Star Wars: Squadrons - video game

Well crud, I replied to the Star Wars games thread before I saw this had its own topic. Eh, cut and paste from there:

Trailer!

https://youtu.be/w0eRkhR1z6A

Looks like they may have incorporated some version of the power management aspect from the X-wing game series, which is great! I always loved being able to shift power from shields to engines to laser cannons depending on my needs in the situation. It added a deeper level of realism to the whole “operating a high performance machine in space” aspect and is similar to the concept of energy management used when flying real aircraft (even though that’s managing potential vs kinetic energy, i.e. trading airspeed for altitude and vice versa).

Can’t wait to play this. I think I saw it’s retail at release is $40? Not too bad.

From the other general game thread:

Z6PO said:

EA Access** and Origin™ Access Basic** subscribers can enjoy up to 10 hours of play time at launch, along with 10% off the purchase of the full game. Origin Access Premier** subscribers will get full access to Star Wars: Squadrons on PC along with all the benefits of Basic as long as they subscribe

Source

If this means you have to have a subscription just to play, that’s lame. It definitely means I won’t be preordering. Will have to wait and see the reviews and details of exactly what you can and can’t do with or without a supscription on the PC version

canofhumdingers said:

From the other general game thread:

Z6PO said:

EA Access** and Origin™ Access Basic** subscribers can enjoy up to 10 hours of play time at launch, along with 10% off the purchase of the full game. Origin Access Premier** subscribers will get full access to Star Wars: Squadrons on PC along with all the benefits of Basic as long as they subscribe

Source

If this means you have to have a subscription just to play, that’s lame. It definitely means I won’t be preordering. Will have to wait and see the reviews and details of exactly what you can and can’t do with or without a supscription on the PC version

That means subscribers can play it for free INSTEAD of purchasing the game - Like Xbox Games Pass etc.

Oooooooooohhhh… well never mind. That’s cool.

I still probably won’t preorder it because I don’t care about the preorder exclusives. And I’m not 100% decided on which platform I want it for (PC or PS4).

The official gameplay trailer for ‘Star Wars: Squardons’…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCcfJ9uEwvs - at the ‘EA Star Wars’ youtube channel. (6 minutes long.)
 

The blurb:-

"The second Death Star is gone, but starfighter pilots unite on both sides of the Galactic Civil War as it rages on in STAR WARS™: Squadrons: https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/squadrons

Fight alongside your squadron to tip the scales in monumental fleet battles and compete in intense 5 vs. 5 dogfights. Get into the cockpit and triumph as a team by completing tactical objectives across known and never-before-seen battlefields, including the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan.

Customize the loadouts of starfighters such as the X-wing and TIE fighter and divert power between their weapons, shields, and engines as you roar into the fray. Immerse yourself in strategic multiplayer space battles and a thrilling STAR WARS™ single-player story, seen from alternating perspectives between the New Republic and the Empire.

Master the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience STAR WARS: Squadrons. Available October 2, 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Origin PC, Steam, Epic Games Store and Virtual Reality (VR) on PlayStation 4 and PC with cross-play support.

About STAR WARS: Squadrons…

ALL WINGS REPORT IN – Plan skirmishes with your squadron in the briefing room before taking off to the evolving battlefields across the galaxy. Compete in intense 5 vs. 5 multiplayer dogfights or unite with your squadron to tip the scales in monumental fleet battles. Together, you’re the galaxy’s finest.

MASTER LEGENDARY STARFIGHTERS – Take control of different classes of starfighters from both the New Republic and Imperial fleets – including the agile A-wing and the devastating TIE bomber. Modify your ship, divert the power between its systems, and destroy your opponents in strategic space dogfights.

GET IN THE COCKPIT – The cockpit is your home. Use its dashboards to your advantage and – with just a thin hull of metal and glass between you and the perils of space – feel the intensity of combat from a first-person perspective. Take off in thrilling multiplayer modes and a unique single-player Star Wars story, which covers a key campaign near the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War. Immerse yourself in the pilot’s seat completely with the option to play the entirety of Star Wars: Squadrons in Virtual Reality on PlayStation®4 and PC.

THE MISSION IS CLEAR – Star Wars: Squadrons is a fully self-contained experience from day one, where you earn rewards through play. Climb the ranks and unlock new components like weapons, hulls, engines, shields, and cosmetic items in a clear path for progression that keeps gameplay fresh and engaging."

^ I am quite pumped for this, dammit, they have suckered me in with their fancy trailers (it didn’t take much 😉)
 

I missed the boat on the original X-Wing series, but Rogue Leader might be my all-time favorite (it’s a toss-up between that, KOTOR, and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight). I’ve been dying for a new game like this for almost 20 years at this point. Absolutely can’t wait.

