Recommendations for Improving Operation Modes (Including New Mechanism Design)

After playing the Operations mode for nearly two weeks, the author first and foremost recognizes the studio’s dedication and would like to express sincere respect to the development team. However, there is always room for improvement. To ensure that the Breakthrough mode in Battlefield 6 can provide players with an even better gaming experience in the future, the author suggests the following improvements based on personal gameplay:

1. Emphasize the Epic Nature of the Campaign Mode

Currently, the Campaign Mode feels to the author like two Breakthrough modes stitched together. Although there are changes in reserve forces, vehicle support, and map mechanics, the experience still doesn’t differ significantly from the traditional Breakthrough mode. From another perspective, why would players choose to play the Campaign Mode? Naturally, it’s because this mode offers a unique gaming experience. And this experience, in the author’s view, is the sense of epic scale. Players should feel as though they are truly fighting a campaign within the game, rather than merely exchanging gunfire on a map. Therefore, the following modifications are recommended:

a. Enhance the opening cinematic to make it more impactful. This video could also serve as promotional material for online marketing.

b. Use more intense and rhythmic music as the background score for the final stages to heighten the tension and enhance the gameplay experience (for example, the background music used in the Operation Mode trailer feels quite good to me; it could be considered for use in the game).

c. Increase the intensity and deterrent effect of vehicle support. For example, the NATO-supplied LTV—upon seeing it in-game, the author felt it lacked any real deterrent effect, so naturally, it doesn’t create much tension for the ensuing battle; at best, it merely prevents the enemy from using an LTV to launch a surprise attack on our forces and capture the stronghold. (Specific recommendations for improving this aspect will be provided below in conjunction with other factors.) Additionally, for maps featuring purely infantry combat, support weapons could include the M32A1 40mm Multi-Shot Grenade Launcher to provide powerful fire suppression. The currently available machine guns could be modified to inflict greater damage on destructible surfaces, meaning they could destroy cover and clear paths through sustained fire.

2. Balance Between Attack and Defense

Based on player feedback and comments from numerous bloggers online, the gameplay experience and win rates for the attacking and defending sides are vastly different. The attacking side has a significantly lower win rate. In particular, when the attacking side is vastly outnumbered, they are unable to capture any bases, which makes the game extremely tedious for the defending players. Therefore, even though the defending side wins more often than it loses, the players’ overall gaming experience is still greatly diminished. Military theory holds that the attacking side must outnumber the defending side (for example, one theory suggests a three-to-one ratio) to launch a successful attack. Since the current game features an equal number of players on both sides, it is understandable that the attacking side has a lower win rate. Therefore, game mechanics need to be adjusted to balance the experience for players on both sides.

a. Proposal 1: Equal Player Counts for Attack and Defense

Adopt the escalation mode from Battlefield 6 as the base mode. This offers two advantages: first, 64-player battles meet player expectations and enhance the gaming experience; second, the All-Out War mode allows for the introduction of aerial vehicles, eliminating the need to consider airspace issues in Breakthrough mode and thereby strengthening the deterrent effect of support vehicles (This addresses the vehicle support issue mentioned earlier)

Building upon the escalation mode, the following changes are made to the gameplay mechanics:

Overall Map Flow:

Before the battle begins, the defending team controls all outposts, while the attacking team only holds the Frontline Headquarters;

Phase 1: Outposts A, B, and C are opened. After the attacking team completes the phase objective, A and B are captured by the attacking team, while C remains a contested zone;

Phase 2: Open D and E. At this point, C, D, and E are combat zones. After the attacking team completes the phase objective, C and D are captured by the attacking team, while E remains a combat zone; (This marks the final phase of the escalation mode and the start of the first large-scale clash between players on both sides after entering the game)

Phase 3: Open F and G. At this point, E, F, and G are combat zones. After the attacking team completes the phase objective, E and F are captured by the attacking team, and G remains a combat zone;

Phase 4: Only the G zone remains a combat zone. Both sides engage in the final showdown of this map here. After completing the map objective, the attacking team captures G, the defending team loses all outposts, and the game loads the next map.

Victory Conditions: The defending team loses if they lose all control points; the attacking team loses if they fail to capture all control points within the time limit and have no reserve forces.

Stage Map Mechanics:

In the first three stages, each stage features three control points as combat zones. At the start of each stage, all three control points are held by the defending team, and the attacking team launches an assault.

Attacker Mechanics: The attackers gain progress bar charge by capturing two outposts. When the progress bar is full, it is deemed that the attackers have effectively controlled two-thirds of the Phase 1 battlefield within the system-specified time limit—meaning they have captured both A and B zones—and the defenders must retreat.

Defender Mechanics: When the defenders control two or more combat zones, the progress bar charges. Once the progress bar is full, the defenders gain one anti-aircraft vehicle, with no upper limit on the number of vehicles. Additionally, when the attackers receive air vehicle support, the defenders’ anti-aircraft vehicles are simultaneously deployed in the match.

Phase 4 Mechanics: Since only Outpost G remains for the attacking team to capture at this stage, the design dictates that once Outpost G is captured and the progress bar is fully charged, the attacking team secures the outpost and wins the map.

Note: After the attacking team loses 200 troops, Little Bird will provide support; after losing another 200 troops, attack helicopters will provide support (depending on the map, this can be designed so that the first wave of support consists of helicopters and the final wave consists of jet fighters). However, the defending team does not have anti-aircraft vehicles by default and can only obtain them by filling the progress bar through the map’s mechanics, with no upper limit on the number.

The purpose of this design is threefold: First, the battlefield is sufficiently vast with numerous strongholds, providing both sides with ample tactical space for strategic maneuvering and gameplay; second, it ensures the defending team remains actively engaged rather than passively waiting to engage in a final showdown at the last stronghold; third, it ensures that aerial vehicles pose a significant threat to the defending team, while the defending team’s active engagement can mitigate this threat—the level of threat posed by the attacking team’s aerial vehicles is inversely proportional to the defending team’s level of engagement.

b. Option 2: Unequal numbers of attackers and defenders

Keep the current mechanism unchanged, with the attacking and defending teams at a ratio of 36 vs. 28 (64 players total). For details, please refer to the author’s previous post: https://forums.ea.com/discussions/battlefield-6-general-discussion-en/a-proposal-for-improving-the-breakthrough-mode-including-operation-mode/13349931

3. Map Selection

Based on feedback from players online, the author believes that future Operation Mode updates should prioritize 64-player Breakthrough maps. This will result in more intense combat, a more immersive battlefield atmosphere, and a better player experience.

4. Launch Schedule

It is recommended that Operation Mode be a permanent feature, with limited availability on weekends. Since Operation Mode typically requires longer match durations, but players also desire a different “Breakthrough” experience, opening it on weekends could help boost the number of players online during those days.

In summary, Operation Mode must emphasize an “epic” feel, making both attackers and defenders feel that victory is hard-won—a strategic objective (match victory). To this end, the mode’s visuals and music should help create a solemn and tense atmosphere, while its unique vehicles and mechanics should evoke a sense of overwhelming pressure.

Finally, we would like to thank the entire studio team for their hard work in bringing Operation Mode to players. We also hope that after this limited-time event concludes, the studio will actively review the experience and deliver an even more exciting Operation Mode for players in the future!

（The English text is for reference only; the Simplified Chinese text in the attachment shall prevail.）