Re: The Portal XP Nerf and the Betrayal of "Full Progression" - Targeted Solutions

Instead of mindlessly complaining about the Portal situation, here’s some constructive criticism and solutions from a BF fan and Software Engineer to the Battlefield team:

Obviously, many issues have risen due to the lack of a proper server browser (like BF3/4). Now, this probably isn’t an easy fix - however, it’s really, really important you bring one in.

I’d take a guess that ~70% of Portal users are hardcore or older Battlefield fans who simply want to play a specific way with a community of like-minded gamers (hardcore rules, limited weapons/classes, certain gamemodes/maps, etc.). Around ~20% are bot farming, and the remaining players are just messing around on custom modes.
(Evidence – most popular experiences on Portal via EA’s Portal website and in-game)

If you look back at BF3 and BF4, you’d always see servers like “{Clan Name} {Map Name} {Gamemode} 24/7 - 1000% Tickets” completely full, while random custom servers were empty. The majority of players who use Portal are hardcore fans or people who just want to play some PvE with friends. With this latest move, you’ve essentially removed the playability for 70% of those players. I’m assuming (or hoping) this is only a temporary fix to combat farming servers, but already the community is losing trust.

I understand if there’s a threshold of bots-to-players before full XP is enabled. This makes sense - it stops players from joining an empty, bot-filled lobby, going 100K–10D, and progressing faster than intended. A relatively simple backend fix could solve this: check the server’s player count versus bot count and enable the full XP progression flag when it’s fair. For example, a 1:5 ratio would make things much more balanced, even as a quick patch. Servers with >48 players could then earn full XP. Is it a good long-term fix? Definitely not. Would it make players happy in the meantime? Yeah probably.

Realistically, the higher-ups are looking at this from a monetary perspective. But here’s the thing - in BF3, you could pay (in-game) for a dedicated server (at least on Xbox 360/PS3). Why not bring something like that back? It could be an option to expand Portal’s server list, letting players host verified modes where full XP and normal progression apply. This could be a tag or filter in Portal, so players can easily hop in and progress just like in normal multiplayer. Bots can (and should) still be used, but their accuracy/intelligence could be adjusted to better simulate real matches.

I get that EA probably doesn’t want locally hosted servers due to a lack of monetary return or players tweaking the client-side. That’s understandable - you can’t trust everyone to play fair. Still, local hosting could be a great option for PvE, practice, or testing Portal creations with friends. It fits Portal’s original goal - to be the creative, long-term core of the product, bringing players back over time. Right now, custom experiences can’t be properly tested with other players, and this would help solve that.

Basically, I’d recommend the following changes/additions:

• Add a bot-to-player ratio condition for normal progression
• Add a server browser to rebuild community and find servers/gamemodes easily
• Add dedicated servers with intelligent bots (full XP)
• Add/change client-hosted servers for testing, practice, and PvE (limited/no XP)

And finally please, just let players create communities and play on dedicated servers again. It might seem like a small thing, but once new games release and casual players move on, you’ll be left with the true Battlefield fans; the ones who kept BF3 and BF4 alive all these years. Combine that with the new Portal, and BF6 could easily live on for many years.

DICE claim they read all comments & posts, so this is a true test of DICE & Battlefield Studio's word. I never post/comment on games, but Battlefield has a very special place in my heart, and I don't want another 2042.