Star Wars Squadron - new EA game

[DarHan]

Okay, so, weird update.

The solution to my problem was to uninstall Speedlink’s drivers and let Windows treat my flight stick as a generic controller. Now the game recognizes it as a flight stick.

[Drinkinmiester]

Personnaly, I think what EA does is close to a scam. To me, It is clear that the game is a console game, designed and created for consoles, either technically (which explain the amount of bug on PC) and for gameplay (no comment). Before the release they deliberately focused their communication on "power adjustment", some "elitism" and about "HOTAS compatibility" to bait the old PC gamers beleiving in a revival of X-Wings series...

yeah, that for sure what their marketing was aiming at, the flight model might even be close enough to do it were they so inclined, though the AI and mission writing are not up to the old lucasarts games, here's hoping for an expansion or something I guess

[XDragon]

I mean, the AI on Ace is brutal. If you're not aware of your enemies locations, they will shred you, shields or not.

I find Shen to be one of the best characters created under the Disney era and I find Grace Sienar and Varko Grey also top notch characters.

[capitanguinea]

I have a strange feeling about one thing. They had broken the Secret Tradition of the Tie Fighter Cockpit making the inside and the outside coincide when all games and films showed the window rotated from inside view respect the outer view. It was an antique omage to Lucasfilm modelers... and I was glad it was ever respected

[sedenion]

This is patently false, most people have no problem using the Saitek/Logitech devices designed for PC alongside the Thurstmaster ones. The problem is not that the game doesn't support joysticks it's that all joysticks are produced by either Logitech, Thustmaster, or some Chinese firm that uses janky software.

Even if it's right that softwares that comes with these joysticks are usually very badly coded (special mention to Saitek), they usually don't prevent device use and recognition by games. If SW:Squadrons have some trouble with PC HOTAS devices, its because SW:Squadrons is also badly coded.

As to false advertising, this game is exactly as advertised, it's a modern lightweight space sim with a fair amount of X-Wing DNA.

To be precise, I would add : a CONSOLE game that is also Windows-PC compatible. This is maybe not significant for most (young) players, but very significants for some like me. When a game is announced before or at the same time for Xbox, PS and PC (which is the case of almost all games), I know the game will be only half of what I call a "real complete game", which is exactly the case for SW:Squadrons.

[Griffin]

Question regarding the Squadrons fleet battle vs XWA, using the simple skirmish system in XWA, what would be the equivalent using ships from XWAU (that is actually playable)?

xwa_squadron_loadout.jpg

[BattleDog]

This is patently false, most people have no problem using the Saitek/Logitech devices designed for PC alongside the Thurstmaster ones. The problem is not that the game doesn't support joysticks it's that all joysticks are produced by either Logitech, Thustmaster, or some Chinese firm that uses janky software.

Even if it's right that softwares that comes with these joysticks are usually very badly coded (special mention to Saitek), they usually don't prevent device use and recognition by games. If SW:Squadrons have some trouble with PC HOTAS devices, its because SW:Squadrons is also badly coded.

As to false advertising, this game is exactly as advertised, it's a modern lightweight space sim with a fair amount of X-Wing DNA.

To be precise, I would add : a CONSOLE game that is also Windows-PC compatible. This is maybe not significant for most (young) players, but very significants for some like me. When a game is announced before or at the same time for Xbox, PS and PC (which is the case of almost all games), I know the game will be only half of what I call a "real complete game", which is exactly the case for SW:Squadrons.

Saitek devices work fine (or rather Logitech, as it is now), it's the cheap Chinese HOTAS that don't work.

Look, if you don't like this game then fine, but you've not really made much of an argument so far - you're pointing to joysticks that use rumble (not a supported feature in Windows) and complaining that Squadrons sees them as gamepads and therefore Squadrons is bad.

Modern consoles are just stripped down PC's and consoles are a huge part of the modern gaming market, games are also much more expensive than they used to be. For that reason most games are designed for console as well as PC. You want a complicated flightsim you can go play Elite or Star Citizen, or Star Wraith. The X-Wing series was only ever one level above an arcade shooter if we're being honest, most of the other space sims were more complex with the exception of Wing Commander.

[Det. Bullock]

I know it's a PC one, I have already seen the model, I implied that the stick may have some weird Xinput compatible mode/feature for those games that won't accept Dinput devices, that it also has vibration may be the issue as IIRC Dinput devices don't really do rumble and force feedback has been deprecated years ago.
The game may ironically expect a more standard Dinput device and the thing is just a bit too weird software-wise.

I read many comments on steam complaining about joysticks and HOTAS support on PC, in breif : there is (currently) no real support for other devices than the ones already compatibles with consoles, which mean game pads and T.Flight Hotas series. It seem the game was first designed for consoles (obvious), and released on PC only because it is natively Windows compatible, but not tested nor adjusted for PC.

