A/V Battlefront II: Campaign Content (spoiler tags required for DLC story)

That's interesting to think about. I have to be honest, I don't really want Lando in the ST movies, mostly because I don't think BDW is in any sort of condition to physically portray the character again. However, that's not an issue where he's not on screen himself like a game such as this, where he can lend his great voice talent.

 

I mean, if BDW can age, why can't Lando?

 

Moreover, if anyone is likely to have gotten out of fighting shape by, say, living inside one of the finest casinos in the galaxy, it would be Lando.

 

That's it: BDW is actually too in shape to play Lando.

 

you see free stuff, I see pay now, get later. To be fair, Battlefield 1's season pass really put me off to all of this. They're only now coming out with the 3rd DLC What a waste of money on my part.

 

Spoiler

I'll definitely be interested to see why Zay and Shriv couldn't get those reinforcements in time for Crait. Leia specifically tells them to gather allies in the Outer Rim, and she mentions "allies in the Outer Rim" in TLJ, but they never respond. Wonder what stalls Zay and Shriv that badly?

 

Spoiler

Sometimes you roll a one on your diplomacy check

 

Spoiler

Man that DLC campaign includes the same kind of flaws the regular one does. Why are the First Order being cartoon villains and killing off their own puppeted forces in J-Sec? Why waste manpower that will be needed in conquering the Galaxy? Why not use these guys as an occupational force?

 

It appears they don't want to be used.

 

Spoiler

Literally anything. Even now that hyperspace travel is seemingly near-instantaneous, the situation on Crait happened VERY quickly. If Shriv or Zay were asleep or in the shower when Leia's APB went out, the moment would have passed before they could even get their flight suits on.

 

Spoiler

I like this idea, but there's no way they're going to include Lando in ST-era content when they currently have no idea if he'll be in IX. It would be setting stuff up that would be too easy to lead to a contradiction in the movie if BFII has Lando be some Outer Rim businessman when Abrams then decides he was some Core World politician the whole time. The same with having some of the "allies in the Outer Rim" be the various Resistance characters from TFA who were absent in TLJ - that also would be a good idea to help link things up, but again, too risky to set things up for contradiction if Abrams decides to bring them back. Now, Wedge would be a good idea, but I somehow don't think he'd be on their radar.

Having finished watching the walkthrough of the DLC storyline, I was really unimpressed. I liked the idea of other characters in the galaxy seeing the Hosnian destruction and having their response... but it was pretty much a non-response. I really liked flying inside the star destroyer and the depiction of its hyperdrive from the inside. And that's really the most positive thing I could say. Iden's death was so over the top melodramatic for a character we've spent like five hours total with.

After seeing TLJ, I also have some things to say about how the standard BFII campaign uses Luke, but I'll wait until we can talk about TLJ outside the main thread.

 

I mean, they'd coordinate.

 

It's a situation of:

1) Abrams wants to use Lando in IX, and is told he can't because Lando got used a different way in a video game DLC two years earlier.

or:

2) Lucasfilm tells video game DLC developers not to use Lando in case Abrams wants to use him in the multi-billion dollar movie coming down the line.

I suppose it's a matter of what seems more likely for a giant movie studio to do.

 

Either way there wouldn't a contradiction.

 

This game was fun, but is it just me, or would you have preferred the "Story" that was suggested in the Single Player trailer... which was EPIC ?

 

Not just you! I can sort of understand why they went for this story though, as I imagine that a lot of fans don't want to play the bad guys. And while it was probably expected that Iden would change sides, I think it happened a bit too soon. Even just one more mission as an Imperial, with Iden and Co. following up on Operation Cinder and commiting more questionable anti-Imperial actions but on a more ambiguous target, would likely have made a big difference. Time likely played a role in why we didn't see this. Even if they pinched a level from the multiplayer they'd still have to do a lot of work to turn it into a full SP level. They sort of get away with it with Han on Takodana as it's essentially an interlude.

