Grounded Design Concept to Save BF
Dice needs to implement one critical change into its game-making process to appeal to gamers and more importantly its base going forward, that is the implementation of the concept of "grounded" design. The concept is simple, any game feature should be weighed against the applicable real-world example/implementation. It's important not to confuse "realism" you aren't looking to change the base game formula and make the game a "Hell Let Loose" clone.
The Sundance specialist is a perfect example of how this concept wasn't adhered to, as the specialist is implemented now they are a superman like figure who flies around spamming scatter grenades and hitting the ground at bone-shattering speeds (unhurt). If implemented in a proper BF style the wingsuit character would have been a light infantry concept who doesn't carry much outside their rifle and deploys to get behind enemy lines and take objectives while holding out for reinforcements (also deploying a chute in order to land). You could easily see clans/platoons forming these light detachments to sow chaos behind enemy lines. They also could have changed who can deploy from which aircraft in order to encourage more people to play as groups of these specialists (also awesome to see them scatter if a tank shows up and they've got to disengage/run)
Almost all of BFV and BF2042 poorly received features could have been resolved prior to launch if this concept had been adhered to. If BFV had stuck to a "grounded" concept for its announcement trailer it would have avoided the huge fan backlash and would have automatically removed the poor art design decision to include a cyborg into a WW2 game. The overall feel of the game would have changed to a darker and grittier version of WW2 with amazing matching cosmetics/maps taken from historical sources.
Similar to how Hollywood is returning to more practical effects to make the worlds feel more real, I feel Dice needs to do something similar.
Additional Examples:
- The "transport" ground vehicles in BF2042 should be killable with one hit from an anti-tank weapon along with a more natural feeling top gun positions, I find it hard to believe in a WW3 type scenario that every transport would have a computerized heavy cannon attached (you could even mix and match). I don't mind them being up-armored (impervious to small arms) but the computer screen gun is just unfun. A general redesign to a closed concept like the Russian Tigr would be a lot more sensical/grounded.
- The vehicles and characters in BF2042 don't appear to have any weight or real-world feel to them, almost like they are in a vacuum, they move unnaturally and are clunky. Many vehicles accelerate instantly but should take time to get up to speed (the civilian vehicles appear to be the only ones with acceleration/physics applied to them). A designer should have been able to sit down and say these don't feel real/grounded.
- Overall character design from the last two entries has been lackluster, the art team literally had a million photos to pull from and chose to make a phantom of the opera and laser tag outfits. Someone should have said this doesn't feel authentic or real (aka grounded).
Feel free to pile on any ideas or even criticism about the concept, maybe it'll just make some of us feel better but I have played the franchise from the very beginning and I hate to see it fall on such hard times without saying something.