Personnaly, I think what EA does is close to a scam. To me, It is clear that the game is a console game, designed and created for consoles, either technically (which explain the amount of bug on PC) and for gameplay (no comment). Before the release they deliberately focused their communication on "power adjustment", some "elitism" and about "HOTAS compatibility" to bait the old PC gamers beleiving in a revival of X-Wings series...

I use a CH Combatstick and Pro Throttle and they work flawlessly in plug&play mode.
I browsed the Steam forums and a lot of issues are the usual: windows having its controller priorities out of whack, Steam Input intefering, etc.
There are indeed a minority of people that can't get the game to detect their stick no matter what and are often exactly the same "console sticks" you mentioned, go figure.

[alienpickle]

Squadrons is DOTA with X-wings.

Each team has a base to destroy and end the game. In the midfield each team has defense towers (frigates). There are dumb AI creeps circling around to be farmed to tip the balance. It's a DOTA modeled MOBA. I'm fine with that.

HOWEVER - the devs completely blew it on that mission because when you create a competitive team based arena game, you have to have some means for two teams to challenge each other. You can only do a 5-man lobby, and there is no way to pick your opponent team.

I'm shocked and amazed at this omission, because it defies any attempt at league play, ladders, tournaments, etc. I'm utterly baffled.

Devs have said "No DLC, no add-ons". I certainly hope that's not the case.

Things I'd do if they were going to keep adding to the game:
1. Fix the team vs team league play stuff. To include per-team stat tracking and leaderboards.
2. Create additional objective based missions. One team has to attack, other team has to defend, or prevent whatever the other team needs to do. Add missions that are very much like the tasks you had to do in the old games - and the other team wins if they make you lose. Example: Rebels must inspect all Empire ships and cargo. Empire team must prevent them doing it. Limited respawns. Etc.
3. Add in $20 DLC for cooperative campaign for Rebels, and another for Empire. Full 30+ mission campaign that doesn't waste budget on actors. Think "Balance of Power XVT" here. Exactly that.
4. Bonus - mission scripting similar to XWA and unofficial support for an editor so the community can keep cranking out those coop campaigns forever.

If they just do 1 and 2, this game could have some legs. If they do #4 we'll still be playing it in 20 years just like XWA. But they won't. We'll be lucky to get 1.

[Rookie_One1]

Also add the B-Wing

[Griffin]

HOWEVER - the devs completely blew it on that mission because when you create a competitive team based arena game, you have to have some means for two teams to challenge each other. You can only do a 5-man lobby, and there is no way to pick your opponent team.

I'm shocked and amazed at this omission, because it defies any attempt at league play, ladders, tournaments, etc. I'm utterly baffled.

Thank you for the information, I didn't know that there was a lack of private lobbies, which does make a tournament like Crusade impossible. Does not mean I cannot press ahead with a new XWA one though and hope EA enables private lobbies at some point in the future for Squadrons. Due to the complexity of the past tournaments, having cookie cutter fleets actually makes sense to move a tournament like Crusade along instead of waiting for teams to choose which fighers and ships they want to build, and then wait for them to assemble them into unique fleets etc... and then on top of that making custom missions which can take days...

Just need to figure out the balance for a Rebel vs Imperial fleet (as much as possible) using XWAU. I am open to ideas if anyone has them, my current guess is in the screen shot I posted in my previous post. The goal is (at least) for 2 players (1 player from each team) to be able to battle it out. It would be cool if we could find settings that would enable 2vs2 for these types of fleet battles in XWA.

Another consideration would be victory conditions for the fleet battles, destroying a capital ship in XWA can be extremely easy, so just saying that the command ship is destroyed might not be the best option, perhaps 10 minutes of game play, and the team with the highest score for example. I am open to suggestions.

[Kriegmacher]

My computer won't even run Squadrons. So I'm stuck playing Star Wars space games that are going on 30 years old.

And I'm okay with that.

[DarHan]

I’ve just finally played my first two Fleet Battles matches. So far, my main complaint is that some of the maps (especially Nadiri) feel claustrophobic.

Otherwise, I’m having fun, so long as I play as an interceptor or a fighter. It turns out I’m bad with bombers and just plain useless as support.

[funseeker702]

Hello everyone, new to the forums, just wanted to drop my two cents on this new game, sqaudrons.

In knowing EA (biiiiig fan of battlefield franchise) they're probably missing some content. Replay value is big for me. I'm thinking of waiting a lil bit longer to see what else comes out before pulling the trigger on it.

