Star Wars: Outlaws (Ubisoft)

[gbasden]

I kind of agree, Skiny. It's a very traditional Ubi open world game with all the baggage that brings. The biggest issue for me is stealth is absolutely required, but the stealth system is jank as heck. Sometimes you can sneak up behind someone and clock them and the person 2 feet away doesn't have the slightest clue, and as you say sometimes they see you across the map.

As you say, the atmosphere is great, and I actually like the speeder. But this is Far Cry 6 with a Star Wars skin, and it's just not super well done. I think my decision to pay for a month of Ubi+ rather than buying it was wise.

OTOH, performance is absolutely butter on my PC.

[jztemple2]

I put in about 4 hours today. A few initial thoughts.

Kay's movement feels very slow and janky, with all sorts of really weird quirks. Things like randomly turning around and facing the direction I jumped from every time I latch onto on a grapple point. Or randomly vaulting up and over cover at the slightest movement. Or taking 3/4 of my health as fall damage from any drop over 6 inches. I'm also really struggling to figure out exactly what textures I can and cannot jump onto in the environment or finding the single small vent that you need to crawl through to proceed. Got stuck for a good 15 minutes on one mission because I had no idea that I could jump onto a specific part of a wall (ended up doing it entirely on accident).

Maybe it's a PS5 thing? I'm playing on the PC with keyboard and mouse and I'm not seeing any of these control issues. And the losing health over a 6 inch fall is just not happening to me, in fact after a few hours I can gauge pretty well how much damage I'll get on a fall.

The stealth feels incredibly squishy, often leading to getting spotted from halfway across the map while hiding from the two mobs 10 feet away. Having to restart missions if you get seen or die is already on my nerves. Spent about 20 minutes sneaking through an area, decided to blow up a barrel to take out a couple guards, misjudged the blast radius, and had to start the whole thing over again. That feels like the game is simply wasting my time.

Again, after a few hours I've got the stealth down pretty well. You can judge how far some guard has to be before they won't see you. And how they are facing is important. It's a learning thing.

I've never had a situation where I lost twenty minutes due an error, the checkpoints are usually closer. Also, it's worth checking when you're doing something that might blow up in your face, if you can do a manual save. I'm finding that sometimes I can do a save. Also, I've noticed that usually when you lose your ability to manually save is when you enter a restricted area. If possible, once I've done something I don't want to have to repeat, I see if I can get myself just outside the area so I can do a manual save.

I know it's by design, but I don't like the feeling of just randomly stumbling into missions and quests. I've already started ignoring some of the "Hey you" as I run by because I don't want to add to my already bloated quest list.

The quest list does get a bit large, but they are categorized so you can just which you are more interested in. But really, as you say, it is by design and it doesn't really change later on.

I'm not finding Kay to be a particularly interesting character, but am hoping that will improve.

Kay not interesting? You're dead to me

I'm also seeing lots of performance issues with texture pop-in and frame rate issues on PS5.

I understand that there is already a PS5 patch out in the wild, is there a way you can check for it?

[jztemple2]

The biggest issue for me is stealth is absolutely required...

Hmm, I'm not finding that to be all that often. There are some missions where you have to stay stealthy as a requirement, but those are pretty few. There are a number of missions where staying stealthy is very helpful, but even if a guard spots you, often if you can take them out right away you'll be OK. And even if the alarm goes off, if you can stay hidden, eventually they lose interest.

And yup, stormtroopers and other bad guys are pretty clueless if their mate goes down and they don't directly see them drop. The fundamental feature seems to be line of sight. This is where Nix comes in handy to distract them, causing them to turn away. In fact Nix is useful in stealth in a lot of ways, you can experiment with him and see what he can do.

[Daehawk]

I turned off ubisoft in game overlay. Now I click to start the game it goes black then back to desktop. No error no game. Still working on fixes. But its 4am and I need to sleep

[Max Peck]

I turned off ubisoft in game overlay. Now I click to start the game it goes black then back to desktop. No error no game. Still working on fixes. But its 4am and I need to sleep

Does your PC meet the minimum requirements to run the game?