Hmm. I hate to be a Debbie Downer but I didn’t love the gameplay trailer as much as I’d hoped. The graphics seemed a bit cartoony in a lot of ways. Especially with all the “vortex*” lines streaking off the ships and the way the lasers-hitting-shields were animated (I always thought X-wing Alliance did this beautifully; with shields up the lasers would kinda make that part of the ship glow and then fade out much like when Luke is “hit, but not bad” in ANH. And then with no shields the lasers would make tiny explosions on the ship).

But what bothered me more than the look of it was the way the ships seem to maneuver. There were multiple instances showing the ships performing these super tight, skidding turns much like a car drifting around tight corners. It’s alright if it’s a rare, one off occurrence. But I’m not a fan of it being a regular part of the gameplay as the trailer implied. I always liked how Star Wars ships maneuvered much like airplanes. It gave a sense of familiarity and “realness” that felt authentic. Very few real airplanes can perform a maneuver like that, and the ones that can use up ALL of their kinetic energy to do it. It’s a one trick pony that would get you killed in most dogfights because once you do it, you have no momentum left and have to slowly get your speed back by trading altitude (potential energy) for speed (kinetic energy). And during that transfer you are moving very slowly with very little ability to maneuver. A sitting duck. So it just kinda feels like a cheat to have that ability.

Anyway, enough poo-pooing things. It still looks like a lot of fun and I’m so happy to see a new Star Wars flight sim after SO MANY years! Despite my qualms above I’ll still absolutely be getting this and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the heck out of it. I’m really looking forward to the single player story.

*those white streaks are meant to resemble wingtip vortices. I get that they’re just meant to be a visual cue for speed in video games, but they are a real phenomenon and games (and movies) almost ALWAYS get them completely wrong. For one, you have to have two things to make them: air and an airfoil (wing). No air in space = no vortices. Second, they form at the tip of an airfoil as the higher air pressure underneath slips around the wingtip to the lower pressure above. This effectively creates a tiny little horizontal tornado coming off the tip of the wing. Almost all wings create them while flying, but they are only visible when the moisture content of the air is just right so that the change in pressure at the wingtip condenses the moisture into a little cloud that spins around in the vortex. So, basically, they don’t exist in space and they would be very unlikely even in an atmosphere since the ships don’t have real wings (i.e. an actual airfoil that uses physics to create aerodynamic lift)

I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for this game. Just wish we had an official joystick to go with it!

canofhumdingers said:

There were multiple instances showing the ships performing these super tight, skidding turns much like a car drifting around tight corners. It’s alright if it’s a rare, one off occurrence. But I’m not a fan of it being a regular part of the gameplay as the trailer implied.

I saw someone on twitter say that these hairpin turns are achieved in the game by cutting the engines while you’re in the middle of a boost maneuver, so it’s definitely something that you can only do as frequently as you can boost at the very most. If this person was right, that is. I’m not sure what their source was, I assume it’s in one of the articles that dropped yesterday, but I haven’t actually checked. Anyway, I thought it was a little odd too, but it doesn’t bother me. The vortex lines and high-contrast, almost cell-shade-y rendering also reminds me of No Man’s Sky, which visually is one of my favorite games. Squadrons seems to be a bit more stylized than Battlefront II for sure, but I’m fine with that.

^ I find ‘Star Wars Explained’ a little dry for my taste, but you are very much correct when you say he is insightful and factual without the modern youtube drama style.

What he says is usually right too, and is a another good video 😃

More ships as unlockables would indeed be welcome. I used to play Rogue Squadron games years ago, like many others on here, so I am very much hoping to be able to fly the fun black car again 😉 I hope the game makers include it.

Reminds me of Wing Commander. I cannot wait to play this game.

That ‘Hunted CG Short’ was very good, I hope they come up with a similar video for the Rebels as well.

So after screwing around with the first couple missions I definitely need a HOTAS.

What do people recommend for HOTAS on PS4 (basically either Thrustmaster or HORI from what I can find), and WHY are they ALL out of stock EVERYWHERE right now?!

It’s WAY more X-Wing/TIE Fighter than anything else, all the way down to having to shift power between shields, engine, and lasers.

Doesn’t seem to have a lot in common with Rogue Squadron and I haven’t played any of the others you mentioned.

And yes, it has full HOTAS flight stick support on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. I know of only two PS4-compatible HOTAS sticks though, the Thrustmaster T.Flifht HOTAS 4 and a more expensive one made by HORI that apparently isn’t worth the extra money.