Battle Arena 2.0
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How many of you remember Battle Arena? I'm sure many of you do; it got over nine thousand downloads. Today I bring you RepSharpshooter's Battle Arena 2.0, with countless more features for even more fun than before.
The main feature is the hunt, or clan mode. You start out in the lobby and can use a command pad to change arena layout, toggle free for all, etc. Once you're ready to fight, players enter two seperate portals to register for either Team 1 or Team 2. Then the two sides battle it out. With many different layouts to choose from, including a pipe maze, king of the hill style, and urban layout, the fun is sure to last.
Bored of battling? There's also various other areas of the map to explore. You can ride segways around the halls and on a race track. There's a gigantic chess board to play chess on. You can visit the bar to watch TV or check out the Twi'lek dancers. There's even a pool to ride boats around in, with a water slide that can be toggled on or off.
Then there's the wave mode, in which all the human players team up and fight off waves of enemies. You start off with just a couple Geonosians and work your way up to harder waves. There's at least eighty waves. If you die, you get sent up to the spectator stands and can observe the battle from the spacious seating area. Once everyone dies, there's a reset button to start over again.
If multiplayer isn't your thing, you won't be able to play hunt/ clan mode. Luckily, there's Conquest and 1-flag CTF modes that can be played offline with AI. Also, you can play all of the modes with various different sides and units. There's Rep's Red vs Blue sides from the original Battle Arena, hero assault sides, Clone Wars, and Galactic Civil War. You can also play as wampas in the Hoth king of the hill mode.
I could go on for a long time about all the neat features this map includes, but I'll stop here and let you download the map.
Pictures
How many of you remember Battle Arena? I'm sure many of you do; it got over nine thousand downloads. Today I bring you RepSharpshooter's Battle Arena 2.0, with countless more features for even more fun than before.
The main feature is the hunt, or clan mode. You start out in the lobby and can use a command pad to change arena layout, toggle free for all, etc. Once you're ready to fight, players enter two seperate portals to register for either Team 1 or Team 2. Then the two sides battle it out. With many different layouts to choose from, including a pipe maze, king of the hill style, and urban layout, the fun is sure to last.
Bored of battling? There's also various other areas of the map to explore. You can ride segways around the halls and on a race track. There's a gigantic chess board to play chess on. You can visit the bar to watch TV or check out the Twi'lek dancers. There's even a pool to ride boats around in, with a water slide that can be toggled on or off.
Then there's the wave mode, in which all the human players team up and fight off waves of enemies. You start off with just a couple Geonosians and work your way up to harder waves. There's at least eighty waves. If you die, you get sent up to the spectator stands and can observe the battle from the spacious seating area. Once everyone dies, there's a reset button to start over again.
If multiplayer isn't your thing, you won't be able to play hunt/ clan mode. Luckily, there's Conquest and 1-flag CTF modes that can be played offline with AI. Also, you can play all of the modes with various different sides and units. There's Rep's Red vs Blue sides from the original Battle Arena, hero assault sides, Clone Wars, and Galactic Civil War. You can also play as wampas in the Hoth king of the hill mode.
I could go on for a long time about all the neat features this map includes, but I'll stop here and let you download the map.
Naboo: Theed Hangar
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If there's anyone here who's not seen Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, I'd be really rather surprised. As such, Koolaid7g's Naboo: Theed Hangar should be intimately familiar to you. From the hangar itself where Amidala and co. made a run for her personal transport, to the hallway where they had a standoff with battledroids, to the large generator room and surrounding area where Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul had their Duel of the Fates, it's all here.
I don't usually gush over maps, but this one deserves it. Very few maps ever achieve this level of quality, and when one does, it's definitely worth noting. Koolaid has done a large amount of modeling and some superb texture work (see the windowed corridor, especially), and the result is a highly detailed, movie-accurate Theed hangar. He's even thrown in a couple of Easter eggs for those with the patience to find them.
Gameplay is not lost, either. Conquest mode is well-done, and provides for an enjoyable battle that doesn't have to drag on for too long. The sides are nicely done and fit just right into the map. Assault mode is also fun. Since it's set up for a single player vs. a single player (i.e. Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan), don't expect this one to be a very quick play. However, it's definitely fun online, since it's only ever one-on-one - and the generator room makes for a great (didn't the movie show us this anyway ) dueling area.
This map is definitely worth downloading. I rarely keep user-created maps for long (I only have one that's not my own), but this one is definitely staying in my addon folder. Worth a shot whatever your tastes may be.
