Star Wars: Battlefront
Encyclopedia
Star Wars: Battlefront is a first
and third-person
video game based on battles in the Star Wars
film series. It was developed by Pandemic Studios
and LucasArts
and released on September 20, 2004 for PlayStation 2
, Xbox
, Macintosh
and Microsoft Windows
, the same day as the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD
set. Aspyr released a Macintosh port
in July 2005. A cellular phone version, entitled Star Wars Battlefront Mobile was released November 1, 2005. A sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II
, was also released on November 1, 2005 for Microsoft Windows
, Xbox
, PlayStation 2
and PlayStation Portable
.
Star Wars: Battlefront encompasses battles between four main factions from both the original and prequel trilogies: the Galactic Republic
and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) of the prequel era, and the Rebel Alliance
and Galactic Empire
of the classic trilogy. In each faction, five different classes of characters become available. Four of the classes are similar for each faction: infantry, heavy weapons, pilot and sniper. The fifth class is faction specific: Droidekas (CIS), Jet Troopers (Republic), Wookiee Smugglers (Rebels), and Dark Troopers (Empire). Each faction also has an non-playable hero character that participates: Count Dooku
(CIS), Mace Windu
(Republic), Luke Skywalker
(Rebels), and Darth Vader
(Empire).
The game is played as a game of conquest
. Each faction has a finite amount of reinforcements, and each is given control of a set number of command posts in a given level. The object is to either eliminate enemy forces or capture and hold all command posts simultaneously for 20 seconds. Several ground and air vehicles are available on the battlefield. These range from the hulking AT-AT to the fast speeder bike
and vary based on the level. There are more than 25 vehicles in-game. Some larger vehicles also function as mobile command posts, which cannot be captured, but are lost if the vehicle is destroyed. In addition, some maps have indigenous forces. Some are neutral to both factions, such as Jawas, some are hostile to one faction, as with the Wookies, others are hostile to both, such as Tusken Raiders. Command post belonging to hostile natives can also be captured to minimize their presence.
Star Wars: Battlefront can be played online
with up to 50 players on Microsoft Windows
via local area network
(LAN) or over the internet via GameSpy
. The Macintosh version is limited to 32 players online or 50 players via LAN. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox can accommodate up to 32 players or played in splitscreen mode with two players. The PlayStation 2 version utilizes specialized GameSpy servers, while the Xbox uses Microsoft's Xbox Live
network.
Campaign groups several battles together in a set order based on the historical campaign of either the Clone Wars or Galactic Civil war. Since Episode III was not released at the time of production, the Clone Wars campaign ends at the battle of Kashyyyk. Footage from the five films then released are used as cutscenes between some battles. The player starts the campaign as a member of the Separatist army or an Imperial Stormtrooper. Around halfway through the chosen campaign the perspective switches to the Clone Troopers or Rebels. To maintain continuity, missions prior to the battle of Geonosis pit the Separatists against native forces only, and for the first two missions the super battle droid is unavailable, being replaced with a standard battle droid.
In Galactic Conquest the player uses strategy to take control of planets and dominate an area of the galaxy. First the player chooses a map configuration based on conflicts from both eras of Star Wars
history. Some maps start both sides evenly and some favor one faction. Next the player chooses what faction to play as. The game is played in turns, with the player starting first. The player can select an enemy controlled or neutral planet to attack. After selecting what planet to attack, the player is able to activate a bonus from one of his already owned planets (if any). Each planet provides its own unique bonus, but must be captured before the player can use it. Bonuses help the player in battle by impeding the enemy or assisting the players team. If one side manages to win four battles (not necessarily in a row), they gain access to their faction's Secret Base bonus. Secret Base bonuses are very powerful and can change the course of a game. They can be used on any enemy planet, except for the enemy's Secret Base. The game is completed when one faction controls all of the planets on the map.
