Battlefront community manager responds to multi-mode playlist criticism
Ever since Outer Rim came out in March, some Battlefront fans have been unhappy with the multi-mode playlists that have become a constant in game’s expansions.
In these playlists, maps and modes rotate between one another. In the vanilla playlists, there is a single mode, while maps rotate. This means that if a player wants to play only a DLC-exclusive mode, like Outer Rim’s Extraction, they’ll have to continually exit out of a lobby and search for a new game after each Extraction series.
The game’s community manager, Mat Everett, recently talked about the multi-mode playlists on the official forums.
“It’s a tough call the development team made to make sure players could play the content well beyond release,” he wrote. “Unfortunately down the road there might not be enough players within your specific region to queue up for the specific game mode you want to play.”
Everett added that the developers chose the current format to allow for shorter queue times.
“So taking that in mind for the longevity of the game, the development team made the choice of a playlist that offers all modes and maps so players can get into playing the game quickly,” he wrote.
This is not the first time an employee of EA/DICE has responded to criticism of the multi-mode playlists.
In May, lead designer Dennis Brannvall had a conversation on Twitter with a player about the topic. At the time, Brannvall wrote, “We tried [separate playlists] for Jakku but [it] created too many matchmaking options. We’re in a good place now, games are easy to find even for DLC.”
Brannvall later discussed the topic on the forums after Bespin released.
“Splitting each DLC up into 4-6 unique map rotations is simply something we won’t do – we need to guarantee that people who picked up the Season Pass are able to find games, no matter what platform and what region they are playing on,” he wrote. “Even once we’ve moved on to the next DLC it’s important that past playlists can still be accessible.”
However, there is hope for players who want to stay in a single game mode. Last month, Brannvall confirmed that the ability to stay in a chosen mode is coming.
It’s worth noting that Brannvall previously mentioned this idea back in June and it likely won’t be a total solution. Instead of players manually quitting out and re-searching for a new lobby, the game will automatically re-search for a new one once a match ends.
Personally, I understand the logic behind multi-mode playlists. Their function helps limit player base splintering. In the flip side, though, some might argue that it in fact causes a greater player base split. This is because some players refuse to play or purchase expansions due to the playlist situation. I don’t have the numbers to back up the argument either way, but I would assume DICE considered various statistics.
However, I do wish EA/DICE had gone a different direction with the expansions. Instead of paid maps, I would’ve preferred to have maps be free, while new modes, heroes and items could be paid. Allowing free maps would almost fully eliminate player base splintering.
But I’m not in charge of how EA/DICE publishes expansions. I understand that there may have been economic reasons for why they marketed the paid DLC the way they did. Ultimately, it’s their game and so it’s their call.
Still, perhaps there is hope for the future. Additional public multiplayer maps will be free in Gears of War 4 and EA’s own Titanfall 2 will feature free DLC maps and modes. Hopefully, EA/DICE/Motive go in a similar direction for next year’s Battlefront 2.
