Star Wars Battlefront to Launch with 12 Multiplayer Maps. More Details on Sullust!
It appears that Star Wars Battlefront will have a total of 12 multiplayer maps at launch, and another two available to download for free (pre-ordered copies of the game get the content early, while everyone else has to wait an additional week). Look inside to hear about this and another detail that slipped through the cracks. Also EA revealed the process of creating the planet Sullust for the game.
In addition to these 12 (14) maps available when the game goes live, a recent article that Electronic Arts put up also includes a detail of note: in addition to these maps, more locations will be available for the Battlefront Missions mode. While these locations will most likely be for planets that have already been made for the game (as opposed to new planets), this detail suggests that the single-player mode will be a little more distinct from the rest of the game than previously thought.
With 12 multiplayer maps confirmed for the base game, and the confirmation that each planet will have at least two maps, this leaves enough room for six different planets to be represented as multiplayer levels. Might this mean that Coyerti and Haidoral-Prime, both alluded to in the tie-in novel Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company, are both going to be represented in the game as well? Possibly two different planets that we’ve heard of, but have not seen? Or perhaps two other planets that we’ve seen in the movies? Only time will tell – and given that the next big look at the game will be at E3 2015 in a little over a month, that time could very well be coming soon.
Also on a post on the official EA Star Wars website, developers have revealed some behind the scenes info on Sullust…
When the DICE team first set foot on the Icelandic surface, parts were bubbling, giving off short yet intense bursts of heat. The solid ground gently rumbled, reverberations felt from head to toe. They stood still, looking far and wide only to see eerie streams of smoke rolling across the horizon and over awkward arrangements of gigantic black rocks. The air was cool but surprisingly calm, as if life was non-existent. It was in this moment that they knew this was what players need to feel when trudging through the cold, dark, and unstable terrain of a previously unexplored planet and bringing this to Star Wars Battlefront would be one of their biggest challenges yet.
The team at DICE Stockholm began collaborating and ideating on the endless possibilities of environments that could exist in the Star Wars™ universe. Anton Grandert, Concept Artist at DICE, developed the initial look through various sketches. “We wanted to create a planet on our own, first trying out different ideas and then deciding on a lava planet,” said Grandert.
When referring to the direction, the concept artist stated, “With black sharp rocks, huge land shifts, red lava, turquoise lakes, and white smoke…everything to make it really colorful yet imposing and threatening.” It took a while to nail down the specifics but once completed, the team presented the design and direction to Lucasfilm. Working in collaboration with the teams at Lucasfilm, it was decided that this visual design would be a perfect look for the planet Sullust, mentioned but not seen in Return of the Jedi.
To build a dynamic and exciting world for our players, the team at DICE then visited the Lucasfilm archives for further research. We wanted to build on the existing lore that the planet Sullust had an Imperial presence. And this idea proved to become a major influence in the design of the planet for the game. We studied the Death Star’s architecture and material to inspire ways in which we could incorporate the structures, almost as if the same architect who designed the Death Star left their mark on the structures that stand across the surface of Sullust in Star Wars Battlefront.
For the full article go to EA.com
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
Nice. the pic with stormtroopers with lava might be the best making understand how does this planet look. I mean, in the first teaser it seemed to me also covered by snow, but no. It’s mustafar with Crimson red lava and blue sky. Like it.
I think parts of Sullust may feature snow. Part of me thinks the snow planet in The Force Awakens is a region of Sullust. I could completely wrong, though.
I have been thinking that for a while too. Seems to be on the front burner for a lot of talk and makes a lot of sense.
The fact they are making decisions on how it should look, and not being handed notes by the creators of The Force Awakens kinda… disprovesthe idea that sullust is in TFA.
Exactly Dan, also apparently some people can’t read plain English, the above quoted interview establishes that this version of Sullust was created entirely for the game. Unless Lucasfilm really liked it, enough to change their intended course for Episode 7, this pretty much confirms the planet won’t be appearing in TFA.
Also Sullust is not a snowy planet with forested areas. It is a lava planet with some iced over areas. Big difference.
Iceland doesn’t actually all look like that you know, there’s a lot of very different landscapes typical of a relatively much younger landmass.
By “lot of very different landscapes”
You mean Volcanic tundra? Because that’s all that’s there.
Use Google Maps, try to find a tree in Iceland and come back and tell us all about the different landscapes.
llol you know literally nothing about iceland XD
http://www.boredpanda.com/stunning-landscape-photography-iceland/
Right, I think we learned in 2nd or 3rd grade geography that if we were naming countries accurately according to their environment Iceland and Greenland would switch names.
Looks to me like we might be seeing Sullust in Ep.VII. Just a guess but it looks like a possibilty based on some the info that has leaked and especially looking at what we have seen in all the big reveals over the last few weeks. I might be a mile off, or I might not…
That’s what I was thinking too!
I think a key fact in that post is that the team went to Iceland to do research for Sullust. With Iceland being one of the locations used to film The Force Awakens I feel that they have in a way confirmed Sullust will be in the movie.
The article states that the team at dice created the planet visually. If it’s in the film, it means that LFL gave carte blanche to them to create something that would be in the movie. If this is (hopefully) confirmed, then LFL’s freedom for creativity has really changed with Kathleen Kennedy.
uh, HOTH.
I absolutely love the colour palette used for Sullust. Totally epic! It would be very cool if it was featured in The Force Awakens but if not I’m sure it will appear in later instalments.
Honestly, 12 maps is kind of disappointing… but I hope that Battlefront continues to be updated with free map packs.
I wish so as well, but knowing EA I wouldn’t count on it…
Free Map Packs? haha. You know how it goes, anything “Free” you get happens upfront to get you to buy the game, once they have you. Nothing is FREE!
Kinda disappointing… but not as few as it could have been.
This is what I would call “the creation of a new planet in Star Wars”. You start from scratch. A lava planet, yes, but nothing to do with Mustafar or any other planet seen at this point.
And it’s not even for a film.
Fricking Sweet!!!
Sullust has now appeared in canon in the new Princess Leia Comic #3. All of what we see in the comic is underground. It’s interesting that they mention the turquoise lakes in this article. With the vast underground caves of the planet, and this new description, I’m starting to think that this planet will be in TFA. I think the giant cave that was reported on last week will be part of the Sullustan cave network with Skellig Michael and possibly Iceland serving as the surface locations.
WADR I think that the Veitnamese Cave is going to be in Ep VIII at earliest [that is, if the Vietnam tourism association isn’t LYING], and bear in mind, it is A Cave, a tropical-looking one at that, so I see NO connection between this cave and Sullust. But yeah, they got *something* planned for Sullust…
Course its EA so the chances of it sucking in some unexpected way are high.
But Sullust was a lava planet in the EU as well, although the article makes it seem as if they were the ones to settle on the lava planet.
i think sullust is the coolest looking planet so far. its got everything in one. black rocks, red lava, clear blue lakes, smoke and maybe ice. its gonna be a fun planet for battle
EA is always a load of marketing crap. The proof of the pudding is in eating it.
Or “EA-ting” it 😉
Vanity Fair exclusive was a bit of a let down – they almost admitted themselves it was. Couldn’t hit “Unsubscribe” quick enough…
In terms of the scale of a galaxy, Sullust is not that far from Endor. Obviously Endor will hold a great deal of significance in relation to the death of the Vader/Palpatine. This might attract or inspire the New Order to set up their base close by? (Especially if Kylo Ren is obsessed with all thing Sith as previously reported)
Maybe the thought of those bad ass ewoks stopped the setting up on Endor though? ;o) lol.