Titanfall 2 to be tweaked as Respawn responds to tech test feedback

The controversial changes made to Titanfall 2 will be tweaked ahead of launch in response to fan feedback, Respawn has said.

Last weekend’s multiplayer tech test had been criticised by some fans disappointed with the changes made to the upcoming sequel, including its slower speed and the removal of the recharging Titan meter. But these will be tweaked for the full game, the developer says.

“Many players are wondering why we changed the mobility from Titanfall 1,” multiplayer designer Steven DeRose wrote on the game’s website. “We identified two major issues we wanted to solve in Titanfall 2. The first is that a lack of player predictability would often cause players to be shot from the back or sides. While flanking is an important part of gameplay death often felt random instead of skillful.

“The second issue is that close range firefights were overly chaotic due to erratic player movement. So, changes to pilot mobility stemmed from a desire to improve our gunplay, and not a desire to slow down movement.

“We’ll be tuning air speed and wall-running speed to be faster.”

“Unintended side effects” linked to the issue were also “causing players to lose momentum while wallrunning,” DeRose adds, noting that once fixed, “players should once again accumulate and retain more speed when chaining wallruns.”

“Additionally, we’re testing scaling back some of the dampening factors that were limiting bunny-hopping as we don’t want these restrictions to impact normal traversal,” he says.

The Titan Meter will also revert back to a system similar to the original game, DeRose says, with “a small passive amount of Titan meter [added] every few seconds”.

“We made some changes in Titanfall 2 with the goal of rewarding players for playing game mode objectives,” he explains. “However, we observed the problem that players can try to play the objective but fail, resulting in slower than intended Titan acquisition. We still want objectives to be the fastest way to get a Titan, but the goal of every player being guaranteed a Titan per match hasn’t changed.”

DeRose also addressed concerns with the design of the map featured in the tech test, explaining that it isn’t indicative of the overall game.

“Some of our Tech Test players have asked if the relatively flat and open design of Homestead is indicative of a new direction for Titanfall, and the answer is no,” he said. “When designing maps, we strive to make them unique experiences. For example, Homestead changes things up by creating islands of Pilot gameplay where long-range weapons can be effective. This upcoming weekend a new map, Forwardbase Kodai, will be available for play. There is a wide variety of maps for the final game. We’ll be showcasing more maps over the next couple weeks on our website, including more traditional Titanfall maps.”

Other issues are addressed by DeRose, too, including concerns around Titan survivability: “There has been a lot of tuning since the Tech Test build that will tone down the amount of damage many weapons deal to Titans”; Titan mobility: “The Tech Test build… doesn’t include our fastest Titans”; and the game’s HUD: “We’ve read feedback about the HUD feeling too busy. At launch Titanfall 2 will have menu options that allow players to turn these features on or off based on their individual preferences.”

“We value our community, the feedback you provide us, and working with you to make our games better,” DeRose concludes. “We look forward to hearing what you think about the updates coming for weekend two of the tech test, and can’t wait to see you all on the Frontier this October.”

Titanfall 2 launches on PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 28. A second multiplayer tech test (which will be open to all console players) gets underway this Friday.

Pre-order Titanfall 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC before its October 28 release date and you’ll receive a promotional code to give your titan extra flair with the Nitro Pack.(?)

Source: titanfall.com