Instant Action mode allows the players to jump right into a battle of their choice. The player can also customize a list of battles, which then can be played through in the order they have chosen, or in a random order. Players can choose between playing as the Republic
, the CIS
, the Empire
, or the Rebels
on each of the maps excluding four of them. Kamino
, Geonosis, Endor and Hoth
are the only four planets which do not allow the player to select their battle era, as these follow their canonical settings. Players can also choose whether or not they would like to have heroes fight for each side.
, a 3D development studio. Most characters used a common animation set and the minimal number of bones were used due to concerns with hardware limitations at that time. World environments were created with the developer's proprietary editor, ZeroEdit
. The terrain-based landscape is formed using the editor's brushes to adjust height, texture application, and color shading. 3D models are then laid on this foundation along with general objective pathing for the artificial intelligence (AI).
Some sounds and foley
for the game were taken from Star Wars reference material, while others were recording during a two day visit to Skywalker Ranch
, near Nicasio, California
. The game has some 1,200 foley sounds that are used to convey things such as interaction with flora and fauna, water, and metals. Actor Temuera Morrison
voiced the Clone Troopers, reprising his role from the Attack of the Clones film.
The AI used two main systems, again to ensure a minimal load on the hardware. A higher, overall objective, such as which command post to head towards, would only be calculated every few seconds per unit. Lower level objectives such as which enemy to fire on or what defensive strategy to take against incoming fire, are calculated continuously.
In late 2004, LucasArts and Pandemic Studios released unsupported mod
tools for Microsoft Windows, allowing players to create their own maps, as well as edit the weapons and characters for all sides in the game (CIS, republic, Empire, and Alliance). This release is not supported by Lucasarts. A number of communities now exist solely based around creating maps and characters using these tools, and uploading them for others to download. On November 1, 2005, mobile developer Mikoishi and publisher THQ Wireless released Star Wars Battlefront Mobile for cellular phones.
editor Bob Colayco praised the gameplay, which he presented as a Star Wars version of Battlefield 1942
. He gave high marks to the versatility of playing modes, such as vehicle control and foot battle. The GameSpot team also praised the PC version for its extensive online play. Adam Sessler
of the TV video game show X-Play
gave the PlayStation 2 version of the game 3 out of 5 stars and said that "It's a good idea to take the epic sci-fi battles of Star Wars and put into the epic online play of Battlefield 1942", but criticized the PlayStation 2's online play.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and third-person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game based on battles in the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
film series. It was developed by Pandemic Studios
Pandemic Studios
Pandemic Studios was founded as an independent developer in 1998, it became an Electronic Arts-owned developer from 2007 to 2009, when it was officially closed. It was an Australian and American video game developer with offices in Brisbane, Australia and Los Angeles, California...
and LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
and released on September 20, 2004 for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, the same day as the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set. Aspyr released a Macintosh port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
in July 2005. A cellular phone version, entitled Star Wars Battlefront Mobile was released November 1, 2005. A sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront II is a first/third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios, and published by LucasArts. The game is the sequel to the successful Star Wars: Battlefront and features new vehicles, characters, game mechanics, maps, and missions...
, was also released on November 1, 2005 for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
.
Gameplay
Galactic Republic (Star Wars)
The Galactic Republic is the name of the interplanetary State used in the fictional Star Wars universe prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The form of this government, created by the Senate, was introduced in the Prequel Trilogy. By the time of the original Star Wars trilogy, it is...
and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) of the prequel era, and the Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
and Galactic Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
of the classic trilogy. In each faction, five different classes of characters become available. Four of the classes are similar for each faction: infantry, heavy weapons, pilot and sniper. The fifth class is faction specific: Droidekas (CIS), Jet Troopers (Republic), Wookiee Smugglers (Rebels), and Dark Troopers (Empire). Each faction also has an non-playable hero character that participates: Count Dooku
Count Dooku
Count Dooku is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe. Dooku is one of the main antagonists of both Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and the events of the Clone Wars and is a supporting villain in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Count Dooku plays a substantial role...
(CIS), Mace Windu
Mace Windu
Mace Windu is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, most famously portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel films. However, Windu has also been voiced by other actors in assorted video game and animated projects....
(Republic), Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
(Rebels), and Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
(Empire).
