The release of DICE's futuristic FPS Battlefield 2042 should have heralded a new era in the acclaimed warfare sim, a franchise so often seen as the choice of connoisseurs and purists in a market never short on choice. However, the game's launch was nothing short of disastrous. Instead of heralding a new era for the EA-published shooter, Battlefield 2042 received an uninspiring critical reception coupled with near-unanimous consumer disdain.

Battlefield 2042 was lambasted for its multitude of bugs and glitches, poor design, balancing issues, and the general feeling that it had been rushed out in an unfinished and unplayable state. With a critical Metascore of 63 for the PlayStation 5 and a User Score of 2.6, Battlefield 2042 was close to rivaling eFootball as one of the worst-rated games of 2021.

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Fortunately for DICE and EA, the current industry model has allowed a series of patches and updates to rectify the multitudes of issues plaguing Battlefield 2042, although it seems as though full redemption may be a long way off. Battlefield 2042 was clearly rushed out, but updates and fixes are increasingly rectifying the situation. With April 19's 4.0 Patch overhauling aspects of gameplay and presentation, one of 2021's biggest flops may finally be moving in the right direction.

Battlefield 2042 Screenshot

The most notable update is VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), essentially the ability to finally use voice chat that had been lacking upon the game's release. According to EA, there are two channels from which to choose, Party and Squad, and the setting can now be adjusted while in-game. Also, following the return of the scoreboard from previous updates, the UI refresh will now be made available during End of Round screens.

The second major change 4.0 brings is an overhaul of the game's weapon attachments system. As EA admits, before some attachments "had effects that were too similar from others, and it was unclear what the impact on your weapons would be when switching between them." With a number of attachments revamped and rebalanced to make them more distinctive or unique to certain weapons, EA clearly hopes for a more individualized feel to its large arsenal of playable weapons.

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Importantly, major changes to the game's XP changes have boosted support roles while decreasing many objective actions to redress the balance. For instance, acts such as healing, resupplying or repairing have all jumped from a reward of 5XP to 20XP, neutralizing an objective has dropped from 250XP to 200XP, and capturing an objective takes a huge dip from 375 to 200. This is presumably an effort to reward and encourage support play and prevent an overemphasis on attack, reducing role homogenization.

XP rewards aren't the only balancing changes. Many of Battlefield 2042's classes (known as specialists) have seen tweaks, improvements, or downgrades to ensure they function more rationally and re-equilibrate potential problems of overpowered abilities or operators. Dozer, for instance, has seen multiple tweaks to his SOB-8 Ballistic Shield to reduce the effectiveness of what was in danger of becoming an overpowered piece of kit.

Battlefield 2042 Screenshot

These improvements are, of course, supported by myriad fixes ranging from general gameplay updates to changes in how gadgets work, vehicle improvements, HUD tweaks, and audio patches. In fact, much of the 4.0 patch is concerned with rectifying the issues that plagued all aspects of Battlefield 2042's performance, as well as addressing the many glitches and bugs that caused everything from matchmaking loops to object clipping and frozen user interactions.

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Whether these changes add up to a playable game, however, is another issue entirely. While Battlefield 2042 is heading in the right direction, especially after the 4.0 update, the game is still striving to reach a basic standard of playability rather than to become an outstanding AAA title capable of competing with its rivals. Battlefield 2042's actual gameplay remains fundamentally the same, even with the issues fixed, but the level the futuristic shooter has managed to attain still seems well below both its predecessors and many of its competitors.

The real issue for EA is that such a disastrous launch can shatter consumer confidence and erode the player base on which it relies. SteamCharts are recording around 2,000 active players for a AAA title that once hoped for so much more. Regaining that confidence by offering a game that is not only acceptable, but that is outstanding, is the fundamental challenge DICE and EA face.