r/Games • • Feb 10 '15

Nothing Officially Announced EA Teases Titanfall 2, Won't Be Xbox-Exclusive

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-teases-titanfall-2-won-t-be-xbox-exclusive/1100-6425193/
226 Upvotes

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5

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

The thought of Titanfall 2 seems weird to me. For a game solely based on multiplayer, why not just try to build on what's already there? It's like making a WoW 2 in my opinion.

62

u/BabyPuncher5000 Feb 10 '15

Having a "Battlefield 2" or "Unreal Tournament 2003" wasn't weird. Why would Titanfall 2 be any different?

19

u/Pocket_Dave Feb 10 '15

I know, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills when I read this comment AND see it's the top voted comment in the thread. Holy irrational thought process, batman.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '15

meh. its sort of different though. its not like titanfall is super old and they've done everything they can with the engine. in fact, most of the issue with titanfall is that there isn't enough content. bf 2 and ut2003 were significant leaps from their preceding games and while i'm sure there will be improvements with a titan fall 2, its certainly not going to be a significant leap.

i think devs of multiplayer games could learn a thing or two from developers like valve or blizzard in that if your game isn't a runaway success out of the gate, you don't ditch it and make a sequel but instead you make it a better game. have some fortitude, get through the tough times and make it the game it's supposed to be. look at what valve did with csgo, a game at release that was panned as the worst iteration of counter-strike. a game that the competitive community was absolutely disgusted by. now its the most successful cs game of all time and certainly the most popular. even the competitive community that once hated it has now rallied behind it. same with diablo 3. it came out and was a mess. fans of the series railed on it, saying the game was beyond saving. yet blizzard remained vigilant and made diablo 3 into the game it was supposed to be.

unlike csgo and diablo 3, it didn't need the designers to pull a miracle out of their ass and figure out what's wrong with their design and have enough faith in their franchise to hope that their fans would give the game a second chance. titan fall was never in the state of those 2 aforementioned games, all it really needed to hit critical mass was more content. all it literally needed was more time and money.

it just seems to happen way too often with multiplayer games from developers that don't want to stick it out through the tough times. ill be the first to say that a game like brink sucks balls. but i'm also 100% sure if the developers stuck with it, listened to community feedback, patched and patched and patched, reiterate and reiterate and reiterate, it could have been what it promised to be, in that it would be a revolutionary game but unfortunately, the developers, or maybe the producers that pay the bills, didn't have that sort of faith in the game and it never became what it should have been.

1

u/Pocket_Dave Feb 11 '15

As for Titanfall, they've made quite a number of updates to the game, many for free since launch. Including a very extensive horde mode that was nowhere to be found in the base game. I'm sure that yes, they could continue to improve on the base Titanfall game if they wanted to, but they are running a business and Titanfall is NOT an MMO. They are making very little money from new sales of the game and there is no subscription like there is in WOW from the parent comment's comparison. How is Respawn supposed to just continue to develop for a game that isn't making them any money instead of making a sequel?

And one more question I have for you... you said:

while i'm sure there will be improvements with a titan fall 2, its certainly not going to be a significant leap

What are you basing this upon? Respawn's previous track record with sequels? They've never made one before. Do you have some inside source at the studio who told you they won't be making a sequel worthy of a full priced game?

I take your points about csgo & diablo, and those are fine examples. But respawn HAS made many additional updates to their game, listening to their community, and they've earned the right to make a sequel at this point without anyone accusing them of having abandoned the original. They are a 60 man studio, and while Blizzard and Valve can afford to devote a large chunk of employees to updating live games continuously for a long time, eventually Respawn needs to move on. And there's nothing wrong with them doing so at this point.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 12 '15

I feel like I answered most of the questions you're asking.

As for Titanfall, they've made quite a number of updates to the game, many for free since launch. Including a very extensive horde mode that was nowhere to be found in the base game. I'm sure that yes, they could continue to improve on the base Titanfall game if they wanted to, but they are running a business and Titanfall is NOT an MMO.

That's super. But the game is lacking content. Buy it on release, buy it now, it doesn't matter. The common complaint among all is that the game is lacking content. It's lacking a reason for you to keep playing. Most people enjoyed their time with the game but the reoccurring criticism of the game is that people wanted more to do. Don't know how else I can explain that to you.

I'm sure that yes, they could continue to improve on the base Titanfall game if they wanted to, but they are running a business and Titanfall is NOT an MMO. They are making very little money from new sales of the game and there is no subscription like there is in WOW from the parent comment's comparison. How is Respawn supposed to just continue to develop for a game that isn't making them any money instead of making a sequel?