The game is played as a game of conquest
Conquest (gametype)
Conquest is a gametype used mainly by Electronic Arts and Digital Illusions CE's Battlefield franchise. To win a game of Conquest, the teams in the game must capture pre-determined spawnpoints labeled by flags...
. Each faction has a finite amount of reinforcements, and each is given control of a set number of command posts in a given level. The object is to either eliminate enemy forces or capture and hold all command posts simultaneously for 20 seconds. Several ground and air vehicles are available on the battlefield. These range from the hulking AT-AT to the fast speeder bike
Speeder bike
Speeder bikes and swoop bikes are small, fast transports that use repulsorlift engines in the fictional Star Wars universe. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi includes a prominent speeder bike chase; speeders and swoops also appear in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode...
and vary based on the level. There are more than 25 vehicles in-game. Some larger vehicles also function as mobile command posts, which cannot be captured, but are lost if the vehicle is destroyed. In addition, some maps have indigenous forces. Some are neutral to both factions, such as Jawas, some are hostile to one faction, as with the Wookies, others are hostile to both, such as Tusken Raiders. Command post belonging to hostile natives can also be captured to minimize their presence.
Star Wars: Battlefront can be played online
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
with up to 50 players on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
via local area network
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
(LAN) or over the internet via GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
. The Macintosh version is limited to 32 players online or 50 players via LAN. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox can accommodate up to 32 players or played in splitscreen mode with two players. The PlayStation 2 version utilizes specialized GameSpy servers, while the Xbox uses Microsoft's Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
network.
Modes
While the game is played similarly in every mode, each is a unique scenario which utilizes mode-specific features to further extend gameplay. Three modes are presented to the player: Campaign, which serves as the game's story mode, Galactic Conquest, in which the player must conquer planets, and Instant Action, which allows the player to select the battle they wish to play and adjust settings such as reinforcements to their liking.Campaign groups several battles together in a set order based on the historical campaign of either the Clone Wars or Galactic Civil war. Since Episode III was not released at the time of production, the Clone Wars campaign ends at the battle of Kashyyyk. Footage from the five films then released are used as cutscenes between some battles. The player starts the campaign as a member of the Separatist army or an Imperial Stormtrooper. Around halfway through the chosen campaign the perspective switches to the Clone Troopers or Rebels. To maintain continuity, missions prior to the battle of Geonosis pit the Separatists against native forces only, and for the first two missions the super battle droid is unavailable, being replaced with a standard battle droid.
In Galactic Conquest the player uses strategy to take control of planets and dominate an area of the galaxy. First the player chooses a map configuration based on conflicts from both eras of Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
history. Some maps start both sides evenly and some favor one faction. Next the player chooses what faction to play as. The game is played in turns, with the player starting first. The player can select an enemy controlled or neutral planet to attack. After selecting what planet to attack, the player is able to activate a bonus from one of his already owned planets (if any). Each planet provides its own unique bonus, but must be captured before the player can use it. Bonuses help the player in battle by impeding the enemy or assisting the players team. If one side manages to win four battles (not necessarily in a row), they gain access to their faction's Secret Base bonus. Secret Base bonuses are very powerful and can change the course of a game. They can be used on any enemy planet, except for the enemy's Secret Base. The game is completed when one faction controls all of the planets on the map.
Instant Action mode allows the players to jump right into a battle of their choice. The player can also customize a list of battles, which then can be played through in the order they have chosen, or in a random order. Players can choose between playing as the Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, the CIS
CIS
CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...
, the Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
, or the Rebels
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
on each of the maps excluding four of them. Kamino
Kamino
Kamino is an ocean planet, in the fictional Star Wars universe, similar to Mon Calamari and Manaan. It was here that the Army of the Republic was generated. It is inhabited by a race of tall, elegant, long-necked creatures, called Kaminoans, who keep to themselves and are known for their cloning...