(A quick tip: I've tried this online a couple of times, and I found that while it's not completely stable, it does seem to work semi-consistently at the default online settings. Assault is more stable than conquest, but both can work.)
-Mav
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Description:
If there's anyone here who's not seen Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, I'd be really rather surprised. As such, Koolaid7g's Naboo: Theed Hangar should be intimately familiar to you. From the hangar itself where Amidala and co. made a run for her personal transport, to the hallway where they had a standoff with battledroids, to the large generator room and surrounding area where Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul had their Duel of the Fates, it's all here.
I don't usually gush over maps, but this one deserves it. Very few maps ever achieve this level of quality, and when one does, it's definitely worth noting. Koolaid has done a large amount of modeling and some superb texture work (see the windowed corridor, especially), and the result is a highly detailed, movie-accurate Theed hangar. He's even thrown in a couple of Easter eggs for those with the patience to find them.
Gameplay is not lost, either. Conquest mode is well-done, and provides for an enjoyable battle that doesn't have to drag on for too long. The sides are nicely done and fit just right into the map. Assault mode is also fun. Since it's set up for a single player vs. a single player (i.e. Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan), don't expect this one to be a very quick play. However, it's definitely fun online, since it's only ever one-on-one - and the generator room makes for a great (didn't the movie show us this anyway ) dueling area.
This map is definitely worth downloading. I rarely keep user-created maps for long (I only have one that's not my own), but this one is definitely staying in my addon folder. Worth a shot whatever your tastes may be.
(A quick tip: I've tried this online a couple of times, and I found that while it's not completely stable, it does seem to work semi-consistently at the default online settings. Assault is more stable than conquest, but both can work.)
-Mav
Unofficial Star Wars Battlefront II v1.3 Patch (Full r117)
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Please note that this is the FULL version of the 1.3 patch. It includes the new, visually upgraded sides. If you don't want the visual upgrade OR if you already have the sides, download the LITE version of the 1.3 patch here: http://tinyurl.com/7kk7dd
If you've played Battlefront at all or even looked at this site regularly, there's a very good chance you know [RDH]Zerted's work - if you've ever looked at a Picture of the Day, it's been Zerted's work unlocking FreeCam that's made that possible.
What we have here is the culmanation of Zerted's work over the past few years, combined with the visual upgrades of the "Unofficial 1.2 Patch" into one big mod - the "Unofficial 1.3 Patch." This mod gives both players and modders unparalleled control over what goes into and comes out of their Star Wars Battlefront 2.
With the Unofficial 1.3 patch, players first of all can play Battlefront II with a complete set of visual upgrades, just as seen in the 1.2 patch. Included is an easy means of changing from the new (visually upgraded) sides back to the original sides, as well as a means of either enabling or disabling the new HUD.
Players also have access to the extremely powerful and dynamic "Fake Console." The Fake Console has a large number of ways players can interact with and dynamically modify their game. It also gives a large amount of control to server admins in online gaming sessions.
Modders, too, have been given a large amount of freedom with the 1.3 patch. If you've played the newest version of the Conversion Pack (2.0), you've seen a bit of what the 1.3 patch supports - thanks to it, we had access to the KotOR era alongside the two stock eras as well as many additional gamemodes. The 1.3 patch supports far more than just the KotOR era and the new gamemodes from the Conversion Pack. It adds support for an unlimited number of new gamemodes or eras, and has new icons for many of them.
And for modders there are many, many more features - custom galactic conquest, map preview videos - these are all things that modders now can do (should they choose), and there are many different options.
So what are you waiting for? There's no reason not to download this. Online play is unaffected and all you get are countless new options for your game. Give it a download!
-Mav
Urban Map
+123 (2.0)
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Well this is V 2.0 of ]v['s +123 Mod. ( http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/file/123;66282 Link to V. 1.0)
The first version of this mod was my favorite BF2 addition. You can play as acklays, gamoreens and every map has Hunt!
Well this thing is too huge to re-view totally. So I'll just say Download and you won't regret it. The best part is that you don't have to copy or save any data files. You just place the 2 folders in your addon.
The only problem is that it might clash with other mods such as BFX or the Conversion pack.
But other then that it's great fun. So I highly recommend downloading this.
- EGG GUTS
A large set of map modifications for Star Wars Battlefront 2. Here we have a mod that I'm sure will please alot of people, it basically allows all game types to be played on every default ground based map in battlefront 2. This brings alot more fun and variation to gameplay.
