There have been a few contentious points around DICE’s interpretation of Star Wars: Battlefront , but questions around the inability to control AT-ATs has been one of the most repeated. Questions around the monstrous vehicle in the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC shooter cropped up once again following the E3 Hoth gameplay trailer .
The massive AT-ATs were playable in the original Star Wars: Battlefront titles published by LucasArts and developed by Pandemic Studios. While they play a central role in a new objective game mode, their path cannot be altered.
Battlefront senior producer Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir explained why the AT-ATs are on a preset path in the “Walker Assault” game mode that was shown in the original Endor trailer and the E3 gameplay set on Hoth.
“It’s a part of the mode itself, because the AT-AT is the objective of the mode. They have a set path because they’re headed to the shield generator,” Ingvarsdottir told Eurogamer .
“If you were to control their path – that would be game breaking,” he continued.
He later added that the AT-ATs are so big and different from all the other vehicles in Star Wars Battlefront they “almost have their own laws.”
Battlefront players on the Empire side of the ledger will still get to enjoy the firepower of the Walkers. As revealed during E3, power-ups allow players to take control of the AT-ATs main guns to shoot hapless Rebels troops, defenses, and vehicles. Additionally, stringing kills together will extend the amount of time the guns can be controlled.
Ingvarsdottir’s interview with Eurogamer went on to cover familiar ground such as why there are no space battles, which were introduced in Pandemic’s Star Wars: Battlefront II . The producer explained that dogfights are still around, just not in space.
“We’re two generations on from the last Battlefront,” he explained. “Our goal was to hit all the core mechanics of the series. So the fantasy for us was to be able to engage in a dogfight, be in the cockpit of an X-Wing or TIE Fighter. And you can absolutely do that. And we have another mode which we haven’t shown yet called Fighter Squadron. That has big, epic dogfights. We’ll be talking more about that in the not too distant future.”
Presumably, the not too distant future will be at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The biggest gaming convention in Europe kicks off on August 5 and will likely be the last big showcase for Star Wars: Battlefront prior to its November 17 release.
[Images via Star Wars: Battlefront ]
