Development Update: Bringing Balance to the Force

"The balance of the force has been...shaken."

BattleDash, our Project Founder and Lead Developer, is stepping down while he completes some work for EA. It is uncertain whether he'll be able to return to KYBER when his work is done, but we do not anticipate this affecting the launch of KYBER V2.

Reax, our Lead UI Developer, is stepping in as Lead Developer while Dangercat, our Community & Project Manager, and the rest of the team remain unchanged.

Since the start of KYBER V2's production, we have been preparing for when a key team member may be unavailable. The core parts of V2 are complete, and we're bringing in two new maintainers, Magix and Nuuby, to help finish things up. They have contributed in the past to our work here at Armchair Developers and Battlefront Plus, and boast an impressive history of developing intricate mods and helpful modding tools.

In related news - after years of groundbreaking work on Battlefront Plus, long-time lead developer TheSpartanCV has decided to move on from modding STAR WARS Battlefront II. Please join us in thanking him for his years of incredible direction, attention to detail, and helpful insight.

Stepping up is CosmicDreams - one of Battlefront modding's 'OG' mod developers. Cosmic is a modding veteran with years of experience creating a wide range of high-quality mods and has contributed unerringly to Battlefront Plus since its inception. We're very excited to begin working with her and look forward to seeing what content she and the Battlefront Plus team cook up next!

New Feature - Automatic Team Balancing

The number one request since the Beta Playtest started has been the addition of automatic team balancing.

Over the past month, you might have observed the presence of Sleeper Agents in games on official servers. Sleeper Agents are enemy units disguised as friendly units - 'imposters' - who must be eliminated to blow their cover and return them to the correct team.

This experiment explored whether converting mid-game team balancing into an unpredictable in-game event could solve a typically challenging problem in multiplayer games. Ultimately, Sleeper Agents proved too chaotic for such a frequent event.

Instead, we have devised a more straightforward solution to the problem in collaboration with our new development team members.

Now, players joining a server are placed on the team with the lowest number of players, ensuring both teams have a fair chance. Players are randomly scrambled between games, ensuring teams are always balanced.

This update will seamlessly install next time you play Battlefront with KYBER.

Thank you, Magix and Nuuby, for your work on this feature!

New Map Rotations on Official Servers

We currently offer 24/7 dedicated servers in North America and Europe for Supremacy & Galactic Assault and Heroes Vs. Villains, using the latest Battlefront Plus Beta version, all with proximity chat enabled.

The number of official servers has been reduced from six to four, and the map rotations have been refreshed to enhance variety and boost stability. STAR WARS Battlefront II is all about immersive set-piece battles with lots of players, so we are not surprised to see that the small modes servers have remained relatively empty next to their large mode counterparts.

Small Modes will return for special events or if there is sufficient demand when KYBER launches. These modes can still be accessed via the Host Page.

Player Stats Tracking Progress

This is, without a doubt, the most complex page to implement from a design perspective. Reax and Dangercat have been iterating and experimenting with various approaches to this page for nearly a year.

The main issue with this page is the sheer number of data points used to generate player stats. Approximately 2,000 individual statistics are tracked for every player in STAR WARS Battlefront II - far more than we ever thought.

As you can imagine, finding a place for every one of these statistics is no easy feat. To streamline this task for everyone involved in the development process, we've selected the most interesting statistics for each unit, vehicle, and hero in the game.

In a future post, we'll share a more in-depth look with Reax and Dangercat as they showcase KYBER's UI pipeline. Stay tuned!

Status Update - KYBER Beta Playtest

It has been two months since Wave Two of the Beta Playtest began—almost too long, in our opinion. The current roster of playtesters has been instrumental in locating and fixing countless previously unknown bugs. These bugs have kept us busy for quite some time now, evident in the lower frequency of updates.

We experimented with running in-game events, such as the legendary Unlimited Power event, through KYBER to gauge the communities' appetite for more dynamic experiences. These have proven popular among playtesters, especially on weekends when KYBER's active player count surges with events.

In the future, we will double down on in-game events and create a greater variety of experiences for you to immerse yourself in.

Over 18,000 players have registered to join the KYBER Beta Playtest thus far. We want to thank all of you for showing an interest in our little project and say that, although we cannot accept every applicant, we look forward to seeing you in-game in Wave Three and beyond.

How To Join - KYBER Beta Playtest

You can join the KYBER Beta Playtest in two ways: sign up using the application form below or support KYBER on Patreon.

We primarily encourage players to sign up for free rather than join Patreon. Our view is that KYBER is unfinished and may not work perfectly in every scenario, so if your main goal is to play, think twice about whether or not donating for immediate access is the right choice for you.

Beta Playtest Sign-up

Sign-up for a chance to join the Beta Playtest in a future wave.

Joining the Beta Playtest is free and open to all.

APPLY NOW

Support us on Patreon

Your support allows us to continue our work on Battlefront II ❤️

To say thanks, you'll get immediate access to the KYBER Beta Playtest.

SUPPORT KYBER (-30%)

Our Patreon is primarily intended for players who wish to support our team while we work on KYBER and more.

