Will changes actually be made at this point?
I really wanted to have hope that this BF would be a different experience. However, it seems the same problems that always plague BF games still exist. Here is my list of issues I think need addressed for this game to have success upon release. No TLDR here.
#1) Net code or tick rate. Dying when you are behind cover because the tick rate is too low or the net code is not optimized is something all FPS games seem to have an issue with. Partly because consoles cannot handle higher tick rates. Since consoles don't like to play against PCs anyway, give them their own lobbies and PC theirs. Give PCs higher tick rates and this will stop. COD has one of the lowest tick rates of ANY FPS game, that is partly why this feels so COD like. It shouldn't take a majority of a magazine to kill a single person. That screams tick rate to me.
2) Map exploits: Especially on Cairo. If you are going to have destructive buildings or have high open type maps, either make these areas more easily accessible so we can battle properly or lower the ceiling cap so people can't get on top of buildings and exploit the map. I have played multiple games today where this has occurred. Which leads me to...
2A) If you do not fix this, add a "Map exploiting" option to the in game reporting feature and ban map exploiters. Permaban their accounts, if someone reports them, you can review the data and see for sure.
3) Weapon damage: Why does a 9mm pistol take 5+ shots to kill when a 9mm SMG takes 4+? Why does the 9mm do more damage than the .308 carbine? If you are going to have weapons in the game and have calibers, have them matter. People will use the "meta" (I hate that word with a passion) anyway so either make the fastest TTK go by caliber or don't have calibers at all. This could also be tick rate related.
3A) The shotgun... I like using shotguns and I hope they are not nerfed into the ground by release. I believe their damage is too high at their current range. Point blank 1 shot kills make sense, 50ft into a body armored target, does not (unless its a head shot and even that is pushing it). Slugs is a different story but still effective range should not be across a plaza and be a 1 shot kill. Does anyone even use the flechettes? These actually should do a decent amount of damage to a target in body armor (provided it is lvl IIIA soft armor and not lvl 3 or 4 plates). Limb hits and head shots with flechettes should do serious damage. Meaning, I would rather shoot your legs than your chest.
3B) Head armor... WTF are these guys wearing on their heads that a shot from a .308 carbine does not 1 shot them!? Seeing the double lines for a head hit and then getting a body hit marker should be a kill. It isn't! Could also be tick rate or net code related. Honestly, fixing tick rate and/or net code could significantly give a better data set for my weapon complaints.
4) Not a complaint but a nice to have: End of match, on the progression screen, please add a button to either A) go to your load out screen so you can change your weapon before the next map starts or B) add a button to add new unlocks to your current weapon. Reason: Having people sit in the spawn at the start of the game while they update their weapons really puts a team at a disadvantage. As someone who unlocked everything, there were MANY times I had to "quit to menu" to update new unlocks and the game starts and there are still a group of teammates doing theirs. Meanwhile the enemy is hitting objectives. Then you have to go on a run to get into the fight.
5) Smoke: What is the point of having smoke for cover when you can mouse over the enemy and get a little red icon above them!? Kinda defeats the purpose. Having dust, smoke, debris, especially while in "camouflage" only to have a red icon above everyone takes away from not only the skill of seeing players but from the "feel" of fighting. If I can't smoke so the tank can't see me run across the street, what is the point of having smoke in the game (would make sense if the tank used thermal sights)? What is the point of having smoke a part of the environment? My suggestion: Remove the "red icon" above players. Since there is no friendly fire, since there should be a "tactical" advantage to smoke, please.
6) Mounting: Mounting is pointless when you can modify the guns to reduce recoil. I have seen others comment on this, I agree. It is also difficult to get it right. I spent more time knifing the wall than mounting. I just gave up doing it.
7) For the sake of game play, everyone "should" be ran over by a tank, regardless of team. This will add a bit of danger to multiple engineers spamming heals on a tank and a little realism. Having my player model go inside the armor is just stupid and lame. It would also prevent a tank drive from wildly reversing, pushing the engineer back while repairing. A caveat though: Make sure they can lay down without dying and can repair from underneath, only the tracks should cause a kill. This gives the engineer cover but still dangerous. Maybe also make the engine deck have an effect like fire. Having engineers lay there while repairing the tank is kinda neat, but shouldn't happen. They can do it but at a risk and take damage over time spent on it. These changes would push for more skill in tank play and less reckless abandon.
8) Medic healing: The first class I maxed out was the medic. I love playing the medic class but it is broken as is IMO. The paddles should have a recharge time, not be instant. I shouldn't be able to zap everyone back to life by just running over them and hitting the button. That is too easy, too fast. Yes, it makes for longer games and would lower the effectiveness of the medic class but as is, is just too quick and easy. Why have a charge on the paddles if you only need to tap it?
9) Realism limits on gear: IMO healing packs and supplies should have a shorter time limit or a limit as to how many people can benefit from them. There should be a limit to how many a support class can put down. No one carries that much gear! This would end up effecting explosive spam, infinite healing and might actually cause players to aim and be more accurate with their shots. Limit the number of "mobile spawn points" a squad can have and do not have it recharge. This could also help reduce map exploiting.
Side Note: I would of liked to try a hardcore mode. 1 shot kills, realism, less COD more consequence. Will there be a hardcore mode available on release or is that for the BF portal?
In closing: I like the game. I had fun playing it. The fact EA is taking steps to reduce cheating goes a long way with me. The game looks amazing! Graphically, stunning. A little bit too much like COD Multiplayer but with a BF flavor... The menus are easy to use. The classes straight forward. Shouldn't be hard for new players but for all of us who have played BF in the past, this is normal. I would like to see more about how it is going to actually release. Will there be a dog tag collection of your knife kills? Will there be an interface that has all my player stats? Accuracy, time played each class, etc. etc? I already asked about HC mode. Are there plans to add weapons over the life of the game or is the boxes we see it? Will skinning be possible? I love tank on tank warfare, but Abrams vs Abrams to me looks lame. Abrams on Leopard 2 or Challenger 2 would be better. I understand for the sake of beta, having 1 skin. For an open beta, the game performed very well. I didn't experience much lag. I didn't have but 1 crash to desktop. I did experience a bunch of graphical glitches. A black line here, a purple line once, a couple yellow lines, but it didn't stop me from playing.
Overall: Thank you EA for having this beta. Even though, it just feels like another BF game. The environment destruction is a good step forward (maybe some day the entire map can be flattened!) The implementation of EA AC though, that is the biggest thing that will determine if I give you my money or not. We (the player base) were burned by Asstivision with their promises of an anti-cheat. Don't make the same mistake they did. Take it seriously and really make a difference in the online gaming space. If you made it this far, thank you for your time and GLHF.
