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61

Star Wars Discussion / EA shuts down Visceral Games and delays unannounced Star Wars game

« on: October 17, 2017, 05:00:57 PM »

So like the title says Visceral Games was shut down. Before there is any sort of unreasonable line of thoughts let's analysis the situation with an unbiased approach.

While Visceral Games did create games like Dead Space,they also created Battlefield Hardline, which everyone knows how that turned out.

From EA's statement it can be inferred that Project Ragtag (code name for the unannounced Star Wars game) wasn't going to be good. This is due to the fact that EA stated "Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace." This means that it wasn't shaping up to either what they had hoped for or what the marketed wanted, or it wasn't particularly good.

This can also be shown by the way they describe the game and how they are going to change it in the future."Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game." and the ladder being "... reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore." This shows that EA wanted it to at least have some depth to it. Instead of it being a linear game, that you just play once.

It seems like after the failure that was Battlefield Hardline, Visceral and EA were betting all the chips on the table on this new Star Wars game. However, after the game was tested it seems like it failed within those groups in order to save whatever budget was left and to make sure a horrible game wasn't realized. This can be seen as EA learning from the Mass Effect Andromeda scandle.  The only thing left to do in this situation was to shut down Visceral games, move the game development to a different studio and start fresh with the assets they had. This is regular business practice, so its not like EA is a big baddie in this situation. Its just a shitty situation overall.


Links:
https://www.ea.com/news/an-update-on-the-visceral-star-wars-project?isLocalized=true
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-17-ea-has-shut-down-visceral-games
https://kotaku.com/ea-shuts-down-visceral-games-1819623990

Edit 1:Another Article explaining things in further detail, showcasing a worrying future.

https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/59dn78/todays-star-wars-news-makes-the-future-of-single-player-look-very-messy?utm_source=wptwitterus

Edit 2: At least it isn't Activision

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62

Star Wars Discussion / Re: If you could choose any lightsaber to wield, which would it be?

« on: October 16, 2017, 01:05:53 AM »

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side,kid.

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63

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Your Most Bullcrap Star Wars Moments

« on: October 15, 2017, 10:47:57 PM »

When a MC80b could take on a SSD, or the suncrusher

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64

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Did Ea shoot themselves in the foot with BF2?

« on: October 15, 2017, 03:27:00 AM »

As for EA massively ramping up credit costs down the line, that is speculation - if they do it at the time it may well be condemnable, but condemning them before they've done it isn't something I'm willing to do.

They have stated that the credit earning was capped during the beta. No one's know's how its going to be changed expect for the personalities that they are using to play test some features.

Onto something else

Here's the thing AAA games now cost alot of money to produce, we are talking movie level size budget and crew which is absolutely insane. If a company wants to make any sort of meaningful profit from the game, they have to include things like DLC or micro transactions. The initial release of the game and how much money it makes in that time means absolutely nothing in terms of profit, unless you have a game like GTA 5, which doesn't happen. Games are needed to be huge hits in order to break even. DLC and micro-transactions are introduced in order to produce profit so they can put it back into the game, or use the money on other projects. That's the nature of AAA video games, no matter what people say about it.

People asked for free DLC so the player base is split up, so we got lootboxes so that they can make the money to produce these free items. Nothing in life is free, so you have to pay for it one way or the other. Cosmetic DLC will probably not make enough money either, otherwise they would've gone that route instead. And here's the thing, if there was no market for this sort of thing, EA would never implemented it in the first place just because of the PR disaster these things bring about. Do you see people outraged about GTA's micro-transactions and how you can't do anything in the game unless you either get hacked and get tons of money, grind for all hours of the day or buy one shark card and make things easier. Of course, but what is the result of the outrage? Shark Cards for GTA 5 has made literally Billions in revenue, and on top of the fact that GTA 5 is still the number one selling game in alot of countries. The system works and only a small minority of people are outraged compared to the huge audience the causal games appeal to. I'm not defending it at all. This is just the way things are, and have been.

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65

Imperial Civil War Tech Support / Re: Multiple Installations Possible?

« on: October 14, 2017, 05:48:35 PM »

I would like to try the 2.2 demo but don't want to delete or uninstall my existing 2.15 installation. 

Is this possible?

Yes, the demo is a separate "mod" or file altogether. So there's no need to delete anything.