Minimum

Visual settings: 1080p/30 FPS/Low preset with upscaler set to quality
GPU: GeForce GTX 1660 6GB / AMD RX 5600 XT 6GB / Intel Arc a750 8GB (ReBAR ON)
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
RAM: 16GB (dual-channel mode)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX 12
SSD Storage: 65GB

[Skinypupy]

But this is Far Cry 6 with a Star Wars skin, and it's just not super well done.

That’s kinda where I’m landing in this so far. If you already like this style of game, then you’ll probably really enjoy this one.

If you don’t already like the style but think the SW theme might change your mind, prepare to be disappointed.

[Max Peck]

It has a lot of Ubisoft open-world DNA, but I wouldn't say it feels like a Far Cry game to me (Avatar: FoP, on the other hand, very much feels like a Far Cry). I'd say it's a lot closer to Assassins Creed than Far Cry. At any rate, I generally enjoy Ubisoft open-world games and I'm enjoying Outlaws as its own thing, even if I'm not great at stealth or platforming.

[YellowKing]

I'm in the "good, not great" category where a lot of reviewers are falling.

I REALLY like the Star Wars feel - just wandering around the cantinas and cities feels really cool, and I enjoy every time I open up a bit of trivia in the journal about a character or location. I love the faction stuff, how much there is to think about and do, etc.

I think the controls are janky. The speeder handles atrociously and even Kay's movement feels a little off. Combat feels off, hit detection feels off. I'm not saying the controls are horrible or game-breaking, they're just not as tight as a lot of other games.

Pretty much everything in the game has been done better in other games, but it's so Star Wars-y that just being in that world makes up for a lot of the shortcomings. If this wasn't an IP I loved, however, I think I would have already ditched it.

[jztemple2]

I think the controls are janky. The speeder handles atrociously and even Kay's movement feels a little off. Combat feels off, hit detection feels off. I'm not saying the controls are horrible or game-breaking, they're just not as tight as a lot of other games.

Are you using a controller? I'm finding with keyboard and mouse that Kay moves fine. Also the speedster can be steered with A/D or mouse steered and with some practice it's pretty good. I still run into things, but now it's mostly due to my poor reaction times. Hitting one of those cow things can really hurt

Combat is good with a mouse of course, aiming is pretty nice. Even after sixteen hours I'm still having to remind myself which buttons do what with stun mode, etc.

I should mention that I'm playing in Story mode, the easiest of the four difficulties. I still have to aim when I shoot but it seems that the stormtroopers are reasonable easy to put down if you can make hits. I'd recommend it for anyone having difficulties as it really isn't all that easy, just somewhat.

[gbasden]

Are you using a controller? I'm finding with keyboard and mouse that Kay moves fine. Also the speedster can be steered with A/D or mouse steered and with some practice it's pretty good. I still run into things, but now it's mostly due to my poor reaction times. Hitting one of those cow things can really hurt

Agreed. After I turned off mouse steering for the speeder I think it handles fine on keyboard, and I haven't felt that movement on foot was problematic. And combat seems fine-ish? The enemies are pretty stupid, but that's kind of expected with most Ubi games.

[gbasden]

It has a lot of Ubisoft open-world DNA, but I wouldn't say it feels like a Far Cry game to me (Avatar: FoP, on the other hand, very much feels like a Far Cry). I'd say it's a lot closer to Assassins Creed than Far Cry. At any rate, I generally enjoy Ubisoft open-world games and I'm enjoying Outlaws as its own thing, even if I'm not great at stealth or platforming.

I felt like my character actually has agility in AC. Kay can't climb a tiny rock unless it has the right texture.

