‘Titanfall 2’ Multiplayer Test Feedback Leads To Pilot Speed And Titan Dropping Changes
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners got their first taste of Titanfall 2 this past weekend thanks to the Open Multiplayer Tech Test (aka open beta). The gaming community reaction was mixed, however, with detractors pointing to significant changes to the underpinning gameplay from the original. Respawn Entertainment responded to that feedback Wednesday with a promise of what will be changed in the full release of the game.
The Titanfall 2 Open Multiplayer Tech Test complaints primarily centered around changes to gameplay from the original Xbox One and PC release. Fans of the original game complained movement was too slow in this new iteration and the ability to chain together wall-runs to fly across the map was missing.
Likewise, the first maps shared in the Titanfall 2 tech test did not lend themselves well to extended wall-runs. In fact, game director Steve Fukuda told Shacknews in an interview that the wide open nature of the original title’s maps was changed to use defined lanes to simplify the action and give players “the player’s understanding of the environment, so that the environment becomes more predictable and becomes less about just drawing lines across the map from any point to any point where it just becomes a mess.”
Another drastic change was the removal of a set time for Titans to be able to called in. The Titanfall 2 Tech Test has it so Titan energy can only be earned by getting kills in the game. Additionally, the Titan’s regenerative shield has been removed and Pilots who rodeo an enemy mech now can steal a battery out of it and place it in a friendly mech to provide a shield.
You gave us lots of passionate Test Test feedback. Here's what @Respawn's addressing. https://t.co/WUzmuVzTRe pic.twitter.com/gHd9AReGxc
— Titanfall (@Titanfallgame) August 24, 2016
Multiplayer game designer Steven DeRose wrote a response to fans on the Titanfall 2 website acknowledging some of these complaints with promises to correct them in the final release. He explained that player speed was slowed down compared to the original because firefights were “overly chaotic” and players felt death was at random rather than skill. However, Respawn will be buffing Pilot air speed and wall-running speed. Additionally, players will be able to “accumulate and retain more speed when chaining wallruns.”
DeRose also admitted the flat and open design of the “Homestead” map does not lend itself well to the expected wall-running gameplay. He implies the “Forwardbase Kodai” map being introduced in the second weekend of the Titanfall 2 Open Multiplayer Tech Test will provide a different layout and all of the maps in the final release of the game will provide varied layouts, including more traditional ones.
The Titan meter will be tweaked to go back to a timer with the official launch of Titanfall 2, per DeRose. The incidents of players not being able to call down a Titan was not what was intended by the developers. They still want playing the objective of the match to be the main goal, but all players will be guaranteed at least one Titan per match.
“In Titanfall 2, the rodeo pilot steals a battery and damages an enemy Titan,” DeRose said. “If they can give that battery to a friendly Titan, the Titan receives a shield and the Pilot gets Titan meter points. As players become more familiar with the system, we expect that Titans will live longer. This is an area we will continue to monitor leading up to launch.”
Other changes coming include a faster recharge rate for the Titan dash, and a reduced draw distance for the slight glow that outlines enemies.
What do you think of the changes for Titanfall 2? Sound off in the comments section below.
[Image via Respawn Entertainment]
