The Latest Casual Game Mode Ignites Intense Discussions Over Bots, Experience Points, and Queue Times
Recently, Battlefield Studios launched a fresh playlist called Casual Breakthrough. In essence, this mode resembles the standard Breakthrough setup but features several notable adjustments:
- Each team has just eight real players, with the remaining made up of 32 bots.
- Activities performed by real players award full XP, while AI activities offer reduced XP.
- Just a pair of locations are available: Cairo Siege and Empire State.
- Features like Player tags, accolades, and career stat updates are disabled.
In short, this mode lives up to its title: it's a laid-back take of Breakthrough. On the surface, one could assume it's a good idea, since it gives additional choices for gamers looking for different methods to enjoy the title. But, if video games have taught us anything, it's that you can't please everyone. In other words, a lot of Battlefield 6 fans are mad.
Player Reactions: Anger to Support
"Gamers prefer human opponents. Avoid making the errors of your competitors," states a response to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking idea," says a different user. At the same time, in community forums, one user remarks, "It's unclear where we are going with this game," and someone else lists all the issues they consider to be problematic in the game: "Resolve glitches, address drone issues, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We do not require this bot mode."
On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers sharing how much they're liking the new mode. "It's very fun to warm up, real players keep it from being a total farmfest but it's very relaxed," says one Reddit comment. "This subreddit doesn't understand that there are gamers who actually go outside and don't play this game all the time. Let them strike a balance," adds another. A response on Twitter explains that as they're "a parent gamer with limited time, this is great for me," and another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."
Valid Criticisms and Player Feedback
Despite the support, there are valid points to complain about Casual Breakthrough. Some users have highlighted that it could increase wait times more extended for different playlists because of the sheer number of playlists in the game already. On a similar note, some areas already encounter AI-filled matches in the current modes. Additionally, it appears somewhat counterintuitive that the mode won't start without a minimum number of human gamers, even though it focuses mostly on combat against bots.
Lastly, one of the biggest complaints is that a previous feature was promised to provide complete rewards, including AI matches, but that got canned when they attempted to remove XP farming from the mode. Thus this new playlist seems like the player base meeting them in the middle, according to a Reddit comment. A different user describes this addition as the devs "dropping the ball so hard, I experienced great enjoyment in the initial release, what prompted them to adjust it?"
Future Prospects: Will Changes Be Made?
Should Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something so far with Battlefield 6, it is that they're listening and responding to feedback. Tasks being too difficult were adjusted rapidly, as did the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode isn't performing to their expectations, they will not hesitate to make further modifications.