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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Gaming Star Wars: Squadrons [Mod Approved]

Discussion in 'Community' started by black_saber, Jun 12, 2020.

  1. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Managed to play a few rounds of multiplayer with a friend a couple weeks ago. Did both co-op dogfights and fleet battles. We were terrible and managed only one or two victories but it was quite fun. Neither one of us had really tweaked our controls much though, which was the main problem I was having. We also did not expect other rando players to hop into the match live, so I felt sorry for anyone on our team, lol. Still managed to shoot down enemy players a couple times.

    Yesterday I found time to hop back over into the campaign and play the first mission. Spent time finally tweaking the controls and it started to make a big difference, even if I'm getting shot up pretty bad I'm surviving now at least ;). Of course, for half the functions I forgot what they did since it's been a month since i played the tutorial levels (so some features are left unassigned, but I think some were like that to begin with- there's just no way you can feasibly use the L3/R3 as a free-look with the sticks on a PlayStation controller. They're just too high, loose and wobbly.), but I think I've managed to find a half-decent, pseudo-Rogue Leader setup that works much more naturally for me.

    As mentioned earlier, inverting the Y-axis and swapping the L & R sticks were the immediate first steps I did back when I started the game. Flying with the left the stick makes so much more sense that I can't believe it is not the default setting. I was tempted to shift the roll functions to the triggers, but with how this game handles (and there being no fake-gravity auto-reorientation like in RL), the stick still seems best there.

    Most importantly, I put the fire control to the X (being kind of like the big A on the GCN, essentially). I considered putting aux weapons to Square (like the red B on the GCN) but since there are two of those I don't know if there are craft where having two different aux buttons helps, so I left the auxs on L1 & R1. Instead, I made Square the Contextual Interaction, since it seems like I might need that semi-often eventually. And I put Deploy Countermeasures to L2, since that's sort of a secondary weapon and I'm leaving ELS on the D-pad, it kinda makes sense there. I put Boost to R2, since speed was controlled by GCN triggers.

    I've made Triangle Select Target Ahead, since that matches up thematically with the literal symbol, while O becomes Cycle Targets. This way, Triangle & O become my Y & X buttons on GCN (which acted as Targeting Computer and POV toggles in that game).

    I've left Show Loadout blank, since I figure I can just make due with remembering what it is before I launch. Focus Shields/Convert Power goes to R3 since I found I would activate that accidentally if I kept it on the L3 while flying with L stick. Touch Pad Button becomes Ping since I don't think I need to do that too often in the game and I always forget that button exists on this controller. Everything else seem to be Toggle Wheels and "shift functions" and such that I don't even remember how to access and I'm not sure I really need to at this point.

    My final touches are still in the works, but adjusting the Deadzone and Sensitivity settings for the Pitch and Yaw seem to have done wonders for addressing my "overshooting and tracking back" problem I described in my previous post. Still adjusting it, like I said, but I'm currently at 10% Deadzone and 90% Sensitivity (75% Sensitivity didn't seem to do enough and 100% made things feel sluggish, so I'm experimenting with 90 currently). I left Roll and Throttle at their default 0%DZ/50%Sens as i haven't had any real issues with those.

    It's kind of a matter of just figuring what the Deadzone and Sensitivity settings do exactly, since the descriptions don't really help you at all if you don't know what they are to begin with. But I'm getting a feel for it.

    Off to capture a Star Destroyer now!



    EDIT- I might be going with 0% Deadzone / 100% Sensitivity and maybe start experimenting with the Global Deadzone settings.

    I'm also thinking I may experiment with an even closer facsimile of the RL controls and try shifting throttle controls to the L2 & R2 triggers, leaving Roll on L stick Left/Right but moving Countermeasures to L stick Down and Boost to L stick Up. That could be pretty interesting...
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2021
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  2. SithLordDarthRichie

    SithLordDarthRichie CR Emeritus: London star 9

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2003
    I've had issue recently with how some of the online matchmaking works.

    It's odd that if I choose Dogfight I get put in matches against a player over lvl 100, two above 60 and a couple of others when I'm barely lvl 40.

    Add to that I had on my side two players under lvl 10.

    This seems incredibly imbalanced.
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2021
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  3. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I've continued to play around with the controls and decided to turn face buttons into deployables, so fire stays the same, my auxs go to square and triangle, while circle becomes countermeasures. I moved the targeting buttons to the L1/R1 triggers and the context to down R stick. Also dropped the global Deadzone and enabled the auto target option so that it targets the next target after you destroy your current one (why isn't that on by default?) and decided to make the Shield balancing clickable instead of menu based, using the R stick.

