True enough, and BF2042 really does lack in these categories. I was looking for a comparison video between BF2042 and BF1 which really highlighted the animation quality and attention to detail differences (there are now tons of these vids, and none showing what I was after; can't find the one in mind).
I found this though, which seems worth looking at key times of. I've given a particular start time:
(skip to timestamps listed below to see specific scenes)
Observe the atmosphere of BF1. By quality it really is the "Next BF" - or perhaps the "Last BF". The BF1 atmosphere always feels like a gritty war.
Some other scenes showing so in that vid are at:
2:48, 3:59, 4:41,
5:32 (love this one, makes me think of a squad like in saving private ryan, who just encountered an unexpected defense and panic to retreat),
6:11, 6:56 (amazingly detailed & funny) and a few following scenes, and the beautiful destruction of a ship at 9:06.
(pay attention to the background events while he goes through his animations).
In all timestamps you see background players reacting as you'd expect soldiers to, with animations playing the part.
Compare that to this game.. and we're not even playing battlefield any more.
@0_KatsuiBF1 is certainly a cinematic masterpiece. It has that “soldiers fighting soldiers in a war” vibe.
I think the most telling signs for me of how empty and fake the 2042 game world is are the low res cut scenes pre match. Sterile, empty, and so cheap looking. Looks straight out of a video game from the mid 1990’s.
@ATFGunr wrote:
@Zhukov2112042 = Uniform green grass, uniform desert sand, uniform bushes, uniform concrete. The wall alone in Renewal exemplifies the boring nature of the maps. It could hav e been graffitied as it would have been in the real world. Nobody could pass up a canvas like that! It’s like only single textures were used and mapped, so the grass all looks exactly the same, etc. BF1 was a beautifully rendered game, the most artistic of any of the series to date. Exposure is a better effort for this, it’s at least moderately interesting. This is a world in turmoil, entire governments have fallen and the only garbage around is the single use plastic bags?
Totally agree, this has been something I really disliked from the moment I first saw the AOW maps.
Especially maps like Kaleidoscope / Hourglass / Renewal, none of those remotely look or feel like a warzone to me which kills that feeling of being there.
As you say BF1 was a masterpiece that captured the era / atmosphere perfectly.
I also agree that the Exposure map is definitely a move in the right direction which is why I played it exclusively until the 247 game mode was removed.
