The Battlefield 4 Community Test Environment was released last May, an initiative that DICE set up with the intention of getting players directly involved in the ongoing improvement of its game.
In a blog post released over the weekend, associate producer David Sirland highlights some of the upcoming gameplay changes the developer will be making thanks to feedback from the programme.
The first batch of changes is mainly focused on the new Dragon’s Teeth expansion, though one major focus, BF4 fans will be glad to hear, is on improving the game’s netcode. ”Making improvements to the “Netcode” in Battlefield 4 has been a top priority for us,” writes Sirland. ”Some of the items we’ve been specifically looking at is how to decrease the feeling of getting killed when behind cover and getting killed without initially seeing a damage indicator. The improvements we did were released in June, and we’re looking at testing out additional fixes during the coming months.”
In terms of direct gameplay, Ballistic Shields have been slightly altered; you can’t one-hit kill with a shield bash now, and tank AP rounds will now leave little more than a red smear and some combat boots behind if you get hit by one.
DICE also want to “increase the balance and flow” of Rush mode. They intend to do so by removing the Commander from Rush maps, reducing the radar sweep around an enemy base and tweaking the placement of MCOM stations.
That’s what DICE are currently working on, but there’s a list of features the team wants to tackle next:
General Weapon tweaks/balance.
Weapon Suppression tuning.
3P Head-flinch dampening.
Visual recoil ADS tuning.
Vehicle tuning/balance.
Game modes: Rush, Continued tweaks to Obliteration Competitive and Conquest small.
HUD improvements and bug fixes.
As long as you own Battlefield 4 and have a Battlelog account, you can sign up for the Community Test Environment here.
