After the open beta of Battlefield 2042, some players expressed concerns about the game feel. For many, the shooter felt too fast. Now a gameplay designer from DICE has commented on this.
What exactly is the problem? Some of the beta testers feel that the gameplay of Battlefield is too fast. It was often said: It feels faster than its predecessors.
A concrete example of this is the sprint speed, which many perceive as higher than in Battlefield 3 or 4.
What do the developers say about it? DRUNKKZ3, a core gameplay designer at DICE, has now provided some specific numbers to show: Battlefield 2042 is just as fast as its predecessors. (via reddit)
At least in terms of sprint speed, the parts are equal:
- Battlefield 3 and 4 had a sprint speed of 6.5 meters per second.
- The spin-off Battlefield Hardline had a sprint speed of 6.75 seconds and was therefore faster.
- In Battlefield 2042, 6.5 m/s puts it on the same level as Battlefield 3 and 4.
But where does the feeling of players come from that the gameplay feels faster nevertheless? There are several reasons for this.
New Tactical Sprint, FOV, and Animations
Players have identified several things that make the game feel significantly faster. This includes the new tactical sprint from Battlefield 2042.
What is this method? In addition to the regular sprint, Battlefield 2042 also features the so-called tactical sprint. When using this, you are slightly faster than with normal sprint speed.
With the tactical sprint, players can cover up to 7.25 meters per second, which means you are quite a bit faster. However, this is not the only reason many players feel that the gameplay is so much faster.
The difference between the regular and the tactical sprint is also shown in this video:
At 100 meters, the BF2042 soldier is about 1.33 seconds faster than a soldier from Battlefield 4.
In the subreddit about Battlefield 2042, the tactical sprint as well as the FOV are discussed. This plays a significant role in the overall game feel.
What does FOV mean? This abbreviation stands for “Field of view”, which means “field of vision”. Particularly for shooter fans on PC, a setting for the FOV is essential. The FOV determines the portion of the screen that you can see.
However, especially in the beta, there were technical problems with the FOV slider. When players adjusted it, many experienced a bug that automatically set the FOV to maximum. This drastically changed the image, making many things appear further away and smaller.
Changed Game Feel due to Animations and FOV Bug?
What influence does this have on speed? The FOV does not have a direct influence, but it leads to a changed perception of the gameplay feel.
DopyWantsPeanut describes it like this: “I believe that much of what people perceived in the beta was due to the FOV bug. There was a problem with the slider. Anyone who had their FOV set to a normal, reasonable value played with an FOV of 140+, which made everything look incredibly small and fast. I took an hour to check the configuration and realized that the slider was broken.” (via reddit)
This factor combined with the tactical sprints and some faster animations results in a higher pace. Because the character’s animations also play a role in how speed feels. The game feel consists of various aspects such as animations, field of view, and movement speed.
Some players draw parallels to other games like Apex Legends, like Razzor1590: “I remember playing Apex at launch with my friends, and we could swear that Gibraltar/Caustic were incredibly slow compared to Wraith or Lifeline, but that was only due to the different run/arm animations.” (via reddit)
Is Battlefield 2042 now faster than its predecessors? Based on pure movement speed: Not directly. However, due to additional factors like the tactical sprint, you are actually moving faster.
Reduced animations and a buggy FOV slider contributed to the impression that players experienced during the open beta.
At least the developer DICE has already confirmed that the FOV slider is one of the issues that will be fixed at launch.
Therefore, many testers are curious how the game will feel when the FOV can be set correctly. This might also change some players’ opinions again. TheMotherFnVc writes: “If it’s true, […], my biggest problem with the game should no longer be a problem when the settings work correctly.” (via reddit)
Certain mechanics like jumping and sliding further enhance this impression. Therefore, there are already suggestions for improvement for the release.
Even before the release, some players want more movement restrictions
What should be nerfed? Specifically, three problems are mentioned:
- Part of the community believes that the tactical sprint in its current form is too powerful. On paper, 0.75 meters per second might not mean much, but in practice, it’s very noticeable.
- The repeated jumping is also a problem. Bunny hopping has pushed a 23-year-old shooter technique to the limit with the new grappling hook.
- There is also criticism of the sliding mechanic, which is considered too strong.
For these three things, some players want greater restrictions. For example, they want the tactical sprint to have a stamina mechanic, so that it cannot be used indefinitely.
For some, the sprint isn’t even the main problem. Panthom Liberty writes: “Honestly: The running speed was never the real issue. It was the speed at which you could slide/jump without cooldown or slowdown and with little to no penalty for shooting accuracy. This needs to be significantly toned down for launch.”
Will something change by release? It’s hard to say. Although the developers have expressed that they will look into it. Whether there is enough time until launch remains to be seen.
Moreover, the beta revealed a large number of issues that also need to be resolved. Many fans even believe that the release of Battlefield 2042 in November is not a good idea.
What do you think about it? Do you agree with the criticism that Battlefield 2042 feels too fast? Or do you think that’s a good thing?