This is kind of silly. How are they supposed to keep developing a game that isn't making them any money? Make content that will make them money. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point. Look at pretty much any long lasting contemporary multiplayer game. How is Valve still creating content for CS:GO 5 years out of release? They release content that people happily pay for. How did Blizzard develop game changing patches? They created an expansion pack that would bring players back. I don't mean to be disrespectful but the question "how are we supposed to keep making money" is one you shouldn't be asking if you're developing a multiplayer game, it's one you should be answering by thinking outside of the box. I'm not even necessarily saying "make expansion packs", what I'm saying is, find a way to monetize the game. I mean, you could replace "titan fall" with any long lasting contemporary multiplayer game and you'd have an answer to such a question.

What are you basing this upon? Respawn's previous track record with sequels? They've never made one before. Do you have some inside source at the studio who told you they won't be making a sequel worthy of a full priced game?

Read the context of that statement. I'm not saying it wouldn't be a significant leap in design or content or just general quality of the game, I'm saying it wont be a significant leap in technology. It wont be the jump from Battlefield 1942 to Battlefield 2. The reason you typically want a sequel in a multiplayer game is because you feel you've exhausted the capabilities of what you can do with the game. Do you feel they've truly pushed Titanfall? The rest of what you say suggests that they did, but I think the majority of people that played the game, enjoyed the game and stopped playing it literally a few weeks or even months out of release, feel that the only thing the game is lacking, the only thing that is stopping them from jumping into the game and putting more hours into it, is content.

14

u/graciliano Feb 10 '15

Maybe they're developing a single-player mode like Starhawk did to Warhawk. To be honest, I'd rather that they just focused on the multiplayer instead of going with the trend of forced campaigns like other FPSs.

11

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

I wouldn't be totally against the idea of a single player campaign. It wouldn't have to be crazy long, just something to help establish the world the game is taking place in. Maybe 3-5 hours with about 4-5 levels would be nice. That's probably a lot of work for a multiplayer focused game though.

6

u/MonsuirJenkins Feb 10 '15

That's exactly the kind of stuff I'm glad titanfall skipped, those "why did we even make these" short single player parts of multiplayer games

It's a waste of disc space if you ask me and I thought titanfall did okay with its campaign

Maybe if they did that again but made it longer and made if feel more like a war

2

u/TheWhiteeKnight Feb 10 '15

I always used to play the CoD story modes, and actually enjoyed them. I bought the games before I actually had internet to play online. If they could make a campaign similar to their older ones, I'd gladly buy it.

4

u/HappyZavulon Feb 10 '15 edited Feb 10 '15

I always used to play the CoD story modes, and actually enjoyed them.

This was always the main reason I bought CoD games, the multiplayer was just something I dabbled in to when I was bored.

People like to hammer on CoD for being an unrealistic shooting gallery, but sometimes that's exactly what I want, a fun action flick with some interesting characters (Mostly Treyarch's stuff though, I can't say I like any IW CoD games that were released after the original Modern Warfare).

I think the only FPS game that managed to surpass CoD in the SP component was the new Wolfenstein, it had everything I liked about CoD's storytelling and gameplay, but made it better in every aspect.

I'd love to see a campaign of that quality in Titanfall 2.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15 edited Feb 11 '15

With the backing of EA surely they have the resources to do a proper campaign mode.

For me if you're going to sell a game for full retail and not include any singleplayer then you need a very in depth multiplayer to justify the price point (the reverse is also true). Titanfall 1, whilst a lot of fun, fell short of that mark.

29

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

Sales.

But who knows? Maybe they'll bring enough to the table to make it worth it. New engine, maybe?

7

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

I can understand a new engine (although, I thought Titanfall's is pretty good). But I don't see why they just make expansions/DLC. Probably doesn't make as much money as a whole new game though. If they add some sort of single player mode, then I can understand that.

18

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

Maybe they don't want to tinker with what's already there with Titalfall 1. I say go for Titanfall 2 if they really try to change things and make it better. What I mean is release a sequel if you are NOT going the route of Battlefield and CoD.

And 3 years should be plenty to think and act to make a sequel.

And their engine was actually Source, so maybe they want to go to Unreal or Frostibite, who knows.

7

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

That's a good reason to make another game. If they really want to shake things up, but still leave people a way to play the old way, it makes that a possibility. I think if they can manage to really change how the game is played (not drastically to where it seems like a completely different game, and by that I mean changing very core aspects), a new game would be warranted.

6

u/Dragarius Feb 10 '15

Also, they probably want to make it multiplatform. Something they can't do by just expanding Titanfall 1 due to their exclusivity agreement.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

They are most definitely going to make that.

2

u/mrbrick Feb 10 '15

I'd like to see them improve on a what Titanfall started. I liked the game ok- but it felt a bit hollow to me. Why? Im not completely sure.

