Re: Let people play with bots in Conquest mode without internet connection.

OK, here goes... 

 

I, like so many others, am a Battlefield fan. I've been one ever since I saw the trailer for Battlefield Bad Company when I was in high school. Though I saw the trailer in high school, I wouldn't actually start playing the franchise until 2012, as I couldn't afford it at the time. When I started playing, I was fully immersed in the campaign: the one-liners, the weapons, the vehicles, the destruction, everything was a wake up call to how engaging first person shooters could truly be (aside from Goldeneye and Halo). I will never forget the incredible experiences I had playing both Bad Company and its sequel, Bad Company 2. Some time later, I purchased Battlefield 3 and was once again blown away by the gripping campaign. The flashback-based storytelling framed as a race against time to stop the detonation of a nuclear device left me stunned - I was in awe of the compelling characters and soundtrack. I still to this day consider Battlefield 3 to have the best story in the franchise's history. As time progressed, I would continue to replay the campaign and experience the riveting setpiece moments until one day something happened - something that would change my gaming experience forever. I was organizing my games and looking for a game manual in one of the cases when I found it: a code for a free two-week trial of Xbox Live Gold (I play on console - I know, I know, lame). It was thankfully unused, and I had only played online multiplayer a few times before on Halo Combat Evolved for PC and Halo 3 at friends' houses. I was intrigued, interested to find out why it was so popular. I immediately entered the code and logged onto Battlefield 3. What I experienced was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time: I could spawn in as an infantryman with an assault rifle and engage in close-quarters combat. I could spawn in as a tank and punch holes in enemy defenses. I could spawn in with an aircraft and dominate the skies or provide close-range aerial support. It was amazing. I was given a glimpse into the exciting and chaotic world of large scale combined arms warfare. Make no mistake, I died. A lot. To this day all of my kill-death ratios for the games are negative. Luckily, I was able to contribute to my teams' victories with methods other than getting kills. Battlefield 3 was the moment where my foray into online multiplayer officially took place. For many years, I had the time of my life. I joined Platoons, I made friends, I had people teach me how to play... I was truly happy! DICE showed me how integral online multiplayer was to the video game community. With this tool, people from all over the world could connect with each other and form friendships (I've even heard some married couples first met while playing video games online!). I was determined to have my own personal experience through online play that would last forever. Unfortunately (but predictably), it didn't. I was attending college at the time for my Associate's Degree in Computer Science (I successfully got it!). I had no time for online play, I was helping my mom take care of my dog (we live together), I would take night classes and stay up all night studying and doing homework, it was brutal, but the end result was rewarding. Online play wasn't a priority for me, even though Battlefield 1 was being released (this was in 2016). I was able to have fun playing Battlefield 1 on my Xbox One after I graduated, but something else happened which changed my outlook about multiplayer games: Star Wars Battlefront (2015) got Offline Bot Support. Growing up, I would always play singleplayer games (Star Wars, Zelda, Pokémon, etc.) and would play splitscreen games (Halo, Goldeneye, Call of Duty) with family and friends. I seldom played games with Offline Bots (I had Jedi Outcast, Star Wars Battlefront [2004], Star Wars Battlefront II [2005], Timesplitters Future Perfect, and numerous fighting games), but I had immense fun playing them and was thankful for the fact I had a way to play multiplayer games even though I didn't have anyone to play with and I didn't have money for an online multiplayer subscription. I really didn't champion the inclusion of offline bots into games because of my aforesaid use of splitscreen multiplayer and local multiplayer with friends and family. That was during childhood; during adulthood, things were very different. I currently live alone with my mother who isn't really into gaming like I am. My family members all have lives and families of their own, and live in different states across the USA (I'm American). Me and my mother, as well as many Battlefield players in rural America, live in severe poverty and have weak Internet connections. As such, we have come to greatly appreciate the inclusion of full Offline Bot Support in our games. To the person receiving this feedback, I hope you will read this message and actually share it with the rest of the Battlefield team. On behalf of the Offline Singleplayer Battlefield Community, I humbly request that someone on the Battlefield team or some people in the proper department at DICE devises some method of implementing Offline Bot Support into Battlefield 2042. We also wish that the Battlefield team at DICE graciously look into the possibility of porting older Battlefield games (1942, Vietnam, 2, 2142, Bad Company 2, 3, et al.) to newer consoles and PCs with the addition of Offline Bot Support. This is probably a huge ask, but I would like to mention there are massive benefits to enabling offline play for Battlefield. For starters, having Offline Bot Support in Battlefield would allow players to practice the various game modes and play the game at their own pace. I've spoken to several players on Battlefield V saying it would be a good thing to include an 'offline practice mode with AI'. Many human players cheat or use hacks, and they often use 'lone wolf' tactics to rack up kills and ruin the experience for everyone. Bots wouldn't have this problem; they would play the objective and support their teammates. Bots also don't 'trash talk' other players with racist/homophobic/sexist/ableist/maternal/etc. insults. Bots ultimately teach the player the mechanics of the game so they can be useful to their team when they play with human players. Secondly, Offline Bot Support is vital to video game preservation. The servers for Bad Company, Battlefield 1943, and Bad Company 2 are being shut down in December of this year, and none of these games have Offline Bot Support. It's utterly tragic and unnecessary; if these games had OBS, they would still be playable! What's stopping DICE/EA executives from shutting down the servers for Battlefield 3? Or 4? Or 1? Video games are art, and art deserves to be preserved for future generations. Finally, OBS is FUN. Most games with OBS offer varying levels of customization, usually in the form of Bot Difficulty (the critically acclaimed Perfect Dark offers EXTENSIVE Bot customization). Battlefield 2042's Portal mode has an incredible amount of customization, to the point where players can write scripts for the bots! Can you imagine being able to have an experience like that all by yourself?? I've seen numerous videos on YouTube of people reenacting battles, making what-if battles, creating milsims, or just playing the regular Conquest mode in Portal! Only Offline Bot Support can provide this level of fun. All in all, enabling OBS would result in countless net benefits for both DICE and EA as a whole. The game would generate more sales, as players would buy it to finally play offline after a 20-year absence. Enabling OBS would show how much DICE cares about EVERYONE in the Battlefield community, not just the online players. It would start a great period of gaming where Offline Bot Support can make a triumphant return and offer players more ways to play their favorite games and can make expensive games more worthwhile. I just hope you and the proper channels can find it within their hearts to make this happen. Thanks in advance for your time!

 

(This is the [edited] message I sent to Joseph Puralewski [Narrative Lead on 2042] on LinkedIn. I think it applies here.)