The Latest Casual Game Mode Ignites Heated Debates Regarding AI Players, XP Rewards, and Queue Times
Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a fresh playlist titled Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this mode mirrors the regular Breakthrough setup but features several notable adjustments:
- Each team has just 8 real players, with the remaining made up of AI-controlled opponents.
- Activities performed by real players grant complete experience points, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
- Only two locations are available: Cairo Siege and Empire State.
- Features like Dogtags, achievements, and stat tracking are disabled.
So essentially, the playlist lives up to its title: it offers a casual version of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume there's nothing wrong, as it provides more options for players looking for different methods to have fun with the title. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many Battlefield 6 fans are upset.
Player Reactions: From Fury to Support
"Gamers prefer real players. Don't repeat the errors of your competitors," reads one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking idea," comments another. Meanwhile, in community forums, a player notes, "I have no idea where we are headed with this title," while another details everything they believe to be broken in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We don't need this AI-heavy playlist."
On the other hand, amid the criticism, there are players sharing how much they're liking the new mode. "It's enjoyable to practice, human participants prevent it from being a complete grind but it's quite laid-back," says a forum post. "The community doesn't understand that there are gamers who have lives and can't play this game 24/7. Allow them to find a middle ground," states a different comment. A response on Twitter explains that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is perfect for me," and another praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."
Valid Concerns and Community Feedback
Despite the support, there are constructive reasons to criticize the new mode. Some users have pointed out that it could increase wait times even longer for other modes due to the large amount of options in the game already. On a similar note, some areas often face mostly bots in the current modes. Additionally, it appears a little backwards that the mode does not begin without a minimum number of real players, even though it focuses mostly on combat against bots.
Lastly, a major grievances is that a previous feature was promised to provide full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they attempted to remove bot farms from the mode. So this new playlist feels like the community compromising in the middle, as per a Reddit comment. A different user describes this mode as the developers "making a mistake so hard, I had so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"
Looking Ahead: Will Changes Occur?
If the development team has proven anything so far with the latest installment, it's that they're listening and responding to player input. Tasks being too difficult were adjusted rapidly, as did the specific battle pass objectives. Chances are that, should analytics indicates this new playlist isn't performing to their standards, they will not hesitate to make further modifications.