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2016/06/13 14:47:09
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
I have a friend who played the first on PC, but mentioned how it became very hard to find a game. I played it on the Xbox 360 and it was very easy to find games!
So, I'm wondering if I'll need to get an Xbox One to play this later in the year... particularly since I want to use gamepad, so probably best to face others using gamepad rather than folks on mouse. Any thoughts on that?
So stoked
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/12/08 12:59:12
I'm a little surprised they are making a new one, I thought the first one was generally considered mediocre. But I guess ditto for watchdogs, and there's another of those coming out.
"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." Words to live by.
Not sure where you've heard that, at least initially the game was very highly praised, the only issue was the lack of a single player mode, which is being addressed here. I think some people went off it after a while as the multiplayer is quite samey, but still consistently great fun.
Personally, I think the first game is just about the pinnacle of the modern/near-future/sci-fi FPS; it looks better than Halo, plays better than CoD or Battlefield and unlike those is very innovative. The map design is expertly handled to accommodate both Titan and infantry combat, the mechanics and weapons are balanced well enough that neither Pilot nor Titan dominate the game, and visually looks stunning and has a very intriguing aesthetic (I'm hoping the single player stuff will really add to the world/narrative, there's loads of cool set dressing elements in the first one they could really explore). I'd easily call it the best shooter around at the moment, maybe even top 5 games period.
So in short, consider me very excited for the next one!
@RiTides: Getting games on the Xbone is easy as well, I was playing just the other day and there was no real waiting around. Presumably the same will be true for the new one.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/13 15:00:22
I'm looking forward to this. I really liked the first one, but for me it got old quick. I really prefer single player games, so I think I'll like this one a lot better.
Paradigm wrote: Personally, I think the first game is just about the pinnacle of the modern/near-future/sci-fi FPS; it looks better than Halo, plays better than CoD or Battlefield and unlike those is very innovative. The map design is expertly handled to accommodate both Titan and infantry combat, the mechanics and weapons are balanced well enough that neither Pilot nor Titan dominate the game, and visually looks stunning and has a very intriguing aesthetic (I'm hoping the single player stuff will really add to the world/narrative, there's loads of cool set dressing elements in the first one they could really explore). I'd easily call it the best shooter around at the moment, maybe even top 5 games period.
Well I'm right there with you . My first love was always 6DOF games, so being able to be much more mobile was a huge draw for me in this one... plus, titans
I also thought it was extremely well balanced. I played the heck out of the addon map packs (which for some reason I enjoyed much more than the normal maps)... had something like an 80% win rate in a few maps from the second pack, freaking loved those
The lack of a single player unfortunately made the learning curve quite steep for new players, and they definitely needed more game modes, which they added but a bit too late. I am really glad to see they're addressing the single player feedback, and hopefully that also means they'll address the game modes. The mechanics of this game blow Halo and Battlefield out of the water, imo (the other FPS games I've played seriously). Can't wait!
Hopefully number 2 in the series is better at retaining it's audience. Happy to see a single player and the story line sounds promising. Hopefully they can learn from their mistakes.
Ask yourself: have you rated a gallery image today?
Frankenberry wrote: I am so stoked for this - I really wanted a legit SP for the last one so this is pretty much a dream come true.
I assume they'll still have co-opMP- I hope so because I LOVED Frontier Defense.
I just hope that there is enough content in the SP mode to offer some good replayability and fun. A short token SP arc would be very disappointing. The first Titanfall suffered from the same issues that can undermine the Battlefront games, when it's all about multiplayer you're at the mercy of other gamers when you want to play. Sometimes its easy to find a game and sometimes it's almost impossible. Playing the game is a lot of fun but I want a game that I know I can enjoy regardless of who else is online at the time.
Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur
2016/12/08 13:29:35
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
I thought I'd bring this thread back and update it with thoughts now that this game has been released, and I'd love to hear others!
Unfortunately, while I was almost obsessed with the first game, and actually upgraded to Xbox One for this one, I just could not get into this one even though I tried. It had some of the elements I love, but it's like they took exactly the wrong feedback about what people thought could be improved on the first, and missed the important things:
- Very little customization of titans is possible now, making the game less varied and more restrictive / repetitive than the first in its most unique element!
- The parkour is now amped up to 11, making the gap between expert and casual players even broader. In the first game, terrain elements naturally triggered parkour, and it made sense. Now, you must constantly use it (even on open, flat ground!) and it feels extremely forced.
- Without shields, titans just die way too easily and it becomes a game played mostly on foot, or super cautiously once in a titan. Getting a titan also favors expert players more than before.
- The "slide" is absolutely required to move quickly, and feels stupid! Good players are constantly "slide hopping" rather than running, why was this designed in such a way that running is so much slower?
