So who is the BF2042 target demographic?

I'm a bit confused as to just who EA / DICE was trying to attract to this game.

They had a very solid fanbase who had played the Battlefield series of games for nearly 20 years now.

This game certainly didn't meet the expectations of those long term and dedicated Battlefield fans.

It seems as if they were trying to pull in the COD / Fortnight / Apex / Battle Royale crowd.

This game also does not appeal to those players either.

I do have to wonder (cynical though this is) whether the suits at EA were aware that the major players were looking for new aquisitions (Microsoft / Activision and Sony / Bungie) and decided to deliberately tank the Battlefield IP so that DICE would not be an attractive aquisition target. Sue me, it does make sense if you think about it.

Some of the decisions made in the development of the game just don't make sense.

Some of the mistakes made are obvious repeats of mistakes that were made (and subsequently rectified) in Battlefield games years ago.

There just seems to be no clear direction or destination for the final product.

Is it a hero shooter?

Looks like one but doesn't really work that way.

Is it a tactical team-based shooter?

Should be....but there's absolutely no incentive for cooperative squad or team playstyle.

There's no in-game communication (unbelievable in a current gen multiplayer game).

There's no benefit to being a team player if you can go solo rambo and get way more points whoring it up in a chopper and ignoring your team-mates attacking a distant objective.

There's no way to accurately judge your performance (no scoreboard or valid end of round summary).

I find it very interesting that on the end of round screens they will highlight "most revives" or "most vehicles destroyed" but fail to highlight the player with the "MOST KILLS".

This is a FPS multiplayer game...yet they have deliberately hidden info on who gets the most kills.

Why is that do you think?

Why are they afraid to show how many kills players are getting in a match?

PC crossplay verses Console only crossplay.....I know which one I'd prefer to be able to play.

I play on PS5 for a good reason having been a server admin for Battlefield on PC in the past.

This game has clearly failed to attract and retain a new demographic of players (the COD / FN / Apex / BR crowd).

Are they going to now try and revert the game back to what we all know as a "Battlefield" game"?

What do they need to do to get this current mess back to a state where it will actually appeal to the true Battlefield demographic?

Here's my list of items this game needs to get the "Battlefield" crowd wanting to play it (in order of importance)........

1) Communication : VOIP is essential, first priority is to get this running well.

2) Server Characteristics : Server browser, persistant servers, community / rental servers, regional (geographical) server hubs.

3) Updated and New content : apparently this is supposed to be a "Live Service" game now. It certainly does not feel like one as it currently stands.

4) Comprehensive scoreboard and match summary : a proper scoreboard (with kills, deaths, assists and all relevant stats) is just obviously a feature of an FPS game.

    Why do you think they didn't want to provide one? I have my own ideas why and it has a lot to do with the introduction of PC / Console crossplay.

4) Console ONLY cross-play : needs to be prioritised. When a comprehensive scoreboard goes live it's going to be a bit of a shock for a lot of console players just how many kills some of the PC players are (cough-cough) achieving. The desire to be able to play console only cross-play will be very strong once the stats are provided to all players. PC players CHOOSE to play against other PC players (with all the negatives involved).

Console players would like the option NOT to (and still be able to find a match).

5) Strategic squad and team-play incentives : points and progression need to incentivise cooperative and strategic team-play. Points for kills should be reduced. Points for Objective capture/defence, Revives/Heals/Repairs, Supply, Intel, Spawns and other coooperative actions should be greatly increased. 

6) The developers should run regular polls of the playerbase to find out what the PLAYERS want.

    Don't just say "We've decided to do this and it's happening".

    Advise players what you are thinking of doing and ASK their opinion. Then do what the majority of players want. Give ownership of proposed changes to the players.

Here is a list of the top ten things I would personally like to see changed.

What things would you add to this list?

1) Remove vehicle spawning within the footprint of any building.

2) Remove all rooftop objectives.

3) Bring back squad performance bonuses and re-incentivise keeping your squad alive.

4) Bring back squad leader commands and squad leader abilities.

5) Bring back DICE controlled and operated persistant servers.

6) Bring back class-specific weapon and gadget restrictions.

7) Remove seat-switching (no pilot - guns are disabled) in aircraft.

8) Bring back PILOT equipment kits (restricted to pistol and flare).

9) Remove all auto-firing assets (Ranger dog and Boris's turret).

10) Improve map design and provide more cover for infantry in capture zones.

It's sad that this game has failed so badly.

It would be nice if there was a clear statement of the direction forward for Battlefield.

Are we going to actually get a "Battlefield" game again?

Or are we just going to get platitudes and lies until the next title (which has already been clearly stated will not follow the tried and true Battlefield concept).

Hero shooters do not appeal to the true Battlefield player (those like myself that have played and enjoyed this series for the last two decades).

Cooperative squad and team play are what has defined the Battlefield series for years. 

I would like to hope that we can get that back again.

Kap.