This morning, EA’s Community Manager, known as Sledgehammer70, announced the patch notes for Star Wars Battlefront’s May Client Update for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Some changes include the option to press enter (PC) in order to open the chat channel, “various tweaks to the auto balance and matchmaking systems” and a long list of changes to the game’s heroes.
Shortly afterwards, a thread appeared on Reddit, where fans began to discuss the patch notes and how this will impact the game. Interestingly, there appears to be mixed views regarding the alterations made to the Heroes Vs Villains mode:
• “Decreased rounds required to win from 5 to 3 rounds if played in the Outer Rim playlist
• Decreased time until first round starts from 60 to 30 seconds
• Decreased time between round end and next one begins from 30 to 10 seconds”
Some members of the forum appear to be disappointed that the number of rounds required to win HvV in the Outer Rim Playlist has been decreased. According to themodalnodes, many players disliked HvV in the playlist due to the length of the matches; “this seems like a reasonable trade off as opposed to moving HvV out or separating the playlist”. Another user, JESUSgotNAIL3D, replied, stating that “the change is a bummer for the few who love the mode” but also agreed that this was probably the best solution, as it avoided the HvV mode being removed from the playlist altogether. Overall, it seems that EA have their work cut out for them while trying to cater to everyone’s likes and dislikes with regards to their playlist. However, it seems that many players are very understanding and generally seem to respect the changes implemented in these modes.
Furthermore, a few users have commented on an alteration made to the Hero Hunt mode:
“Hero Hunt: Removed the hero selection wheel. Now only showing the score and appointing the top damage dealer to become the next hero”.
User, Probably_Psycho, started off the discussion by stating that “removing the RNG will likely make the mode less frustrating”. Another user (Pronato) then replied, that this will greatly impact how the mode works, with better players being more likely to dominate. Although, surely this is a positive adjustment to Hero Hunt as better players are rewarded for doing well? Maybe this will also encourage less experienced players to improve their performance, overall.
Moreover, on the subject of Battlefront’s heroes, Sledgehammer70 explained one the reasons for a particular buff to hero, Luke Skywalker.
• “Luke: Increased Health from 925 to 1050
• Luke: Increased Blocking time from 4 to 6s
We’re happy with the speed changes to Luke, and the nerf brought him down to the same level as other heroes. He was a little bit low though so we increased his health but also wanted some skill to be involved in his survival and brought up his blocking between the original value and Darth Vader’s”.
This demonstrates how dedicated EA are to balancing characters and possibly even more importantly, how much they have actually listened to their community before releasing this update.
To check out the May Client Update, click here.
Finally, with tomorrow being ‘Star Wars Day’ (May the fourth be with you), Star Wars Battlefront will be free to play, for a limited time. From 7pm BST, you will be able to download Star Wars Battlefront and play it for free for four hours. This is a fantastic opportunity to test out the game if you haven’t already as the four-hour limit is based on your playtime, not based on a countdown timer. This means that as long as you download the free trial tomorrow, you can play your four hours’ worth whenever you want.