[Max Peck]

It has a lot of Ubisoft open-world DNA, but I wouldn't say it feels like a Far Cry game to me (Avatar: FoP, on the other hand, very much feels like a Far Cry). I'd say it's a lot closer to Assassins Creed than Far Cry. At any rate, I generally enjoy Ubisoft open-world games and I'm enjoying Outlaws as its own thing, even if I'm not great at stealth or platforming.

I felt like my character actually has agility in AC. Kay can't climb a tiny rock unless it has the right texture.

I didn't say it was a reskin of AC, just that it felt more like AC than Far Cry. Far Cry is first and foremost a shooter and firefights are Plan A. In Outlaws, firefights are usually what happens when Plans A, B and C have gone sideways.

[gbasden]

It has a lot of Ubisoft open-world DNA, but I wouldn't say it feels like a Far Cry game to me (Avatar: FoP, on the other hand, very much feels like a Far Cry). I'd say it's a lot closer to Assassins Creed than Far Cry. At any rate, I generally enjoy Ubisoft open-world games and I'm enjoying Outlaws as its own thing, even if I'm not great at stealth or platforming.

I felt like my character actually has agility in AC. Kay can't climb a tiny rock unless it has the right texture.

I didn't say it was a reskin of AC, just that it felt more like AC than Far Cry. Far Cry is first and foremost a shooter and firefights are Plan A. In Outlaws, firefights are usually what happens when Plans A, B and C have gone sideways.

Sure, I can see that. I was stalking around an Imperial Outpost yesterday, picking off Stormtroopers and hiding in the tall grass and it felt just like taking a village in Far Cry to me. But I generally didn't play those guns blazing either.

[jztemple2]

Had my first serious bug this evening. I took a contract which had me infiltrate a Crimson Dawn outpost. I got into combat there right after an autosave. I got through the combat, evacuated the area and was well away, but I then noticed that I couldn't do a manual save and there hadn't been any autosaves since that last autosave just before combat. I reloaded the autosave and played it through again, hoping for a better result but no luck. I did that twice more, trying to avoid combat entirely, but each time fighting broke out (it's a really tough place to exit without being caught). And still the problem persisted. I finally loaded an older save . When I went back to the broker who gave me that contract, he now has a different contract to offer. Anyway, I won't be taking that one original one again if it pops up

[Max Peck]

I was stalking around an Imperial Outpost yesterday, picking off Stormtroopers and hiding in the tall grass and it felt just like taking a village in Far Cry to me. But I generally didn't play those guns blazing either.

That puts me in mind of one way in which Outlaws and Far Cry are very different.

In a Far Cry, attacking outposts is a core activity. You need to capture them in order to gain control of territory. This is one of the ways in which Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora feels a lot like a Far Cry to me, since you need to neutralize RDA facilities in order to return the surrounding area to its natural state.

In Outlaws, you can attack an Imperial outpost, shoot all the Stormtroopers and loot it, but you don't take control of the outpost or the surrounding territory. It remains under Imperial control and shortly after you leave, all those Stormtroopers will respawn.

[Daehawk]

2 days and I still cant get this thing to run. Maybe my 14 year old system is too old.

[Max Peck]

2 days and I still cant get this thing to run. Maybe my 14 year old system is too old.

If it is below the minimum specs, that seems likely. Can you get a refund?

With an old PC, your best bet for playing new games would likely be to look into one of the cloud gaming services, like Amazon Luna, Geforce NOW or whatever. I don't know much about any of them, but I did notice that with Ubisoft+ I had the option of either installing the game or playing it on Luna. Paying a subscription to get limited-time access to a game isn't ideal, but it's a hell of a lot less expensive than a new PC.

[Daehawk]

Im not sure on the refund as I pre purchased back in Jan or Feb from a place like greenman or something I think. Ill look into it. I could use the money for Avatar

[Max Peck]

My understanding is that key resellers tend to have very restrictive refund policies compared to Steam or Ubisoft, which both allow 2 weeks after purchase (or after the release date for pre-orders) or 2 hours playtime.

