Call of Duty: Vanguard,the newest title in the long-running FPS franchise, is almost here. However, before that release comes the Alpha test for all Playstation players. While fans were generally very excited to get their hands on last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War early, the Alpha was far from perfect, which culminated in an unbalanced and generally unfun weekend of gaming. If Vanguard wants to regain the hot streak started by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) then it needs to avoid mistakes that the previous entry made.
Given that Call of Duty: Vanguard's Alpha test will only be available this weekend, the folks at Sledgehammer have a limited amount of time to convince as many Playstation players as possible that their game is worth buying. That means they have the nearly impossible task of pleasing both hardcore fans who will play all weekend, as well as casual gamers that might play for less time than it takes to download the Alpha. To succeed in this area, avoiding a few major issues seen in the Black Ops Cold War Alpha will be important.
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Overtuned Sniper Rifles
The single largest aspect of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Alpha weekend that made it nearly unplayable was the extremely overpowered sniper rifles. Specifically, the aim-down sights speed (or, ADS) made these long-range weapons outperform in areas where they really shouldn't be, such as close and mid-range. However, this wasn't a mere accident on Treyarch's part, but rather an intentional design choice to evaluate how they would perform if the ADS times were that low. The alpha test is a time for the franchise to garner as much hype as possible before the release, and now that Activision is operating on a shortened reveal schedule due to COVID-19, this stretch of time should be the most important form of advertising.
While everyone might enjoy a sniping montage every now and then, feeling trapped in one all weekend is surely not going to make most people excited to buy the game. Needless to say, the wounds from nonstop quick scoping in previous titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are still fresh in the minds of Call of Duty players, as the community response was immediate with many Redditors and Twitter users pointing out the issue. The fact that Treyarch intentionally brought the snipers to such ridiculous heights is understandable, as it was an Alpha test and the developers simply wanted to test how these weapons would perform in a live-game setting. However, the most important thing a gamer should walk away from an Alpha with is that it was fun, and the fact of the matter is that these overtuned snipers made most of the weekend unfun for many players.
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Missing Features
Another gripe playtesters had with last year's alpha was that it felt like a downgrade from the return-to-form Modern Warfare (2019). Due to not running on the same engine as its predecessor, there are a couple of major features that did not return. Chief among these is the mounting system in which a player can directly mount their weapon to a wall or window to gain stability and cover from enemies. Similarly, the ability to peek through doors before fully opening them is also absent, as well as the tactical sprint function. All of these gameplay features added a new element to the franchise that was not seen before. While some players might argue that these features allowed camping in multiplayer to flourish, it's still difficult to justify outright stripping the Modern Warfare additions from the 2020 release; for many, it was not a good look for the first Call of Duty release on next-gen consoles.
A feature that was present in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha, but that many players feel should not have been, is Skill-Based Matchmaking, or SBMM for short. Skill-Based Matchmaking is a fairly self-explanatory multiplayer concept in which the game has an algorithm that will attempt to match its players with others who display the same skill. It is designed with the best intentions in mind so that the player never feels like they are at a true disadvantage. The problem comes with every game making the player feel like they have to perform to the best of their ability; in other words, it's nearly impossible to enjoy a casual game or to experiment with new weapons and attachments. The solution is a simple one that would score a lot of points with the fanbase: remove SBMM from casual matchmaking, but keep it for a ranked mode like so many other FPS titles have done.
What We Know So Far
Call of Duty: Vanguard will be returning to the past in more than just its setting, as it was confirmed that the new release will be going back to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's engine. This is likely to ensure that mounting, wall peeks, and tactical sprint will also all return. Fans of the most recent Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone should be happy to see the crisp and photo-realistic engine in action as opposed to the more arcadey and vibrant Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War. Furthermore, Vanguard will also be seamlessly integrated into Warzone as a result of this, with a brand-new map already announced to be incoming.
The Alpha test, which begins August 27th and runs until the 29th, is once again Activision's biggest chance to drum up hype and support within the community. Hopefully, Sledgehammer Games has learned from Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War's Alpha test and avoids overtuning the sniper rifles (or any weapon class) in the name of data and science. Likewise, many would like to see gameplay features that were missing from Black Ops Cold War implemented. Even if all this does not go to plan, it is incredibly difficult to imagine a world where Call of Duty: Vanguard is not one of the top-selling titles of the holiday 2021 release window. Still, the game will likely perform even better if the Alpha impresses.
Call of Duty: Vanguard will be released November 5th, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Series X/S
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