Control LTM Feedback Megathread

New to Apex Legends, but veteran of older FPS games.

I saw Control as a way to get into Apex for the 'first time' since my few previous experiences didn't afford me a good learning experience.  The bar to getting into Apex Legends, learning the weapons, load outs and playstyle was a lot higher than I anticipated as I was used to more TDM/CTF type games where you spawn, shoot, die and repeat on a fast cycle.  The base game requires a lot of time investment just to get into combat once or twice.

I have been able to jump in and get a 15-20 games of Control in, and am glad there is a place to provide feedback from a very new player.  This is the type of game mode I had been waiting for to get reps with the various weapons and legends in game, not on the firing range.

Pros:

1. Easy to jump in and play.  Being able to go from loading screen to playing the game in a matter of minutes is great.  Being able to loop games back to back with minimal downtime is also great.  Even the respawn timer isn't punishing and too long.
2. Easy to try out different weapons and legends.  I appreciate that I can swap weapons and legends mid-game.  I also appreciate that the weapon kits can change from time to time, and that there are a lot of different weapons available on the ground or in drops.

*:

1. Score Effects.  Most games appear to be decided within the first few minutes.  The early losing side tended to lose players (DC? Quit? doesn't matter) which then compounds the issue a lot of times.  I had maybe 2-3 games where the final score was within 100 points of each other, and only one where the lead changed within the last 10%.  Most games were blowouts.
2. Player skill balance.  I acknowledge this is a hard thing to address without some form of skill rating system applied.  Watching preset 3 mans walk through random noobs like myself, pushing teams back to spawn, it is disheartening.  While I care more about learning the game itself, it sucks when the game ends within a few minutes as a skilled group 3 caps and holds a lesser team to spawn.
3. Weapon Drop balance and timing.  Facing double and triple Kraber in the midgame was savage.  I get that the Kraber and other drop pod weapons should help turn the tide of the battle.  However, it felt like this was pushing the imbalances between teams further more often then equalizing the endgame.
4. Spawn Points in the middle of nowhere.  When I select B and spawn just in front of A/C, or I choose A/C and spawn just in front of the starting point.....ugh.  Even spawning in the starting point, and having to run 10 seconds to the boost pad (is that the name? the thing that gets you flying for a bit, not Octanes jump pads) feels like I am wasting time running around.
5. Spawn points that are out in the open/can be camped.  Several times spawning into gunfire at my home base was an unexpected surprise.  It didn't feel like there was a 'home start point' in some games.
6. No MiniMap.  This is so confusing, why no MiniMap?  Most FPS I have played offer some form of MiniMap, yet not here, and even bringing up the map....everything is covered by the team scores.  Is this a deliberate choice to reduce player information for the same team?  A technical issue where you can't show 3 x 3 player teams at once?

Overall, I did enjoy the bulk of my game time in Control, and plan on playing it more over the next 3 weeks.  Hopefully this will give me enough game time to feel comfortable dropping into the core Apex Legends games in the future.  I want you to know that, regardless of the negatives I highlight, this game mode is doing what I hoped it would, give me a chance to learn the game.

If I were to suggest a different approach to this, I would suggest putting the 3 control points equidistant from each spawn.  Think East-West vs the current North-South.  I also wouldn't let players spawn at the Control points, but rather in the starting area only.  Lastly I would shape the layout so the starting areas can't be assaulted, nor be viable to snipe/shoot from.  The intent would be to have players spawn and go left, right or forward to the control points and combat with the enemy team.

Thanks for finally making a game mode that offers a lot of combat action with minimal wait times!

Some Quality of Life improvements;

- Arenas-style spawning at game start

- Pre-select forward-most spawn point - if none available; spawn at Main. (Currently it feels punishing to miss a spawn wave; this could be improved/averted)

- Potential for Lifeline's Care Package to provide a Mobile Respawn Beacon (Pedigree traits of spawning on Squad-Leaders from Battlefield)

- Make the death recap optional - streamline the clickpath to respawn

erm

- Minimap

- FoF is a bit tricksy, it could be better...

- Integrate The Ring?

There's so much more to grow, but these are like flavours missing from a dish 🙂

Respawn Countdown Timer and Ratings Bonus:

- What's the logic behind these values? If they're global, show them in a persistent, contextual manner instead of having to select a spawn first.

- Right Click to deselect spawn; Left Click to Change/Select, but not deselect spawn