Overall, in the first game I could practice, become really good at certain maps and with certain titan builds, and rock in this game. It was also a ton of fun! Now, it feels like a parody of a great game... and that's really what this is in the end, to me.
Overall: 4/10, when the first game was a 9/10 at least for me! I really gave this one a shot, too (it's been out for over a month now) but man did Respawn drop the ball on this, and got away from what made the first game so great.
This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2016/12/08 13:47:22
2016/12/08 13:37:13
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
That's very possible - I think what discouraged me was also watching YouTube and seeing how it's "supposed" to be played (FrothyOmen) and like you said, knowing what the first was like =/
2016/12/08 14:35:33
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
RiTides wrote: I thought I'd bring this thread back and update it with thoughts now that this game has been released, and I'd love to hear others!
Unfortunately, while I was almost obsessed with the first game, and actually upgraded to Xbox One for this one, I just could not get into this one even though I tried. It had some of the elements I love, but it's like they took exactly the wrong feedback about what people thought could be improved on the first, and missed the important things:
- Very little customization of titans is possible now, making the game less varied and more restrictive / repetitive than the first in its most unique element!
- The parkour is now amped up to 11, making the gap between expert and casual players even broader. In the first game, terrain elements naturally triggered parkour, and it made sense. Now, you must constantly use it (even on open, flat ground!) and it feels extremely forced.
- Without shields, titans just die way too easily and it becomes a game played mostly on foot, or super cautiously once in a titan. Getting a titan also favors expert players more than before.
- The "slide" is absolutely required to move quickly, and feels stupid! Good players are constantly "slide hopping" rather than running, why was this designed in such a way that running is so much slower?
Overall, in the first game I could practice, become really good at certain maps and with certain titan builds, and rock in this game. It was also a ton of fun! Now, it feels like a parody of a great game... and that's really what this is in the end, to me.
Overall: 4/10, when the first game was a 9/10 at least for me! I really gave this one a shot, too (it's been out for over a month now) but man did Respawn drop the ball on this, and got away from what made the first game so great.
I've played it since about a week or two after launch; had a blast with the single player (d***s out for BT) and am still waist deep in multiplayer. Overall, when compared to the last one? Things are different, I admit, but I think Respawn took things in the right direction.
- Customization Titan wise, I would argue, is simply different. Rather than changed multiple aspects of three chassis, you can now change limited chassis-specific bonuses. Having access to six titans (with more on the way) this offers, I think a remarkably wide range of playstyles and customization without approaching stupid levels of depth. Unless you play Tone, in which case, you're a bad person and you should feel bad.
-I agree that the parkour is basically and essential element of play now; in TF1 it was sort of an easier way to get around and allowed for ambushes and the like. In TF2 it looks like Respawn really wanted to drive home the whole 'pilot mobility is insane' aspect that they eluded to in TF1 and the videos/information leading up to TF2. In a game as fast paced as TF2 I can appreciate the point they're trying to make by having players be more active with using their jump kits - you're supposed to be this super-elite soldier that has access to the most deadly of the deadly gear - TF1 never really conveyed that, in my opinion.
-I agree that titan combat has become far less drawn out that TF1. Playing it safe in TF1 while running around in a titan meant that you could influence the match in a pretty amazing capacity and never truly be threatened. This meant that once one team had called down their titans, the game was pretty much over as pilot anti-titan weapons were a joke and mobility overall was pretty lacking. TF2, I think does a good job of showcasing how powerful a titan can be, if handled well and put into the right situation - as any armor should. But when you take a titan like the Ronin, put him in a field and engage ANY other chassis, unless your opponent is brain dead - you're toast. I like that every chassis isn't a viable option for EVERY situation like the weapons and chassis were in TF1, hence why there are six instead of the original 3.
-It felt dumb when I first saw it being done, but after taking some time to get used to it and thinking about it - I realized that the slide made sense: You're carrying around a jetpack on your back, wearing ballistic armor, and the pilot is supposed to be the master of his environment - naturally this means being able to move differently, and in most cases better than non-pilots. And honestly, this is the one thing you take issue with regarding movement? What about the 'different dimension' ability that PHASES YOU INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION.
I can only imagine things are going to get better from here, and truthfully the biggest complaint I have is that they didn't bother release the game with a Frontier Defense or Co-Op option - which was my favorite mode. I'm not of a competitive player so I'm not great with the various modes, but I've gotta say - overall, TF2 is a vast improvement over the original in almost every way.
Note: Please don't take this as an attack - I'm merely offering my own opinion.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/12/08 14:36:00
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2016/12/08 14:43:25
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
Truthfully, I'm glad for the change to the Titan mechanics. I liked customizing things certainly...but then there was the brokenly ridiculous stuff possible with certain builds(a Strider with Nuclear Ejection and a weapon that could self-damage for example).