Of the games battles that I played with this mod I noticed that not all gametypes are as what you may expect. For example in 'Hunt' you either play as creatures vs. creatures, creatures vs. one side or heroes with AI troops vs. heroes with AI troops. This is very enjoyable and is certainly realistic on types of planets.
The author has stated in the read-me and I have found no bugs in gameplay so far, but I'm sure if any are found both the author and the community would certainly like to here them. Lastly it should be stated that there are apparantly 123 new gametypes available, hence the modification name.
- Royal Tycoon
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Description:
Well this is V 2.0 of ]v['s +123 Mod. ( http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.com/file/123;66282 Link to V. 1.0)
The first version of this mod was my favorite BF2 addition. You can play as acklays, gamoreens and every map has Hunt!
Well this thing is too huge to re-view totally. So I'll just say Download and you won't regret it. The best part is that you don't have to copy or save any data files. You just place the 2 folders in your addon.
The only problem is that it might clash with other mods such as BFX or the Conversion pack.
But other then that it's great fun. So I highly recommend downloading this.
- EGG GUTS
A large set of map modifications for Star Wars Battlefront 2. Here we have a mod that I'm sure will please alot of people, it basically allows all game types to be played on every default ground based map in battlefront 2. This brings alot more fun and variation to gameplay.
Of the games battles that I played with this mod I noticed that not all gametypes are as what you may expect. For example in 'Hunt' you either play as creatures vs. creatures, creatures vs. one side or heroes with AI troops vs. heroes with AI troops. This is very enjoyable and is certainly realistic on types of planets.
The author has stated in the read-me and I have found no bugs in gameplay so far, but I'm sure if any are found both the author and the community would certainly like to here them. Lastly it should be stated that there are apparantly 123 new gametypes available, hence the modification name.
- Royal Tycoon
Battle Arena (1.0)
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Battle Arena, by RepSharpshooter, is definitely in the upper echelon of mod works you'll see for this game, much like his Unofficial 1.2 Patch.
Battle Arena is a small, symmetrical enclosure on which two teams should be able to fight a pretty even battle. The concept itself isn't new, but it's implemented so well that it's worth playing just to see. What'll stand out above most everything else is the use of non-standard SWBF2 models, including models from Squipple/Eddie, Wideboy, and of course a large number from RepSharpshooter himself. This makes for an experience that feels unique despite the simple map concept.
The map itself has definitely been designed with multiplayer in mind, as, in addition to the balanced setup, there has been a specific spectator booth set up. Choosing a spectator unit while on either team will remove one from the battle and put them in this booth. There, they can choose to use a remote camera to view the battlefield from a distance.
The biggest plus in my opinion was his addition of his custom sides. They don't necessarily feel very different, except for a higher health level, but the quality of the work put into them (you see the theme, yes?) puts them over the top. They use a custom playermodel that evokes a feel of some kind of "space marine" as well as more Earth-centric weaponry (with custom weapon sounds). Nearly everything in here is a custom model of some kind, with the exception of autoturret and grenade models.
There were only a couple minor issues I found. The only real "bug" that I found was that some of the weapons on the custom units were unable to be switched back to once they were switched away from. It's not a huge deal, but it's definitely fixable, which is why I bring it up. And if I were to say there were any other issues, the only other thing I would highlight would be the linearity of the gameplay. Like most maps that have the command posts all in a row, this map starts to feel very much the same after a couple playthroughs. Perhaps this is an unavoidable tradeoff for making the map this obviously balanced.
All in all, this is a fantastic example of the kind of polish anyone should be trying to shoot for when creating a map. Worth a download? Most definitely. Download, play, enjoy.
-Mav
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Description:
Battle Arena, by RepSharpshooter, is definitely in the upper echelon of mod works you'll see for this game, much like his Unofficial 1.2 Patch.
Battle Arena is a small, symmetrical enclosure on which two teams should be able to fight a pretty even battle. The concept itself isn't new, but it's implemented so well that it's worth playing just to see. What'll stand out above most everything else is the use of non-standard SWBF2 models, including models from Squipple/Eddie, Wideboy, and of course a large number from RepSharpshooter himself. This makes for an experience that feels unique despite the simple map concept.
The map itself has definitely been designed with multiplayer in mind, as, in addition to the balanced setup, there has been a specific spectator booth set up. Choosing a spectator unit while on either team will remove one from the battle and put them in this booth. There, they can choose to use a remote camera to view the battlefield from a distance.
