Battlefield Hardline

[fizzel]

I don't know about you guys, but I've enjoyed this.

The map in the demo is great.

BF4 beta was like that, shanghai was the only fun map in the game.

[Rahxephon91]

I don't know about you guys, but I've enjoyed this.

The map in the demo is great.

BF4 beta was like that, shanghai was the only fun map in the game.

Nah disagree. BF4 has some pretty good maps. Far better then 3's on disc maps.

[thisismyusername]

BF4 beta was like that, shanghai was the only fun map in the game.

Mmm... no.

Paracel Storm
Flood Zone (I know a lot of people don't like it, but I do )
Golmund Railway (depends on the mode, Conquest and Obliteration are mostly fine)
Hainan Resort
Zavod 311
Rogue Transmission
Lancang Dam

Just from vanilla alone. If Dawnbreaker didn't crash so much and maybe dropped jets (which make no sense) in PC/"next-gen console" versions, it'd be fine if they redid the Rush sets.

Shanghai isn't bad on Conquest or Obliteration. But on Rush the second set is easily broken by throwing a tank down where the M-COMs are. You can't RPG it and you have to throw your own tank down there to even get a chance to arm. So stupid.

[Stoney Mason]

During a recent EA Q1 FY2015 earnings call, EA Studios EVP Patrick Söderland shed a little more light on some of the feedback developer Visceral Games gathered from June’s Battlefield Hardline beta that directly influenced the company’s decision to push back the game’s launch to next year.

DICE VP and GM Karl Magnus Troedsson made the announcement earlier today, stating that Battlefield Hardline will launch in early 2015 in order to allow the development team more time to “push Hardline innovation further and make the game even better.” Troedsson added that the studio aims to add “new feature ideas direct from the community that will evolve the cops and criminals fantasy into a truly unique Battlefield Multiplayer experience.”

According to Söderland, the noteworthy feedback coming in during the Beta what what led to its one week extension, which Visceral hoped would allow even more ideas and criticisms to trickle through.

“We allowed people to play for a little bit longer, maybe, than we planned, because we found a lot of feedback from players in there, providing us valid information and feedback around features of the game and how the game felt, etc,” Söderland explained during the call. “And things like the cops and robbers fiction maybe wasn’t shining through properly, you know? Is it playing like a military game, but it should be a cops and robbers game?”

“We saw ideas around asymmetric gameplay, a bunch of really strong, good, well-thought ideas that we decided to listen to,” he added. “And having a long discussion with the team, and looking at where we were, we felt like the best thing for us was to give the development team a little bit of extra time and get the game to where we think it needs to be in order to be successful.”

To us, it sounds like the Visceral concluded that their Cops and Criminals-themed shooter wasn’t quite Cops and Criminal enough to be as convincing as they had originally hoped. That falls in line with some of the majority of the Battlefield community’s criticisms that Visceral’s Battlefield Hardline felt too similar to DICE’s Battlefield 4, which launched last year.

Thus far, reaction to the delay has been slightly mixed, though we’re noticing more positive responses than negative ones. Frankly, if the delay leads to a better Battlefield experience overall next year, we’re all for it.

http://mp1st.com/2014/07/22/battlefield-hardline-delayed-didnt-feel-like-true-cops-robbers-game/?utm_content=featured#.U88ZRvldUro

[Eel O'Brian]

I'm almost willing to bet this gets pulled altogether and retooled into something like PvZ Garden Warfare.

[Stoney Mason]

I'm almost willing to bet this gets pulled altogether and retooled into something like PvZ Garden Warfare.

That would be a great thing. The whole game needs to be over-hauled. But if they are still releasing this in the spring. Then at best at this will be is relatively minor tweaks to the already existing stuff.

[thisismyusername]

I'm almost willing to bet this gets pulled altogether and retooled into something like PvZ Garden Warfare.

That'd be for the best. Get the battlefield albatross off Visceral's neck.

[Groogrux]

Welp... Really glad I have a paid off copy reserved at Gamestop... 

  for letting EA dupe me into reserving another BF game

I know I can just keep the reserve, but I'll probably just move it over to something else.

[thisismyusername]

Welp... Really glad I have a paid off copy reserved at Gamestop... 

  for letting EA dupe me into reserving another BF game

I know I can just keep the reserve, but I'll probably just move it over to something else.

Uh... moving it back isn't a big deal? You're just waiting slightly longer for your paid-off copy. If EA outright said "LOL CANCELED, BITCH!" I'd understand your "outrage"/frustration. This is a "minor delay" nothing serious?

