PREFACE - APPRECIATION
I would like to start by making an observation - a lot of the feedback on the forum, mine included, has only covered the gripes, the annoyances, the small frustrations.
I want to make the point loud & clear that Fatshark have delivered what is already an excellent gaming experience. The sound design, the score, the visuals, lighting, environment art and map design, the enemy variety and distinctiveness, are all excellent. I have played this game to the total exclusion of all others since the beta began.
Their rate of iterative improvement in fixing technical and gameplay problems has also been deeply impressive. Hatâs off to you Fatshark, keep up the great work.
RANGED WEAPON FIRE MODE
Currently, the fire mode (semi-auto, burst, full auto) is coupled directly with whether the weapon is being fired from the hip, or from ADS. This doesnât make any sense, and I think this is detrimental to the gunplay. Itâs reminiscent of an arcade shooter, and feels out of place for the gritty setting.
It also takes away control from the player to play how they see fit, and use a weapon in a versatile way depending on the situation. Now that the Tide series is boldly stepping into the arena of the modern shooter, it would benefit from taking heed of design cues from other successful shooters.
It seems clear as day to me that we should have a dedicated keybind for âFire Mode Selectâ, that would allow you to toggle between the available firemodes of your weapon.
EXAMPLES
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AUTOGUNS
I feel this keenly when trying to fire semi-auto from the hip. There are times I donât want to be forced into ADS to fire a steady stream of reasonably accurate semi-auto at targets that are closing from different directions. You might say âWell just click rapidly itâll do the same thingâ - but it doesnât quite work. It feels stilted when you try this, the weapon doesnât always fire, as if itâs waiting for the previous firing animation to finish - even if the fire rate of the weapon is very high on full auto. -
BOLTERS
This is worse for me, because I adore the bolter. If you fire from the hip, you have no choice but to discharge a 2 round burst, while in ADS it is semi automatic. The second round is often wasted - if you want to nuke a hard target, you will usually go full auto (hold LMB down), while if you want to pop a lighter target, it will usually be blood misted by the first round anyway.
It might not sound like much, but you have a 15-round mag, and if you waste 5-7 of them involuntarily, thatâs actually a huge nerf.
Going full auto with a bolter is immensely satisfying, Fatshark has done a phenomenal job on the sound design and visuals. But regardless of it being inefficient, being forced to fire 2 round bursts on a single click doesnât feel good, and doesnât meet the standards set by modern FPS. Especially when the alternative is to use the floaty and cumbersome iron sights on this weapon, which others have already mentioned in other feedback threads.
Itâs hard for me to remember a FPS I played in the last 10 years where I didnât have X set as change firemode.