The biggest plus in my opinion was his addition of his custom sides. They don't necessarily feel very different, except for a higher health level, but the quality of the work put into them (you see the theme, yes?) puts them over the top. They use a custom playermodel that evokes a feel of some kind of "space marine" as well as more Earth-centric weaponry (with custom weapon sounds). Nearly everything in here is a custom model of some kind, with the exception of autoturret and grenade models.
There were only a couple minor issues I found. The only real "bug" that I found was that some of the weapons on the custom units were unable to be switched back to once they were switched away from. It's not a huge deal, but it's definitely fixable, which is why I bring it up. And if I were to say there were any other issues, the only other thing I would highlight would be the linearity of the gameplay. Like most maps that have the command posts all in a row, this map starts to feel very much the same after a couple playthroughs. Perhaps this is an unavoidable tradeoff for making the map this obviously balanced.
All in all, this is a fantastic example of the kind of polish anyone should be trying to shoot for when creating a map. Worth a download? Most definitely. Download, play, enjoy.
-Mav
Battlefront Extreme (2.2) BFX
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I'm sure there are a number of you that've been looking forward to getting this for quite a while. Your wait is indeed over; this is version 2.2 (final) of ARC_Commander's sort've-but-not-really sides mod "Battlefront Extreme."
To start off with the praises - and it's not hard to find something good. This is a really nice job. It's a comprehensive overhaul of four different sides, no small task to be sure, whether or not they end up being fun to play. Which is, of course, not to say that they aren't, because ARC_Commander's second achievement is on par with his first, in that his new sides are, by-and-large, pretty darn fun.
The best upgrade from version 1.0, in my opinion, was the movement away from one or two extremely overpowering units per side (for example, the Dark Trooper in 1.0) to a more balanced-across-the-side unit setup. This makes for a much more fun experience when trying out the new sides. Of course, I would be neglectful should I forget to mention that a great deal of content was added from version 1.0, too.
It's nice to see BFX as a standalone era, too. While I certainly liked its original form, as it was, it was simply a sides mod and frankly, I've yet to see the sides mod that's so good it made me want to lose online compatibility or trade for the (usually-balanced) gameplay of the original sides. Thankfully, that choice is no longer an issue. With this version, BFX is fully compatible with online play as well as the Conversion Pack, so mod hunters out there won't have to pick and choose.
Some of the new content I noticed was pretty neat, too. I liked, in particular, the addition of a charge effect to the force powers. It's not a big change, but it does look pretty neat. One of the other "tech-y" things I appreciated was the addition of a deflect state to the various states of the melee combo (i.e. you deflect while attacking).
The complaints I could give are much fewer and further between, this time around. While I'm sure I could find a bug or two if I looked really hard, at a glance, the only issues I really found were sound issues. I noticed a weapon or two missing fire sounds, and then I noticed a bizarre issue where certain sounds seem to repeat very quickly over and over. Not sure what to make of that last one; I've never seen it before. Your experience may, of course, vary.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the changes made to space battles or the charged-up grenades, but that's just one man's opinion.
Anyway, definitely a good mod and definitely worth a download. With the files compressed, it's not a huge download, and I'm sure it'll be hours of fun for many people. Give it a shot!
-Mav
Screenshots
Description:
I'm sure there are a number of you that've been looking forward to getting this for quite a while. Your wait is indeed over; this is version 2.2 (final) of ARC_Commander's sort've-but-not-really sides mod "Battlefront Extreme."
To start off with the praises - and it's not hard to find something good. This is a really nice job. It's a comprehensive overhaul of four different sides, no small task to be sure, whether or not they end up being fun to play. Which is, of course, not to say that they aren't, because ARC_Commander's second achievement is on par with his first, in that his new sides are, by-and-large, pretty darn fun.
The best upgrade from version 1.0, in my opinion, was the movement away from one or two extremely overpowering units per side (for example, the Dark Trooper in 1.0) to a more balanced-across-the-side unit setup. This makes for a much more fun experience when trying out the new sides. Of course, I would be neglectful should I forget to mention that a great deal of content was added from version 1.0, too.
It's nice to see BFX as a standalone era, too. While I certainly liked its original form, as it was, it was simply a sides mod and frankly, I've yet to see the sides mod that's so good it made me want to lose online compatibility or trade for the (usually-balanced) gameplay of the original sides. Thankfully, that choice is no longer an issue. With this version, BFX is fully compatible with online play as well as the Conversion Pack, so mod hunters out there won't have to pick and choose.
