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Apex Legends - F2P Battle Royale game by Titanfall developers [split topic]

Started by Operty1, February 04, 2019, 12:24:55 PM

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I dropped off pretty quickly, unfortunately. It's brilliant, very well made but I much much prefer Titanfall 2 and I've gone back to that. I think I'm also done with BR as a genre, to be honest. PUBG was the highlight for me and nothing since has captured that tension and satisfaction, err, except Tetris 99.

I would give this another go if it had solos but I think the specials kind of require squads. I'm sure it'll be really hard to balance for solos. I'll have a go at BFV BR when that comes.

BeardFaceMan

$18 for a skin? Free to play or not, they can fuck off. I'm sick of them saying "you dont have to buy it, its not pay  for power", as if that makes that shit OK. As if it makes charging $11 for a skin but only selling in game currency in $10 installments forcing people to buy $20 worth to buy a $11 skin OK, just because they're not forcing you too.

And as for it being set in the Titanfall universe? Again, fuck off with that shit. TF was a military shooter, a futuristic but reality based sci-fi. Where the fuck did all these 'characters' with crazy get-ups and back stories and powers come from? It has nothing to do with Titanfall in any way, they stripped all the core mechanics from TF and are just using the name to promote their stab at a money-making fad.

And now Respawn are saying this is all their idea? All the microtransactions and multiple in game currencies and loot boxes and subscriptions and switching from TF3 to this was all their idea and not EAs? What happened to the ethical company that made TF2 that was all about the game? Any kind of press I read from them about Apex Legends is the worst kind of corporate business speak. All goodwill has been lost now, even if they do somehow make a proper TF3 game, which is doubtful, its going to be riddled with this shit.

Is it just me that misses having to earn skins as a way of extending a games lifespan? Of providing extra challenges within a game. When you'd see someone coming at you with a gold weapon skin and think "better get out of his way, he needed 1oo headshots to get that" and not "he must be rich to be able to afford that". Skins have nothing to do with changing the game experience or forging a closer relationship with your character or whatever other bullshit rationilization they want to use, it's a cash grab, plain and simple and its sucking the joy out of gaming because all that matters now is not how good you are or how you play the game, but how much money you have.

But of course, no one is forcing me to buy them so it's all fine.

Barry Admin

Everyone misses that, but times change.

Quote from: The Boston Crab on February 18, 2019, 07:17:49 PM
I dropped off pretty quickly, unfortunately. It's brilliant, very well made but I much much prefer Titanfall 2 and I've gone back to that. I think I'm also done with BR as a genre, to be honest. PUBG was the highlight for me and nothing since has captured that tension and satisfaction, err, except Tetris 99.

I would give this another go if it had solos but I think the specials kind of require squads. I'm sure it'll be really hard to balance for solos. I'll have a go at BFV BR when that comes.

I've still not played too much BR, so I don't feel anywhere near as fatigued as some. And this really is just a brilliant game, and I keep wanting to play it and get better. I hadn't some great matches earlier where I was the kill leader. Also went into a match with Caustic after finally unlocking him, and the other two guys had 100+ kills to my 0. I could tell they were slagging me in party chat, but I dominated from the off and ended up reviving them in three separate engagements, it was fucking wicked. I had the Spitfire and Hemlok, which are pretty much my favourite weapons at the minute.

I've been maining Bangalore over my preferred Bloodhound, as I still need to get wins with defence and attack characters for the achievements, but it will be stinky Caustic all the way for the next while.

I'm more a solo player, but do enjoy being forced into squads, and this game does a great job of promoting teamwork. It doesn't always work - sometimes people just fuck off and go solo or whatever - but there's so many brilliant features and mechanics in this, and I'm excited for the battle pass to get underway in March. Plus new loot and legends etc, bring it on!