In retrospect, I probably would have flipped Naboo around so that it was Iden on the Imperial side and involved in the attack, with her raising questions about why the Emperor's peaceful home world is a target, her going after Leia and co. with her finger on the trigger so to speak, and ultimately being forced to retreat in the face of the rebel counterattack. Vardos would have gone similarly, and then Iden and Del would join some rebels who stepped in to save the planet despite Vardos being firmly "Imperial". The rest of the story would then center around missions stopping other Operation Cinder attacks as a form of atonement. It can still end with Jakku but feature more of a resolution to her conflict with her father and the Captain that she butted heads with earlier (I forget the name, the one ordering you around in the Fondor mission). I don't think the Bespin mission adds much (my favourite part is the X-wing introduction) so that would go.

As implied above, my problem with the campaign story is that it doesn't follow through on the set ups. It introduces Cinder and it's the catalyst for her turn, but it's not then followed again.

 

If they REALLY didn't want Iden to be a baddie they could have just pulled a Force Unleashed and have her turn to the rebels for the last mission.

Maybe at Jakku she learns about Rax's plot to destroy the empire and it convinces her to reluctantly team up with the NR

 

Yeah I also would have preferred the trailer story. Simply because it would have been more original (and ironically more like the OG Battlefront 2). After the Luke mission I honestly thought PART of the squad would go reb but not Iden and we would see the end of the Empire and rise of the FO through her eyes. Would also have answered a lot of questions about the rise of the FO.

Edit: Now if I were writing it then I would have had Iden use Del's defection as an excuse for Cinder on her home and just double down on loyalty. Then it becomes loyalty to the FO to 'undo the mistakes of the Empire' (being to soft)

 

There is really alot of potential for additional stories. However, I suspect that whatever ones we get will be set during the events of TLJ, as I don't see them delving into anything post-film to avoid contracting anything that will come. Conversely, I'd love if they introduced some side stories set during the rise of the First Order, but I'm not sure if that is a priority for them right now or not.

--Adm. Nick

 

Having just finished both Campaigns I'd love to see a story about Zay helping the Resistance.

 

Also Clone Wars stuff pleeeeaseeee

 

I'm glad! Honestly, I LOVED the trailer. This was the George Lucas story I had been looking for to bridge the gap between Episode VI and Episode VII. The trailer seemed to hint at a principled Empire of peacekeepers. And loyal and skilful Iden being at the heart of the story. An Imperial "Point of View" to paraphrase Obi Wan.


See I'm not sure people would have minded (in fact it would appear actually a lot of people wanted to play as the Imperial, versus the Rebel. Reminds me of the old Battlefront where I might mix it up with Republic or CIS, but I would ALWAYS crush the Rebel scum despite the incompetence of my fellow Stormtroopers' aim).


A route they could have gone down would have been instead to have had Iden as loyal to the Empire. I think after the Admiral tells her "The Emperor is dead.", something like "And Lord Vader?" would have been nice also. I almost feel like the story is superb up to Operation Cinder haha. See one way they could have spun this would be something like showing a main "Core" of the Empire/Imperials being peacekeepers and wanting to maintain order. They could be searching for the Heir to the Empire (to Lord Vader, the Skywalkers). Commanding most of the Fleet, but in need of coordination. Separate factions such as scheming warlords (such as Sloane etc) could have featured. And another extreme wing that would eventually hide and become the First Order.


Operation Cinder could have been a conspiracy plan set up by Sloane/First Order faction to divide the Empire. Iden Versio rebelling against those orders, but remaining loyal to the main Empire would have been a nice touch. I had looked forward to seeing her encounter Luke (as hinted in the trailer) too. Not to mention, her being Luke's spouse might have been interesting.


Yes Naboo as the main target, or else Operation Cinder being a fallback for failure to hold the symbolically important (it was the Emperor's homeworld) planet, would have been more interesting. I personally didn't need to see a pure defection. In a way I liked what Luke said. He almost seemed to tell Del that the Rebellion was NOT the way. Only that the Empire had to be different. Could have shown what Rogue One showed that the "Alliance" was not all it was hyped up to be. But a coalition of competing/selfish interests with its own corruption much like the Republic of old.


Showing Mon Mothma sidelining Leia and the others, possibly this rumoured public announcement on the Holonet of Vader being Luke and Leia's father, would have been golden.


Yes I think the problem is the "story" get distracted from being about Iden and the Empire, to just skipping a lot of history and reverting to planets from the sequels. I feel like the trailer is the game we wanted, and I'm surprised they did this, unless they changed it last minute?