However, you might not be completely out of luck:

Play Ubisoft Games You Own on Amazon Luna

December 6, 2022

Starting today, Amazon Luna will allow players to play Ubisoft games they've purchased on PC with Ubisoft Connect across devices they already own with the power of the cloud. In order to play the PC games, the titles must be available on Amazon Luna, and players must have an active Prime membership or Luna+ subscription. As a cloud gaming service, Amazon Luna allows you to play on compatible devices without needing to download files - all you need is a reliable internet connection. This means you can now play games from the comfort of your couch on a Fire TV, without needing an expensive console.

There are many Ubisoft games on Amazon Luna, covering a wide variety of exciting adventures. Sharpen your Hidden Blade and track down early members of the Templar Order throughout the open worlds of ninth-century England, ancient Greece, and ancient Egypt in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed Origins. Or, if overthrowing regimes and fighting compelling antagonists is more your speed, take up arms against Antón Castillo, Joseph Seed, and Pagan Min in Far Cry 6, Far Cry 5, and Far Cry 4.

While it is not required to have a Ubisoft+ subscription to play games you own on Amazon Luna, those who subscribe to the Ubisoft+ multi-access plan can also play Ubisoft+ titles on the cloud platform. For more on Ubisoft+, read about indie games coming to the platform, and stay tuned to Ubisoft News for more updates.

If this is still accurate, you should be able to play Outlaws using Luna (assuming you have the necessary internet bandwith), either by subscribing to Prime, Luna+ (¿$10/month?) or Ubisoft+ (¿$20/month?). It sucks to pay a monthly fee to play a game you already purchased, but it's a heck of a lot less expensive than a new PC.

[Daehawk]

I was looking at Luna the other day for something. Looked cool. Was new to me as Id never heard of it before. Ill look.

[coopasonic]

I Started the game yesterday and no, I haven't finished it quite yet. The amount of side content is kind of ridiculous. I looked at one point today and I had 36 things in the journal. 9 quests, 21 intel and a handful of expert and other categories.

For the most part I find the game to be fine, with one caveat that Just hit me. I had cleared a pretty big area, checking 3 different things off the map, went to a different area and was trying to figure out how to reach something for a while and then went splat. *shrug* Death isn't a problem. Oh, the last save was 44 minutes ago? Perhaps it's time to take a break. I'm not sure what triggers autosaves but they could happen more often, thanks.

[jztemple2]

For the most part I find the game to be fine, with one caveat that Just hit me. I had cleared a pretty big area, checking 3 different things off the map, went to a different area and was trying to figure out how to reach something for a while and then went splat. *shrug* Death isn't a problem. Oh, the last save was 44 minutes ago? Perhaps it's time to take a break. I'm not sure what triggers autosaves but they could happen more often, thanks.

Starting and finishing activities seems to trigger an autosave, as does visiting merchants and other things. However, I did have that problem yesterday I noticed above, where it wouldn't create an autosave because it thought I was still in combat. This seems to be a bug which hopefully will be patched out soon. The good news is that I played sixteen hours before the bug hit.

My recommendation is to do manual saves before and after doing significant events. Also periodically hit ESC (or the console equivalent) and see when your last autosave occurred and whether you can do a manual save. A bit of a nuisance, but better than losing 44 minutes of progress and once you get used to doing the routine it becomes second nature.

[Max Peck]

Ubisoft is doing a couple of giveaways (codes for the game) on Twitch. Today is XBox and and tomorrow is PC.

https://www.twitch.tv/ubisoft

[jztemple2]

That is the biggest RV I've ever seen!

[naednek]

That is the biggest RV I've ever seen!

I think you are a bit overdressed...

[Isgrimnur]

Fashion knows no season.

[jztemple2]

Fashion knows no season.

