Hardcore Ruleset Feedback

The Hardcore ruleset makes for an interesting addition to the game. However, it is dragged down rather severely by some of it's rules, which seem to miss the mark and only add in artificial difficulty and detracts from the merits if the mode.

The most egregious and artificial feeling of these rules is how the player is forced to lose all equipment and only play with a bolt action rifle and no equipment on dying. This has the following issues:-

  1. It breaks apart the roles within the team which depend on their weapons to be effective. Once a team member dies, they can no longer work as part of the team, since the weapons and equipment that defined their role is stripped from them and they are handed a low price marksman loadout.
  2. It only adds in artificial difficulty, since it really doesn't so much add challenge as simply serving up the player with a permanent handicap on their first death.
  3. It is pointless after the first death, since all equipment is lost; there remains little reason to actually try and remain as careful after that.
  4. It overemphasizes scavenging; elevating it above stuff such as teamplay and communication for someone who has died once as it forces them to look around for weapons and ammo rather than trying to be an effective member of the team.

Therefore, I think that the rule only serves to detract from the mode and makes the overall experience of it feel worse and arbitrary.

I would like to propose the following alternatives to this rules in order to ensure that death is remains more impactful while at the same time adding in a rewarding challenge that doesn't suffer from the same issues as the present rule:-

  1. Limit respawns and resupply to capture objectives only, so that there is greater delay between respawns. Players would respawn with full equipment and thus remain effective team members, but still be encouraged to stay alive since the rule would ensure that dying would mean that they would be out longer and thus not be able to come back as easily or quickly.

  2. Make players respawn with a default loadout that fits their class and allows them to work as part of the team. For example; commanders, observers and riflemen could come back with basic M16s, while Gunners would come back with a basic MG and marksmen would come back with a scoped bolt action and Breachers would come back with an UZI.

Hey @cool_lad,

Thanks for the constructive feedback! It'll be passed on to the team!