[Tuskin]

Personnaly, I think what EA does is close to a scam. To me, It is clear that the game is a console game, designed and created for consoles, either technically (which explain the amount of bug on PC) and for gameplay (no comment). Before the release they deliberately focused their communication on "power adjustment", some "elitism" and about "HOTAS compatibility" to bait the old PC gamers beleiving in a revival of X-Wings series...

It's not a scam at all. You just seem to have a very sad agenda against this game, there was no baiting anyone, everything they advertised is accurate to how the game launched, and power adjustment is important for this game.

No one is forcing you to like it or play it.

[WildstarBlue9]

My computer won't even run Squadrons. So I'm stuck playing Star Wars space games that are going on 30 years old.

And I'm okay with that.

There is something rolling out called ShadowPC that is offering hope for us who can't afford to build a Squadrons-capable PC yet. It's kind of based on the thin-client model, though you're really installing an app on a device (your regular PC, mobile device, or even a smart TV) that streams a Windows 10 virtual desktop to your device. And there is HOTAS support through USB-forwarding (USB by IP), though much depends on having a low-latency connection to their datacenter, which you can test. Only their Boost accounts (which can run the X-Wing games, but not Squadrons) are available right now, but they've stated that their higher tier accounts, which will be Squadrons-ready, will be available beginning in the new year. Their website is below, and they're on Discord and the like, as well.

https://shadow.tech

[sedenion]

It's not a scam at all. You just seem to have a very sad agenda against this game

The game industry have agenda, as GAFAM and Big-Data industry. My own agenda is to keep myself as far as possible from their traps. So, no, this is not specifically about this game, since this game simply fits the new industry standard, which I am against, yes.

there was no baiting anyone, everything they advertised is accurate

And so ? This is not because they do not produced any lie about what they sell $40, that $40 isn't a scam for what they sell to you. You also can omit telling some key things, or telling things in such way you'll find that cool: this is all the job of marketing and politics (this is the same job now)

So, you are ok to paid $40 for a console gameplay game with a false solo campagn, only 6 maps to play online at 5v5 without ability for mission edition or customization, no ability to create/host custom games, EA account subcription almost mandatory, all data saved in the cloud... Ok... This is your point of view. Mine is : "They Shall Not Pass !"

to how the game launched, and power adjustment is important for this game.

Oh yes, "power adjustment", Are you aware that they did almost all their marketing around this "Power Adjustment", which is a basic feature that exist since 1991 in X-Wing ? Since X-Wing 1991, you can change laser salvo modes, this feature does not exists in SW Squadrons. I Am sorry, but you falled in their trap, and I think you know it.

EA will not have my money... they can die and go in hell, period.

[Det. Bullock]

It's not a scam at all. You just seem to have a very sad agenda against this game

The game industry have agenda, as GAFAM and Big-Data industry. My own agenda is to keep myself as far as possible from their traps. So, no, this is not specifically about this game, since this game simply fits the new industry standard, which I am against, yes.

there was no baiting anyone, everything they advertised is accurate

And so ? This is not because they do not produced any lie about what they sell $40, that $40 isn't a scam for what they sell to you. You also can omit telling some key things, or telling things in such way you'll find that cool: this is all the job of marketing and politics (this is the same job now)

So, you are ok to paid $40 for a console gameplay game with a false solo campagn, only 6 maps to play online at 5v5 without ability for mission edition or customization, no ability to create/host custom games, EA account subcription almost mandatory, all data saved in the cloud... Ok... This is your point of view. Mine is : "They Shall Not Pass !"

to how the game launched, and power adjustment is important for this game.

Oh yes, "power adjustment", Are you aware that they did almost all their marketing around this "Power Adjustment", which is a basic feature that exist since 1991 in X-Wing ? Since X-Wing 1991, you can change laser salvo modes, this feature does not exists in SW Squadrons. I Am sorry, but you falled in their trap, and I think you know it.

EA will not have my money... they can die and go in hell, period.

It's a feature that has been excised from space sims since 2001, Elite and Rebel Galaxy Outlaw being the only exceptions but not being nearly as mainstream as this one. For example the X games by Egosoft don't have it even though they have been the most prominent spacesim franchise in those last two decades.

I hate EA too, but I also lament the end of the spacesim as a mainstream genre and I put my money where my mouth is. Had it been another FPS or third person action adventure I would have waited for a steep discount like I did with Battlefront II and Fallen Order.

The solo campaing is actually more involved than the multiplayer scenarios, yes it nags you about controls if you don't disable the tutorials but other than that is seems like a modernized version of Wing Commander with X-wing-like mission design and gameplay. I wish it was longer but it's not really a tutorial since about two thirds to three quarters of combat situations you find there don't really have any bearing on multiplayer.

