, opposing teams literally compete for dominion over the known universe. Capture every checkpoint on a planet (usually involving winning at least two battle maps), and you gain control of that planet. Conquer all of the planets, including Hoth, Endor, Naboo, Tatooine and Geonosis, and the galaxy - and the game - is yours.

On top of this, if you manage to hold a territory for a certain period, your team will be awarded with one of a range of special attacks. These bonuses aren't simply gimmicks, either. If the Imperials control Tatooine for example, they can call upon Darth Vader for personal aid on the battlefield. And if you think the Dark Lord of the Sith isn't intimidating enough, control of Endor actually gives you access to the Death Star, which instantly vaporises an entire world. Bearing this in mind, it's a godsend that the Rebels can also seek occasional aid from heroes such as Luke Skywalker. As Tso suggests, "Features like this are going to impact gameplay in ways that audiences haven't even imagined yet."


A WRINKLE IN TIME
Needless to say, Battlefront is also a class-based affair, with over 20 character types spread across four factions: Rebel Alliance, Imperial Army, Clone Army and Battle Droids. Unfortunately, Jedi and Sith will only appear as NPCs, despite the fact that the game straddles both classic and prequel-era Star Wars. Not to worry though, as you'll still have some wildly different character classes to choose from, as each splinter group offers a distinctive selection of units.

In keeping with the times, choices include scouts - sharpshooters armed with sniper rifles and probe droids - as well as low-level infantry types such as storm troopers and Rebel grunts. The ranks are further swelled by assault troopers, designed for anti-vehicular use, and pilots, the only class who can patch up damaged vessels. Unique selections also grace each political bloc, such as the Separatists' nigh-on unstoppable Droideka robot or the Republic's jetpack-equipped Specialist. The Rebel Spy should prove a favourite as well, given that these skilled confidence men can impersonate adversaries at will. Co-ordinated assaults will also be made easier by the inclusion of full voice-over IP technology. "Headset support is critical to team communication," comments Tso.

With four very different factions and the option to stage anachronistic match-ups (say, Republic versus Battle Droids), replay value certainly won't be in short supply. Never mind that the purists will be up in arms.


RIDE OR DIE
Of course, there's also a range of vehicles to pilot, and again the range of options is generous. Over ten different air and ground vessels will be available at launch, some of which, like the Rebel Gunship, can hold up to six units. Manning a Trade Federation tank's turrets, employing a Snowspeeder's tow cables against invading AT-ATs, or hosing down enemies with laser fire from an X-Wing are just a few possible options. Even animal mounts can be utilised if fur, and not fireproof plating, suits your tender buttocks better.

Clearly, the ability to recreate major cinematic conflicts (which needn't play out as depicted in the films) is anticipated as a top selling point. So too is the fact that any character can commandeer any vehicle or man any firing station, though not every character performs as well as others behind the controls. Just be careful who you're trying to carjack - as Tso aptly puts it, "Let's just say facing an AT-ST with nothing more than a blaster rifle isn't advised."

Each vehicle is also powered by a distinctive physics model, the fanciful nature of which should do plenty to distinguish the game from its reality-obsessed competitors. LucasArts strongly believes such characteristics will see the product define a unique identity for itself among offerings such as Joint Ops and Battlefield Vietnam. The presumption, naturally, is that audiences would rather choose a speeder bike over a Sherman tank any day.
Predictably, proper game balancing will be crucial to achieving the title's goals. Aware of the challenges inherent with this sort of design, Pandemic has been addressing the problem since day one. Known collectively as the "War Room," an elite cadre of testers spends night and day with the product, submitting daily reports on progress from the sole perspective of playability. Code revisions are made shortly thereafter, and the process begins anew each dawn.

Open Beta programs are further anticipated, meaning you may yet lay hands on a tie fighter without a prolonged wait. Clearly, player feedback is being taken seriously for this project. The evidence of careful faction balancing can already be seen. The Rebels encompass fewer classes than the Imperials, yet can equip their grunts with a greater variety of weapons. Conversely, the Empire offers a greater unit selection, but characters tend to specialise and wield fewer, more powerful forms of offensive gear.


THE SHOTGUN APPROACH
Aiming for Star Wars fans, BF1942 fans and FPS fans in one fell swoop, Battlefront could enjoy a huge following at launch. Rumours have been swirling regarding the product's cross-platform release (versions are planned for PS2 and Xbox), but Zone readers needn't worry - we've already confirmed the PC as the primary target platform. There'll be no skimping on online functionality either, with the product capable of handling 32 players via Internet or 64 on a LAN, as opposed to half those numbers for the console editions.

Indeed, with a proven formula in place and an exciting, unpredictable campaign mode to add flavour, Battlefront looks perfectly placed to conquer the online galaxy. "Wait and see what we've got cooking, smiles Tso. "Save an unpredicted calamity of galactic proportions, I can't picture any way Star Wars fans will be disappointed."

[MMmmGood]

Great read! I am liking this game a lot.

Now it says it scapable of handling 32 players via Internet, but they said the same about BF1942 as well. The fact that you can run 64 on a LAN is kind of strange.

Hopefully it'll let you do 64 online, cause you know we'll be running a server for this.

[Colonel Ingus Profile]

Yeah that is stangre.

People are trying to dethrone 1942 but it really set a lot of new standards for games and I think its eventual dethroner must support 64 person.

For those of us who love this crap who would want to go back to half as many peoples?

[Murgatroyd]

Originally posted by Colonel Ingus
Yeah that is stangre.

People are trying to dethrone 1942 but it really set a lot of new standards for games and I think its eventual dethroner must support 64 person.

For those of us who love this crap who would want to go back to half as many peoples?

I thought for certain that PlanetSide would be the next 'big thing' after 1942 (although I was wrong for unforseen reasons), due to the massive-multiplayer aspect.

With that in mind, I can see a 32-seater dethroning 1942 because PS demostrated that number of players is not #1 in most people's heads. I think if a game is well-designed and fun to play, regardless of the number of players it supports, it could very well dethrone 1942.

I think the factors that made 1942 what it is are far separated from it's multiplayer limits, and are probably better discussed in a separate thread.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I do think that a true heir to the BF throne has to at least match the scale of BF.

[Buliwyf Profile]

Originally posted by MMmmGood
Great read! I am liking this game a lot.

Now it says it scapable of handling 32 players via Internet, but they said the same about BF1942 as well. The fact that you can run 64 on a LAN is kind of strange.

Hopefully it'll let you do 64 online, cause you know we'll be running a server for this.

64 on a LAN hah. that's a big house