Problems with Insurgency
Posted: 2010-12-30 04:45
I'll get straight to the point on why I think Insurgency needs tweaking. After playing insurgency with the new .95 update, I noticed that this asymmetrical game type is starting to feel a lot more like Vanilla and a lot less like the intended "mil-sim" shooter. This is due to the fact that insurgents are too powerful or equal to BluFor's (western army) capabilities:
1. Insurgents are too accurate
The accuracy of Insurgents with small-arms seems to be on par with Western armies, and is therefore unrealistic. Insurgent forces tend to be comprised of lightly armed militia men with introductory training on small arms. They are civilians who have decided to become combatants. They are not professional soldiers, and as a result should not be as skilled as a conventional soldier. The accuracy of RPGs in the hands of Insurgents is a prime example of how unrealistically accurate and competent the insurgents are with these weapons. Hummers and APCs are essentially RPG meat due to the unrealistic effectiveness posed by insurgent forces. LAVs and strykers should intimidate the opposition.
2. BluFor should control the battle-space
The current counter-insurgency wars fought in Iraq and A-stan demonstrate the superiority of Western armies against local militias, and therefore should be reflected in-game. Hit-and-run tactics, as well as ambushes are the name of the game for irregular forces facing a more technologically advanced foe. In PR however, a squad of insurgents vs a squad of Marines is a fair fight. Force on force contact is the exception not the rule in the conflicts involving the US and irregulars for example. Irregular forces should have to rely on cunning as oppose to direct action when facing an opponent armed with APCs, advanced optics etc.
3. Modern western soldiers are very difficult to kill
Reference actual Battle Damage Assessments yourself (ie Wikileaks lol!). As stated earlier, BluFor is generally defined as being a well-trained, highly lethal, technologically advanced fighting force. The battles in Iraq and A-stan can produce an estimated kill ratio of 30:1 or 50:1 in favor of BluFor depending on the source. I'll reckon that the kills gained by BluFor and Insurgents are pretty much equal, where significantly more kills for BluFor would be more 'realistic'.
I believe tweaks should be made to the aforementioned issues above. People playing as BluFor should have a feeling of superiority when confronting the enemy. Insurgents should have to rely on cunning and unconventional tactics in order to succeed. Destroying an enemy Stryker or Tank should be a big accomplishment when playing PR. I'd be interested to know how often BluFor actually wins rounds, because it appears to be an increasingly rare event.
I propose that:
1.Insurgent forces have their accuracy decreased especially in regards to the use of RPGs.
2. BluFor is given fewer tickets and a greater penalty for losing assets such as tanks, helicopters, APCs.
3. Remove field dressings from Ins forces
In conclusion, tweaks that decrease the battlefield effectiveness of Insurgent forces and increase the cost and reward of losing or destroying BluFor heavy assets should help in reestablishing the feeling of a asymmetrical conflict. To my critics who argue that these changes would be "unfair", I'd say that is the whole point. AAS provides a gametype of 2 forces of similar capability fighting for the same objective. Insurgency is at its essence an asymmetrical conflict and should be designed as such.
Thanks for reading and look forward to hearing your thoughts!
1. Insurgents are too accurate
The accuracy of Insurgents with small-arms seems to be on par with Western armies, and is therefore unrealistic. Insurgent forces tend to be comprised of lightly armed militia men with introductory training on small arms. They are civilians who have decided to become combatants. They are not professional soldiers, and as a result should not be as skilled as a conventional soldier. The accuracy of RPGs in the hands of Insurgents is a prime example of how unrealistically accurate and competent the insurgents are with these weapons. Hummers and APCs are essentially RPG meat due to the unrealistic effectiveness posed by insurgent forces. LAVs and strykers should intimidate the opposition.
2. BluFor should control the battle-space
The current counter-insurgency wars fought in Iraq and A-stan demonstrate the superiority of Western armies against local militias, and therefore should be reflected in-game. Hit-and-run tactics, as well as ambushes are the name of the game for irregular forces facing a more technologically advanced foe. In PR however, a squad of insurgents vs a squad of Marines is a fair fight. Force on force contact is the exception not the rule in the conflicts involving the US and irregulars for example. Irregular forces should have to rely on cunning as oppose to direct action when facing an opponent armed with APCs, advanced optics etc.
3. Modern western soldiers are very difficult to kill
Reference actual Battle Damage Assessments yourself (ie Wikileaks lol!). As stated earlier, BluFor is generally defined as being a well-trained, highly lethal, technologically advanced fighting force. The battles in Iraq and A-stan can produce an estimated kill ratio of 30:1 or 50:1 in favor of BluFor depending on the source. I'll reckon that the kills gained by BluFor and Insurgents are pretty much equal, where significantly more kills for BluFor would be more 'realistic'.
I believe tweaks should be made to the aforementioned issues above. People playing as BluFor should have a feeling of superiority when confronting the enemy. Insurgents should have to rely on cunning and unconventional tactics in order to succeed. Destroying an enemy Stryker or Tank should be a big accomplishment when playing PR. I'd be interested to know how often BluFor actually wins rounds, because it appears to be an increasingly rare event.
I propose that:
1.Insurgent forces have their accuracy decreased especially in regards to the use of RPGs.
2. BluFor is given fewer tickets and a greater penalty for losing assets such as tanks, helicopters, APCs.
3. Remove field dressings from Ins forces
In conclusion, tweaks that decrease the battlefield effectiveness of Insurgent forces and increase the cost and reward of losing or destroying BluFor heavy assets should help in reestablishing the feeling of a asymmetrical conflict. To my critics who argue that these changes would be "unfair", I'd say that is the whole point. AAS provides a gametype of 2 forces of similar capability fighting for the same objective. Insurgency is at its essence an asymmetrical conflict and should be designed as such.
Thanks for reading and look forward to hearing your thoughts!