Barry Admin

QuoteAnd as for it being set in the Titanfall universe? Again, fuck off with that shit. TF was a military shooter, a futuristic but reality based sci-fi. Where the fuck did all these 'characters' with crazy get-ups and back stories and powers come from? It has nothing to do with Titanfall in any way, they stripped all the core mechanics from TF and are just using the name to promote their stab at a money-making fad.

Just to say also that I totally disagree with this. It's set in the universe in terms of eg the Pathfinder robots, the style, the feel, the guns, the grappling, the look and so on. However it is not meant to be anything approaching a realty based sci-fi. Rather it's a Hunger Games style setting crossed with an arena shooter feel, with an announcer and updating banners, and...


...Mother fucker, I forgot that my mug would have been plastered all over the map when I was then kill leader! I never even got to enjoy that! 

Anyway yeah, something being set in the same universe doesn't mean they have to share things like atmosphere or approach.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Barry Admin on February 19, 2019, 04:04:15 AM
Just to say also that I totally disagree with this. It's set in the universe in terms of eg the Pathfinder robots, the style, the feel, the guns, the grappling, the look and so on. However it is not meant to be anything approaching a realty based sci-fi. Rather it's a Hunger Games style setting crossed with an arena shooter feel, with an announcer and updating banners, and...


...Mother fucker, I forgot that my mug would have been plastered all over the map when I was then kill leader! I never even got to enjoy that! 

Anyway yeah, something being set in the same universe doesn't mean they have to share things like atmosphere or approach.

That's what I mean though, the only thing it shares with the TF universe is the skins and weapons. Character-wise, the Legends don't fit in with the universe they created. I'm not saying all games have to FPS but at least stay consistent with the world youve built. They just looked at the type of characters people were spending money on in Overwatch and thought "We'll have some of that".

Barry Admin

I think it fits in fine as it's presented as an entertainment show of some sort - futuristic, hyper-real TV.

And yeah, hero shooters are pretty popular and are becoming a mainstay now, rather than everyone being identical space marines or whatever. They give a lot more depth and possibilities to the gameplay, particularly in term of tactics and approach. Big bonus for team-based gameplay where composition and synergy can be so important.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Barry Admin on February 19, 2019, 04:43:31 AM
They give a lot more depth and possibilities to the gameplay, particularly in term of tactics and approach. Big bonus for team-based gameplay where composition and synergy can be so important.

I can sort of understand that, but have never heard Respawn mention that kind of thing once. They always talk about creating an attachment to your character and to make it more personal, ie get you to care to spend money. That's why they had to make it squads of three instead of solo play, to copy other hero shooters where you have characters with team-based abilities. That wasn't a decision spurred by innovation or adding to the gameplay, it was purely financial - how can we make a money-spinning hero shooter in a battle royale setting work? They certainly didnt decide to make a squad based battle royale hero shooter and then pop in the microtransactions as an afterthought.

Everything about it seems so soulless and focus-groupy, like they looked at the gaming landscape and took every money making idea they could and put it into one game. Battle Royale bandwagon-jumping? Check. Free to play so we can charge obscene amounts of money for skins instead of smaller amounts? Check. Not just one, but multiple in-game currencies? Check? Not being able to buy the in-game currency you need and being forced to spend more to get what you want? Check. 'Legends' to get people to 'connect' to their characters so we can get them to spend obscene amounts on skins? Check. Gaming is becoming less about how you play the game and more about how you look doing it. Gotta look pretty when youre streaming.

Barry Admin

I've read very little of what they've said about the game, but definitely saw them saying that they saw three-man teams as being a way they could innovate.

I also saw them comparing BR to TDM modes, to justify the constant accusations from some people that BR games are played out. I'd go along with that, PUBG went early access on Xbox in December 2017, which isn't too long ago. Fortnite is shit. Blackout is great and has only been out a few months. I think there's plenty of room for more people to innovate and experiment with this game mode. I didn't know if I wanted more BR games myself, but it turns out that this one has a real "just one more go" dynamic behind it.