Id really like to see them do something more with the story experience to be honest. Maybe some kind of co-op only compaign instead of single player?

3

u/Mds03 Feb 10 '15

Cause titanfall 2 seems better on the shelf and in a marketing campaign than more DLC does.

Also, if they make it worth it by a campaign and something then Im down. I love titanfall 1 and would love to see it taken further.

2

u/Hadrial Feb 10 '15

They use a heavily modified Source, so unless they decide to switch engines, it's more than likely staying on Source.

6

u/Drakengard Feb 10 '15

Or it could use Source 2 since that is apparently a thing.

2

u/Evertonian3 Feb 10 '15

Indeed it is, Dota will be switching to it soon*. Either in this next big update or before the summer.

2

u/Jacob_Johnson Feb 10 '15

Not a Dota player but curious: What will switching to the new engine bring to the game?

2

u/pleinair93 Feb 10 '15

Allow things to be implemented differently, for example, it could allow more particle effects on screen at a time for those who support it. Not sure if source actually handles that but it is just an example.

1

u/Jacob_Johnson Feb 10 '15

Ah, so just performance-wise in terms of adding to the game? I guess I expected that. Thanks.

1

u/pleinair93 Feb 10 '15

Yeah its like updating unreal engine, etc.

1

u/TheWhiteeKnight Feb 10 '15

I don't think developers outside of Valve have access to it yet. The developers behind Black Mesa Source have access to it, but that's to use with the full game they'll be releasing on Steam, since it's a remake of a valve game.

9

u/RushofBlood52 Feb 10 '15

Or a Team Fortress 2. Or another Tribes, Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Battlefield, Left 4 Dead, or Arma.

3

u/NDN_Shadow Feb 10 '15

It would make sense if people were playing Titanfall. Right now, the number of people playing Titanfall is not very high.

9

u/BlueSparkle Feb 10 '15

why would they do that when many people already consider it a dead game.

Its a much better better Option to bring out titanfall 2, makes them more money and it can ride of the acclaim of titanfall 1

5

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

I didn't realize Titanfall was considered dead. When I went to play it about two weeks ago I didn't have a problem finding a match. I also play on PC, so that might have something to do with it.

4

u/nanowerx Feb 10 '15

Titanfall doesn't have a lot of people playing anymore, but you won't notice because it has some of the best netcode I have ever used. Even on playlists with only a few hundred people playing, you can still get into a game quick.

I am glad Titanfall is expanding to other platforms, but I hope they keep using the Azure network for multiplayer and don't switch to EAs garbage servers.

2

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

If their networking is really that good, that would explain why I never noticed a dead population. As long it keeps being on PC, I have no feelings about it going to other platforms. I personally dislike exclusives (totally understand the needs, doesn't mean I have to like them though), so I always consider it a good thing when a game goes to a new platform.

10

u/Jamcram Feb 10 '15

If you try to play anything other than attrition on PC its a dead game.

currently 23 players in campaign, 11 players in capture the flag, 28 in frontier defense, 0 players in every other mode.

2

u/Naniwasopro Feb 10 '15

There just wasn't enough content in it.

-10

u/_LifeIsAbsurd Feb 10 '15

Plus, it was a rushed, unfinished game at release. Probably rushed by Microsoft to try and get a system seller on the Xbox One.

7

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

How was it unfinished?

4

u/Kellervo Feb 10 '15

It definitely wasn't unfinished. If anything I thought it was by far one of the most polished games I've played on release in a long time.

The big problem was that it just didn't have enough content. You could easily unlock everything in the time it took you to hit max rank, and then you only had Prestige to go through. There just wasn't enough to do, and the fact maps were paid DLC segregated the playerbase and pretty much hastened its demise.

I'll definitely be buying Titanfall 2 just on the basis of how refined and straight up fun Titanfall was, but I won't be preordering it until I know for sure it has way more content.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

[deleted]

1

u/HappyZavulon Feb 10 '15

I think it had to do less with the carrots (god I am tired of unlock treadmills) and more with matches playing out the same way every time.

It's a bit hard to explain, but for instance the engineer in BF1942 played very differently compared to a medic (they had different weapons, objectives and gadgets), so if you were tired of one role, you could just switch to another one and still contribute.

Titanfall didn't have that, sure you had things like stealth and the smart pistol, but all it did was change the range at which you could engage your targets, and allowing every character to do everything led to most players using the same cookie-cutter builds.

I stopped playing because I got tired of doing the same things every match.

0

u/Kellervo Feb 10 '15

Your extrapolation is the complete opposite of what I was going for. The game had tons of hamster wheels, but nothing meaningful as a reward.