Some of the new content I noticed was pretty neat, too. I liked, in particular, the addition of a charge effect to the force powers. It's not a big change, but it does look pretty neat. One of the other "tech-y" things I appreciated was the addition of a deflect state to the various states of the melee combo (i.e. you deflect while attacking).
The complaints I could give are much fewer and further between, this time around. While I'm sure I could find a bug or two if I looked really hard, at a glance, the only issues I really found were sound issues. I noticed a weapon or two missing fire sounds, and then I noticed a bizarre issue where certain sounds seem to repeat very quickly over and over. Not sure what to make of that last one; I've never seen it before. Your experience may, of course, vary.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the changes made to space battles or the charged-up grenades, but that's just one man's opinion.
Anyway, definitely a good mod and definitely worth a download. With the files compressed, it's not a huge download, and I'm sure it'll be hours of fun for many people. Give it a shot!
-Mav
Ancient Research Facility
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Firstly, I'd like to apologize to he creator and community for the delay with these files being uloaded. I had a problem with my connection to the filefront server that last oh about...2 weeks.
This is a map I played a while before it was submitted and it is one of if not THE most professional maps submitted here for SWBF2 yet. It takes place is a sort of underground tomb that was facilitated for research. Things I liked? Let's start with...The cave wampas. In one area of the map there is a network of underground tunnels. To be expected from such a map. However these tunnels hold more thanjust dirt. Glowing crystals light the way and beasts are soliciting around every corner. Running through the confined spaces to the sound of monsters ravaging your team mates in the distance. Inspiring.
There is also a rom with the bones of a colo claw fish(long nosed thing from episode 1 when they were in the gungan sub) including a big skull. There is a hallway with the wals and floors spiraling into each other, a pyramid, and an atrarium full o' Acklays.
Best part of it all, this was a first map.
Unfortunately, the email which likely had the authors name in it was deleted and it isn't anywhere in the readme. If anyone can find out orif even the author is present leave a message and I will fix it.
-K.
Screenshots
Description:
Firstly, I'd like to apologize to he creator and community for the delay with these files being uloaded. I had a problem with my connection to the filefront server that last oh about...2 weeks.
This is a map I played a while before it was submitted and it is one of if not THE most professional maps submitted here for SWBF2 yet. It takes place is a sort of underground tomb that was facilitated for research. Things I liked? Let's start with...The cave wampas. In one area of the map there is a network of underground tunnels. To be expected from such a map. However these tunnels hold more thanjust dirt. Glowing crystals light the way and beasts are soliciting around every corner. Running through the confined spaces to the sound of monsters ravaging your team mates in the distance. Inspiring.
There is also a rom with the bones of a colo claw fish(long nosed thing from episode 1 when they were in the gungan sub) including a big skull. There is a hallway with the wals and floors spiraling into each other, a pyramid, and an atrarium full o' Acklays.
Best part of it all, this was a first map.
Unfortunately, the email which likely had the authors name in it was deleted and it isn't anywhere in the readme. If anyone can find out orif even the author is present leave a message and I will fix it.
-K.
Star Wars Battlefront Conversion Pack (2.0)
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Descsription:
Certainly everyone remembers the Conversion Pack - that large map pack originally designed to simply bring the maps from Battlefront 1 into Battlefront 2? Well, we've seen a lot of changes since the initial concept, and it's developed into not only a "conversion" but a large game addition as well.
SWBFFiles itself has seen two releases (although they have only been incomplete beta versions); 1.0 and 1.75. Well, today we bring you something completely new - Conversion Pack 2.0.
This version has a lot that earlier versions either didn't have, or had - but were bug-ridden. There's so much to try out; one simple review won't cover it. Here's a short list of everything the Pack has:
-25 new maps
-New era (KotOR)
-Five new clone legions
-Three new unit classes added to the original classes.
-Over 40 new heroes for CW and GCW, and over 30 heroes for KotOR alone
-Six new game modes
-Nearly 30 new vehicles
-UnOfficial 1.3 patch (includes visual upgrades of 1.2 with shell upgrades)
There's so much content in here, it's almost like a completely new game. If there's anything on this site you should check out, it's definitely this.
-Mav
Screenshots
Descsription:
Certainly everyone remembers the Conversion Pack - that large map pack originally designed to simply bring the maps from Battlefront 1 into Battlefront 2? Well, we've seen a lot of changes since the initial concept, and it's developed into not only a "conversion" but a large game addition as well.
