The Carrier Campers Problem

I posted this same comment on day 1. Nothing has changed and I'm really going off Carrier.

As an aside, please don't join to a game already running, because it seems to me I get to join the losing side as people abandon the round.

Feedback: Carrier Protection and Lower-Deck Accessibility | EA Forums - 13662717  

I completely agree. In several matches, even my own team reached the enemy flight deck extremely early; I have to admit that I joined them once, and jumping around the control tower was fun, but it was clearly an overpowered position—especially when we could steal newly spawned helicopters and jets.

The control tower is difficult to approach and defend from the deck, giving campers above it a major advantage. I do not mind the carrier becoming an active combat area later in the match, and I have sometimes stayed behind specifically to defend our flight deck, but dealing with enemies already established on top of the tower is extremely difficult.

Enemy helicopters being able to circle freely around an almost undamaged aircraft carrier also breaks the immersion, even with the understanding that it is “just a game.” Adding player-controlled or automated defenses could protect the carrier early in the match, with those defenses becoming disabled as its integrity falls.

I also commented on the other thread but wanted to add here:

• Only the anti ship missiles should be capable of breaching the hull
• Hull breach should happen no earlier than 25% remaining integrity (i.e. 75% damage)
• Enemy carrier should remain out of bounds until hull is breached
• Ladders to command bridge are needed
• Once hull is breached, vehicles should spawn farther away from carrier
• Defensive stations are needed (CWIS, MG & TOW)

Previous comment:

I fully agree with the points above, I played 4 maps of carrier assault today and all of them were dominated by spawn-killing on the enemy aircraft carrier and therefore not enjoyable in any way.

I was really excited about this game mode, as the Titan mode of Battlefield 2142 was by far my favorite battlefield game mode.

In BF2142, the titans had an energy shield and could not be boarded until the shield was depleted after tons of anti-titan missile attacks. After that, the gunship and transport helicopter still had a separate small shield over their hangar, so they were protected (except for motion mines if placed by the enemy above) and could not be stolen. There were only 4 entry points to an enemy titan, and it was symmetrical, meaning 2 opposite approaches to memorize. There was a front and back facing AA on top, and 4 canons below, to defend against approaching vehicles. These defenses could be destroyed, but repaired again.

This setup worked beautifully and was well balanced. The shield gave the missiles more importance, meaning 75% of the game was conquest, with a focus on titan boarding at the end. 

While energy shields wouldn't fit into BF6, the most obvious solution to me would be to make the HQ out of bounds for enemies until the hull is breached. And the hull should not breach at 50% but rather at 75%. Only once the hull is breached, should the area of the carrier be accessible to enemy players. In addition, carriers need at least one CWIS and some MG stations for realism.

I really hope the spawn killing will get fixed so that we can actually have a decent experience in what could easily be the best mode of BF6.

Hi there,

Thanks for taking the time to explain what you’ve been seeing.

The carrier camping you’ve described does not appear consistent with the intended match flow outlined in our Mode Guide. Players are often very quick to discover powerful strategies, but when one tactic leaves much of the map uncontested and shifts the focus away from the aerial combat at the heart of the Top Gun theme...

I’ll make the team aware of this, including your suggestion to keep the enemy carrier out of bounds until the M-COMs have been activated.

Server Browser will enter Battlefield Labs testing ahead of its planned release in Season 5 as part of Phase 3, giving players an early opportunity to try the feature and help us refine the experience.

We are also exploring how the Server Browser can support a more persistent match flow, make it easier to remain with other players between rounds, and complement the existing matchmaking experience.

We will share a closer look at the Server Browser interface and the options available for finding servers as Battlefield Labs testing approaches. For now, here’s what we can share with you on our progress.

Server Browser will provide another way to find matches, but it is not intended to replace the work underway on matchmaking itself.

Matchmaking remains one of the most frequently discussed areas within the community, particularly around match quality and consistency. Our teams are investigating concerns such as matches starting or backfilling with too many bots, significant differences in ticket counts, and players being placed in high-ping matches.

These concerns involve several interconnected systems. Once we have clear findings to share, we plan to publish a dedicated update outlining what our investigation has identified and how we intend to improve the experience.

Hi LunardustCat

Thank you for taking the time to reply and for making the team aware of the carrier spawn-camping issue and the proposed improvements, much appreciated! I hope the mode will become permanent, once this has been addressed. 😊

Hi there,

We’re overjoyed that our Top Gun collaboration has resonated with so many of our players and are happy to announce that we will be extending Carrier Strike and Gauntlet: Fighter Sweep through the entirety of Season 4.

A modified version of Carrier Strike will return in Season 6.

I understand that hearing about a modified version returning in Season 6 may not address the frustrations players are experiencing with the mode right now. In a competitive environment, players will naturally use whichever strategies give them the best chance of winning, even when those strategies affect the intended flow or enjoyment of the match.

At the same time, meaningful changes can require time to design and test. I’ll continue passing the community’s feedback about carrier camping along to the team.

Thanks for the update, EA_LunardustCat​ !
I look forward to trying it again in season 6 then. :)

Hey folks, happy to share that Game Update 1.4.3.0, coming on September 15, includes some adjustments to improve the overall experience in Carrier Strike!

• Added Out of Bounds volumes to reduce instances of spawn camping on the carrier deck.
• Corrected an issue where HQ icons would not stick to the minimap in Rush and Breakthrough.
• Fixed "Alliance Disbanded" notification incorrectly appearing during the final round of Gauntlet.
• Corrected an issue where a player's class would be deselected after exiting a mode tutorial.
• Jets will no longer spawn on the carriers once breached, and will only be available through the deploy screen. 

Please let us know what you think once you've had a chance to play with these changes!