The Latest Casual Playlist Ignites Intense Discussions Regarding AI Players, Experience Points, and Wait Times
Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios launched a fresh game mode called Casual Breakthrough. In essence, this option resembles the standard Breakthrough setup but features several notable adjustments:
- Every squad includes only 8 real players, with the rest filled by 32 bots.
- Activities done by human gamers grant complete experience points, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
- Only two maps can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State map.
- Elements like Player tags, accolades, and career stat updates are disabled.
So essentially, this mode delivers on its title: it's a casual version of Breakthrough. On the surface, you might think there's nothing wrong, as it gives additional choices for players looking for different methods to enjoy the game. But, gaming history has shown one thing, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, a lot of Battlefield 6 players are upset.
Community Reactions: From Fury to Support
"Gamers prefer real players. Avoid making the errors of your competitors," reads a response to the official announcement. "Truly disappointing concept," says a different user. Meanwhile, in community forums, one user notes, "I have no idea where we are going with this title," and another details all the issues they consider to be problematic in the game: "Resolve glitches, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."
On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers explaining how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's enjoyable to warm up, human participants keep it from being a total farmfest but it's quite laid-back," reads a forum post. "The community fails to see that there are players who have lives and can't play this title all the time. Let them find a middle ground," states a different comment. One reply via social media explains that as they're "a battledad with limited time, this is great for me," while another praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."
Valid Criticisms and Player Input
All that said, there are valid points to criticize the new mode. A few folks have highlighted that it could increase wait times more extended for other modes due to the sheer number of options currently available. Similarly, some areas already encounter mostly bots in the current modes. Additionally, it appears a little backwards that the mode won't start without a required amount of real players, despite it primarily centers on fighting AI opponents.
Lastly, a major grievances is that Battlefield Portal was promised to offer full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they attempted to eliminate XP farming from the system. So this new playlist seems 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 experienced so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to adjust it?"
Looking Ahead: Will Changes Be Made?
If the development team has proven anything so far with the latest installment, it is that they're listening and responding to player input. Tasks that were overly hard got fixed very quickly, as did the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode is underperforming to their expectations, they won't be shy to make further modifications.