Despite the recent controversies surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II, it’s hard to deny that game features some of the best digital Star Wars recreations we’ve ever seen. Steve Uphill – the Art Director for the game – recently sat down with Producer Robert Wyle and Designer John Stanley from Criterion Games to discuss their collaboration with Lucasfilm to develop Fondor Dock for Star Wars Battlefront II.
When it came to developing Fondor Dock, which serves as a space map in Battlefront II and can be seen in the Starfighter Assault game modes, Uphill said that the hope was always to develop a space dock of some type. “…Lucasfilm proposed that we focus on a level around Fondor, which is an Imperial Industrial system. We were really excited about this, as Fondor is a planet that hadn’t been shown in film before. So we had an opportunity to get creative and visualize how this location could appear.”
According to Uphill, the team looked at various Imperial structures that already existed in the Star Wars universe, like the Shield Gate above Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, for instance. “After pitching variations on dock design, Lucasfilm directed us to look toward aircraft carriers for inspiration, which really pushed us in a positive direction.” said Uphill. There’s more to be found in the talk, which you can read over at the EA blog.
For more on Star Wars Battlefront II, make sure to check out our review of the game:
DICE needs to untangle monetization and progression, keeping any elements that give players an advantage in battle away from real world money. Progression should feel like a reward for playing the game, not paying the game. It’s disappointing that this conversation needs to surround such an amazing title. Star Wars Battlefront II is an insanely fun and full featured experience no matter which corner of the galaxy or era of the story you go to. The Star Wars authenticity can be felt throughout, but blatantly predatory microtransactions are a blight, force choking the life out of what is otherwise one of my favorite games this year.
Star Wars Battlefront II is available now.
[Source: EA Blog]
