BFME2 360 Community Summit - Impressions of the Game
Gameplay of the 360 BFME2
BFME2 looks fantastic on the TV screen, and every player gets the same
quality (unless you're playing with a small black and white TV, which probably
wouldn't even have the proper AV connections 
). The console is a great
leveler, with no one having to make adjustments to the picture quality to
get the game to play on their system. In the 360 BFME2 you are able to
follow the action by hitting a hotkey. Sending your troops to battle? You
can swoop down to their level and follow them as they head off. Even
without getting so close to the action, the game maps seem to put you
right into the action, giving them a different feel from the PC ones.
Lorien and all the maps on the 360 feel totally reworked and different
from the PC versions.
My biggest concern going in to the Summit was wondering how well the depth of gameplay would carry over to the 360 version. I discovered the answer was surprisingly well. Players of the PC version will have to get used to some differences in accessing the commands and units, but almost everything made the transition to the 360 (exceptions being the ability to save replays and play MP games with AI opponents). As Louis Castle had explained during his talk, the controller can be used in a very basic way by pressing the A button for everything, but more advanced options can be accomplished with other buttons. The D-pad is used for hotkeys such as to select builders or the power menu. The left and right triggers also came into use, and I found myself using them quite a bit.
The main challenge for me was remembering to press B after giving an action to a battalion or builder. The A button selects whatever you're looking at on the screen, while the B button deselects it. It doesn't auto-deselect, so that you can still give orders to troops, even when they aren't on-screen at the moment. Until I discovered that, I frequently had battalions changing course mid-stream, or guardians heading back down mines I'd just let them out of. I should mention that prior to the Summit I had lots of experience with the PS2, but only about 2 hours with the 360 controller, so I was still getting used to it. By the end of the day, however, the game controls were feeling intuitive, and I didn't have to stop to think about every move.
Aside from my initial de-selecting problem, the only thing I missed from
the PC version was the ability to select troops and send them across the
map by right-clicking on the palantir minimap. In the 360 version the
minimap is informational only. I asked why, and was told that they
experimented with it but it proved too unwieldy. That makes sense when
you consider that the focus on the screen (i.e. the X or pointer where
the action is) is in the center of the screen. If it had been
implemented, you'd have to do a complicated maneuver such as selecting
your units, selecting the map with a hotkey, using the controls to scroll
around the map and place your troops, then backing out of it again.
Meanwhile the game would be going on without you being able to see
it… a distinct disadvantage in multiplayer. So to move troops in
the 360 version, you scroll across the map. This isn't cumbersome, as the
maps have a 'close' feeling, where you're right in or on top of the
action. I quickly got used to it. It also helps that your opponents have
to do it the same way.
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