Things I like:
- The soundscape is wonderful. I can tell what kinds of weapons are firing and from where and in what direction.
- The tinnitus sound is so accurate that I regularly have to pause the game and check if it's just mine that I'm hearing.
- The automatic callouts by my character and the AI teammates are awesome. It really contributes to a sense of teamwork. I also really like not having to use my mic while still feeling like I'm communicating.
- The callouts triggered by Spacebar are also great. They seem to respond to both context and held keys. Hold nothing, "Clear!"; hold Shift, "Cover me!"; hold right click... something else? This system is gold, and I hope to see it developed.
- I'm a fan of the movement system, and the way right-click and mouse wheel are used to control the sighting.
- The procedural architecture is amazing, and I think it is the technology that the longevity of the game most hinges upon. Not being able to memorize maps is wonderful. I doubt this feature could be overemphasized or overdone.
- I like that the guiding principle behind the game design is 'authenticity'. (Not 'fairness' or 'balance' or even easiness.) No matter how frustrating a game experience might be, if it seems plausible to me, I end up appreciating the experience. That's where the fun of simulators comes from, I think.
- Similarly, I think the goal of teaching me about the 2004 battle is working. I have learned so much, and my capacity for empathy has grown a lot as a result.
- The AI will never be perfect, and could probably always be better, but what's here is excellent and cutting edge. Only Ready or Not and Arma 3 are even in the same tier. In some ways, the friendly AI build more 'immersion' than humans, because humans will always know it's a videogame, but the AI will only act diegetically - as if they're really there.
- Problem: It's very awkward to pull out the right grenade option when I think of it, leading to moments where I'm stuck cycling between smoke, frag, and launcher instead of fighting.
Suggestion: Can we dedicate a single key for each option? We already have three keys for three options; and "G" and "3" both do the same thing right now, as far as I can tell. - Problem: If an enemy surprises me when I have the grenade launcher selected, I have to press "1" then wait for the weapon switch animation to finish before I can defend myself.
Suggestion: Does the main barrel of the (real) M16 function when the grenade underbarrel is primed? If so, maybe there should be a separate keybind for 'fire grenade', and left-click should still fire bullets when launcher is selected. (Defer to whatever feels 'authentic' though.) - Problem: I can't throw grenades into adjacent doorways.
Suggestion: A contextual grenade throwing animation for when character is directly adjacent to the doorway and aiming into it in which the character hugs the wall and tosses a grenade in without stepping in front of the door, only exposing their hand and forearm. - Problem: When attempting to throw a grenade into a partially-blocked window, it's difficult to get the grenade into the small opening; it often hits an obstacle or edge and bounces back.
Suggestion: Same as above, but for windows; a contextual grenade throwing animation for when character is directly adjacent to a window and aiming into it in which the character carefully tosses the grenade through the narrow window opening without overexposing themself. - Problem: I'm out of grenades, but my teammates should have some, and we need one thrown ASAP.
Suggestion: I'd like to be able to command the AI team to throw a grenade into a window or door (maybe using the same context and animations as 3 and 4, above). - Problem: AI don't reliably flee grenades and C4 (door breaching and when blowing up weapon stashes), leading to a lot of unintentional friendly fire incidents.
Suggestion: Can there be a "GTFO of the way" command that the player can either activate manually, or which automatically executes when an explosive is nearby? This would be especially helpful after a badly thrown grenade. - Problem: I turn a corner, see an enemy, then realize I'm out of ammo; I retreat behind the corner and reload; Ready stays behind me, looking somewhere else; enemy comes around the corner and gets us both.
Suggestion: a 'tactical ping' that causes ai teammates to quickly look in that direction and respond to targets as appropriate. (Ideally this would function first on Ready, then Assist, then Fire, depending on who's available and nearby.) Now, I retreat behind a corner, ping that corner, and by the time the enemy comes around, Ready is aimed and waiting for them. (Wasn't there a ping in prior versions?) - Problem: The AI tries to give helpful callouts ("He's on the roof!", "On the balcony!"), but it's hard to tell to where they're referring (there are so many roofs and balconies).
Suggestion: Add some UI indicator/ping near whatever the AI is responding to. When the AI makes such a callout, that UI indicator/ping appears temporarily. (This could be just like the aforementioned 'tactical ping' available to the player). - Problem: I can't command the AI while in another animation, like reloading.
Suggestion: Allow vocal callouts using "C" even during other animations. It'd be okay to omit the hand signal animations if needed. It think "group up!" and "watch my front!" make sense even without a gesture. - Problem: Ready is a little too eager to walk in front of me. If I've stopped before a doorway that's spewing bullets, he'll all-too-frequently step right in front of me and into them. Similarly, he likes to walk in front of my gun as I'm firing. Both end badly for him.
Suggestion: I don't know actually; AI is hard, and I'm not sure what the underlying correction would need to be. I don't think anybody would complain if the AI teammates were too good at staying in cover though, so maybe systemic improvements would all contribute.
