Alright I'm going to make a bit of a post here, to try and give some intensive feedback on the DB mod that has been running on CIA for over a week now non-stop. The mod's object, quite clearly is to re-balance certain aspects of the game. Each point addresses a problem in PR, and does it's best to fix it. I'll give my opinion, and justify it on why this change has failed to fix a problem, has, or has created a new one.
Rally point time extended to fifteen minutes
This is a repurpose of the rally point. Back in the days of battlefield 2, or rather, early PR spawning on points, and squad leaders was possible. The rally point is essentially, the pseudo squad lead spawn. The point is, if you die on attack, there's a bit of a plan b, and also, it helps squads consolidate. I think the longer rally accomplishes this. Uh, it seems to make assaulting the enemy easier, but it causes heavier ticket loss, so it doesnt seem to be too imbalanced. Though, it does feel too long some times. 10 minutes I suggest
Heavy AT kits per team decreased from 2 to 1.
Light AT kits per team increased from 3 to 5.
TOW emplacements per team increased from 2 to 3.
uh, so, this is basically noticing that heavy anti tank weapons are simply, OP. This change is astounding to me. I have found armour pieces to be much more effective now. It was speculated that 5 light anti tank weapons would make APC driving impossible, but this is not the case by any means, LAT kits are pure defense last resort, unlike the HAT kit. This has given all armoured vehicles a much stronger, more important role in the battle, like it ought to. With this change armour has become INCREDIBLY important, on most maps now.
Formerly, armour had a way smaller effect on the game's outcome. Even if your armour vehicles failed miserably, infantry could totally handle their own with two HAT, not with one this is not the case. I like this change, very, very much, I support it for official release.
Insurgents can request the Officer kit at caches and hideouts.
this is a very good change, and it use it often. Insurgents need all the help they can get, really, just a logical change, should be implemented officially.
UAV doesn't need to refuel and takes 15 seconds to relocate.
The UAV was basically worthless before this change, this has fixed that. Uh, as far as I can tell the numbers are arbitrary, and further testing may need to take place, sometimes the UAV is a little too useful, especially on INS. I plan to make a big *** post about ins in the future, so ill leave it at that.
Players cannot use any enemy kit.
SO previously enemies could operate your Light AT weapons, use your garb, and rifles. This is unrealistic, and creates some silly conundrums. PEople discouraging using LAT weapons in fear of the enemy taking them is stupid. Fearing the enemy will recover your C4, run it to their main and somehow have unlimited C4 there is silly. The faster blackening, and zero kit usage is a good change. Talib wearing american body armour, helmets, and using an AT4 is fucking stupid.
Number of caches decreased from 7 to 4.
This coincides with no unknown to keep games from reaching 10 hours long, the number itself works on some maps, and doesnt on some. However, this itself is the fault of the map, and the map only. There is no solution without bad maps being fixed, so this number is fine. I fear, it MAY be too low, and here is why. On INS there are easy caches, good caches and hard caches. EAsy caches are close to main, in the open, APC bait, or whatever. Good caches are the ones in fair, defensible, but still destroyable spots. These are the inner city ramiel, the compounds in kokan, the village in lashkar. Hard caches are the impossible ones, the caches deep underground in complex caves of lashkar, and korengal. Ideally a map has only good caches, however a balance of good, hard, and easy can work. If the number count is too low, however, what can happen is that if one or two of the caches fall on a hard, or two fall on an easy, it completely ruins the round. I feel as if the number 4 doesnt cause this problem, however anything lower would certainly. In this case it is the fault of the maps MOSTLY, however, 5 may help balance out some of the worse maps.
Only one cache available at a time.
I liked the
idea of the unknown. It's cool, clearing room to room, finding that cache, it's kinda like real counter insurgency, but it really didnt work that well. Spawning on the unknowns caused problems sometimes, ghosting was an issue, there were lots of issues about the unknown cache ill just say that. REmoving it does make the game mode less unique, certainly, but I think it's necessary. It makes the exercise of the intelligence somewhat less pointful, and devalues civis, but it's necessary.
decreased coalition forces tickets
ok, so this one needs little comment. Less caches, less tickets, makes sense. Numbers seem to be ok. I'll summarize the effects of the insurgency chances. What DB has done in an attempt to fix problems has done so, but has created new ones. I'm going to try and help fix these new problems, by trying to create the least amount of problems as possible.
1) Fixing unknowns issues
Problems solved: Ghosting, people not respecting the unknown-ness of the unknown, luck for blufor
Problems created: Almost none, but just one. The lack of an unknown has simply devalued intelligence. Teams will defend unknowns like knowns because they know it will be known soon, they dont wish to risk losing the cache, setting up defense early is smart. Also with UAV changes unknowns are way easier to find. With no unknowns, and knowns, then the intel system is worthless. This makes the civi worthless, and lets opfor not care about deaths in any regard. Here is what I suggest. If the current cache is known, and it is defended until 100 intel is gained by blufor (this does happen sometimes), then a new known spawns. IT's at least something.
2) Fixing imbalances in ticket numbers vs. caches. This one is big.
Problems solved: Some, but not all maps favoured blufor, these maps have been balanced
Caused problems: This does a good job at helping maps like Basrah, karbala, and fallujah. Maps that blufor totally dominate, without question and 400-0 scores were very common. However,
where it fixes some, it ruins others. Korengal, lashkar, dragon fly, and some others that were either balanced, or favoured insurgents now, are imbalanced, or made to be even worse.
The thing is, we can tweak cache settings are we want, it will always fix some, and break others. Give americans 1000 tickets? Great, not some of those impossible lashkar caches may not break the game, but 800-0 on karbala would be common. Give the americans 300 tickets? Great now karbala matches are close, but americans are lucky to get two against taliban on korengal. The solution lies in mapping. Yes, mapping. Mapping comes in two flavours of balance. Terrain, and assets. Maps that favour ins too much, the blufor should simply get more assets, or the map needs a redesign. Maps that favour blufor too much should have assets removed, or they need a redesign. The bottoms line is:
balance in insurgency lies almost solely in the hands of the mapper, if, inherently the number of tickets, and caches are fair, and THEY WILL BE ONCE WE HAVE ALL MAPS TO A SAME STANDARD OF BALANCE, they need no change, only the maps do. With good maps insurgency is perfect with these changes, or at least as close to it as it can get. Any fix we make will not fix anything at this point, and maps are the key.