By keying weapons to specific Titans and abilities to specific Titans as well, I feel like they made the game a bit more "casual friendly". It's not unlike WoW, where you can now identify a Titan's abilities and threat level simply by its profile or silhouette.
For example:
You see a hulking Titan that appears vaguely simian and has a rounded front hatch rather than a flat hatch? You know that is a Scorch, and is best engaged at long range(his Flame Shield can eat up a Titan at close range).
You see a hulking Titan that is more upright and has a flat hatch rather than rounded? You know that's a Legion, and is best engaged with cover whenever possible rather than in the open.
Etc etc. The same thing now goes on with the Pilots, where if you see a bulky Pilot you know he's either a Cloak or Particle Wall for his active ability. Robotic look with red flashes as part of his colors? Stimms. Lightly armored human with a duster as part of their mantle? Pulse Blade.
Etc etc.
I like that the Titans no longer have shields, at least as standard. It means that you have to play a bit smarter rather than just running in and letting shields recharge. It also means that friendly Pilots on foot have a reason to go for the rodeos on enemy Titans, since you can snag that enemy Titan's Core and plug it in to a friendly Titan to keep it alive for longer.
Regarding the movement:
Play the campaign, play the campaign, play the campaign! Cannot stress that enough. There are hidden-ish achievements(score a triple kill while sliding, for example and triple kill while wall running) within the campaign that end up requiring you to master the parkour movement to get them.
All told? I'm loving it. I'm taking a small break to help some friends farm some stuff on Warframe, but if you ever want a game RiTides...you know my gamertag.
2016/12/08 15:19:07
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
I played through most of the campaign, but that mechanic just seems really flawed to me (if you look up the Youtuber I mentioned above, FrothyOmen, you can see just how broken it is). I really can't give them a pass on making some things more "user friendly" (like identifying titans/pilots as you mention) and introducing a mechanic like that that makes the play at high levels completely different than casual levels. I'll link a few videos here when I get the chance that show what I'm talking about.
But as someone with pretty limited time,I was stoked for this game as I had found with the first I could really hone certain things and get an edge even without a huge time investment. In this game, it just doesn't feel like I can - getting some early kills to speed up my titan, for instance, is only going to give me a few minutes in it unless I play extremely cautiously. That was my favorite thing to do in the first game - score some early kills and maybe play a card to speed up the titanfall, hop in my Stryder with missile launcher, and go around blasting stuff
I get a little bit of that Stryder-esque feel with the Ronin, and I find the grenade weapons a lot of fun (although again, completely unusable at the competitive level when everyone is slide hopping everywhere!). But pilots are so good against titans now that most competitive players just stay on foot and kill titans that way. Combined with auto-titan being way better, further incentivizing staying on foot, they've taken the "Titan" out of "Titanfall" for me.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the parkour elements a Lot in the first game, and the ability to kill titans when on foot, etc. But they've got the balance all wrong in this one, for me... could be a case of too high of expectations as I just loved the original (with the exception of a lack of a campaign and more varied game modes needed, but that was easy to fix!). Glad you guys are enjoying it, at least - maybe that means I'll get a Titanfall 3 one day
2016/12/08 16:39:24
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
RiTides wrote: I played through most of the campaign, but that mechanic just seems really flawed to me (if you look up the Youtuber I mentioned above, FrothyOmen, you can see just how broken it is). I really can't give them a pass on making some things more "user friendly" (like identifying titans/pilots as you mention) and introducing a mechanic like that that makes the play at high levels completely different than casual levels. I'll link a few videos here when I get the chance that show what I'm talking about.
Not trying to be argumentative here, but there's a vast difference watching a YouTuber's clips that he's polished and edited compared to the livestreams they do. I know that some of the people I play with regularly always find the "Record that clip!" moments that they end up seeing amazing...but when we actually played together in that same match, they remember for every amazing thing someone did that ends up clipworthy there's another two "Derp!" moments right before.
But as someone with pretty limited time,I was stoked for this game as I had found with the first I could really hone certain things and get an edge even without a huge time investment. In this game, it just doesn't feel like I can - getting some early kills to speed up my titan, for instance, is only going to give me a few minutes in it unless I play extremely cautiously. That was my favorite thing to do in the first game - score some early kills and maybe play a card to speed up the titanfall, hop in my Stryder with missile launcher, and go around blasting stuff
I can understand this. Titans don't feel as...well, titanic to take down anymore. One of the biggest issues I personally have with TF2 is the unlock progression for weapons. Some of the most devastating anti-Titan weapons are unlocked incredibly early. Couple that with one of the premiere assault rifles(R201) being hell on wheels and incredibly user friendly and you have a recipe for players getting Titans down quick.