Update Notes - Battlefront Plus Beta 90

In addition, we have updated all official servers with the latest version of Battlefront Plus (Beta 90). The update notes for Beta versions 77 to 90 are available in the release order below.

Beta 77

Troopers
- 773-Firepuncher: Reduced fire rate from 200 to 180rpm, increased its recoil.
- DC-12U: Increased heat capacity from 20 to 22 shots. Increased center damage (between bolts) from 3 to 8.
- E-5C: Increased end range from 40 to 55m.
- NT-242: Increased venting time from 1.5 to 2s.
- PK-23: Reduced max spread.
- RT-97C: Reduced spread per shot.
- WESTAR-35: Increased heat capacity from 10 to 11 shots.
- Stun Grenade: Reduced active time and stun duration.

Reinforcements
- ARC Trooper: Disruption effects cancel Blaster Barrage.
- B2-RP: Decreased Tri-Shot venting time from 1.15 to 1s.
- Clone Sharpshooter: Reduced 773-Firepuncher fire rate from 200 to 180rpm, increased its recoil.
- Death Trooper: Increased Firing Squad radius from 8 to 10m.
- Gungan Warrior: Increased melee damage from 80 to 100. Increased Bombad Strength radius from 5 to 10m. Added passive which grants 10% damage resistance when near another Gungan Warrior.
- MagnaGuard Protector: Decreased health from 600 to 500. Increased max health regen from 90 to 100.
- Purge Trooper Commander: Reduced Purge Grenade active time and stun duration.
- Rebel Rocket-Jumper: Increased T-21B projectile speed for consistency with other longblasters. Increased Burst Vanguard recharge time from 20 to 23s.

Heroes
- Removed delay for saber attacks after jumping. Mid-air attacks cost double stamina and don't deal extra damage to the back.
- Bossk: Increased health regen delay from 3 to 4s (still lower than vanilla).
- Darth Vader: Blocked jumping while Force Choke is active. Decreased Saber Throw recharge time (still higher than vanilla).
- Greedo: Koona T'chuta card decreases the Thermal Detonator's fuse from 0.7 to 0.15s instead of giving it +20 bonus damage. Who Shot First no longer applies a debuff when below 90% health.
- Kylo Ren: Added Starkiller Base and Forest Battle appearances.
- Maz Kanata: Replaced MPL with Laser Barrage, which works as you'd expect; looking for feedback on this. Reduced max health regen from 150 to 100. Replaced Evasion card with Air Dispute, which awards 1s of infinite jetpack fuel whenever you do damage. We Must Face Them no longer applies a debuff when below 90% health.
- Padme: Reduced ELG-3A recoil. Increased Overcharge duration from 10 to 12s. Recalling R2-D2 while within his proximity will instantly refresh the ability. Adjusted Royal Resolve description to better communicate its effects.
- Shriv: Increased E-5C end range from 40 to 55m, increased the heat capacity from 55 to 100 shots.
- Yoda: Increased Dash Attack damage from 85 to 100.

Misc
- Reworked the flashlight in Ewok Hunt. The battery has a permanent capacity of 2min (refreshed +30s with DLT-19). Use it wisely!
- Added detailed weapon stats to every blaster.
- Updated Star Card stat displays.
- Updated skin assets: Patrol Trooper, Tank Trooper, Weapons Technician.
- Updated Cal Kestis' icons: Lightsaber, Double-Bladed, Stim Canister.
- Updated E-10 weapon icon.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed the Assault's Instigator ability not triggering from the E-10.
- Fixed the First Order Elite Trooper skins crashing the game on some maps/modes.
- Fixed some Rebel Officers appearing partially invisible.
- Fixed Cal Kestis' head mesh LODs. He no longer looks like the Joker at a distance.
- Fixed Darth Maul sometimes T-posing when using Spin Attack.
- Fixed reinforcements being unusable in Strike for some sides.
- Experimental fix to there being only 2 heroes available per side, instead of 4, in the final phase of Galactic Assault.
- Experimental fix to the camera easily clipping through ceilings while playing as Maz Kanata.

Beta 78

Heroes
- Kylo Ren: Added Supremacy appearance based on his helmeted look from the beginning Ep8.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed the Flash Pistol's stun mode firing sound (may need further confirmation).
- Fixed Kylo Ren's Forest Duel appearance playing the masked death sound instead of unmasked.
- Fixed crashing and other issues with the Ewok Hunt changes. Frosty borked it on export, before, yay. May need further testing to confirm it's all good.

Beta 79

Heroes
- Melee attacks and abilities that could be used while jumping can now be used while falling.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed Chewie's Shock Grenade not stunning.
- Fixed Chewie's Charge Slam not displaying any progress on the timer.

Beta 80

Bug Fix
- Yoda did not have increased stamina costs for his mid-air lightsaber attacks.

Beta 81

- Added Random option for primary and secondary blasters. Applies on spawn. A few things to note:
> - The icon is probably temporary. I made it real quick for fun, I'm sure a good number of you will get the reference.
> - At the frontend, spawn screen, and victory screen, having the Random option equipped will not show a blaster in the character's hands. I may be able to get _something_ there, but it will not be whichever weapon you'll be spawning with.

