If I had to guess, the reason it's not in the game is simply because Ghost couldn't figure out (or couldn't be ASSED to figure out) why their cop AI was so bad in 2015.
The cop AI in 2015 (along with the very wonky drifting mechanics) was the worst part about that game. It couldn't follow you very well and it only ever did so at a low speed (if you went over 80 or so you'd start gaining distance even if you needed them to chase you).
So, if I had to take a stab at it, their only real solution to the problem was to remove the open-world aspect of police chases so they could focus the cop AI on a single route. Then they could make them as aggressive as they wanted as the AI wouldn't be stuck making decisions about how to catch up to the player character. The police did this right in other NFS games, sure, but for whatever reason they didn't make it work in 2015 and didn't want to delve into why for this game.
Sugarcoat it all you want but the lack of police chases in free-roam is indicative of something more than "we wanted an action-focused experience" (or whatever it was they said).
@SolidSonicTH That could very well be it. I still think it is a huge slap in the face to us.
Um, where did you here this? i have looked in several places i did not see anything that said you have to go to bait crate to have a pursuit in free roam. From what i seen you can hit a bait crate to instantly start a pursuit (NFSMW 05 had this with bounty). i doubt that cops will be absent in free roam. People just assumed because there are bait crates that is the only way to start a pursuit?
If this is true, can someone show a link for proof?
@anti-loser1 http://answers.ea.com/t5/Game-Information/I-just-learned-that-there-s-no-free-roam-pursuits/m-p/6286432#M2624 look at the post @Mumexify7 did in the link I posted. F8rge is a Ghost Games official and he confirmed it himself. This is not a small detail. This is something that they have been marketing since the game was announced. Police chases have been a huge request in story missions and free roam. They only offer them in scripted events like races or bait crates.
@XGCSith wrote:@anti-loser1 http://answers.ea.com/t5/Game-Information/I-just-learned-that-there-s-no-free-roam-pursuits/m-p/6286432#M2624 look at the post @Mumexify7 did in the link I posted. F8rge is a Ghost Games official and he confirmed it himself. This is not a small detail. This is something that they have been marketing since the game was announced. Police chases have been a huge request in story missions an free roam. They only off them in scripted events like races or bait crates.
Thanks for the link, this is stupid and unrealistic, they have done cops right in the past like in most wanted 05. sometimes i want to drive anywhere i want with the cops
From the reddit post:
Cops will not roam the streets, if you want a cop experience you have the ability to trigger a bait crate.
@anti-loser1 That is exactly what we are saying. This game was supposed to be everything we all wanted and they blow it on the cop part of game. This is a big let down.
Oh come on , you are acting like this game is the worst Need For Speed to have ever come out , There are just no cops roaming the streets , Which is a huge plus for me tbh.. I like driving over 280 kp/h and knowing that no one will come after me , i can crash into my friends and have a good laugh without the cops being after us 24/7 , If you do want a cop chase go for that specific job , No one is stopping you. And not buying Need For Speed Payback for this very reason is really childish and low if you ask me. Peace
Well you can see what a dramatic impact this omission has on the appeal of the game.
It's a grave miscalculation on Ghost's part. Whatever reason they had to omit this, it didn't pay off. There's a gaping hole in the experience that was left behind.
@kartov93 I never said it was going to be the worse NFS to come out. This game was marketed as being a game that was huge with the cops meaning police chases. They were marketing the cops through their news feed.
https://www.ea.com/games/need-for-speed/need-for-speed-payback/news/nfs-payback-high-stakes-cops
Do not market police chases being a huge deal if they are not going to play a roll in the game free roam wise. It is stupid to only have police chases during a scripted event. Having police in free roam was what made games such as Carbon and Most Wanted fun. This is not a childish reason to not buy a game. Not buying a game because Toyota or a certain model of car in a game is childish reason. The cops playing a roll in a game is all part of the game play which then makes the game fun or dull. Not having police chases in free roam will make the game feel dead and unrealistic (trust me, its a game and I am not for 100% realism). This is a Need for Speed game for crying out loud.
So the cops are basically useless.
[–]F8RGEGhost 3 points 16 hours ago
Not really. You still get them in certain missions. Difference is now, if you want to cruise around the world you can do so without worry of triggering a cop chase, but if you do want some cop action - just activate a bait crate.
so, f8rge is trying to say it is a good thing by telling us we don't have to worry about triggering cop chases in free roam. if he puts it that way we should have the option to turn it off or on.