This was the telling thing for me...

''The Mission is Clear – Star Wars: Squadrons is a fully self-contained experience from day one, where you earn rewards through play. Climb the ranks and unlock new components like weapons, hulls, engines, shields, and cosmetic items in a clear path for progression that keeps game play fresh and engaging.''


''Keeps game play fresh and engaging''... in real life that equates to 'grinding' the game to progress to fancy pilot uniforms, better engines, shields, etc, etc!

I remember when they used to use "game play" to "keep game play fresh and engaging" . . .

Yep.

Engineers is the number one reason I stopped playing Elite Dangerous, second to the dwindling player population.

I work to earn money in real life, but I do not waste time in a video game to earn imaginary stuff just to be able to compete with other players.

It's has a single player campaign, you don't have to compete with other players...

Judging by past EA games the campaign will be a quick 5 or 6 missions that will serve as more of a tutorial for the multiplayer part of the game. That's why I'll remain skeptical and will wait until after the game comes out.
If I'm right, I will have spared myself the time and money. If I'm wrong, then I'll be pleasantly surprised, buy it, and enjoy it.
Either way, I win.

I do not desire "Skinner box" mechanisms in any games I play, period. I do not need "a clear path for progression that keeps game play fresh and engaging."

In the original X-Wing and Tie Fighter games, we had stock ships that we could change missile weapons on, and depending on the mission, were given a different ship to fly that was fully capable and upgraded. That is enough for me. Patronizing me by giving me a little upgrade here or there because I wouldn't want to play otherwise is insulting.

I'm not a rat!

I don't need to find the cheese at the end of the maze, I simply want to play a good game. A game that does not have artificial mechanisms to... "keep game play fresh and engaging." Wasn't there something that game designers used in the past to do this? Something cryptic and mystical that transcended the digital walls of the gaming halls, that we floated down on our quest to collect the trail of golden pellets?

Oh, right. It was called a plot.

You make some valid points Blastman but the fact is that the tastes and preferences of the current day gaming crowd are significantly different from what it was in the 90’s when the original SW space sims had their hey day.

I can lament all day long about how modern day mainstream audiences don’t care for real Rock music anymore but nothing will change that.

I can still shake my cane at them like a crotchety old man.

Well don't shake that cane at me... I'm only the bloody messenger. Oh, wait a minute while I get my tin hat on, then you can shake it a bit more!

You will be pleased to hear that you do not have to participate in the game's skinning/ship painting activity. Even better, according to the devs, you will be able to turn off custom paint jobs for other players, for yourself, or both, so you will not have to fight against pink TIE fighters with Hello Kitty logos on them unless you want to.

Please tell me you are being ironic.
In case not, Skinner Box.

Here's a bit more information on game play. I'm not sure I'm wild about it, but it certainly doesn't appear to be a simple arcade-style game.

https://youtu.be/yGSkCalsisU

Or, you could just give the classics some visual steroids:

Speaking of steroids, this is what I was playing this weekend after modding:

That looks great. Did you get TrackIR working in there?

Yep. Full 6 DOF support. Also works with VR, although I do not have VR, but I know it will work.

New trailer about single player experience.

The mission resembles traditional X-Wing style, but how long is the campaign?

7 missions? 15? 50?

The X-Wing games were often 35-50 missions each campaign.

And there were multiple campaigns from the get go with a few more expansions added later. I'd be surprised if this had more than 10.

Ah, yeah, I forgot that the campaigns were broken into sections. So 35 - 50 missions total, with 5 - 7 "campaigns" that comprised the entire game.