Ranked Mapping

[TacticalSkirmish]

As I continue to enjoy the tactical gameplay of BF2, I can't help but wonder how folks have tolerated such a limited number of ranked maps.

Furthermore, can anyone comment on the future of BF2 with regards to ranked mapping? I mean will the BF2 community be able to release ranked mapping, or will this always be limited to EA's map packs via expansions/patches?

While I certainly don't mind EA approving maps to ensure gameplay balance/fairness and what not, aren't folks getting bored with the same old maps? I would like to see more maps that focus mostly on infantry, but certainly enjoy the vehicles and helicopters too.

So what's the official word/relationship with EA with regards to map releases? Obviously the Map Editor needs refinement in the meantime.

Regards,
TactS!

[Donkey]

Re: Ranked Mapping

Im almost certain EA will release a mpa with its next expansion....and the 16, 32, and 64 player maps do vary a little...but yeah I can see how it can get repatative....

As for the focus on infantry...I hate to break ti to you but you are in the wrong series of games...what has made the BF series so popular is the vehicles if it wasnt for them it would be just another FPS war game....

but this is all just my opnion so take it as is

[WolfAlmighty]

Re: Ranked Mapping

As for the focus on infantry...I hate to break ti to you but you are in the wrong series of games...what has made the BF series so popular is the vehicles if it wasnt for them it would be just another FPS war game....

Which is why Strike at Karkand is by far the most popular and most played map in BF2, right? Because it's all about the vehicles, right?

And Karkand is a perfect example. A lot of the people that say they are bored with the game and bored with the maps don't actually play all the maps. You look at that person's stats and of the 100 hours they've played, 95 of them are on SaK. Rounds played on FuShe, Dragon Valley, and Dalian Plant: 1 total between the three. Kind of makes me laugh, is all. I do enjoy SaK, and in fact the only maps I don't really like are Clean Sweep (don't care much for having to cross the ocean and go on assault, only to lose and have to start all over again) and Daqing Oilfields (wayyyy too many tanks for my taste, plus it's a dismal looking level). I've played for over 300 hours and I'm still enjoying the maps, even though there are only 12 of them.

~Wolfgang

[imported_Apostle]

Re: Ranked Mapping

I certainly hope EA sort out something for people who want to make custom maps. For the hardcore players, most people here I would imagine, who've played the game for hours and hours, you'll know most maps inside and out. Actually, this is one reason why I will buy the Special Forces expansion, about a dozen more ranked maps to play.

I think EA will sort out maybe a submission system, but knowing them it won't be done without pressure from the community, and will probably be delayed and slip, etc, till it's eventual realease when BF3 comes out

[Donkey]

Re: Ranked Mapping

Which is why Strike at Karkand is by far the most popular and most played map in BF2, right? Because it's all about the vehicles, right?

And Karkand is a perfect example. A lot of the people that say they are bored with the game and bored with the maps don't actually play all the maps. You look at that person's stats and of the 100 hours they've played, 95 of them are on SaK. Rounds played on FuShe, Dragon Valley, and Dalian Plant: 1 total between the three. Kind of makes me laugh, is all. I do enjoy SaK, and in fact the only maps I don't really like are Clean Sweep (don't care much for having to cross the ocean and go on assault, only to lose and have to start all over again) and Daqing Oilfields (wayyyy too many tanks for my taste, plus it's a dismal looking level). I've played for over 300 hours and I'm still enjoying the maps, even though there are only 12 of them.

~Wolfgang

Pretty sure karkand has vehicles...in fact pretty sure the 64 version of the map has A LOT of vehicles.....

Let me guess this is the first of the battlefield series you have ever played....and BF2 would not be here if it wasnt for the DC mod of BF42 which featured modern fighting equipment...pretty sure it wasnt the M16s that got everyone on the badwagon......

[Retribution.]

