With the news that Ubisoft is developing an open-worldStar Warsgame, speculation has run rampant on just what exactly this game is going to be. It could follow one of Ubisoft’s formulas for an open-world game, making it essentially aStar Wars-themed gamein that series, or it could borrow some ideas from a bunch of Ubisoft titles to craft its own particular brand.
One game that Ubisoft’sStar Warsgame should borrow some ideas from isThe Division. That’s not to say it should be a carbon copy ofThe Divisiononly on Coruscant, butThe Divisiongames did have some really cool ideas that, if implemented into aStar Warsgame, have the potential to be awesome.
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The Snowdrop Engine
First things first, theStar Warsgameis already confirmed to be using Massive and Ubisoft’s Snowdrop engine. This engine was used for both ofThe Divisiongames, as well asMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, and a few other Ubisoft games. Just between those two games listed above, it proves this engine has some serious capabilities and can create wildly different games.The Divisionis an online-only third-person loot-shooter, whileMario + Rabbidsis a mostly single-player turn-based strategy game.
This engine is capable of creating some seriously impressive graphics and can provide a variety of gameplay opportunities. Because of this, it’s impossible to tell what kind of game this is going to be simply based on the engine, but it does mean there are a lot of different possibilities. That said,job listings at Massive hint at what itsStar Warsgamemight be.
The Dark Zone
Arguably the most inventive part ofThe Divisionand what kept a lot of players playing for a long time was the Dark Zone. The DZ was a PvPvE area of the game, where NPCs roamed around per usual, but other players did, as well. Players could choose whether or not to fight each other, and certain high-value items they looted could be stolen if they died. This was an incredibly tense area reminiscent in execution toEscape From Tarkov, though it was a decidedly less hardcore experience.
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Something like this could absolutely be integrated into theupcomingStar Warsgamewith a Bounty Hunter system. Maybe certain planets, or at least sections of those planets, are areas where Bounty Hunting could take place. Sketchier areas of cities/towns, or in the middle of nowhere, where Bounty Hunting would be more viable in a realistic sense. This could even go so far as having a faction system, where there are areas of the game where players can take missions from the Hutts, or from the Rebels, or Empire, or whatever factions the game chooses to include. These missions could all be in a shared space, occasionally competing with each other, creating organic PvPvE battles between these factions.
Survival Mode
Another really cool part ofThe Division 1(which was never included inThe Division 2) was the Survival Mode. It was somewhat similar to the DZ, but it brought in weather effects in a huge way, as well as some Battle-Royale flavor as well. Players were in a freezing environment where the cold was actually dangerous, and players needed to stave off an infection before they died. NPC enemies were out and about per usual, but other players were making their way through the frozen city as well and could fight each other if they wished.
This mode would be a little bit harder to fit into theStar Warsuniverse, but it would be doable. Maybe the player’s ship crash-lands in the swamps of Dagobah, a desert on Tatooine, or a frozen tundra on Hoth. Players would have to scavenge the area for parts to fix their ship or take those parts from other players, all while fighting off the less friendly local residents.
There would be a slight leap in logic there (why are so many ships crash-landing in the same area?), but there are ways to make it work. There could be a faction of NPCs out there hunting down players themselves, and they could be the reason so many ships are crash-landing in particular spots. There’s any number of ways to make it make sense, but at the end of the day, it’s about creating a cool mode to include, and this would be a really fun addition to the game.
Ubisoft’s open-worldStar Warsgame is currently in development.
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