SWBFFiles itself has seen two releases (although they have only been incomplete beta versions); 1.0 and 1.75. Well, today we bring you something completely new - Conversion Pack 2.0.
This version has a lot that earlier versions either didn't have, or had - but were bug-ridden. There's so much to try out; one simple review won't cover it. Here's a short list of everything the Pack has:
-25 new maps
-New era (KotOR)
-Five new clone legions
-Three new unit classes added to the original classes.
-Over 40 new heroes for CW and GCW, and over 30 heroes for KotOR alone
-Six new game modes
-Nearly 30 new vehicles
-UnOfficial 1.3 patch (includes visual upgrades of 1.2 with shell upgrades)
There's so much content in here, it's almost like a completely new game. If there's anything on this site you should check out, it's definitely this.
-Mav
The Dark Times
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Description:
This is something that the SWBF community has been looking forward to for a few months, and the wait was worth it. For those who haven't been following the development of this mod, it adds a "Dark Times" era to most (if not all) shipped maps. This era takes place between ROTS and ANH; the "dark times" as Obi-Wan recalls to Luke. But that's only the setting... the actual essence of this mod is the full-blown injection of The Force Unleashed into Battlefront's blood stream. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, in simpler terms, Mav has recreated some of the characters and Force powers from TFU for Battlefront and has given the game a whole new twist. But that barely even begins to describe the amount of content packed into this mod.
Conquest:
Conquest plays as it normally does, with the Empire and the newborn Rebel Alliance serving as the two opposing factions. However, it's been completely revamped with brand new units all across the board. Not a single one has been untouched, including the heroes. Some of the changes include new characters, new skins, new models, new weapons, new power-ups, new effects, and new Force powers. Each time you play a Conquest match you'll be given a randomly selected roster of special units and heroes, so it sort of feels like you're never playing with the same characters twice.
Hero Assault:
Like Conquest, Hero Assault features brand new Force powers such as Pummel, Crush, and Repulse, and new heroes such as Starkiller, Shaak Ti, and a Shadow Guard. In addition to that there are new attack styles and saber combos for each character. Each one has their own attack style in addition to their own unique combination of Force powers, so you may have to do a little experimenting to figure out which ones you like best. The new Force powers are fun, but take a bit of getting used to, especially if you aren't even sure what they do. I think my favorite new power is Force Pummel; there's nothing quite like playing as Yoda and hurling rocks at opponents from the Mos Eisley rooftops.
Duel:
Duel is essentially Hero Assault, only you don't have any Force powers. All you can use is your saber, so you'll have to rely on your saber combo skills and maneuvering to do well here.
Space:
As someone who doesn't normally enjoy space maps I found the four new space maps (Dantooine, Corellia, Raxus Prime, and Nar Shaddaa) included in the mod to be pretty fun. First of all they feature brand new ships like the TIE Vanguard and the BLT-B Y-Wing (as seen in the new Clone Wars series). Brand new ships are always fun to play around with, but even the old ships have had some readjustments to keep things interesting. Secondly, there are new units and weapons, most notably the nifty-looking Kel-Dor mercenary. And finally, Mav has cleverly distanced the capital ships in each map so that the battles are more geared towards dogfights. This is the way the space maps should have been, as opposed to dodging dozens of auto turrets and flying around in circles while bombing Spot A and Spot B of the enemy capital ship. Boring! If you want a real space battle experience, you'll find one here.
Wave:
Wave is obviously a new game mode specifically developed for this mod. If you've played any other war or military video games then you probably have an idea of what it is. You battle wave after wave of enemies (hence the name), surviving as long as you can (until you're killed) or until you achieve a goal. In this case, Mav has put together some objectives for you to accomplish in each individual map featuring wave mode. Much like Hunt, Wave mode is different for each map its featured in, meaning you play as different characters, fight different enemies, and have different objectives depending on which level you choose. On Felucia you play as Starkiller and battle Felucians and baby rancors. Yeah, baby rancors. On Hoth you're part of a team of mercenaries battling swarms of wampas while trying to repair your ship. Wave mode is fairly challenging, and requires you to use a bit of strategy rather than relying on your gaming skills. It can be frustrating... but addictive. Oh so very addictive.