[Groogrux]

Even though this is just a "minor delay" it is still "frustrating" to me, and I feel "foolish" for reserving a Battlefield game.

I'll still play the game, but I'll probably let it simmer for a while after it comes out before I get it. 

[thisismyusername]

Eh, your money and your choice. I wasn't going to buy it anyway, I just find the "oh it's a delay, fuck pre-orders" to be a huge escalation in thought.

[Groogrux]

The escalation was built over time.  Specifically, the two months it took for Battlefield 3 to get all of the kinks worked out, and the 10 months after that when I said I wouldn't pick up another Battlefield game at release, then the 6 months that I played Battlefield 4 where none of the kinks were worked out and I promised I wouldn't pick up the next Battlefield at release.

My frustration with the franchise has been building for a while.  I know that it's a different studio making the game this time, but it's still going to be the same old Battlefield...

[Eel O'Brian]

I say pull it until Summer 2015. Retool it into something akin to Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, or BF1943. Sell the MP for $30-$40. Sell the SP as DL only for $20-$25. Sell the battlepacks and customizations. Give some maps and modes away, sell some. It would be the perfect Summer game. You'd probably sell a lot more, and it would help overcome the hestitation of people who still feel burned by BF4. Otherwise it's very likely you're gonna get creamed by everything else coming out, and this will be the lowest-selling BF ever made.

Also, lighten it the fuck up a little. Make it a bit wackier.

[bork]

OK, so now I might try BF4.  Is it better to get it on PS4 or PC?

[chronovore]

I say pull it until Summer 2015. Retool it into something akin to Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, or BF1943. Sell the MP for $30-$40. Sell the SP as DL only for $20-$25. Sell the battlepacks and customizations. Give some maps and modes away, sell some. It would be the perfect Summer game. You'd probably sell a lot more, and it would help overcome the hestitation of people who still feel burned by BF4. Otherwise it's very likely you're gonna get creamed by everything else coming out, and this will be the lowest-selling BF ever made.

Also, lighten it the fuck up a little. Make it a bit wackier.

And if the "wackied up" version was a hit, it could theoretically be the window back into the Open World Game shooting/driving/crime theme that EA wants and needs to compete with GTA.

The Garden Warfare stuff is really a fantastic re-envisioning of what the PvZ world into a competitive shooter. It's pretty brilliant. Doing something similar, building a brand across multiple game genre seems like a fantastic opportunity. I know Halo fell on its face with its RTS though, which probably makes marketers fidgety.

[thisismyusername]

I know Halo fell on its face with its RTS though, which probably makes marketers fidgety.

Halo fell on it's face because no one asked for a RTS at the time. That and being on console vs PC (which did get a small fanbase for the series with the Halo 1/2 PC ports) which is traditionally "better for RTS" was a death-kiss.

(Though to be fair: I don't think Halo Wars was that bad. Just not really interesting)

[chronovore]

Yeah, plus RTS on console is always DOA.

[tehjaybo]

I know Halo fell on its face with its RTS though, which probably makes marketers fidgety.

Sad part is, that's still one of the best controlling RTS games that I've played on console.  It's a really fun game.

[bork]

OK, so now I might try BF4.  Is it better to get it on PS4 or PC?

Good question, me.

...

 :'(

[Eel O'Brian]

I only have the PS4, can't give a comparison. PS4 version plays fine nowadays.

[Stoney Mason]

OK, so now I might try BF4.  Is it better to get it on PS4 or PC?

Good question, me.

...

 :'(

As a general statement the game is obviously in a better place than when it launched but its still buggy as fuck. A friend asked me should he buy it yesterday and it was a weird case of wanting him to get it so we could play together but having to be honest and say while the game has improved its still buggy as fuck and in no way should he pay full price or whatever its selling at now. If you can find a good deal then sure, but its still a very disappointing product in many ways imo.

I think it probably comes down to simply which control method you prefer when it comes to either playing it on PS4 or PC. The game is in roughly the same shape on either platform. Yeah the PC version is better graphically if you have a good machine but I pretty sure the PS4 version is a more than competent version of Battlefield.

[bork]

There's a multiplayer mode that's not 32/64 players and is more like CoD, right?  Basically I'm just wondering if this is worth getting if I like the arcadey CoD and don't like Ghosts.  I'm not hurting for games to play so I wouldn't get this unless it was pretty cheap.  Already missed a chance to get it for $20.

I have a new PC and would be able to run it on high/ultra settings, but I do prefer to play with a controller.  I'm a crazy mofo and will play BLOPS II and Titanfall PC with a 360 controller.