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66

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Did Ea shoot themselves in the foot with BF2?

« on: October 14, 2017, 05:40:08 PM »

We know you have a lot of questions about Crates and progression, so we want to clarify a few things, as the complete system was not in the Beta and will continue to be tuned over time:

There are many things you can earn in the game, including weapons, attachments, credits, Star Cards, Emotes, Outfits and Victory Poses.

As a balance goal, we’re working towards having the most powerful items in the game only earnable via in-game achievements.

Crates will include a mix of of Star Cards, Outfits, Emotes or Victory Poses.

Players earn crates by completing challenges and other gameplay milestones, or by purchasing them with in-game credits or Crystals, our premium currency.

If you get a duplicate Star Card in a crate, you will get crafting parts which you can then use to help upgrade the Star Card of your choice.

And lastly, you have to earn the right to be able to upgrade Star Cards and unlock most Weapons. You can only upgrade or unlock them if you have reached a high enough rank, which is determined by playing the game.




Thats their official statement. Lootboxes are never guaranteed good items there are literally thousands of videos showcasing this. And yes lootboxes are not a progression system either.

A player can pay to get tons of lootboxes sure, but at the end of it they could get mediocre things simply due to luck.

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67

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Did Ea shoot themselves in the foot with BF2?

« on: October 14, 2017, 02:59:37 PM »

So Battlefront 2 honestly looked like a great game, until the beta. During the Beta we learned that to compensate for a lack of paid DLC(Season pass) we are getting a loot crate system. Now don't get me wrong their are great loot crate systems out there like CSGOs, or Overwatches, But this one is basically paid to win system to and from. The loot crates can give you: Star cards, weapons, upgrades for heroes, upgrades for fighters, emotes, skins, and a new currency called crafting parts. Now how the system works is like this:
1. Every match you earn credits. The amount of credits you get is dependent on how your TEAM does. Not you. so like Communism, everyone gets the same amount even if you did better then the worst player on your team. You get on average about 150 credits. the highest I ever got was 270 but that once.
2. You get a daily loot crate every time you log in. Other crates are purchased by either credits, or another currency called crystals( real money converted to game currency). The lowest level crate is a 1000 and the other three crate types are 1100. This means on average you have to play over 2 hours of game time to earn the lowest costing crate.
3. Due to how much stuff is in these crates, rarely will you get what you want. For example if I want the CR-2 Naboo security blaster, I have to either get 600 crafting parts, or earn it randomly in a crate drop. Keep in mind you can only get crafting parts in crates and their is no guarantee you will get crafting parts. Also that means you would play on average about over 12 hours to get enough for a weapon.
4. Some star cards are extremely powerful. One card I found and equipped was called "Death from a above" this is a Hero Star Card for Boba Fett. The affect at rank one is 50% damage reduction when using your get pack or Rocket Barrage ability. If you rank this up to max its a 100% damage reduction when using this card. Another card I found useful was two tie bomber cards. 1 gave me increased damage with Proton torpedoes and the muilt-missile thing. the other gave me addition missiles I could fire that could go all the way up to 12 missiles.
5. The amount of cards you can have equip is affect by How many cards you have and what rank are they.
6. You can buy loot crates using real money. Yes this is a pay-to-win system.
7. All DLC will be free, but the DLC weapons, emotes, star cards, and cosmetics will be added to the loot crates. Therefore you will have to constantly play in order to get what you want.


This by far has got to be the worse case of Micro-Transactions and loot crates I have ever seen.
EA basically shot themselves in the foot. It saddens me because If I buy this game I am supporting this practice. That sucks because I honestly want to play the campaign, and I loved the space battles.
what do you guys think?

1Credits were capped during the beta
2 again credits were capped during the beta so in the full game you could probably play a good match and get a lootbox
3 They've stated that all of the more powerful star cards and ranked star cards are locked beyond in game achievements and they cannot be purchased
4 they will probably change that
5 star card rank is locked and cannot be purchased
6 Lootboxes is not a pay 2 win system since there is not guarantee youll get anything good
7 it encourages people to play the game more than it does people buy the stuff.

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68

Star Wars Discussion / Thrawn sequel

« on: October 06, 2017, 05:19:30 PM »

A thrawn sequel is coming next summer! Hype! Maybe this means he lives in rebels!