, Geonosis, Endor and Hoth
Hoth
In the fictional universe of Star Wars, Hoth is the sixth planet of a remote system of the same name. It is a terrestrial planet blanketed by snow and ice. Many meteorites from a nearby asteroid belt pelt the planet's surface, making temporary craters in the planet's ever-moving snow drifts. Hoth...
are the only four planets which do not allow the player to select their battle era, as these follow their canonical settings. Players can also choose whether or not they would like to have heroes fight for each side.
Development
Development for Star Wars Battlefront began at Pandemic Studios in 2002. Greg Burrod, executive producer on Battlefront stated "We wanted to create an online shooter title for the Xbox, PS2, and PC which would allow for team strategy and would feature battles and worlds from every one of the six Star Wars films." Models and animations for the game were created in Softimage XSISoftimage XSI
Autodesk Softimage, or simply Softimage is a 3D computer graphics application, owned by Autodesk, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation...
, a 3D development studio. Most characters used a common animation set and the minimal number of bones were used due to concerns with hardware limitations at that time. World environments were created with the developer's proprietary editor, ZeroEdit
Zero (game engine)
Zero is a proprietary game engine created by Pandemic Studios. It was used first in the game Battlezone II: Combat Commander and later used in several Star Wars games including the popular Battlefront series. Battlezone II: Combat Commander and Dark Reign 2 both feature an in-engine editor...
. The terrain-based landscape is formed using the editor's brushes to adjust height, texture application, and color shading. 3D models are then laid on this foundation along with general objective pathing for the artificial intelligence (AI).
Foley
-Places:United States*Foley, Alabama*Foley, Minnesota*Foley, Missouri*Foley Field, baseball stadium in Athens, Georgia*Foley Square in ManhattanCanada*Foley Island, NunavutNorthern Ireland*Foley, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh-People:...
for the game were taken from Star Wars reference material, while others were recording during a two day visit to Skywalker Ranch
Skywalker Ranch
Skywalker Ranch is the name of the workplace of film director and producer George Lucas. It is located in a secluded, but open area near Nicasio, California, in Marin County. The ranch is located on Lucas Valley Road, although Lucas is not related to the road's namesake, who was a...
, near Nicasio, California
Nicasio, California
Nicasio is a census-designated place in Marin County, California. It is located west-southwest of Novato, at an elevation of 194 feet . The population was 96 at the 2010 census....
. The game has some 1,200 foley sounds that are used to convey things such as interaction with flora and fauna, water, and metals. Actor Temuera Morrison
Temuera Morrison
Temuera Derek Morrison is a New Zealand-born actor. He has become one of the country's most famous stars for his roles as the abusive Jake "the Muss" Heke in 1994's Once Were Warriors and as bounty hunter Jango Fett and the Clone Troopers in the Star Wars series...
voiced the Clone Troopers, reprising his role from the Attack of the Clones film.
The AI used two main systems, again to ensure a minimal load on the hardware. A higher, overall objective, such as which command post to head towards, would only be calculated every few seconds per unit. Lower level objectives such as which enemy to fire on or what defensive strategy to take against incoming fire, are calculated continuously.
In late 2004, LucasArts and Pandemic Studios released unsupported mod
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
tools for Microsoft Windows, allowing players to create their own maps, as well as edit the weapons and characters for all sides in the game (CIS, republic, Empire, and Alliance). This release is not supported by Lucasarts. A number of communities now exist solely based around creating maps and characters using these tools, and uploading them for others to download. On November 1, 2005, mobile developer Mikoishi and publisher THQ Wireless released Star Wars Battlefront Mobile for cellular phones.
Reception
GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
editor Bob Colayco praised the gameplay, which he presented as a Star Wars version of Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 is a 3D World War II first-person shooter computer game developed by Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh . The game can be played in singleplayer mode against the computer game AI or in multiplayer mode...
. He gave high marks to the versatility of playing modes, such as vehicle control and foot battle. The GameSpot team also praised the PC version for its extensive online play. Adam Sessler
Adam Sessler
Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...
of the TV video game show X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
gave the PlayStation 2 version of the game 3 out of 5 stars and said that "It's a good idea to take the epic sci-fi battles of Star Wars and put into the epic online play of Battlefield 1942", but criticized the PlayStation 2's online play.