Titanfall 2’s single player will be a “free-form experience” playing with AI themes

While Titanfall 2’s big reveal was at E3 its new single player campaign, Respawn sure is trying to not let too much slip out. However, I got to speak with studio cofounder Vince Zampella and producer Drew McCoy to find out as much as I can. 

In terms of mechanics, the single player will have some “differences from multiplayer” explains Drew McCoy, highlighting something like the titan throwing its pilot at the end of the trailer. But overall the campaign will focus on what he thinks makes the series unique: “so the mobility, the freedom to move around the environment however you want as well as the ability to get in and out of your titan whenever you want, those are really important”.

There will be some cases where you’ll find an areas that only the pilot can go but Drew emphasise that there won’t be a pilot/titan split to missions, “it's a more free-form experience,” he says. 

Perhaps the most interesting hints of what we can expect from the story tie into its AI themes. We know that titans are intelligent and are usually linked to pilots - they’re not just machines anyone can jump in. The story here focuses on a titan called BT-7274 who choses a new pilot after his original one dies - something titan’s aren’t meant to do. When asked who authorised it he simply replies “there was no other option”. 

Vince Zampella says these AI themes will “definitely” play an important role in the game. Drew also clarifies it’s “one of the kind of big story avenues we’re exploring.” When I asked about BT-7274 making his own choices and linking with a new pilot Vince replied “It’s important. That bond and that interaction is definitely important.”

Then there's this bit:

When asked if this meant you’d be repairing or upgrading BT (you can see he's missing an arm there) Vince sort of shuts me down by saying the studio “can’t talk about it”. Buuut, he does go on to add  “that is a great moment in the single player campaign. There’s some cool twists in the mechanics and story wise that we want to keep under wraps and let people discover it”. 

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