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69

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Why is the First Order still using At-Ats?

« on: October 03, 2017, 07:36:21 PM »

But even with people working above in shadow it shouldn't be that swift. How would everyone feel if the legends story Dark Empire took place one year after Endor? That doesn't work neither does this. Also No, It is specifically stated that No memebers of Imperial High Command Joined the First Order, infact most were murder by rouge teams of terrorists the New Republic paid to hunt down and kill Imperials. Most of the Future council is dead at that point, and we still also don't know the fate of General Veers.(Rae Slaone Doesn't count, she was evicted of her precision as a member of Imperial High Command, Also neither of the Brendal or Armitage Hux count) to quote wookiepedia "[13] In response, many Imperial nobles, technologists,[14] warlords,[4] and officers fled into the Unknown Regions in an effort to escape the prying eyes of the New Republic. They used information derived from Grand Admiral Thrawn[13] who hailed from the Chiss Ascendancy,[15] and the survey teams and droids that the late Emperor Sheev Palpatine had sent to explore the Unknown Regions"

Btw what happened to General Veers?

Well you just stated from that wookiepedia quote that they did escape into it. Maybe no one has important, but still various members of the Empire. Plus The NR took Coruscant in what 2 years after Endor, considering it was the most important planet to hold in legends. That was super fast.

Also Dark Empire doesnt happen a year after endor because it wouldnt work in legends. But the empire falling in a year in canon does because of the events that take place.

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70

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Why is the First Order still using At-Ats?

« on: October 03, 2017, 06:58:02 PM »

Fair enough I will take that as a example but still wouldn't they still be outdated? Unless their armor is upgraded, resistance ground forces would crush them easily.
Also I don't really remember much from Shattered Empire except for the Darth Maul thing Leia has. I generally hate.... with a passion a one year easy wipe out of the Empire. A thirty year gap should be use to its full potential, buts it isn't. You could have the Empire offically surrender 5 years later(with some Imperial Warlords making fortress worlds) and I would honestly be fine with that. Hell go one step further, and say members of Imperial High Command Fled into the Unknown Regions, and have them slowly round up small Imperial fleets to join them. That I would actually believe is more realistic, and also allows for new stories to be told and give the Empire a great fall.

Star wars dream movie: Battle of Jakku with Kit Harington playing a Imperial Captain that Commands a Raider Corvette called LongClaw (Nice Game of thrones reference)

They do have Imperial high command escape into the unknown regions though. And they brought whatever they could. And the one year thing is fine. You had both the Rebels and the Imps working to take down the Empire so it makes sense it would collapse so quickly.

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71

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Why is the First Order still using At-Ats?

« on: October 02, 2017, 11:59:55 PM »

Fair point, but why use a weapon your enemy can easily counter? I mean the only time old technology has been shown to beat new is in the Thrawn book, specifically when Thrawn fought in the skirmish over Umbara. Though to be fair that was quickly counter by Thrawn. I not saying it doesn't make sense form a resource perspective, but I saying from a military, and logical stand point it just seems tto dangerous and a waste of good tank crews when we have these AT-M6 Gorilla Walkers.

Well it takes 3 crew to man an At At. So there's not much manpower they're wasting. Second its probably a good escort walker and a great siege platform regardless of any weaknesses. There is also another instance in new canon where old tech beats New. Leia and the Queen of Naboo take old N1 star fighters and take them to destroy the sats that are virtually destroying Naboo by changing its climate.

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72

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Why is the First Order still using At-Ats?

« on: October 02, 2017, 06:06:40 PM »

Well the first order military is bullshit. According to wookiepedia they have been amassing weapons, ships, and humans in the unknown regions for decades. The other problem I have is how will we find out about the time gap between Return of the Jedi and TFA in battlefront 2 when Iden is 20-25 in the book inferno squadron. Add up the time gap between the book and the start of the game she is about 25-30. Add the gap between the Return of the jedi, and force awakens she will either be in her late 50s or early 60s. I don't see us fighting up to that point. Also their was a screenshot of a dice monitor showing flame troopers on vardos(it was some concept art)

Also did anyone notice that on Vardos, Aliens seem to actually enjoy the Empire, and some are even in high imperial positions of political and military power.
Also does Vardos and the rest of the Galaxy still think Iden is a traitor?