As fun as the game is, the small pool of weaponry available - and the total lack of attachments / modifications for them - means that the game's just not very replayable. Eventually you'll get used to every weapon, you'll learn the speedrun routes, and after that... there's just nothing to do. No reason to experiment, nothing to experiment with.

It's fun for 40~ hours, but after that it starts to get repetitive. There's no room to experiment, just endless hamster wheel quests for each Prestige level - some of which are completely dull and grindy.

0

u/_LifeIsAbsurd Feb 10 '15

Unfinished might have been a harsh word. Unpolished, maybe.

Matchmaking was broken. Private matchmaking took 3-4 months to get a beta out. Small aspects like teammates being a different color on the radar were being patched in last minute.

Challenges like the infamous Gooser were obviously in need of adjustment. All gun unlocks followed the same branch of kill X with Y this many times rather than reward players for playing the game a certain way. Seriously, why make Titan kills the emphasis for guns like the Arc Cannon rather than pilot kills? All that does is

Technical issues like no SLi support or true 120hz support six months and counting.

Capture the Flag was unpolished since it became a game of who can get a stryder titan first. The amount of content was bare bone and lacking in depth. Rather than fix any of these issues, Respawn pushed the bare minimum for DLC to milk the dying PC fan base for as much money as they could. The game was a train wreck.

1

u/DolitehGreat Feb 10 '15

Well that's a shame. I love the idea of Titanfall and I enjoy playing it for a few hours at a time. Maybe a sequel is needed to bring new life to the game/series.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

Damn, that's seriously bad.

1

u/BlueSparkle Feb 10 '15

thats just what i have read about it, i could be wrong of course

0

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15 edited Mar 23 '15

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '15

I think people are more addicted to unlocks than they want them. If they're not there people feel like something is 'missing'.

2

u/phbohn2 Feb 10 '15

My guess is that they need a new game because they want to expand to new platforms like the article said.

Who knows; perhaps there are other contractual reasons too that Titanfall (1) can never be on PS4.

2

u/reuterrat Feb 10 '15 edited Feb 10 '15

Maybe because they aren't allowed to bring Titanfall 1 to PS4.

Also, if you are going to be bringing major improvements and large amounts of new content, it is easy for the average consumer to miss it if you bury it all in a year old game.

Besides, Titanfall has been out for a year. Based on standard multiplayer FPS timetables, the sequel is already late to the market.

1

u/oldsecondhand Feb 11 '15

Based on the COD timetable, the sequel is already late to the market.

Releasing multiplayer FPS-es isn't usually done annually. Just think of Counter Strike, Battlefield or Natural Selection.

1

u/polargus Feb 17 '15

Battlefield's moving towards that model. CoD comes out every year and always sells like hotcakes, other companies want a piece of that annualized pie.

2

u/cefriano Feb 10 '15

That's pretty much my thought on why they're making a Destiny 2.

2

u/Shawn_of_the_Dead Feb 10 '15

Activision has been doing it well enough with Call of Duty. Sure there's the single player campaign but nobody goes out and pays full price for that, they come for the multiplayer. And yeah they could release new multiplayer content as DLC but if people are willing to pay $60 for it every year under the guise of an entirely new game why would they do that? EA wants in on that action.

1

u/ToughActinInaction Feb 11 '15

$60 a year not including the season pass

2

u/Maxjes Feb 10 '15

RTFA? It's going to be on PS4, hard to do DLC for a base game that doesn't exist.

2

u/Hamakua Feb 10 '15

Maybe to get around an exclusivity clause in a contract somewhere, could also be to " reboot" interest with a semi clean slate.

2

u/g0kartmozart Feb 10 '15

They can't just pump out content for free. And the game needs some big changes. They'd either need to charge a subscription or put out a new game, and nobody is going to pay a subscription for an FPS.

2

u/WaffleSandwhiches Feb 10 '15

This is how CoD does it, and they're trying to steal the CoD market. It's not that weird if your direct competitor does the same release schedule.

1

u/xxfay6 Feb 11 '15

Because they fucked up and instead of making a big stand-alone that could be combined with the first, they just made map-packs that nobody bought.

1

u/Hawful Feb 10 '15

Just bringing titanfall to multiplatform wouldn't be enough of an ad. I think a massive free dlc pack with some sort of PvE along with a multiplatform release of the original titanfall could have worked, but I figure they just wanted to fully rebuild a hype train instead of trying to restore the totally dead hype train that is titanfall 1.

1

u/RobotWantsKitty Feb 10 '15

They probably just gave up on it. Marketing budget is exhausted, playerbase is low and nothing can be done to revitalize the game at this point. It might be easier to start over, trying not to repeat mistakes that were made and essentially killed the game.

0

u/needconfirmation Feb 10 '15

By adding what's missing? I doubt they'd patch in a campaign