Developer Insights: Resistance Hero Finn

CG_SBCrumb
685 posts EA Community Manager
edited December 2019
n5ypu6nz07lr.png

Kit Reveal - Developer Insight

DESIGN

What makes this character unique?
  • Resistance Hero Finn introduces a new mechanic, Inspired and a new Keyword, Rally. His kit is a combination of Attacker and Support that helps his team while dealing respectable damage.
  • New Mechanic: Inspired - The Inspired status effect that does nothing on its own but interacts with Finn's kit abilities. It expires only after Finn receives 3 critical hits
  • New Keyword: Rally - Rallied characters act based on their role:
    • Tanks Taunt and gain Critical Hit Immunity for 2 turns
    • Attackers assist
    • Healers and Supports restore 15% Health and Protection to all allies

Where did you get inspiration for the kit?
  • Most of our character kits are based on a movie or particular scene from a TV show but this time was a bit tricky. We didn't want to spoil anything so we had to stay away from most things very specifically Episode IX related. Instead, we tried to capture Finn developing into a prominent resistance figure and becoming a hero of the people.

Why didn’t we just rework the old version of Finn?
  • The current Finn has a good spot within the game at the moment and going back to old characters is not as easy as it may sound. We have to be concerned with disrupting old teams and our original intention for the character but a new character doesn't have all this baggage. Not to mention, any change to existing characters can be perceived as a nerf by some and a buff by others so it can be a very delicate process.

What is your strategy for this character in battle?
  • Finn is designed to work in an all resistance team. You'll want to keep him away from critical hits so Finn retains his Inspired bonuses. Rally can be very impactful in battle but wait for the right moment to use it wisely. Rally can really turn a fight around and swing the battle in your favor.

What squad does this character fit into and what role do they play?
  • Resistance Hero Finn is a blend of a support and an attacker. His role is Attacker on the character screen but his kit has ways to boost his allies and manipulate turn meter. Finn’s kit provides a host of options to help his squad mates stay alive as well as deal damage. Ultimately, he will have a place in the Galactic Legend Rey team but more on that in the future.

Are there any game modes that this character is particularly well suited for?
  • At the moment, Resistance Hero Finn strengthens your Resistance squad with another reliable attacker and solidifies an effective Territory War and Grand Arena team but who knows what the future could hold for the Resistance team. ;)

ART

Why does Resistance Hero Finn look different from some of our other in game characters?
  • Recently we've begun making a concerted effort to improve the overall quality of our Character Art pipeline. After 4 years of game development, technical limitations for mobile devices have eased enough to allow us to start playing with higher resolution meshes. Lucasfilm level of collaboration has also been amazing, as they have provided us with a lot more source materials to work with.
q93sau3suuv6.png

Is this level of detail what we can expect for future characters moving forward?
  • We have managed to raise our polygon budgets a bit, that will help us make sure some upcoming key characters meet higher standards. Not every character needs more polygons in order to look good but it is nice to have more tools at our disposal.

Is this how Finn will look in Episode IX?
  • It’s a great design, isn’t it? It speaks to the character‘s growth over the course of three films and I love how confidently John Boyega portrays him. Lucas is always very supportive in providing guidance and in this case even more so, it’s a pleasure to have a partner that is committed to quality and collaboration.

Are you going to update the older Finn model?
  • While it is traditional Star Wars fare to go back in time and make certain alterations, recent history has made us a bit wiser in that regard. We are not considering making visual changes to the older Finn model at this time.
4swe4ihy5l26.jpg

What's your favorite part of this model?
  • As a general rule, we usually try to avoid anything with straps, as we work with a very tight budget to how many bones we use in our character rigs, and skinning straps can become very expensive to make look good. But Finn's cool looking bag gives his character model a really interesting silhouette that also helps to differentiate him from his older version.
Sign In or Register to comment.