There's not much more that I can add to this review. The Dark Times is a great mod that brings a lot to the table for you to enjoy. It's thoroughly detailed and polished, and it pushes the limits of the game, as we have come to expect from Mav.
This is a must-play!
~Era
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Description:
This is something that the SWBF community has been looking forward to for a few months, and the wait was worth it. For those who haven't been following the development of this mod, it adds a "Dark Times" era to most (if not all) shipped maps. This era takes place between ROTS and ANH; the "dark times" as Obi-Wan recalls to Luke. But that's only the setting... the actual essence of this mod is the full-blown injection of The Force Unleashed into Battlefront's blood stream. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, in simpler terms, Mav has recreated some of the characters and Force powers from TFU for Battlefront and has given the game a whole new twist. But that barely even begins to describe the amount of content packed into this mod.
Conquest:
Conquest plays as it normally does, with the Empire and the newborn Rebel Alliance serving as the two opposing factions. However, it's been completely revamped with brand new units all across the board. Not a single one has been untouched, including the heroes. Some of the changes include new characters, new skins, new models, new weapons, new power-ups, new effects, and new Force powers. Each time you play a Conquest match you'll be given a randomly selected roster of special units and heroes, so it sort of feels like you're never playing with the same characters twice.
Hero Assault:
Like Conquest, Hero Assault features brand new Force powers such as Pummel, Crush, and Repulse, and new heroes such as Starkiller, Shaak Ti, and a Shadow Guard. In addition to that there are new attack styles and saber combos for each character. Each one has their own attack style in addition to their own unique combination of Force powers, so you may have to do a little experimenting to figure out which ones you like best. The new Force powers are fun, but take a bit of getting used to, especially if you aren't even sure what they do. I think my favorite new power is Force Pummel; there's nothing quite like playing as Yoda and hurling rocks at opponents from the Mos Eisley rooftops.
Duel:
Duel is essentially Hero Assault, only you don't have any Force powers. All you can use is your saber, so you'll have to rely on your saber combo skills and maneuvering to do well here.
Space:
As someone who doesn't normally enjoy space maps I found the four new space maps (Dantooine, Corellia, Raxus Prime, and Nar Shaddaa) included in the mod to be pretty fun. First of all they feature brand new ships like the TIE Vanguard and the BLT-B Y-Wing (as seen in the new Clone Wars series). Brand new ships are always fun to play around with, but even the old ships have had some readjustments to keep things interesting. Secondly, there are new units and weapons, most notably the nifty-looking Kel-Dor mercenary. And finally, Mav has cleverly distanced the capital ships in each map so that the battles are more geared towards dogfights. This is the way the space maps should have been, as opposed to dodging dozens of auto turrets and flying around in circles while bombing Spot A and Spot B of the enemy capital ship. Boring! If you want a real space battle experience, you'll find one here.
Wave:
Wave is obviously a new game mode specifically developed for this mod. If you've played any other war or military video games then you probably have an idea of what it is. You battle wave after wave of enemies (hence the name), surviving as long as you can (until you're killed) or until you achieve a goal. In this case, Mav has put together some objectives for you to accomplish in each individual map featuring wave mode. Much like Hunt, Wave mode is different for each map its featured in, meaning you play as different characters, fight different enemies, and have different objectives depending on which level you choose. On Felucia you play as Starkiller and battle Felucians and baby rancors. Yeah, baby rancors. On Hoth you're part of a team of mercenaries battling swarms of wampas while trying to repair your ship. Wave mode is fairly challenging, and requires you to use a bit of strategy rather than relying on your gaming skills. It can be frustrating... but addictive. Oh so very addictive.
There's not much more that I can add to this review. The Dark Times is a great mod that brings a lot to the table for you to enjoy. It's thoroughly detailed and polished, and it pushes the limits of the game, as we have come to expect from Mav.
This is a must-play!
~Era
Star Destroyer Assault
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Pictures
Description:
Jaspo's "Star Destroyer" is exactly what it says on the tin - a Star Destroyer. A Star Destroyer, which means that it's pretty much an interior map. The gist of the map is that some Rebels have landed in a side hangar in the SD and are trying to successfully storm the ship.
For those of you who wanted "full" full interiors to space ships, eat your heart out. Not only is this an interior to-scale with the Battlefront II Star Destroyers (which admittedly are a little small), but it's probably the largest interior map I've played in a while.
I always find interior maps fairly impressive, as they usually represent a much greater amount of work than a map that is set outside. For that reason, this map scores points on my scale simply for the enormity of the undertaking - it's not a small amount of work to model that much. However, before I touch too much on what I liked, I want to go ahead and get the criticisms out of the way.