Speaking as someone who wears tropical shirts and shorts year round, I approve that thought

I'm about twenty six hours into the game and really enjoying it. I take back my earlier opinion about repetitiveness affecting my enjoyment of the game. There's a lot of variety in the missions, although some repetition does occur. I just take some trouble to vary my selection of missions to avoid burn out.

[Daehawk]

I asked for a refund since it wont even run on my old outdated system at all. They denied it. Without an explanation why they wont refund me. Greenman that is. So Im left holding a game that I paid for in June but cant play at all because it wont run a bit. Not even a startup screen..

Maybe I will contact Ubisoft and see if they will help me. Doubt it. I could use the money to buy Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora instead. Ubi would still get the money.

[Max Peck]

Green Man Gaming denied it because their terms of sale only allow a very short period of time for a refund (unless the customer is in the EU, in which case they have actual consumer rights). Since you didn't buy it from Ubisoft I'd be surprised if they will do anything in terms of a refund either, but it's certainly worth taking the time to find out.

If they game is active on your Ubisoft account in Ubi Connect, you should be able to play it on Luna, but it looked to me like you would need an active Luna+ subscription or possibly an Amazon Prime subscription. It isn't ideal, but it would at least let you get some value for the money already spent on the game.

[Daehawk]

I have a Prime account. I wrote green man again ..we'll see. I bought Avatar in the meantime...haven't seen if it will run yet though. Reinstalled SPAZ.

[El Guapo]

So I'd like to play this on my Xbox One, but I don't have a "Series X/S". The Microsoft store says that Outlaws is "optomizied" for Series X/S, but doesn't say that it's required. Has anyone played this on a regular XBox One? Will it work and will it play well?

[jztemple2]

I might have a problem... I like playing Sabacc too much .

[Max Peck]

So I'd like to play this on my Xbox One, but I don't have a "Series X/S". The Microsoft store says that Outlaws is "optomizied" for Series X/S, but doesn't say that it's required. Has anyone played this on a regular XBox One? Will it work and will it play well?

Ubisoft only lists XBox Series X|S under platforms, so I'd guess that it won't run well, if at all, on XBox One.

[Max Peck]

If you're unhappy with the forced-stealth instant-fail mission segments, rest assured that Massive sees you and feels your pain.

Massive will soon turn its attention to the development of two story expansions, Wild Card and Pirate's Fortune, although the studio is prioritizing improvements to the baseline game. With Gerighty and Karlson, I discuss a key point of friction raised in my Star Wars Outlaws review concerning some difficulty spikes and failstates across the critical path. "One of the things we can see through data is that elements aren't working as well as we would like them to," says Gerighty. "One of the earliest missions in Mirogana is incredibly punishing and, for me, that is a mistake – and it's something that we're going to work on improving."

[Max Peck]

They like me! They really like me!

[coopasonic]

Finished. Enjoyed it way more than I expected.

[jztemple2]

Finished. Enjoyed it way more than I expected.

Congratulations! How many hours? Did you do a lot of side missions? Could you continue playing if you wish?

[Daehawk]

Well now I own both Avatar and Outlaws from Ubisoft and neither of them work. Someone from Green Man Gaming is trying to help me via email to get Outlaws running. We've got it to the main menu screen now with music and all. But soon as I click NEW GAME it dumps me to desktop without an error msg. Avatar is not even taking me to the menu just tries to start loading it all then back to desktop. Sigh.

Maybe Tina Tina's Wonderland epic pack I bought will simply run like all the rest of the borderland games and Ill have something to play while these Ubisoft things continue to irk me.

[coopasonic]

Finished. Enjoyed it way more than I expected.

Congratulations! How many hours? Did you do a lot of side missions? Could you continue playing if you wish?

Just shy of 35 hours. I did a lot of side content, but still had 35 things in my journal at the end and I probably took less than a dozen contracts (but I may be lying there as I didn't really count). You can continue to explore and check things off the various lists after the final mission.

[Unagi]

Finished.

shocking no one.