Also, they've traded upfront costs for micro transactions, just wanted to point that out. I haven't spent a penny on it.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Barry Admin on February 19, 2019, 05:25:33 AM
Also, they've traded upfront costs for micro transactions, just wanted to point that out. I haven't spent a penny on it.

Well thats what I said above, thats why they went free-to-play, so you can use that as a justification. You don't have to buy it/its just there for people who want it/you can earn it in-game if play for hundreds of hours and are extremely lucky etc. All complaints are now null and void because it's free. It's smart marketing, and fair play, because it works.

Barry Admin

It works because it's a less shit way of doing microtransactions. Yes it still has obnoxious elements to it, and I would have already supported the game with a few quid if the founders pack had been cheaper, but it is what it is. As an alternative way of funding the game, it's nowhere near as bad as it could be, and the whales can throw their money at it for crappy vanity skins if they want.

BeardFaceMan

Its still really, really shit though. If you could just buy what you wanted it wouldnt be so bad, but random loot boxes forces people to gamble with real money and thats a huge problem.

Barry Admin

There are items you can buy, which rotate. Staggering prices though.




Anyway, didn't realise there had been a datamine that suggests a survival mode! With some NPC action, seemingly? Really very intrigued by this, sounds amazing.

I'm gonna practice some of the advanced movement, takes me back to my Quake days. There's a kind of bunny hop, and a wall kick which propels you further, then of course the TF2 grappling.

A recent video has shown the net code to be surprisingly bad - and yet Infinity Ward were always generally considered the best at CoD netcode. Mind you, some of the Respawn guys did end up going back to IW when EA bought them, but regardless, I would hope for some real improvements here, and I suspect it's part of the reason I find my performance in encounters so unpredictable. That's my excuse anyway :-D

Blue Jam

The communication system is good but it's in serious need of a "PTFO" option.

TIAL

Why on earth are people so keen to jump to nearby locations as soon as the flyover starts? It's always a mad scramble for items and nobody ever seems to come out well from it.
Pair me up with people who love going to the further areas and properly tooling up.

Barry Admin

Ended up drifting away from this and didn't bother with season 1. Season 2, however, had a limited time solo mode!

Anyone playing it? Seems good, still a bit slow and quiet so if you don't like that sort of tension, punctuated by very quick fire fights, it's not gonna be your thing.

Blue Jam

Dammit, have I missed this? I haven't played in months but a solo mode is just what this game needs.

"FFS, COMRADES, THE CIRCLE IS THAT WAY..."

Barry Admin

Typo, should have said "has" - so get stuck in. Event is on for another 11 days.

Blue Jam


Barry Admin

What you think?

This event has blown up rather brilliantly. There's an exclusive, time-limited cosmetic item that would cost about $170 to purchase, and people have got justifiably pissed off with Respawns greed. EA have put out their usual boilerplate apology about how they don't mean to milk their fans blah blah, lessons will be learned blah blah. And the fans have told them to shove it right up their bangle. Respawn devs have made it all worse by going in reddit and calling the majority of people who play the game "freeloaders."

madhair60

For me it's one of those situations where the fans are basically right but it's still fucking laughable they way they've opted to express it. There's one going around that's like "PREVIOUS NOTIONS OF 'FAMILY' ARE DEAD" and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen

Jim_MacLaine

I've never understood why people pay through the nose for cosmetic items. Is it some kind of nerd keeping-up-with-the-jones?

I mean, if you are a grown arsed adult impressed by someone's rare gold gun you need to take a long hard look at your life.

Barry Admin

It's always slightly weird in FPS games, as you rarely get the benefit of seeing that stuff yourself.

Anyway it seems they've updated the control scheme and given me my preferred layout, and you can even customise the buttons now, hallelujah. It is a really fun game, I've been having a blast with it again, and have went back to trios instead of just rinsing the solo mode.