Re: Ranked Mapping

this may sound far fetched and it probably is in terms of actually being done, but it would good if EA had a few ranked servers set aside especially for custom made maps by the community, maybe folks who made them could send the maps off to EA themselves, EA can then have a look over the map to see if it's worthy and not full of holes and then bung it on the server

well it's a thought and i wouldnt mind seeing something like that as the positive feedback they would get would boost their sales tenfold, bah a man can dream cant he? :P

[Robocline]

Re: Ranked Mapping

my personal favorites are Sharqi and karkand because you can actually have your feet on the ground and still have some exciting gameplay it wouldn't bother me if they took armor out of the game but they're not so i'll deal

but i definately want custom maps and mods on ranked servers those aspects are what kept BF42 and BFV going for so long but if BF2 refuses to allow ranking for those the game is doomed expansions will only carry it so far before the community abandons the game

[Donkey]

Re: Ranked Mapping

my personal favorites are Sharqi and karkand because you can actually have your feet on the ground and still have some exciting gameplay it wouldn't bother me if they took armor out of the game but they're not so i'll deal

but i definately want custom maps and mods on ranked servers those aspects are what kept BF42 and BFV going for so long but if BF2 refuses to allow ranking for those the game is doomed expansions will only carry it so far before the community abandons the game

Um.... BF42 abd BF:V where never ranked in the way BF2 is...I really doubt this is going to happen, wish it would...it would be nice if mods could get ranked too...but EA seems to be very strict about there whole ranking thing....the ranking itself might be the downfall to the game....then again prolly not....

As for taking the armor out of the game...Sharqi also has attack helos, APCs and transports....think of the name of the game BATTLEFIELD

[Spodeboy]

Re: Ranked Mapping

My solution to this would be for EA to allow unlocked weapons on unranked servers. Then, you can plan any map you want. From what the others say, the unlocked weapons aren't that spectacular anyway.

[Donkey]

Re: Ranked Mapping

My solution to this would be for EA to allow unlocked weapons on unranked servers. Then, you can plan any map you want. From what the others say, the unlocked weapons aren't that spectacular anyway.

That would be cool....

However I think why people would want them to be ranked is more so they can keep track of there own socres for bragging rights and personal assesment....

[WolfAlmighty]

Re: Ranked Mapping

Pretty sure karkand has vehicles...in fact pretty sure the 64 version of the map has A LOT of vehicles.....

And people play Karkand for the vehicles, right? If they wanted vehicles, the Chinese maps would be the most popular, but they're not. The ones centered mostly around urban infantry combat are the most popular: Sharqi, Karkand, and Mashtuur. Again, I'm not saying that's how I feel, I'm just going by what seems to be the consensus of the BF2 community as a whole. How often do you get a mapvote in the middle of the game that votes for Dalian Plant? Zatar Wetlands? No, it's usually Karkand, isn't it? And what does Karkand have that a lot of other maps lack? Is it the cool sandstorm effect? The Arabic writing on the buildings? Or is it that the flags are close, there's always action, and it's more infantry-focused than vehicle-focused?

Let me guess this is the first of the battlefield series you have ever played....and BF2 would not be here if it wasnt for the DC mod of BF42 which featured modern fighting equipment...pretty sure it wasnt the M16s that got everyone on the badwagon......

Assuming you're talking to me here, no, I played both BF1942 and BF:V. BF1942 had a lot of vehicles, too, which I agree made it very popular (even though the APCs in BF1942 weren't the one-man armies they are in BF2). BF:V's maps had more infantry combat than vehicle combat, which I myself, prefer, but a lot of people didn't like BF:V because of it being a poorly optimised game.

~Wolfgang

[TacticalSkirmish]

Re: Ranked Mapping

Firstly calm down folks.

Pretty sure I have the right series here - love the scale and depth of play from jets and helicopters, to tanks, jeeps and various other vehicles; from running, swimming and boating, to using the various infantry units. I found CoD to be too limiting, and the scale so small that one could sniper with a MP-40 on any of their maps.:hmm:

Part of my initial comments were based upon my fondness for more infantry-based game play like Karkand, which does indeed have vehicles (limited) but no air support. I believe the BF2 expansion is suppose to focus more on this type of gameplay, no?

Anyway, certainly I don't want only this type of map, however, as the whole point of my post was with regards to VARIETY. I want it all mate. Some nights I like flying, other nights I enjoy being shot over and over again in the crowded streets of Karkand.

I certainly hope that EA hasn't got us hooked onto ranked maps ('cause we want them there shinny medals) with the intention of preventing the talented BF2 community from contributing to the online experience. That would be a real shame.

Regards

[DLWebmaestro96]

Re: Ranked Mapping

pretty sure it wasnt the M16s that got everyone on the badwagon......

It was the dreamy voice-overs that snagged me.

