Star Wars Battlefront II

[garhkal]

Strange.. Last year i got one from Microcenter for less than 24$ after tax.
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[Solo4114]

Ok, a few thoughts.

1. Re: X-wing, Tie Fighter, XvT, and XWA

I recommend the GOG version. First, there's no DRM. Second, GOG, I believe, has the collectors' CD, the floppy, and the later CD versions of all of the games. GOG also has Balance of Power for XVT, which contains the co-op campaigns. You can play them Single Player, but I don't know how running in multiplayer would work.

There are still joysticks out there, and ones that really aren't that complex to use. The old Microsoft Sidewinder is pretty reliable, because it includes a twist function on the joystick itself, which can be used in XWA and, I think, XvT. Anyway, those should all work great. Also, check out some of the mod projects for the games, including GLIDE wrappers for graphics so that you can run them with the enhanced 3D graphics instead of Direct3D or software acceleration.

2. Re: Battlefront 2

It's a good game marred by an awful progression and unlock system, with an integrated pay-to-advance loot crate system. The core gameplay is a lot of fun, and outside of Xwing Alliance, it's the best starfighter combat you'll find. The infantry combat is a lot of fun, too, and spans all 3 eras (PT, OT, ST). Visual and audio fidelity to the Star Wars experience is perfect. I haven't played the campaign at all yet.

All that said, BE AWARE about the loot crate system. DICE has said that they are working to improve it, but it looks like it won't go away altogether or switch to purely cosmetic stuff. The progression is more like upgrades rather than "sidegrades." So, starting out, expect to die a lot in multiplayer. There's an offline "arcade" mode where you can battle with the AI, but it's nothing special. Basically just you running around killin' bots. It's a decent place to practice hero abilities, though.

Anyway, if you're not concerned about getting shot by guys with better gear than you, hop in. If you're not in the mood for that, maybe wait a few months to see how the system shakes out. Changes will come, although it's anyone's guess how soon and what they'll look like. I enjoy it, and mostly don't mind getting killed by guys with better gear/cards/whatever, but I mostly knew what I was getting into when I bought, too.

That said, I have not spent any earned in-game credits yet, nor have I bought any additional resources with the microtransaction system. I'm holding off until I see what they do to the system as a whole. Just as a little snapshot, when the game was in its early trial, completing the campaign would yield 20000 credits. The main character could be purchased as a hero (yes, currently you have to unlock heroes) for 20000 credits. After the initial outrage about hero prices, DICE cut the prices for all heroes by 75%. However, they also cut the credits rewarded by the campaign by 75%. So, who the hell knows whether it's a good idea to invest in anything at this point. That's my stance, anyway.

[Sutehp]

I can't comment on Battlefront, but as even my siggy mentions that I recently repurchased the W-Wing and Tie Fighter games, I can comment on those.

First off, I bought my versions from Steam, not GoG, but I recommend you buy them from GoG as there's less modifications you'll need to do to get them running. The Steam forums have instructions on how to rewrite the code to get the games and music running in Windows 10, but it's a hassle that people who purchase their Star Wars flight sim games from GoG.com apparently don't have to deal with.

As for joysticks, the only thing I could find at Best Buy was a Logitech Extreme3D Pro with the 12 programmable buttons. This is the joystick I wish I had back when X-Wing Alliance first came out and tied a ship's maneuverability to its speed. Being able to program the 1/3 and 2/3 velocity into a single button each rather than depend on the slider makes a HUGE difference in the playability of the game. The joystick I had back then didn't have so many buttons, so I was forced to use the slider only. But using the slider to go to 1/3 or 2/3 speed made me either stop at zero speed when I wanted to go 1/3 for best manueverability or not maneuverable enough when the slider took me to 2/3 instead of 1/3.

I misplaced the paper receipt (but I still have the email version in case I ever need it again), but I think I bought this joystick for about $35, including the 4-year replacement warranty. And paying extra for the warranty immediately paid off as my joystick started malfunctioning a month after I purchased it. I just went to Best Buy to have it replaced with no hassle at all and this new one is working fine.

And the best thing about X-Wing Alliance is that there's a mod out there that significantly improves the graphics of the ships at X-Wing Alliance Upgrade. They've improved the look at almost 75% of the ships and objects in the game, with all of the Rebel and Imperial starfighters finished and 85% of the Rebel and Imperial capital ships finished. Their latest version just came out last August.

So yeah, if you haven't played X-Wing Alliance in a long time, now's the time to get some really great replay value from it. (Or you can wait until Christmas to purchase the games during the holiday sale.)[/url]
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Sutehp's RPG Goodies
Only some of it is for D6 Star Wars.
Just repurchased the X-Wing and Tie Fighter flight sim games. I forgot how much I missed them.

[Solo4114]