Iden could easily have been part of the Imperials who didn't believe Operation Cinder was right, since it was not about protecting Imperial citizens. In fact, surely at this point, the Rebels might have some additional backing with the Emperor's death, but the Empire has thousands upon thousands of starships, millions of troopers. How on earth could it fall so easily? So the route of an Empire having to fight what would become the First Order as well as a corrupt Rebellion (itself divided between political opportunists (Mothma, Senators etc) and heroes such as Akbar, Leia etc) would have given us the exposition we needed. This all could have been shown to be manipulated by Palpatine's old master (Plageuis or now known as Snoke) who somehow survived (having dropped his Darth title failing to see his apprentice's turn on him).


I actually thought during that whole Hask saying Iden had committed high treason, it would have been cool to see Iden saying (as well as "I am your commander, stand down!"), "YOU are committing treason!" and an actual Imperial civil war of stormtroopers following her orders believing the plan (Operation Cinder) to be madness.


Alternative universe, Vader would survive, or have handed official power to Luke and Inferno Squad would be his Imperial Guard, putting down an attempted coup by extremists.

Indeed, See my suggested outline above. I also feel that it would have felt more "Star Wars" (as envisioned and told by its creator George Lucas) to have gone with the trailer's story. I'm not sure about Cinder as a whole, but an honest Empire in search of its true heir. A corrupt Republic/elements of the cowards you see in Rogue One on the Rebel's Council led by Mothma, overturning the principled Leia and Ackbar etc. And an extreme wing that would become the First Order trying to have everyone destroy each other to seize control.

I loved that whole scene in the trailer with (Iden?) Inferno Squad hunting down Luke. I do believe though that the point was that the Empire was good (the marketing etc suggested we would finally see this all from the Imperial citizen's perspective). I didn't think we would quickly see that turn. The actress who played Iden seemed like she was super into Star Wars. Wish she was in some films!

I do believe though that the First Order does not equal the Empire. The Empire had a few nutcase, but ultimately was the legitimate government and peacekeeping. The First Order has made the whole Star Wars galaxy too pure good versus pure evil.

Maybe Cinder was a Rebel trap all along. They cracked an Imperial code and dispatched false orders to key Imperial fleets to initiate a crazy plan. That would alienate the Imperial Navy and Stormtroopers from their loyal citizens who didn't support the Rebellion. Don't underestimate Mothma, who it seems isolated Leia and became essentially a dictator in all but name, destroying what the Alliance was supposed to be about. Mothma truly restored the corruption of the OLD Republic. She was never interested in creating a new one, that would be the best of both the Republic and the Empire. Maybe Mothma also leaked that Vader was Luke and Leia's father to prevent Leia from becoming the Chancellor and Luke's Jedi Order from having more widespread support amongst the Alliance. Though maybe the genuine Empire (not the extremist First Order), would have sought out Luke to lead them as their true heir.

As for the allies not coming to Leia's aid, maybe because whilst they respect Leia, they don't support the Republic. It didn't bring about the order needed to fight the criminals and the corrupt. It didn't stop the First Order. And thanks to Mothma, they are defenceless, and dispatching whatever little help they could muster, would mean a defenceless homeworld.

Perhaps the Imperial Remnant might come to help Leia and Luke and were en route. Or else, they had been disbanded by Mothma, and the remainder either executed or forcibly recruited by the First Order who believed in doing away with the Old Empire also.

Many Bothans died, to bring us this information.

 

I like this, especially the First Order fighting the Empire part. It could be used to explain why so many in the senate don't see them as a threat "They also fought against the Empire why would they turn on us now? We just need to treat them with respect."

I also like Cinder as a false flag (I don't think it was the rebels though the level of inside knowledge was to high, my theory is that Rax set the whole thing up as part of his plan to remake them Empire). Just because I don't see the Emperor even considering that he COULD die.

Also yeah all Mothma did was bring back the Old Republic rather then lean from it's mistakes and move forward, she went all in the worst parts of it.

 

Operation: Cinder never made sense as Palpatine's plan in my opinion. I've since thought that it was Snoke's plan and Rax was one of his agents (Rax's early memories of Palpatine are inconsistent with the timeline anyway).