The Tragic Downfall of the Battlefield Franchise
snzr・54 minutes read
The Battlefield franchise has a rich history of iconic titles like Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, known for their innovative gameplay and engine advancements. However, recent releases like Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 2042 have faced criticism for historical inaccuracies, lack of content updates, and disappointing gameplay experiences.
Insights
- The Battlefield franchise, known for its innovative gameplay and engine advancements, has faced challenges such as net code issues, visual suppression, and weapon/class balancing, impacting the player experience across various titles.
- Battlefield 5, criticized for historical inaccuracies, weak maps, and gunplay randomness, struggled with graphics, visibility issues, and anti-aliasing problems, highlighting the importance of balancing historical accuracy with engaging gameplay mechanics.
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Recent questions
What is the most popular game in the Battlefield franchise?
Battlefield 3
What were some of the challenges faced by Battlefield 3?
Net code issues, visual suppression, weapon/class balancing
What was the major innovation introduced in Battlefield 4?
Levolution
What were some of the criticisms faced by Battlefield 5?
Historical inaccuracies, weak maps, weapon balance issues
What suggestions were made to improve Battlefield 2042?
Revert to class system, limit players per match, provide meaningful content
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Summary
00:00
Evolution of Battlefield Franchise in Gaming
- The battle franchise was dominant in the gaming industry, releasing legendary titles that attracted both loyal fans and new players from other FPS games like Call of Duty.
- Battlefield 3, released in competition with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, showcased groundbreaking gameplay and engine advancements, although it sold fewer copies.
- DICE, known for innovative FPS games, achieved a milestone with Battlefield 1942 in 2002, featuring 64 players on large maps.
- Battlefield 2, released in June 2005, continued the success by bringing players to a modern era with iconic maps and a wide range of weapons.
- Battlefield Bad Company, released in 2008, marked the franchise's first console-exclusive title, featuring likable characters and the new Frostbite engine with destructible environments.
- Battlefield Bad Company 2, released in 2010, expanded on its predecessor with improved visuals, new maps, and the successful Vietnam expansion, selling 5 million copies.
- Battlefield 3, released in 2011, marked a significant leap with the Frostbite 2 engine, impressive visuals, and a captivating marketing campaign, although initially facing bugs and performance issues.
- Battlefield 3's multiplayer experience on PC, with larger maps and 64-player matches, offered a different and enhanced gameplay experience.
- Battlefield 3's expansions, including Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath, and Endgame, added new content and gameplay modes, although they required additional purchase.
- Battlefield 3's multiplayer experience, especially on Knife Only servers, provided memorable moments and challenges, with unique mechanics like hopping to avoid being knifed.
13:38
Battlefield 4: Challenges, Launch Issues, Expansions
- Battlefield 3 is hailed as the best game in the franchise, praised for its Ms, gunplay, gameplay, and expansions.
- Battlefield 3 faced challenges like net code issues, visual suppression, and weapon/class balancing.
- In 2013, DICE unveiled Battlefield 4 at E3, promising enhanced destruction, graphics, and 64-player support on consoles.
- Battlefield 4 introduced Levolution, allowing players to trigger environmental changes, showcased by a skyscraper collapse.
- The open Beta for Battlefield 4 received mixed reviews due to hit detection and performance issues.
- Battlefield 4's launch was marred by severe bugs, crashes, and poor quality day-one content, disappointing fans.
- Maps like Gulf Railway and Lhang Dam in Battlefield 4 lacked cover and balance, unlike Operation Locker and Flood Zone.
- Battlefield 4 introduced Levolution events, some impactful while others were gimmicky, and the controversial Battle Pack system.
- EA's rush to release Battlefield 4 led to poor net code, performance, and map quality, but post-launch updates improved the game.
- Battlefield 4's expansions like China Rising and Final Stand added content, making it a popular and content-rich title in the franchise.
25:36
Battlefield 5 and 2042: Controversy and Criticism
- Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 2042 are the focus of discussion, with Battlefield 5 being released in 2018 and Battlefield 2042 being the latest controversial games in the franchise.
- Battlefield 5 faced backlash for setting the game in World War II, with players desiring a return to a modern era similar to the detail level of Battle one.
- Historical inaccuracies in Battlefield 5's reveal trailer, including a woman with prosthetics and a British soldier with a katana, sparked controversy.
- Battlefield 5's inclusion of a female Norwegian commander in a solo mission, contrary to the real group of male commanders who completed the task without firing a weapon, was criticized.
- Battlefield 5's launch featured eight weak maps based on lesser-known historical battles, lacking iconic battles like Stalingrad and D-Day.
- Battlefield 5's gunplay was criticized for its randomness due to recoil patterns, making it inconsistent and difficult to master.
- Battlefield 5 struggled with graphics, visibility issues, and anti-aliasing problems, impacting gameplay negatively.
- Battlefield 5 faced weapon balance issues, leading to multiple updates to the time to kill (ttk) system, affecting gameplay dynamics.
- Battlefield 5 launched with 37 weapons, featuring a challenging gold camo grind, but suffered from content shortages and lack of a sense of grind.
- Battlefield 5's live service model failed to deliver consistent content updates, with the Pacific update being a notable improvement before the game's support was canceled.
37:22
Battlefield 2042: Issues and Lack of Content
- Explosive spam was a significant issue in the game, prompting Dice to limit the mode to 64 players from 128, improving the gameplay experience.
- Some Specialists, like Pike and Boris, had overpowered abilities at launch, causing frustration among players.
- Players disliked the Specialist system and longed for the return of the class system from previous Battlefield games.
- Dice's attempt to give Specialists unique personalities through cringe-worthy dialogue during gameplay was widely criticized.
- Hazard Zone, an extraction shooter mode, failed to gain traction and was eventually canceled by Dice.
- Portal mode, featuring maps and weapons from older Battlefield games, disappointed players as it felt like reskinned content.
- Updates and fixes were rolled out by Dice over the game's life cycle, but new content was delayed, leading to player boredom.
- Season updates like Zero Hour and Master of Arms lacked substantial content, with minimal new maps and weapons.
- Battlefield 2042 received minimal new content over two years, with only six new maps, 18 weapons, and a focus on cosmetic items in the store.
- Suggestions for Dice to recover include reverting to the class system, limiting players to 64 per match, providing meaningful content in each season, and improving gameplay mechanics like first-person takedown animations.
