Performance, UI, Commorose, squad play and everything else DICE learned from the Battlefield 2042 beta

In a new blog post, Battlefield 2042 developer DICE had a lot to say about the recent beta, its problems, and the studio's approach to player feedback as well as the build’s various shortcomings. The post touches on a number of the most common criticisms, such as performance, player visibility, the effect of Specialists on team play and much more.

There's a lot to digest and dig through in the blog, so we're going to highlight the most notable changes and how DICE is addressing beta feedback with respect to certain elements.

Performance

DICE once again stressed that the Battlefield 2042 beta was based on an old build and does not reflect where the game currently is in development. Though the developer didn't specifically address performance concerns as far as general framerate, stutters and so on, it said that you should expect a much more optimised version at launch.

Servers, matchmaking and bots

The Battlefield 2042 beta had a bug that caused certain servers to have an unusually high population of bots, preventing other players from joining later in the match. DICE isolated the cause, and actually fixed it during the beta.

In certain cases, matchmaking was sending players to servers outside their region, creating a worse experience in terms of pings and stability. Much of what's causing this has been fixed, and the developer promised to move quickly to address similar problems at launch should they arise.

User interface

One of the more confusingly-absent elements in the Battlefield 2042 beta has been the lack of a big map, despite there being a keybind for it. The game does let you bring up the overall live map, but the feature was disabled for the beta.

However, it may not make it into the early access launch, and DICE didn't say when we can actually expect to see it in-game.

Commorose

The Commorose is another classic Battlefield element that was not in the Battlefield 2042 beta. This is another feature that will be there at launch, and DICE actually showed off its new look in a few snippets.

HUD

The Battlefield 2042 HUD, as it existed in the beta, was the target of a lot of criticism. DICE made a number of changes, which we'll be seeing at lunch. The compass, which appears at the bottom of the screen, will now be always on.

The ping system has also seen some love, and should now be more accurate in detecting players, locations and objects. The score received for doing various things in-game has been moved to the more natural spot of middle of the screen, below the crosshair. The feed will now also display various other scoring events, like resupplying, healing, transporting and so on.

The kill log, seen on the left side of the screen, will be much more readable at launch, with clear colours for enemies and friendlies, as well as the weapon/vehicle used. Updates on sector and flag captures should be more visible, too.

Another big change is that you'll be able to know, at launch, which teammates require healing, repairs and resupplies - a crucial element for team play.

The derided critical messages, which appeared at the top, have had their size and frequency reduced, but their position won't be changing.

Those who used the colour-blind options in the beta will be happy to know that colours will be more consistent at launch across the entire UI, making it easier to distinguish the various elements on screen.

Team and squad play

The blog post confirmed that most of the general gadgets will be available to players upon reaching level 10. That's the medical crate, ammo crate, the Recoilless M5 Launcher, and the repair tool. The rest will be unlocked as you progress through the ranks, including the Specialists themselves.

Loadouts will return as a quick way to get a starter kit together, but a more detailed weapon customisation system will also be there at launch. The Collections screen in the main menu lets you customise said loadouts and set custom names for them.

As for the weapons, you'll be able to pick from a number of options for each attachment slot. Those unlock as you play with the weapons themselves, as is standard. You'll get to control the setup you spawn with, and what the Plus Menu includes for every weapon.

To help players better understand the composition of their squad, the full game has an insertion cutscene similar to Modern Warfare 2019 that will show off what your squad mates are playing as. There'll also be a few moments before the round starts where you can chat to your squad mates and change up the composition if need be.

General gameplay

The full game will have slower health regeneration for all players, which should encourage them to ask for healing from nearby medics. DICE also made it so darts fired from Maria Falck’s Syrette Pistol magnetise towards their target, similar to medpacks in past Battlefield games. The feedback when healing yourself and an ally has been improved, too. Revives should now be faster across the board.

DICE has made several updates to player visibility following beta feedback, to make sure enemies are easier to identify and see. This problem is being approached from multiple angles. First, lighting around enemies will make them more visible across the board.

Enemy soldiers should now also have a tint to make it easier to distinguish them from friendlies. If you spot an enemy within 10 meters, you'll always see an icon above their heads if they're in the open.

Icons for friendly players will be visible within 40 meters, and won't be occluded through walls to cut down on cases where you run into friendlies and open fire thinking they're enemies. In general, it should be easier to pick out friend from foe.

Some of these changes will be active during early access, while others will be turned on at the worldwide launch.

Controller gameplay and aim assist

The experience on controllers was yet another area in need of work, and DICE revealed a few changes that should make it much more enjoyable at launch. For starters, the default controller mappings have been improved, and the overview screen will more clearly display what each button does. If you don't like those keybinds, you'll be able to remap the entirety of the setup.

Aim assist on controllers should be stronger at launch, comparable to past Battlefield games. Text chat will be available on consoles, too, usable with controllers for the first time.

While cross-platform invites will be in at launch, VOIP won't.

Expect more updates like this in the lead-up to launch. Battlefield 2042 is out November 19 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.