I'm glad they got rid of the Burn Card mechanic though and replaced it with this "Boost" system. The Boosts trigger at a certain percentage of your Titan's build(I believe the quickest Boost to gain is the Reinforced Particle Wall at 30% or so) and you can hoard them until you want to use them. The only caveat?
You need to have your Titan die in order for you to start regaining a Boost.
I get a little bit of that Stryder-esque feel with the Ronin, and I find the grenade weapons a lot of fun (although again, completely unusable at the competitive level when everyone is slide hopping everywhere!).
Which grenade weapons in particular are we talking about here?
I've found that out of all the "Launcher" primaries, only one or two(the Cold War and SMR) are really worth using...mostly because of the mechanics of each(Cold War is a burst launcher and SMR is basically a Boltgun, rocking mini-missiles on full auto. ).
I can definitely feel your pain though. I wanted to like the Satchel Charge coupled with my Cloak playstyle...but ugh. It has a bright red icon pop up on the enemy's hud and a brief delay before detonation, to the point where it's basically unusable unless you kamikaze someone with it.
Electric Smoke Grenades for me only!
But pilots are so good against titans now that most competitive players just stay on foot and kill titans that way.
To an extent this is certainly true. But the players who do that also tend to take the tankiest Titans(Legion or Scorch with Enhanced Auto-Titan) possible and have a very specific perk build(Dead Silence for silent Titan rodeoing, Cloak or Decoy Pilot, the SMR and an Archer for weapons, Battery for longer lasting Tactical, and Arc Grenades to futz up your Titan's displays while inside and for staggering Auto-Titans) to really make themselves look amazing.
Combined with auto-titan being way better, further incentivizing staying on foot, they've taken the "Titan" out of "Titanfall" for me.
Auto-Titan being way better is a factor of the default upgrade in the first slot being "Enhanced Auto-Titan". Thankfully, this is something they are aware of and are looking into how to counteract this. They thought making it compete with Nuclear Ejection would be enough but since Nuclear Ejection can be hard-countered by someone just literally mashing the melee button in a Titan or someone throwing up a particle wall or walking around a rock face...the perk is a novelty, if a super dangerous one.
I'm rather fond of using Northstar with double Snares and throwing the snares down before nuking some enemies.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the parkour elements a Lot in the first game, and the ability to kill titans when on foot, etc. But they've got the balance all wrong in this one, for me... could be a case of too high of expectations as I just loved the original (with the exception of a lack of a campaign and more varied game modes needed, but that was easy to fix!). Glad you guys are enjoying it, at least - maybe that means I'll get a Titanfall 3 one day
Out of curiosity, which game modes have you been playing?
I tried all of them, but really can't enjoy any beyond Bounty Hunt.
2016/12/08 16:55:03
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
Unfortunately I'm not playing any now =/ although I tried a range of them... mostly Hardpoint or CTF (which also hardly works in the new game with some of the boosts / etc available).
Regarding the clips, I'm talking about full games and the normal mode of movement rather than spectacular moments. This is always what I thought the parkour was awesome for (and spectacular fails, as you mention ). But the slide hop is a real killer for me as it just replaces running all together at the top level. I obviously wasn't the best at the first game, but I was pretty darn good, and that just isn't the kind of gameplay I want to invest the time in mastering.
Regarding them being aware of auto-titan issues - that's good, but I can't believe they couldn't figure some of this out from testing / beta. It's like everything that was awesome from the first is toned down (except the carbine, one of the most broken things in the first anyway!) but there are huge, gaping balance problems that should have been easily forseen.
Anyway, enough complaining from me I just had such high hopes. Hopefully the Star Wars movie doesn't let me down in that regard, at least
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2016/12/08 16:57:13
2016/12/08 17:47:59
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
That's where our disconnect is coming from then!
I found Hardpoint and CTF to be spectacularly "Meh".
Regarding the Enhanced Auto-Titan issues, they thought they had figured out the issues. One of the biggest things in the beta was the ability to combine EAT(what an acronym for Enhanced Auto-Titan! ) with Nuclear Ejection because with EAT? The EAT would actually perform a Nuclear Ejection...despite having no pilot to eject. By making the two use up the same slot, they thought it would require a big choice from people. It's seemed to work for the most part, but again the easy access for EAT and the ease to avoid Nuclear Eject might be playing a bigger factor than people expect.
2016/12/09 21:08:48
Subject: Titanfall 2 - thoughts now that it's released?
Well if I can I'll try to give Bounty Hunt a try at some point
Also didn't mean to be a rain cloud, I'm glad folks are enjoying the game . I just had really high expectations as the first completely supplanted Halo as my game of choice, and I had circled this release a long time ago!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/12/09 21:13:44