Star Wars Outlaws Update Makes Huge Change to Controversial Gameplay Feature

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Star Wars Outlaws Update Makes Huge Change to Controversial Gameplay Feature

Key Takeaways

  • Ubisoft addresses key frustrations in Star Wars Outlaws with stealth improvements, combat enhancements, and adding enemy weak points.
  • Massive Entertainment aims to give players more freedom of choice, improved NPC behavior, and better combat experiences in Star Wars Outlaws.
  • Update 1.4.0 for Star Wars Outlaws brings notable changes, including tweaks to AI, combat, weapon aiming, and Nix interactions.

As a die-hard Star Wars fan and a seasoned gamer, I couldn’t be more excited about the latest updates to Star Wars: Outlaws! The sheer volume of improvements, tweaks, and fixes is nothing short of incredible. From the enhanced accessibility settings to the streamlined bug reporting system, it’s clear that the developers have been listening to the community and working tirelessly to deliver an even better experience.

In an effort to enhance the gaming experience, Ubisoft unveils Update 1.4.0 for the highly anticipated title, Star Wars Outlaws. This significant update aims to resolve existing problems and introduces additional comfort features, such as eliminating annoying stealth tasks that players have been finding challenging. The past few months have been quite hectic for Massive Entertainment, as they’ve been diligently addressing lingering issues in Star Wars Outlaws, squashing bugs, and refining the core gameplay mechanics to provide an even smoother experience.

For Ubisoft’s “Star Wars Outlaws,” the initial release didn’t meet the anticipated level of success, which led developer Massive Entertainment to outline a strategy detailing modifications and new features they plan to introduce over the coming months. Since its launch, “Star Wars Outlaws” has experienced several title updates aimed at enhancing performance, incorporating new features, and improving various aspects of the game. Most recently, in a significant update, Massive is focusing on rectifying one of the main complaints about the game’s stealth mechanics.

One aspect that Massive aimed to enhance in the game “Star Wars Outlaws” was its stealth mechanism. Frequently, the immediate failure conditions during missions where Kay got spotted by an adversary or triggered an alarm were met with frustration and disapproval among many fans. With this update, players now have more autonomy, as they are informed when they’re being detected, giving them the option to escalate into a fight instead of having the mission fail entirely if discovered.

This latest update brings about additional enhancements to the combat system, as enemies now have vulnerable spots that players can exploit during battle. These weakpoints could lead to impressive new death scenes and significant explosions. Furthermore, Kay’s blaster accuracy and damage have been adjusted, allowing her to wield two-handed weapons in a wider variety of scenarios. Additionally, the Star Wars Outlaws’ beloved creature Nix now features a quick action icon when focusing on active objects, indicated by a highlighted button.

With this covert enhancement, Massive has merely scratched the surface regarding Star Wars Outlaws; the team has unveiled three key aspects they are concentrating on for further refinement. Although stealth played a significant role in this update, the developers are also diligently working to enhance combat and the game’s input sensitivity. This latest release appears to make progress in all these fields, but there is still work to be done.

Star Wars Outlaws Update 1.4.0 Patch Notes

PATCH DETAILS (version 7309905):

  • PlayStation®5: 7.44 GB (version 01.004.000)
  • Xbox Series X|S: 10.18 GB (version 1.0.4.0)
  • PC: 8.83 GB (version 1.0.4.0)

NOTABLE CHANGES:

  • Notable updates to stealth and combat that allow players greater choice, including using stealth or reaching for their blaster, even in syndicate territories in cities.
  • Enemy AI and detection improvements, with players being notified when they’re being detected and can choose to escalate or change tactics to remain in stealth.
  • Enemy weak points have been added to reward strategic gameplay, which if targeted can trigger explosions or cause enemies to die in spectacular new ways.
  • Re-tuned Kay’s blaster and pickup weapons to improve the combat experience, including being able to carry two handed weapons in more situations.
  • Facial expressions and animations in dialogue scenes have been improved, the option to toggle off the cinematic lens during gameplay has been added, and the visibility of distant lights has been improved.

FULL PATCH NOTES:

General Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck by not being able to take off using the Trailblazer after certain missions
  • Kay now holsters a two-handed weapon in more situations such as when climbing, grappling or using the speeder
  • Improved AI speeder usage
  • Improved enemy detection
  • Improved enemy tactical decision-making in combat to encourage more active management of their positioning
  • Decreased enemy damage per shot while increasing the damage cadence increase over time
  • Improved detection signs and feedback of cameras
  • Player state (crouched, standing) is now kept after traversal actions
  • Fixed an issue where only one NPC would be alerted when whistling
  • Fixed an issue where the player could remain undetected in high grass while performing aggressive actions
  • Enabled the use of combat in parts of syndicate districts
  • Added weak points to various enemies
  • Adjusted weapon aiming (spread, recoil, etc.) to allow for more precision and management
  • Updated weapon damage values for Kay for all weapons
  • Increased headshot damage when hitting enemies
  • Improved blaster module usage (Ion and Power)
  • Removed player blast damage from the Power module
  • Added enemy stagger to explosions
  • Added body part-specific death animations to improve combat satisfaction
  • Improved NPC cover usage during combat
  • Fixed an issue where Kay would put away the holotracker when crouching
  • Fixed an issue where hostile NPCs were sometimes marked as friendly and could not be damaged by blaster fire
  • Adjusted jumping to give more control in the air of where you will land

