The Latest Casual Game Mode Sparks Heated Debates Over AI Players, Experience Points, and Wait Times
Recently, the game developers launched a new playlist titled Casual Breakthrough. In essence, this option mirrors the standard Breakthrough format but includes several key adjustments:
- Every squad has just eight human participants, with the rest made up of AI-controlled opponents.
- Actions performed by real players grant full XP, while bot actions provide reduced XP.
- Just a pair of locations are available: Cairo Siege and Empire State.
- Features like Player tags, achievements, and career stat updates have been turned off.
In short, the playlist lives up to its name: it offers a laid-back take of Breakthrough. On the surface, one could assume there's nothing wrong, as it gives additional choices for players seeking alternative methods to enjoy the game. However, if video games have taught us anything, it's that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, a lot of Battlefield 6 players are upset.
Player Responses: Anger to Praise
"Gamers prefer human opponents. Avoid making the mistakes of your competitors," states one reply to the mode reveal. "Truly disappointing concept," comments a different user. At the same time, in community forums, one user notes, "It's unclear where we are going with this title," while someone else lists everything they consider to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, fix drone glitch, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."
On the other hand, amid the criticism, some gamers sharing how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's enjoyable to warm up, real players keep it from being a complete grind but it's quite laid-back," reads a forum post. "The community doesn't understand that there are players who have lives and can't play this game all the time. Allow them to find a middle ground," adds a different comment. A response via social media clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is perfect for me," while another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."
Valid Criticisms and Player Feedback
All that said, players have valid points to complain about Casual Breakthrough. Some users have highlighted that it will make queue times even longer for different playlists because of the large amount of playlists in the game already. Similarly, some areas often face AI-filled matches in the existing playlists. It also seems a little backwards that the mode does not begin without a required amount of real players, despite it primarily centers on combat against bots.
Lastly, a major grievances is that a previous feature was meant to provide full XP, even against bots, but that got canned when they attempted to remove XP farming from the system. Thus this new playlist feels like the community meeting them halfway, as per forum feedback. A different user labels this mode as the devs "making a mistake significantly, I experienced so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"
Future Prospects: Adjustments Occur?
Should Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something to date with the latest installment, it's that they're paying attention and acting on feedback. Tasks that were overly hard were adjusted rapidly, as did the required Redsec challenges. Chances are that, if their data indicates this recent mode is underperforming to their standards, they won't be shy to make further modifications.