The first thing I'd change would simply be the size of the map. Yes, it is very impressive to have such a large map, but running up corridor after corridor can be a little wearying. I know that part of the goal was to physically link the bridge section of the Star Destroyer with the hangar section (which is done well, I might add), but that would be much better accomplished without a true "physical" link (maybe a teleport or something). Secondly - and related - is the number of times certain models and textures are reused. Again, it is impressive to see the scale, but it could be very tiresome to see the same texture repeated over and over on the same model, especially when it was large. Your best modeled sections of this map were in rooms where there was a lot of variation. And also, I would add a landing region in your hangar - you can land everywhere on the map, and I am certain that this was not as intended.
Now criticism aside, there was a lot of good to be found here. I think technically the most impressive thing I saw was actually the planning - it's not easy to create good planning for small corridors, but it was done very well here - I rarely saw AI getting confused. And, of course, there are a number of new models here (most of them, in fact). Some of the models were really well-done - I liked the bridge especially, and some of the rooms looked really neat. As mentioned above, the places where the model felt novel and not tirelessly repeated looked the best. Oh, and the classic SW game music was fun.
The map comes with three modes - conquest, CTF, and 1flag. Conquest is fairly standard - unfortunately it seemed very linear, but it was a large enough map with enough command posts (and alternate routes) that the linearity didn't break down the gameplay much. CTF and 1flag surprised me, though. I thought they both worked well - the author was wise to confine these to smaller sections of the ship. Much of the time I spent playing through those modes was spent finding my way around, and to my surprise the AI scored a number of times while I was plodding around (they soon became valuable guides, though, since the AI paths led me to the flags).
All in all, it's a fantastic map. I would really like to see a little better texture work and a much smaller map, but those aside, it's still a lot of fun to play. Try it out!
Pictures
Description:
Jaspo's "Star Destroyer" is exactly what it says on the tin - a Star Destroyer. A Star Destroyer, which means that it's pretty much an interior map. The gist of the map is that some Rebels have landed in a side hangar in the SD and are trying to successfully storm the ship.
For those of you who wanted "full" full interiors to space ships, eat your heart out. Not only is this an interior to-scale with the Battlefront II Star Destroyers (which admittedly are a little small), but it's probably the largest interior map I've played in a while.
I always find interior maps fairly impressive, as they usually represent a much greater amount of work than a map that is set outside. For that reason, this map scores points on my scale simply for the enormity of the undertaking - it's not a small amount of work to model that much. However, before I touch too much on what I liked, I want to go ahead and get the criticisms out of the way.
The first thing I'd change would simply be the size of the map. Yes, it is very impressive to have such a large map, but running up corridor after corridor can be a little wearying. I know that part of the goal was to physically link the bridge section of the Star Destroyer with the hangar section (which is done well, I might add), but that would be much better accomplished without a true "physical" link (maybe a teleport or something). Secondly - and related - is the number of times certain models and textures are reused. Again, it is impressive to see the scale, but it could be very tiresome to see the same texture repeated over and over on the same model, especially when it was large. Your best modeled sections of this map were in rooms where there was a lot of variation. And also, I would add a landing region in your hangar - you can land everywhere on the map, and I am certain that this was not as intended.
Now criticism aside, there was a lot of good to be found here. I think technically the most impressive thing I saw was actually the planning - it's not easy to create good planning for small corridors, but it was done very well here - I rarely saw AI getting confused. And, of course, there are a number of new models here (most of them, in fact). Some of the models were really well-done - I liked the bridge especially, and some of the rooms looked really neat. As mentioned above, the places where the model felt novel and not tirelessly repeated looked the best. Oh, and the classic SW game music was fun.
The map comes with three modes - conquest, CTF, and 1flag. Conquest is fairly standard - unfortunately it seemed very linear, but it was a large enough map with enough command posts (and alternate routes) that the linearity didn't break down the gameplay much. CTF and 1flag surprised me, though. I thought they both worked well - the author was wise to confine these to smaller sections of the ship. Much of the time I spent playing through those modes was spent finding my way around, and to my surprise the AI scored a number of times while I was plodding around (they soon became valuable guides, though, since the AI paths led me to the flags).
All in all, it's a fantastic map. I would really like to see a little better texture work and a much smaller map, but those aside, it's still a lot of fun to play. Try it out!