UI, HUD and Settings

  • Added visual indication of when an NPC starts detecting the player
  • Added text highlighting which blaster module should be used when aiming at heavy guards, droids and cameras
  • Prompt to ping the tracked objective is now more prominent and affected by HUD visibility settings
  • Added icons to environmental objects that require unlockable abilities
  • Improved Nix quick action icon by highlighting button when having an active target
  • Made it clearer whether a takedown could trigger combat
  • Added NPC tags above their heads (works with existing colorblindness settings)
    • White – Neutral
    • Orange – Aware
    • Red – In Combat
  • Adjusted Adrenaline Rush cost based on difficulty
    • Story mode – 100% (unchanged)
    • Normal – 110%
    • Challenging/Hard -150%
  • Improved wanted system messaging and display
  • Fixed an issue where some gear effect icons were not showing correctly

Audio

  • Improved enemy dialogue when they are going in and out of cover
  • Fixed an issue where sound wouldn’t play through the DualSense controller on PS5
  • Fixed an issue where arcade games would be missing music after starting a new game

Cinematics

  • Added facial animations to gameplay dialogue scenes and vendors
  • Improved animations and visuals of some dialogue scenes
  • Fixed an issue where ND-5 would be missing from the passenger seat when landing/taking off from Renpalli or Achra stations

Camera

  • Improved camera when shooting, aiming down sights, and moving aim
  • Improved cover camera, including the ability to manually shoulder swap when aiming
  • Improved the camera by showcasing a better view of each shop when interacting with a vendor

Worlds, Fauna and Flora

  • Fixed an issue with destructible flora
  • Fixed an issue where the visual effects created by waterfalls were broken
  • Increased the distance at which lights can be seen in the world
  • Improved the visuals of some grass textures and mud, especially at distance

Photo Mode

  • A new clean lens has been added

Accessibility

  • Added a Custom Controller Preset to allow remapping of individual buttons. You can choose separate sets of button swaps for Kay, the speeder, and the Trailblazer.
  • Added a new ‘strong’ aim assist setting
  • Added a new auto-transfer option for climbing, which lets you automatically hop between climbable objects by moving towards them instead of having to press a button
  • Added setting to change how large and clear the effect showing the security camera detection area is
  • Sound effects slider split into two separate sliders, for gameplay sounds and background sounds
  • Faster menu narration, settings now go up to 400% speed.
  • Menu narration now reads lockpicking and slicing minigames, objective hints, and which Sabacc card is currently highlighted in your hand and while drawing/discarding
  • Option added to toggle the Cinematic Lens (distortion, fringing, and vignetting effects) off for gameplay
  • ‘Fill screen’ is now the default screen ratio, meaning larger text size for the initial menus before you reach the ratio setting screen
  • ‘Remove all’ hold input for map markers added to ‘change holds to presses’ setting
  • Descriptions of accessibility settings reworded for improved clarity

Miscellaneous

  • Fixed an issue where destroying a ship by ramming it would not count towards the ‘Never tell me the odds’ trophy/achievement
  • Fixed an issue where the ‘Shoot First’ achievement/trophy and ‘The Better’ ability could not be unlocked at the same time
  • Fixed an issue where defeating Death Troopers during certain missions would not count towards the ‘Defying Death’ Ubisoft Connect Challenge

MAIN & SIDE QUESTS(beware of spoilers)

Toshara

  • Rejected
    • Fixed an issue where Kay can’t listen at the bar to progress the intel quest

Tatooine

  • The Veteran
    • Fixed an issue where the quest line would not start if travelling to Akiva before the dialogue finishes
  • Partners
    • Fixed an issue where the cinematic would not trigger if using Adrenaline Rush as the Rancor hits the hangar doors

Akiva

  • Revelator
    • Fixed an issue where ND-5 could spot Kay when going from crouched to standing while on a steam vent

Bug Reporter

As a Star Wars™ Outlaws enthusiast like yourself, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news! Introducing the Star Wars™ Outlaws Bug Reporter – your go-to platform for streamlining issue reporting within our galaxy. Similar to other Ubisoft titles, this website serves as a direct line of communication between you and our team. Here, you can view issues reported by fellow players, and promptly report any glitches or bugs you may encounter directly to us.

To report a bug:

  • Go to the Bug Reporter website
  • First, browse through the issues to see if your issue has already been reported.
  • If your issue is already reported, simply upvote it.
  • If you are facing a new issue, select “Report an issue” at the top of the page.
  • Choose a title that best reflects your issue.
  • Fill out the form that follows and provide as much information as possible to help our teams identify the bug.
  • Select “Confirm” to save the report.

Our team will then receive your report, and we’ll contact you for further information if required.

You can check the progress of your submitted bugs from the “My Reported Issues*”* tab.

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2024-11-21 17:44