here is copy of letter from google docs… you should have just directly posted this instead of linking to google doc. easier to discuss.
To the Developer Team and Management of Darkflow
This Open Letter is a request from the playerbase of Enlisted in regards to the health and direction of the game. This letter is the result of many forum posts, Reddit posts, official discord discussions, and bug reports. It is the collective work of casual and competitive players, new players and long-time veterans from across the globe. We have taken the feedback and ideas from hundreds of players from the Enlisted Community to create a condensed document that addresses the major issues we have identified, and propose solutions.
We genuinely love this game, its unique mechanics, and its massive variety of equipment… We want to see this game be the best it can be and for its community to grow and thrive.
Below is a list of issues that we, as a collective player base, have identified. Every problem is described from all relevant perspectives, followed by easily implementable solutions. We do not demand that every solution be implemented. We only ask that they be considered and used as a stepping stone for further development.
Communication and Community Engagement
1 - Community Engagement
Issue Description:
Many players consider the current method of communication is not efficient. Communication is often routed through Helpers, who are often vague about their responses due to the nature of development. Changes seemingly come out of the void, and are not always what the Community wanted or expected. This lack of transparency was notably demonstrated during the Steam release, which saw extensive negative feedback from Enlisted players because the implementation was not what we had anticipated or asked for.
Proposed Solutions:
· Devblogs:
Description: Consistent developer blogs (weekly, bimonthly for example) would provide players with an idea of what upcoming changes or fixes we can expect in the future. Currently there is no current roadmap; players do not have any idea as to when updates will be released, what to expect, or anything to anticipate. Players often feel like updates “come out of the void,” with little announcement and little awareness if the issues that they want fixed will be addressed. We would like to know the plans for Enlisted’s future so we know what to expect, and this can help build excitement among the community. This does not have to be detailed in terms of specific content or dates, but giving players a general idea and direction as to the future of the game is preferred over what we feel is minimal communication.
Impact: Players will have a better idea of what to expect for Enlisted future, reducing discontent when an update is released, and increasing player satisfaction as all players will be able to anticipate new major changes and content releases as timelines are met.
· Priority List for Major Bugs:
Description: Content and fixes are not released in a timely manner or prioritized in a way community has asked. It took over 2 years to implement a Bipod fix, as there were forum posts dated in 2022 asking for it. There was a promised implementation for bonuses if players queued as any faction near the beginning of the merge, and this has still not been implemented. The Super Pershing was promised months ago and still has not been implemented. Players often feel like requested items and fixes are not being prioritized over minor cosmetic changes.
Impact: Players will have a general idea on when to expect major fixes and will not be forced to wonder if they will “win the lottery” in regards to bugfixes. Knowing what is being prioritized, and having a general list of priorities, will enable players to have reasonable expectations for when a major bug will be resolved.
2 - The New Player Experience
Issue Description:
The new player experience is painful and unintuitive. There are no video tutorials linked in the game where new players can easily access them. Battle Rating brackets are not explained well in game, nor is the process for upgrading soldiers, weapons, and squads. There is no method currently to direct players to helpful tips/tricks or tutorials, nor to explain mechanics like effective Rally/APC placement. Players are forced to rely on Helpers or other players to create and update a stat sheet because the in-game data does not reflect accurate recoil or dispersion values - and if they are not active on Discord or forums they likely will not see it.
Proposed Solutions:
· Tutorials:
Description:Tutorials should not only include an in-depth walkthrough in all core mechanics of the game, but also the functional mechanics of the UI and strategies. Videos or links to videos can be included in the game for optional viewing for those new players willing to learn
Impact: New players will not have to rely on third party sources to learn how to effectively play the game. Instead they will be able to spend more time in the game as tutorials walk them through the basics, and official sources will aid in developing new players.
· Stat Card Overhauls:
Description: Stat cards in the game currently do not reflect the accurate statistics of weapon models. Most weapons have hidden recoil modifiers, dispersion values, and occasionally statistic modifiers like sprint speed reduction. These values should be accurately displayed on weapon stat cards.
Impact: Players can make more informed decisions on weapon selection regardless of how much they interact in the community. This will also reduce the burden of work on the Enlisted Helpers and Players as they no longer have to maintain a third-party work tracing the actual data for weapons.