- There is a much wider application this could have in regards to what Autoplayers spawn with, including reinforcements and heroes having random Star Cards equipped. There's still very much the intention to have them only use appropriate weapons, but expect the bots to have more kit variety in future builds. You are encouraged to discuss what more they should have access to (that they do not already).

- DLT-19x: Increased the size of the blue square in the supercooling minigame.
- The website has been updated to match recent gameplay changes (e.g. Firepuncher nerf, Maz's new ability), images for the added/updated skins will soon follow. Per request, all the vanilla weapons are on the blasters page now, so you can compare the old with the new and see what's been adjusted.

Beta 84

Troopers
- 773-Firepuncher: Nerfed fire rate from 180 to 150rpm and added an explosion effect on impact to better communicate it damages through saber blocks.
- Zersium Rifle: Improved functional consistency (mainly a backend thing). Buffed rate of fire from 300 to 320. Increased zoom magnification. Removed the randomized heat.
- Randomizer: Displays a weapon at the menus, though it is always the same one and is not reflective of the random weapon you'll be getting. This is mainly a cosmetic thing so the character is holding something at the selection and victory screens, but it is also there as a sort of backup in case the randomizer fails to equip a weapon on spawn.
- Republic and Droid appearances were updated. Please verify that none of the skins are invisible or crash the game.

Reinforcements
- Aqua Droid: Increased AQ Laser Cannon range from 12-50m to 18-54m. Increased Spearhead duration from 10 to 12s. Added a targeting crosshair for Trident Pursuent.
- BX Commando Droid: Added 2 Hutt Cartel and 4 Bedlam Raider appearances.
- Clone Sharpshooter: Nerfed 773-Firepuncher fire rate from 180 to 150rpm and added an explosion effect on impact to better communicate it damages through saber blocks.
- Combat Engineer: Reworked the Bolt Caster to have a targeting crosshair and a charging function. Base level blasts a singular target for higher damage, charged level will arc to other targets for lesser damage.
- Imperial Jumptrooper: Added a targeting crosshair for the Arc Caster ability.

Heroes
- Asajj Ventress: Force Grasp lifts the enemy higher and makes them float, rather than putting them into a choke state.
- Finn: Removed scope overlay for Dead Eye.

Misc
- Adjusted the vanilla Star Card stats displayed to better match the new UI style and true/false nature of equipping them. If any appear confusing, let us know.

Bug Fixes
- Additional experimental fixes to prevent Finn from granting infinite damage resistance to his allies.
- Fixed an issue with the remake of Finn's Big Deal logic being overwritten by another mod on the load order.
- Fixed Finn's EL-16HFE having increased recoil while crouching.

Beta 85

Aqua Droid
- Previously stated changes, for real this time. Also added the yellow circle to the crosshair when Spearhead is active to indicate the damage increase.

Padme
- Experimental change to prevent an issue involving allies affected by Royal Resolve from being spotted by the enemy.

Beta 86

Vehicles
- Set all Star Cards to their Epic rarity values.

Misc
- Experimental changes to various Star Cards to bring them to their Epic rarity values for the cases in which they weren't before.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed Mando's Grapple Strike crashing the game.

Beta 87

- Adjusted the mesh position of the Baragwin Repeater so the trigger finger is actually behind the trigger guard.
- Fixed the DT-12 crashing after Frosty borked it.
- Reduced Sonic Blaster recoil.

Beta 88
- Added Luke's Cloak appearance from Return of the Jedi.
- Modified an older version of AI Enhanced that works a bit better on some maps objective-wise (including Strike) and should resolve issues with autoplayer saber characters not attacking other saber characters. This is just temporary for until we have a full replacer for the mod down the road.

Beta 89

- Altered the cooldown states of the Airstrike and Team Command Binocs to allow them to be equipped at any time and see their recharge progress on-screen. This functionality broke the "5 kills to recharge" mechanic on the former somehow and I wasn't able to fix it, so it's considered to be removed and the description was updated accordingly.

- "Vanilla-ified" the Combat Engineer and Clone Sharpshooter appearances. Removed the latter's Legacy skin.

- Updated Rex's assets.

Beta 90

- Most vehicles now have a short theme that plays on spawn (excluded from Starfighter Assault and Hero Starfighters)
- Removed input restrictions on the AT-RT and AT-ST when near certain geometry, they should be way easier to control now over rough terrain and in tight spaces
- Fixed the AT-RT destruction animation and ragdoll not triggering
- Fixed issues where the flashlight battery level in Ewok Hunt was not networked and the light flickering happened to all players from your POV if your battery was running low
- Fixed Obi-Wans Forward! star card not applying extra damage to the final attack if you had already hit an enemy
- Minor updates to the Death Trooper, Death Star Gunner and Patrol Trooper skins
- Fixed kills not removing tickets from the attackers in Starfighter Assault, increased available tickets accordingly
- Reverted era-locking of hero starfighters in Starfighter Assault
- Disabled Jango's ship due to the above change

See you all on the Battlefront, troopers!

💖the KYBER Team at Armchair Developers