[Donkey]

Re: Ranked Mapping

And people play Karkand for the vehicles, right? If they wanted vehicles, the Chinese maps would be the most popular, but they're not. The ones centered mostly around urban infantry combat are the most popular: Sharqi, Karkand, and Mashtuur. Again, I'm not saying that's how I feel, I'm just going by what seems to be the consensus of the BF2 community as a whole. How often do you get a mapvote in the middle of the game that votes for Dalian Plant? Zatar Wetlands? No, it's usually Karkand, isn't it? And what does Karkand have that a lot of other maps lack? Is it the cool sandstorm effect? The Arabic writing on the buildings? Or is it that the flags are close, there's always action, and it's more infantry-focused than vehicle-focused?



Assuming you're talking to me here, no, I played both BF1942 and BF:V. BF1942 had a lot of vehicles, too, which I agree made it very popular (even though the APCs in BF1942 weren't the one-man armies they are in BF2). BF:V's maps had more infantry combat than vehicle combat, which I myself, prefer, but a lot of people didn't like BF:V because of it being a poorly optimised game.

~Wolfgang

Right and is Karkand not the map people TANK whore on....it has plenty of vehicles on it Im sorry im just not buying this infantry thing you talk of....the 64 version of Karkand is LOADED with vehicles.....Tanks, APCs, and Transport.....Sharqi adds Attack helos to the mix and Mashtuur is also the BH whore champ map.......But yes I think you got it right with people like the urban style maps and not the big open fields.....

as in Vehicle focused are you talking about how its necessary to use a vehicle to get anywhere since walking would take 20 mins????

Regardless EA should make provisions for ranked maps and mods

-edit

oh and I am calm...dont take me wrong im not trying to be a ****

[WolfAlmighty]

Re: Ranked Mapping

Right and is Karkand not the map people TANK whore on....it has plenty of vehicles on it Im sorry im just not buying this infantry thing you talk of....the 64 version of Karkand is LOADED with vehicles.....Tanks, APCs, and Transport.....Sharqi adds Attack helos to the mix and Mashtuur is also the BH whore champ map.......But yes I think you got it right with people like the urban style maps and not the big open fields.....

as in Vehicle focused are you talking about how its necessary to use a vehicle to get anywhere since walking would take 20 mins????

Right, what I mean is that at least on Karkand, you know that when you spawn you're not going to be facing a convoy of APCs like you would on Songhua or Dragon Valley. At least every infantryman knows he stands a chance. Vehicles make BF2 a lot more fun than just a pure infantry scrim IMO, but a good mix of the two is what makes the game great. I don't have a problem with the attack helis on Sharqi, or the BH on Mashtuur (usually ), but a lot of the Chinese maps are so centred around vehicles that a squad of a couple of infantryman is usually as good as dead. On those kinds of maps if you're not in a vehicle you're not going to survive. BF is about both infantry combat and vehicles, not just one or the other. I do like Songhua and Dragon Valley, but I, and from my understanding a lot of other people too, could do without THAT many APCs/vehicles. I don't mind a map being with a couple tanks and APCs per team and then a boatload of transport trucks/vodniks/buggies, but when you scan the map and see maybe one or two infantry and the rest are all in APCs (did I mention how overpowered I think the APCs in this game are, btw? ) or tanks it gets kind of frustrating because that excludes being kits like support, assault, and sniper from even being halfway useful for anything other than spitting out bags of ammo.

At least on Karkand and the other urban maps, if you run away from one tank, you know you won't be turning the corner only to face two more, and just about any kit you pick will have its use. For AT lovers, there's still tanks and vodniks to beat up on. For snipers and assaulters, well, that needs no explanation I'm sure. For support, not only are they good for keeping squads supplied with ammo, but their LMG is good for clearing out chokepoints and covering the squad against enemy infantry (armoured vehicles are worried about a support trooper). Medics go without saying on SaK as well. Spec ops still get to destroy bridges and enemy assets, and the occasional vehicle when it comes along. Engineers can still fix stuff, lay TK-magnets...er...landmines and their shotgun is great for the close-quarters fighting. Something for everyone to do. Vehicle-infested (BTW when I say vehicles I mean armour/APCs/AA) maps really limit the usefulness of half the kits, which kind of sucks. Again, I like most of the maps in the game, but a few of them could do with a few less vehicles and that would make them a lot more popular IMO.

oh and I am calm...dont take me wrong im not trying to be a ****

:laugh: Yeah I know. No worries mate, we're all friends here. :)

~Wolfgang