Barry Admin

It's just so unpredictable, and you can have such great experiences while paying it. Me and another guy just got knocked early in the match, the other guy finally revives us, after running for ages to kit himself out. Then they get wrecked, so I use Wraiths special to get close to them, but have to fall back immediately. They take the hint and crawl through my portal, and I get them revived. More fuckups follow, but amazingly we manage to clinch the win at the end of it all. A game where I'd considered leaving as I'd got downed so early on, but we got back into it and became a cohesive, victorious team.

Barry Admin

Quite obsessed with this. Was just wishing I was better, trying out ranked matches, turned out I was the best player on the squad. Kill two guys and revive both my teammates at the start of the match, then a few minutes later I go jump right into battle with them and take down another two baddies, the first while sliding and blasting with an LMG. Just fucking bad-ass, shot him right in the balls while sliding. Wish I could be more consistent, but I think the high skill ceiling and mostly very skilled user base is what keeps me coming back. Brilliant game, just wish I'd tried out season 2 sooner, as I'm not gonna be able to grind out any of the Iron Crown gear now.

Barry Admin

Actually gutted that no one else is talking about this game :-)

2 days and 2 hours left of solos! I've been mixing it up a lot, solos is really good for doing the daily and weekly challenges they've added now, though.

I've been playing a lot, going for a good few high risk/high reward strategies, such as hot dropping right at the start. You get quite addicted to that adrenaline rush, like when you drop onto the supply ship at the same loot spot as loads of other people, and there's a mad scramble to grab a gun and/or armour, then everyone starts leaping off the ship as shots start flying. Amazing feeling, especially when you're the one with the gun.

They do really need to sort the monetisation out though. The Iron Crown packs cost £7, I finally earned one by grinding enough damage, and all I got was a (rather decent) alternator skin, and then two lots of Iron Crown coins. With the other challenges I've done, I'll basically have enough coins to get a shitty skin and a shitty banner for a character I haven't unlocked. I did pay £8 for the battle pass to support the game, but no chance I'm going to spend £7 on Iron Crown packs just so I get another shitty skin and enough coins to buy a decent banner frame or music pack.

I see why people were so pissed off. The character skins look ace, but you've a chance of instead getting a skin for a crap shotgun that everyone junks as soon as possible.

Brilliant game though, it really is.

C_Larence

On the occasions I play without friends I ffind myself increasingly annoyed by people who drop immediately (usually to skull town if it's nearby) without pinging first. I had a team mate message me after a game where I, as jumpmaster, had deigned to wait until the ship crossed from one side of the map to the other so I could land in Relay (my favourite place to land when possible, great loot). He told me to play the sims if i wanted to loot for 10 minutes.
I notice it less in ranked matches, now that I've reached Platinum, but I don't like to play those without at least one friend  so we can communicate better. Solo was great for landing where I wanted, and very useful tor getting challenges done, I hope they bring it back. Got a 9 kill win yesterday in an unranked game which I was happy with. Using Bangalore who I usually neglect.

Barry Admin

Yeah you should definitely ping the drop location first. And then wait until you're fairly near the ground before splitting off to find you're own looting spot, so you're still quite near your squad.

I was loving dropping in the Pit during solos, very frantic and really nowhere to hide, so either you come out on top with a few kills, or die quickly. Not often that you'll get third partied after kicking ass.

I believe they are bringing solos back after some tweaking, I'd imagine they'll want to relaunch it with an event to promote it, perhaps the Halloween Wraith event.

Still loving it, but aye, solos is great when you just want to fuck about and do some daily's and whatnot.

As a mostly solo player, though, the squads are definitely a strong part of this game for me. The stories you forge and the experiences you have when you work together with two other players can be... just amazing.

Barry Admin

Getting better with Pathfinder, just flanked a Wraith with a nice confident grapple swing that brought me up onto her ledge, knocking her just before we got the win. He's obviously a total beast when you can control his grapple well, but it does take quite a bit of practice.

Barry Admin