[Stoney Mason]

There's a multiplayer mode that's not 32/64 players and is more like CoD, right?  Basically I'm just wondering if this is worth getting if I like the arcadey CoD and don't like Ghosts.  I'm not hurting for games to play so I wouldn't get this unless it was pretty cheap.  Already missed a chance to get it for $20.

I have a new PC and would be able to run it on high/ultra settings, but I do prefer to play with a controller.  I'm a crazy mofo and will play BLOPS II and Titanfall PC with a 360 controller.

Based on your description I would go for the PS4 version then. Battlefield is a hard game to play on PC with a controller because the guns have more recoil in relation to COD and TitanFall. It would most likely end up being a frustrating experience on that game with controller on PC.

There are modes that are not vehicle based. Domination. TDM. Even Rush to a degree is more infantry-based than traditional 32 or 64 player Conquest Battlefield.

You might also want to look into the Dragon's Teeth DLC. That entire DLC is more infantry based than traditional battlefield. I love it but that is also my particular niche. I tend to be a very infantry focused player. It also introduces another mode called chainlink which is also infantry focused.

[bork]

Cool, will look into it next time the game is discounted.

[Stoney Mason]

Beta is up for the consoles and PC. It lasts 6 days.

Played about an hour this evening.

meh

I'll give more detailed impressions after playing some more, but there is almost no way I will end up purchasing this game unless I get it eventually on deep discount.

[fizzel]

Played it, shit.

[thisismyusername]

Haven't tried Conquest but:

Hotwire = Conquest but driving around the outside of the map since the "GOTTA GO FAST" requirement to even get the Conquest "capture" function to work takes a while and doesn't seem to work with the beta maps.

Heist = Rush and Capture the Flag but both done badly.

C4, "T-UGS" clone/Camera, and Defibs/Shot not being defaults is a bit "WTF" as is the "unlock" prices for them.

[toku]

It's not bad. Played with some bros.

[cool breeze]

I was confused by hotwire but driving around kept flashing points on the screen so I think I was playing it right.

it's a weird game.  it really does remind me of a mod, in how the physics and feel of everything don't match the new skin.  I keep thinking about how disappointing it'll be if Battlefront is a similar treatment.

[Stoney Mason]

I keep thinking about how disappointing it'll be if Battlefront is a similar treatment.

Preach it brother.

And yeah I tried Heist mode and found the visual diarrhea of the UI confusing and distracting.

[duckman2000]

Nothing appealing about this. Honestly, BF gunplay has never impressed me. The vehicles and the sheer scale of things had me playing plenty of BF3, but this... meh. It didn't help that I had just played TF.

[Stoney Mason]

For me it just comes down to a few points.

I don't think it does a good job of capturing what I imagined a cops versus robbers experience would be like.
It's too similar to what battlefield 4 already offers.
To buy this would encourage EA to whore out more battlefield.

For those reasons, I'll pass. I just think its very very average and doesn't excite me which is the opposite of what a videogame is supposed to do.

[SantaC]

Critical Edge forum (former mordorhq forum, which was former EA Battlefield UK forums) tore it apart

http://www.criticaledge.net/showthread.php?16351-Opinions-on-BF-H-so-far

[thisismyusername]

Critical Edge forum (former mordorhq forum, which was former EA Battlefield UK forums) tore it apart

http://www.criticaledge.net/showthread.php?16351-Opinions-on-BF-H-so-far

? Isn't Mordor still up?

I know EA UK got shutdown by EA. But I remember a few months ago there was still threads on Mordor. I didn't have to access an archive on Google to pull up their disappointment with BF3.

That said, they have some legit concerns. But most of the time it reeks of "this isn't BF2.5 so it sucks."

These youtubers who consulted with Visceral whoever they were are clearly incompetent!

At least they're right about that.

[Take My Breh Away]

Hotwire is fun for about an hour till you realize you want to shoot the radio and also it's basically just who runs to the RPG's first or uses engineer Grenade Launchers to take down cars. Rinse and repeat. Heist is complete turd tho' And you have to wonder how fucked Frostbite is on consoles. Bone is 720P, PS4 900P and both look like complete shithole.

So here's a video review.

http://a.pomf.se/kkeykq.webm

[Stoney Mason]

[ToxicAdam]

The trailer and the ads for this game had me interested, but that gameplay video looks boring as hell. Multiplayer doesn't sound like it's much better.

[Stoney Mason]

I think you could make a fun detective/cop campaign but that doesn't look like it to me.