    Feels a lot better this way. I'm still tempted to go full Rogue Leader and move the Roll to the triggers (presumably R2/L2 and then move decrease/increase speed to R1/L1 since rolling needs some analog input) which I guess would force me me to put targeting to the R stick, but I'm not sure that will work better.

    Did the Drift tutorial towards the end of the ISD escort mission. I like how it's kinda implied that it isn't a common technique to help explain why we don't see it in the films before the ST era.
     
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  4. Glitterstimm

    Glitterstimm Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 30, 2017
    I really struggled to pull off that drift maneuver, attempted it at least a dozen times in the tutorial before finally getting it to work lol. I was using a flight stick though, might be easier with a gamepad.

    The campaign was fun, and I appreciated there being a pod racer in the squadron.
     
  5. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I actually thought the game froze on the drift tutorial and had to close and reopen the app. Tried doing every button press and stick motion possible to no avail. Thankfully the mission loaded at that checkpoint... and seemingly did it again. Finally managed to get the sticks in the right place to dismiss the tutorial freeze-frame. Was able to pull the drift off after that fairly easily but I haven't worked it into my play style yet. On a controller it's basically just a stick motion and a button hold (or, in my case, two stick motions).
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2021
  6. Ender Sai

    Ender Sai Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    I've had to put this on hold. I can't fathom playing this outside of VR having been playing it in VR, and it's been summer here.

    This was my introduction to it:

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. TiniTinyTony

    TiniTinyTony JCC Super Bowl Pick 'Em Winner star 7 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2003
    So I don't have or plan on buying PSVR, is this worth the sale purchase of $19.99? I'd probably only be playing the campaign mode.
     
  8. SithLordDarthRichie

    SithLordDarthRichie CR Emeritus: London star 9

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2003
    I'm not sure it's worth it just for campaign mode, that's pretty short.

    The appeal and replay value is in the multiplayer.
     
    TiniTinyTony likes this.
  9. TiniTinyTony

    TiniTinyTony JCC Super Bowl Pick 'Em Winner star 7 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2003
    Thanks, @SithLordDarthRichie, and to play multiplayer you need to subscribe to whatever console's online service if you don't have it...
     
  10. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Was coincidentally about to bump this myself, as I got back to the campaign yesterday and am hoping to get a level or two in a day this week to hopefully top it off. Getting to see the Starhawk's debut was fantastic- especially since I just finished reading Victory's Price last week, so I still have Jakku on the brain (don't know if SWS goes to Jakku or not, but the Starhawk is just an association given their role in the battle there).

    My customized controls have definitely helped out (though my flying skills still need work, as my first Y-wing bombing runs had a few too many collisions, lol), though it took me a moment to remember what I changed since its been a month or two since I last played (so having Gunny yell at me to catch up to the Corvette we were escorting to the listening station while I'm staying at the same acceleration as I had forgotten what I had assigned my speed controls to was kinda funny).

    Once I get done with the campaign, I'll probably give the multiplayer another go-around since my friend and I were still dealing with the bad controls and not understanding the game modes (oh, hey, randoms can join into our matches when we're just cruising around trying to get a feel for things- sorry randos!). And I was gifted this PS+ subscription so I don't want it to linger unused and waste it (since I don't really have any other multiplayer games on my PS4, outside of, I assume, Titanfall 2? Need to get back to that campaign also... assuming i remember the controls for that one too, heh).

    Anyone else have an issue with the briefing POV cinematic-chats listing to the side and down when you let go of the sticks? I'm wondering if my tweaking of the deadzones threw off the controller stick calibration for those sequences (non-chat hangar scenes are fine, for instance).

    Speaking of those POV chats, while they're obviously there for the VR element, they are one place where some of the cracks in the game show the most/is where you can tell they cut back the budget to make their pricepoint. While I like the dialogue and info, the body animation and eye focus, when combined with the stop-go interactions, give them an animatronic-type feel. Probably be disguised more if they weren't forced to look directly at you (like normal cinematics where more detail and non-in-game animations can be done).
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2021
  11. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Finished the campaign yesterday! I think I did the prologue and first few levels on Veteran but then had to swap to Pilot after Mission 3 because around there things get a lot less lenient. The prologues you can basically just completely fail (as I did since I hadn't yet customized the controls for them and had trouble doing much of anything) and still finish with a ton of medals.

