With Battlefield 1, DICE has made a giant change to how maps, weapons, and modes are launched for season move holders. A change that ruins it for many who take part within the recreation’s Community Test Environment (CTE) in addition to those that don’t.
In earlier Battlefield video games, DICE had a fairly easy system for DLC releases. Pay $50 for a season move (Premium), and get all DLC content material per week or two early. After which, expansions turn into accessible individually for $15. Each DLC would carry new weapons, modes, and 4 or extra maps.
The essential distinction right here is that every enlargement got here out the door content-complete. With each DLC, you bought all of the content material you paid for on the identical day, whether or not or not it’s the Premium launch day or the a la carte one two weeks later. This was just about the way in which of issues in Battlefield three – the primary to have a Premium move – Battlefield four, and even the 2015 Star Wars: Battlefront. Something modified in Battlefield 1, although.
After the launch of Battlefield 1, DICE determined that in an effort to preserve a gentle stream of content material, it wanted to maneuver away from large DLC drops each three or 4 months. Instead, Premium gamers would get one or two maps from an upcoming enlargement early, an early unlock, if you’ll. This may very well be one map per thirty days, or two maps the month earlier than the official launch date.
Then, on that day, gamers would get the remainder of what was promised. Usually meaning the 2 remaining maps, and nevertheless many weapons and recreation modes have been marketed.
“DICE has now effectively offloaded part of each DLCs quality assurance work onto players, and somehow the CTE keeps getting earlier and earlier versions of maps and weapons, with grey boxes, broken animations and untextured blobs”
We can agree or disagree with this new strategy, however we will’t deny its potential to maintain Premium gamers over an extended time frame, primarily dispersing the massive inhabitants spikes throughout the complete lifetime of the sport. I don’t suppose that is the proper method to go about this, however that’s a dialogue for an additional time.
The fundamental crux of my concern with it’s that prior to those early, public releases, there’s a fair earlier model accessible to gamers keen to obtain the Community Test Environment – itself a bonus you’ll be able to solely entry by shopping for Premium. The developer has achieved this with They Shall Not Pass, and the lately launched In the Name of the Tsar expansions.
Over time, the state of the DLC maps and weapons launched early on the CTE bought shakier and shakier. This week, DICE dropped very early versions of two maps from the upcoming Turning Tides enlargement. When I say early, I imply white box-style playgrounds with untextured property. This is the kind of content material state we don’t get to see in completed video games. It’s often saved solely to behind the scenes movies.
To throw in a model of that work, in such a doubtful early state, is atrocious. Of course, this isn’t really the primary time CTE regulars bought to check such early iterations of maps. In Battlefield four’s CTE, DICE did the identical factor with a free map idea dubbed the Community Map Project that it had hoped would evolve with the group’s assist. The map was formally launched months later as Operation Outbreak, after altering a number of occasions throughout growth. Players bought to see their suggestions come to life in real-time each time a more moderen, extra refined model of the map confirmed up on the CTE.
The apparent distinction right here is that when DICE did this with Battlefield four, it was for a free, additional map introduced lengthy after Battlefield four’s Premium DLC slate had concluded. DICE was underneath no obligation so as to add extra content material to what was by that time a two-year-old recreation. It breathed new life right into a recreation whose time had handed, and it was welcomed with open arms by the identical group that pilloried Battlefield four for its messy launch state. The similar venture would later additionally carry totally new weapons to the sport, to a different nice response.
But to take this well-meaning idea and apply it to Battlefield 1’s paid DLC content material, primarily hiring your most devoted followers – those who spent essentially the most cash – to check out the content material they paid for is exploitative.
It’s price noting that maps from Battlefield four’s final enlargement, Final Stand, additionally confirmed up on the CTE months earlier than launch. This was the primary time one thing like this had occurred, however even then, the CTE variations weren’t wherever near being this early in growth.
The novelty of the idea on the time additionally didn’t go away room for a cynical outlook, however now that we’ve seen it stretched to its limits, doing the identical factor with each enlargement makes it really feel like a aware development.
The CTE idea just isn’t unique to Battlefield, after all. Almost all large video games right this moment have some type of a community-driven check server. When the thought was first carried out with Battlefield four, it was meant to be a playground the place builders might check out large adjustments or probably damaged ones with out jeopardising the soundness of the reside recreation.
Things like drastic weapon steadiness adjustments, fixes to map exploits, a redefinition of a gadget’s function, and the well-known netcode overhaul all made their method to everybody else after CTE gamers ran them via their paces. The similar factor even continues to occur with Battlefield 1’s CTE, like we’re seeing now with the big weapon rebalance venture, and the addition of specialisations earlier than that.
Nobody can deny that the CTE helps the sport, nevertheless it’s been slowly shifting into an costly, pay-to-test setting slightly than an open line of communication between builders and gamers.
You might argue that if I’m actually not a fan of seeing content material this early, I ought to simply ignore it and look ahead to it to return to reside servers. This is true, after all, till you realise that DICE is setting a precedent right here. What first began with a free map has now moved to paid DLC. What started as a possibility to make small tweaks has now shifted to wholly unfinished property.
There’s additionally one other unlucky facet impact of drip-feeding content material to gamers that approach, and it’s one which’ll maintain getting worse the extra damaged and unfinished these property maintain exhibiting up. The launch of Battlefield expansions was an occasion.
“What first started with a free map has now moved to paid DLC. What began as an opportunity to make small tweaks has now shifted to wholly unfinished assets”
I, and plenty of others would patiently await the smallest of teases about their themes and areas. The promise of a screenshot, trailer, or a preview on some web site concerning the subsequent large content material drop was sufficient to get me to remain up into the wee hours. Hell, one of many marketed Premium advantages in Battlefield three was actually getting early access to bloody trailers – earlier than they have been reuploaded 5 minutes later to YouTube by followers, after all.
On launch day, you had a wealth of content material to undergo, with loads of surprises left unspoiled. Simple issues like seeing a map for the primary time, or determining how a recreation mode works alongside everyone else have great worth, one thing I haven’t in any respect felt in Battlefield 1. Even although my first time enjoying these maps was on the official launch day, I knew precisely what to anticipate after having seen loads of footage of their CTE iterations.
DICE has now successfully offloaded a part of every DLCs high quality assurance work onto gamers, and someway the CTE retains getting earlier and earlier variations of maps and weapons, with gray containers, damaged animations and untextured blobs.
Expansion launches cease that means something when nearly all of content material is offered months prior on the CTE. I don’t think about anybody who performs on the CTE recurrently can muster up any pleasure when the issues they helped check lastly turn into accessible on reside servers.
We’re not DICE’s QA staff, why ought to we have now to really feel this unlucky facet impact of working for one? This is an unpleasant side of the feverish push in the direction of video games as a service, however why is it that we maintain dropping advantages as a substitute of gaining any on this alternate?
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