To put in a realistic perspective we still use aircraft from the 50s and so on. So its not out of the realm of possibility. And if people need a commander it doesn't matter how old they are, as long as they can still fight and lead.

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73

Discussion, Suggestions & Feedback / Re: A Possible Alternative to Keep People Up-to-Date on Progress of 2.2 (and Others)

« on: September 29, 2017, 05:34:52 PM »

It does sound like that's something that you are doing anyway to a certain extent. For me and others, I think the biggest ... Frustration is too harsh a word, more curiosity... is that we get fairly regular updates on what's going on but without a gauge of what's left, we don't really know how close to release it is. Not that it's a big deal to me; I don't mind waiting for you guys to get it to a point that you are ready to put it out and it does sound like it should be fairly soon (I guess dependent on your definition of soon though). The last thing I want to do is make things more tedious for you guys so if it's not doable then I certainly understand. I just saw it with the Subnautica development and thought it might be a compromise and that way you'd have something simple to point to the next time someone asks for a release date or when it will be done.

So yeah, sorry to bother you with this then.

Its great that you have such an interest with the development of 2.2! However please keep in mind, the team has about the same idea of how close the version is to release as you do. While they do know some of what is left; they do not know how long its going to take to create these things, or if something IRL pops up how much time that'll take and finally how long the testing process will take or if they get any new ideas they want to implement into the mod. So when you see someone say its out when its out, that's because no one knows what type of time frame we're looking at. So to sum it up the "simple thing to point to" is the statement we don't know but it'll be out when its out.

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74

Imperial Civil War Community Mods / Re: Any mod/submod can be uploaded to the Steam Workshop.

« on: September 27, 2017, 02:30:04 PM »

well it has to be tested to see if a sub mod that is submitted can modify the TR folder. Because Submods are not allowed to upload the whole mod, only the parts that modify ICW.

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75

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Impending doom of canon Thrawn? (SPOILERS)

« on: September 26, 2017, 04:17:07 PM »

To my knowledge he didn't, you don't really see him sending out Noghri consistently til the attempt to capture Leia's twins. I'm hard pressed to remember him using them heavily before that.

Well didn't he deploy them to capture Leia and Luke at first?

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76

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Impending doom of canon Thrawn? (SPOILERS)

« on: September 26, 2017, 12:58:14 AM »

I mean didn't Thrawn deploy Noghri teams, I think that means he had them during that time. Maybe?

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77

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Cannon Post-Endor vs Legends Post-Endor.

« on: September 15, 2017, 11:08:03 PM »

I mean true, but then why the most ridiculous plan to destroy the Empire? You could have just had Gallius Rax take the survivors of Jakku to go build his Empire, but no he is really stupid.

Also In the Phasma book it was said that a majority of the first order Storm troopers are recruited while the children they kidnap are for special forces. That COMPLETELY CONTRIDICTS why Finn was on Jakku as a regular storm trooper. Shouldn't he have been a special forces storm trooper? ALSO where so they get all these recruits? WHO THE FUCK WOULD JOIN the first order? Also why is the first order so powerful if it is 1/10 the size of the Original Empire?

It makes sense for Palpatines character, he did the same thing in Dark Empire if you think about it. Also I thought those guys were Special forces I would have to check the comic about it. And they probably haven't explained it yet. I'd give it time. For example it took decades to figure out the proper size of the executor.

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78

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Cannon Post-Endor vs Legends Post-Endor.

« on: September 15, 2017, 08:27:51 PM »

The post endor events in new canon are actually SUPER interesting. Including how the NR could not control the same amount of space as the Empire or the old Republic, and how the First Order was also included inside the NR. It is also pretty cool how they got their equipment through unofficial partnerships and shell companies

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79

Forum Games / Re: Last Person to Post Wins

« on: September 15, 2017, 01:15:26 PM »

finally finished the new thrawn book the 4th time.
I recommend everyone a second or third reading as you can spot many many things you haven't noticed or glossed over the first time.

Its pretty good right?

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80

Star Wars Discussion / Re: Procurator-class Star Battlecruiser

« on: September 15, 2017, 12:42:43 PM »

 I really dislike the design its just flat out ugly, I get its FS himself. However this one was kinda a flop, hell I like the mega Star destroyer better. At least there is a reason for its design

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