Due out this week, the conversation regarding Star Wars Battlefront 2 has been entirely weighed towards outrage, about Loot Crates and Pay-To-Win concerns and the difficulty in earning enough Credits to unlock Heroes. In a Reddit AMA about the game, three DICE developers weighed in on these thorny issues.
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EA and DICE probably felt like a nice, transparent Reddit AMA would ease some tension regarding the Pay-To-Win controversies of Star Wars Battlefront 2. It wasn't quite the mess most people predicted, but it's not good when you hold an Ask-Me-Anything and you can't see the responses because they're all getting massively downvoted. DICE Developers John Wasilczyk (Executive Producer), Dennis Brannvall (Associate Design Director), and Paul Keslin (Producer) answered as many questions as they could, nonetheless. You can find the whole thing here, but here are the key responses from the developers on the Loot Crate/Credits reaction - and how they're planning to fix the problem.
Producer Paul Keslin on how Credits are earned, and changes to Star Card Progression:
"Right now Credits you earn in-match DO take into account your performance. Currently it's skewed more towards your time spent in-game and we have some work to do to make it more clear that your performance does impact your Credit earn."
"We're hearing loud and clear that you'd prefer a system where playing a class or a character specifically will upgrade its level instead, so we're looking to make that change as soon as possible."
Executive Producer John Wasilczyk on the skewed Progression:
"I think this concern has come through loud and clear. We're going to continue adjusting the crate systems, content, and progression mechanics to hit a point that gives players a great, balanced experience at all skill levels. We're working on expanding the number of ways that players can progress, putting more control in their hands and providing more options and choice in the way people play. There's not much in the game that we wouldn't revisit to improve the game for as many players as possible."
Associate Design Director Dennis Brannvall on Credit Rewards and the purpose Loot Crates have:
"Right now, 20% of your score is factored into your Credit reward. We agree, that's likely not enough, and we're looking into how we can increase that now."
"I think crates can be a fun addition as long as you don't feel forced to engage with them in order to progress. I feel that's where the issue is with our game right now and that's where we'll look to solve as quickly as we can. We're looking to add additional ways to progress your favorite character or class, while allowing crates to be a fun thing for those who want to engage with them."
It's certainly good that DICE are desperately trying to fix the problems that have skewed people's enjoyment and reaction to Star Wars Battlefront 2. Remember, the game's technically not out yet so changes can still be made, and even then as an online game patches will change things on a weekly basis. Let's hope earning Credits and feeling less forced into the Pay-To-Win areas of Loot Crates will factor in to those changes.
To finish, Dennis had this to say:
"We were incredibly saddened by the negative response from you, the community on Reddit about the game. In-fact, we hated it, we truly did, because we want to make a game that you love. We've made a really cool, fun and beautiful game but it was overshadowed by issues with the progression system. We will fix this.
Stay tuned for more specifics and details once they get set, we’ll be sharing as much as we can, in our blog, in our forums and here. We'll be around Reddit so please be sure to tag us in posts you'd like to get dev eyes on.
Thank you again and may the Force be with you."