    And though there were a couple challenging spikes in the middle and towards the end, they often came down to fighter selection decisions. I definitely came out of this game with a new respect for the bombers. Without the TIE Bomber I wouldn't have been able to finish off the cap ships in the debris mine field (as mentioned earlier, the TIE Reaper just doesn't have the maneuverability for that mission) mid-campaign and without the Y-wing I wouldn't have been able to take out the Imperial ships during the final checkpoint of the NR campaign (though partially my fault for choosing that level as the time to experiment with different shields on my A-wing, idiot!).

    To offset that, though, while the TIE Bomber was useful for the final Imperial mission, taking the long haul back to my ISD to swap out for an Interceptor for the final stretch of that mission was pretty much necessary. Thankfully once you get in to where you gotta go, it's pretty easy.

    Though I got bumped around by the gravity fluctuations, I was glad that blasting the pieces around the core and then just riding out the blast wave straight ahead were fairly simple. Made for a satisfying relief to enjoy the moment instead of horrific flashbacks of various "Escape the Core" levels from Super ROTJ and Rogue Leader.

    Also did some more multiplayer matches since they were doing double XP days this weekend (not sure if they're still going or not), so I earned a few levels and a little bit of glory. Just gotta earn a lot more to get my Tron-like paint job for my fighter and my Tuggtar bobble. Matches went ok. I mostly got my butt kicked (me in a lone TIE Defender apparently makes for a great, large target) but had a couple matches where I did surprisingly well and was probably the 2nd or 3rd best pilot in the match (one in a base TIE Fighter, most surprisingly of all)... though, of course, those were in matches where my side lost anyways ;).

    I will reiterate my earlier comments though that it is a shame they made aliens unlockable instead of at least some as default options. Not only does it kinda suck for character creation purposes (as I'm obviously going to name a human character very differently than many aliens) but it also has the unfortunate result of making these lower-tier matches be filled with teams of now-generic-looking characters where half the squad has the same head model, etc.
     
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  12. Jedi Daniel

    Jedi Daniel Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Would love some DLC for this game :D
     
  13. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Just a note that, if you have Prime, you can get Squadrons on PC for free through Twitch (via Origin) until Nov 1st.
     
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  14. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    Whomever didn't pick up Squadrons on PC for free through Twitch back in October can try the game on Steam for free over the next two days.
     
  15. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    And it seems that PS+ somehow auto renewed on me even though my initial X number of months expired months ago. So, it looks like I'll be playing more multiplayer of Squadrons in the near future, heh. Wasn't planning on renewing because most of the stuff I'll be playing on PS4 is single player. Guess I'll have to grab a copy of Battlefront II now...
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2022
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  16. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    Tbh it's probably been at least a half a year since the last time I played Squadrons; longer with BF2. Just lacking the motivation for both games.
     
  17. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Well, I was mainly in it for the campaign story mode. And I am not good enough at it to survive against rando pros in multiplayer and my schedule didn't allow me to have much time to play with friends. So, my main remaining motivation for playing multiplayer now is to get enough points to unlock the Tron-like skins for my fighter. ;)
     
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  18. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    They do have online PVE modes, right? When I was playing the game more often (after having finished the story mode campaign), I wouldn't mind joining in games where a group of players including myself went up against the NPC enemies. While they weren't as challenging as PVP, it was still satisfying when you completed the missions.
     
  19. heyitsharvey

    heyitsharvey Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Dec 6, 2022
    Anyone still playing on PS4/5?
     
  20. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Haven't had a chance to swing back around to it. Been trying to find time to finish Fallen Order first.
     
  21. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    I believe I can say that I've played this game "more recently" than I've played BF2, but even that, it could still have been at least half a year ago.
     
  22. Brer79

    Brer79 Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2017
    Is this topic still relevant?.

    Just bought this game for $2.00, and with just under, maybe twenty minutes of game play, I'm having more fun with this than BFII.
    BFII felt very generic, with SW skins attached.
    Squadrons feels like I'm actually flying in, IMO, of course, a TIE Fighter.
    Do people still play online?.
     
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  23. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    They haven't taken down the servers so I guess probably. I didn't play online much, as all I did was get pasted by anyone else
     
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  24. Glitterstimm

    Glitterstimm Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 30, 2017
    Haven’t played Squadrons in well over a year now, too much other gaming on my plate. The campaign was the best part imo, but multiplayer was fun too, particularly the back-and-forth battles with capital ships.
     
  25. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Haven't played much online for awhile. But the modes were fun. I'm sure I'll circle back to it at some point for one more run at it.