I havmt explained myself very well so I'll try clear up this mess 🙂
Im not comparing multiplayer to battlefront 2's multiplayer which might be where the confusion is, neither really interest me unless you could do some proper good co op stuff like you could in the old xwing games. Custom battles added some depth. With mods you can play the entire campaign of alliance in co op. I'd love to be able to do the single player of squadrons co op. You'd hope in this day and age of online multiplayer focus that would have been a shoe in.
Im not even on about how the ships handle or how the game plays compared to battlefront 2, obviously the flying is much better than battlefront. More the design of the single player campaign and the general level of depth to the game.
Battlefront 2 single player space missions were big cinematic affairs. Fast paced, explosions, michael bay levels of madness. Great fun but not alot of choice in how battles took place, follow the objective flashing up on the screen and shoot everything. Nothing wrong with it. More tie fighters that burn the better.
Xwing missions were generally more plodding, took more thought, had to juggle various systems and had a sense of freedom to them. Completing a complicated mission first go was rare, you'd really have to learn the levels, know that at this moment a destroyer would appear, bombers go for that capital ship 1st so that needs protecting. A multitude of things all going off at the same time. You had to be constantly thinking and the game didnt hold your hand very much. You had the objective but no set way of how you meet that objective. At the same time when that game kicked off it didnt half kick off.
Squadrons missions are big fast cinematic affairs, at no point do you have to make your own decisions other than, you can carry on shooting these people or move on to the next nav point. Throw in the odd nod to the older series like scanning some ships.
Theres a good example...I scan ships when the game makes that the objective. I cant scan a ship when I choose to. If it was the spirtitual successor to xwing it would let me pointlessy scan transports just to see what they're carrying, just for no reason 😉
Its all very linear and you dont really have to think much, if some tie bombers are going to attack a ship you dont really have to be switched on cause the game will make sure you know about it and make you do that exact thing when they deem it so. Its a lack of freedom, the levels are too tightly controlled.
Maybe its old game design ethos vs new game design ethos. Everything has to be quicker and easier to access and the game gets dumbed down somewhat to appeal to more people. If thats the case...then its more like battlefront 2 single player than any xwing game.
Is it still fun. Yes.
Is it xwing? Not really.
I agree with the silly damage a tie fighter takes sometimes. The spiritual successor of the xwing games and you cant even set the lasers to all fire at once 😉
I thought they'd at least do what Rogue Squadron 2 did and have the 1st shot of a charged weapon fire all 4, then rapid single shots after.
