So I was thinking about the lost blog writings at TGN and decided to see if Google still had them cached. Sure enough they have a few of them! So I decided to move these here. This was originally posted on March 31st, 2013. Enjoy!
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With the information of Battlefield 4 on the way and the suggestion threads going rampant I noticed many “more teamwork for BF4” threads. As I read through the threats of how if DICE didn’t bring back that they were not going to buy BF4 and that Battlefield was dead and DICE wants small pox on all of us and our children.
This made me think of the teamwork features that are built into BF3 and how we (as a gamer society) actually don’t use the features we have in the current game. This bugged me so much that I put the following line in my profile:
“We say we want more teamwork things in Battlefield, but we don’t even use what teamwork there is in BF3.”
The entire reason I joined a clan back in the BF2 days was because I was tired of there being no teamwork. I was tired of trying to get vehicles to stand still while I repaired, of enemy tanks going un-challanged, of not getting repairs, of a commander ignoring their duties, and so on.
The thing is that it is up to each of us to use the features (of any BF game) and have the situational awareness when teamwork is needed. If we all agree that Battlefield 3 has much fewer teamwork features, then why are the features that are there not being used? It seems to me that there are too many teamwork features still.
Just the basic teamwork of each class is ignored;
A medic throwing down meds and reviving are missing a good majority of the time. Not in Metro by the way. There is more teamwork on the most despised map of Battlefield 3 than any other map or game mode.
Engineer repairing? Don’t see it often. Also the driver knowing that the gunner left and is repairing, don’t see that either. They will drive away leaving you in the dust.
Support throwing supplies? Nope. Their gun is their life and don’t bother them for a re-supply.
There is always recon. At least they still camp. Nevermind the importance of spotting and using the beacon strategically. That stuff is just to get the sniper to a good camping spot.
You might be thinking “That’s because its a CoD generation and they don’t know nothin’ about teamwork.” So you are telling me that no one from the BF2/142 days are in BF3 at all? That none of them purchased the game? I have a very large friends list that says otherwise. Also, these were problems back in 1942! Don’t tell me you never were stranded in El Alamein and had to walk across that cursed map! What’s the excuse then? I see many BF2 vets running around doing what they want with no teamwork in mind.
“It’s because teamwork isn’t rewarded enough!” Also find it hard to believe since you get points for missing your target in BF3! You get points for almost everything you do in BF3. To make a point here is a picture:
My whole point in this blog is that there is plenty of teamwork to do in BF3 (I am sure in 4 as well) and we are not doing it. It is up to each of us to do teamwork and try to make others in our squad to realize we want teamwork. The thing is that it’s always been that way. Teamwork doesn’t magically happen because there is a commander or two more people in a squad or even VoIP. Yes, those tools are great and a lot of fun and helpful, but if we can’t do any teamwork with four people, how are we going to do it with six people and a commander?
You also have to remember it’s a game and in the end we want to have fun and there are many ways to accomplish you having fun without your head exploding because people wont leave you alone or wont PTFO. That also includes not being the team police and trying to tell others how they have to play.
So when you are asking DICE for these features in BF4, make a great case for them other than “no teamwork in BF3” and because DICE wants ebola in every country.
Crunch Time 