[DarHan]

Indeed, power adjustment hasn’t been a feature in space sims for decades now. When Squadrons announced that it would feature power adjustment, the internet was full of young’uns claiming that it stole a unique feature from Elite—because it’s the only game they knew that still had that feature.

[Tuskin]

It's not a scam at all. You just seem to have a very sad agenda against this game

The game industry have agenda, as GAFAM and Big-Data industry. My own agenda is to keep myself as far as possible from their traps. So, no, this is not specifically about this game, since this game simply fits the new industry standard, which I am against, yes.

there was no baiting anyone, everything they advertised is accurate

And so ? This is not because they do not produced any lie about what they sell $40, that $40 isn't a scam for what they sell to you. You also can omit telling some key things, or telling things in such way you'll find that cool: this is all the job of marketing and politics (this is the same job now)

So, you are ok to paid $40 for a console gameplay game with a false solo campagn, only 6 maps to play online at 5v5 without ability for mission edition or customization, no ability to create/host custom games, EA account subcription almost mandatory, all data saved in the cloud... Ok... This is your point of view. Mine is : "They Shall Not Pass !"

to how the game launched, and power adjustment is important for this game.

Oh yes, "power adjustment", Are you aware that they did almost all their marketing around this "Power Adjustment", which is a basic feature that exist since 1991 in X-Wing ? Since X-Wing 1991, you can change laser salvo modes, this feature does not exists in SW Squadrons. I Am sorry, but you falled in their trap, and I think you know it.

EA will not have my money... they can die and go in hell, period.

They never lied or baited about the game, period. I've actually played the game (unlike you) and it's exactly what they advertised.

How is the single player campaign false? What does that even mean?

Also there is no subscription to play this game (unless you're on X-Box/Playstation, but that's their service, not EAs)

Look I respect your choice not to play it, but stop spreading a false narrative about a game you've never played to someone who has.

[BattleDog]

It's also pretty fun.

Charge the Resonant Shield, engage the SLAM motor, watch the TIE Fighter explode.

[DarHan]

I feel I’m finally getting the hang of piloting a bomber. Of course that involves equipping the heaviest armor, the rotary cannon, and the composite beam superlaser. Now I can finally do something other than “get shot down without achieving anything”.

[Tuskin]

B-Wing and TIE Defender coming in December! Along with custom matches and a server browser to find them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsSquadr ... ply_drops/

There's also a patch next week adding a new map and some new ship components.

Also it looks like they're adding the Pantoran species

https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wp-co ... atches.jpg

[eddyfurax]

Hello all friends pilot ! I come too annonce this good news i have just see on the net : Tie defender and B-Wing arrive in squadrons yes !! But i see Tuskin is more speed like me : ) I am happy to see new stuff because we have heard in past they are no more updates. More a great news for us the Pilots fans !!

[sedenion]

They never lied or baited about the game, period.

I really begin to wonder if my translation of the word "baited" is right... As I said, they don't need to lie. Until the release, many people believed (with hope) that SW:Squadrons will be a "reborn" of X-Wing vs Tie-Fighter, which SW:Squadrons is actualy very far from... In your opinion, why/how ?

I've actually played the game (unlike you) and it's exactly what they advertised.

True : An "Space Fighter pseudo simulation with power management playable with HOTAS up to 5 v 5 in multiplayer, and you can change the voice of your avatar"... This is exactly what you have, nothing more, nothing less.

How is the single player campaign false? What does that even mean?

14 missions designed as/like a tutorial... Simply compare to X-Wing Alliance.

Also there is no subscription to play this game (unless you're on X-Box/Playstation, but that's their service, not EAs)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222 ... Squadrons/

Code: Select all

INTERNET CONNECTION; EA ACCOUNT; STEAM ACCOUNT; ACCEPTANCE OF EA USER 
AGREEMENT (terms.ea.com) REQUIRED TO PLAY. YOU MUST LINK YOUR EA AND STEAM 
ACCOUNTS TO PLAY; 

Code: Select all

When you use an EA Service, EA may collect and store data from your computer or device,
including information about your computer or device, hardware, installed software, and operating
system (such as IP Address and device ID), information about your EA Service usage, gameplay and
usage statistics, system interactions and peripheral hardware. If you play an EA Service offline, this
data will be stored on your device and transmitted to EA when your device connects to the Internet.
 
EA uses this information to operate its business, improve its products [blah blah we love you, we take
care of you, this is for your good, we are nice and very morale company, blah blah, trust us]

but stop spreading a false narrative about a game you've never played to someone who has.

I don't need, I know the game industry/GAFAM agenda and this game is designed for/according this agenda. It miss everything that, in my opinion, make the difference between a beautiful gadget (with spyware features) and a real game.