Gameplay
1 - Kamikaze plane cycling and tank cycling
Issue Description:
The primary issue with plane cycling and tank cycling is the significant power imbalance between vehicles and infantry, primarily due to high-explosive spam. The current game system allows players who have bought additional squad slots to load them with planes and tanks, which they can then use in rapid succession, leading to nearly constant high-explosive spam on objectives. This results in a gameplay environment where vehicles dominate the battlefield, making it difficult for infantry to have a meaningful impact. Additionally, destroying a tank or plane on the enemy team currently offers minimal strategic advantage, which should be addressed to enhance team performance and gameplay balance.
Proposed Solutions:
· Force One Infantry Spawn:
Description: Require players to spawn as infantry at least once before they can use another vehicle.
Impact: Ensures more players have access to vehicles and promotes participation in combined arms combat.
· Cooldown Times for Vehicles:
Description: Introduce individual (30 seconds) or team (20 seconds) cooldowns for spawning a new tank or plane after one is destroyed.
Impact: Reduces vehicle spam, encourages more tactical use of tanks and planes, and makes destroying enemy vehicles more impactful.
· Experience Requirements for Vehicle Spawns:
Description: Implement experience thresholds that players must meet before spawning in a tank (1500 XP) or a plane (1000 XP).
Impact: Rewards active participation and skill, ensuring vehicles are used more strategically and making the destruction of enemy vehicles significantly beneficial to team performance.
2- Grey Zone Tanks
Issue Description:
Grey zone tanks exploit map boundaries, positioning themselves in areas that are nearly impossible for infantry to reach with anti-tank weapons. In many instances, such as with Japan and the USA, the anti-tank weapons provided to infantry are insufficient to penetrate the armor of the highest tiers of tanks. This results in high-explosive (HE) spam from tanks that dominate the battlefield and frustrate infantry players. Engineer-built anti-tank (AT) guns, which should counter these tanks, significantly underperform in their intended role and contribute to the toxic HE spam instead of effectively countering enemy tanks.
Proposed Solutions:
· Standardize and Enhance AT Guns:
Description: Improve the power and penetration capabilities of AT guns for all nations to effectively counter tanks in the enemy grey zone. Remove HE ammunition from AT guns to prevent their misuse for HE spam.
Impact: Enables AT guns to fulfill their intended role, balancing the gameplay by providing a reliable counter to grey zone tanks.
· Revise Rocket Artillery Mechanics:
Description: Make rocket artillery work more like a precision strike with a smaller area of impact but greater accuracy. Allow them to fire into enemy grey zones to force tankers camping in these areas to move and be more active.
Impact: Reduces static tank gameplay, encourages mobility, and provides a tactical tool to counter grey zone camping effectively.
· Incentivise Tanks on Objective:
Description: Allow tanks to receive score for being on objective points.
Impact: Tanks will be incentivised to work with their infantry to capture points instead of camping in the grey zone
3 - Lack of Effective Infantry Countermeasures Against Planes
Issue Description:
Infantry in Enlisted face significant challenges countering planes, particularly those equipped with rockets, due to the ineffectiveness of current anti-air (AA) guns, which have been excessively nerfed. This inadequacy becomes especially apparent on open maps where planes have ample maneuvering space and can strike with impunity. The current AA guns suffer from small magazine sizes and quick overheating, limiting their sustained fire and effectiveness against airborne threats. This imbalance hampers infantry’s ability to defend against aerial assaults effectively.
Proposed Solution:
· Enhance AA Gun Performance:
Description: Increase the magazine size of AA guns by 20-30% and reduce their overheating rate by 20-30%.
Impact: Improves the sustained firepower and effectiveness of AA guns against planes, particularly those armed with rockets. This adjustment allows infantry to better defend themselves and their positions from aerial threats on open maps, restoring balance to infantry-aviation interactions
Game Systems
1 - Oppressive Silver Economy Model
Issue Description:
The current silver economy model is excessively demanding for both new players and veterans who did not accumulate large amounts of silver beforehand. For example, calculations show that fully equipping and upgrading a single Battle Rating (BR) 5 Rifleman squad requires approximately 342,835 silver, which translates to about 57 hours of playtime (Shown below). This steep requirement makes it nearly impossible for new players or those wishing to diversify their equipment and squad setups to progress efficiently. The oppressive nature of the silver economy discourages gameplay and prevents many players from fully engaging with the game’s content.
*Calculation credit: EVA_Evo
This is not reasonable or even feasible, especially for new players or those that would like multiple presets with different weapons and/or Battle Ratings.
Proposed Solutions:
· Additional Experience for Core Game Mechanics:
Description: Provide extra experience for actions such as rally spawning, point captures, or engineer assists.
Impact: Increases silver earnings and incentivizes players to engage more actively in core game mechanics, enhancing overall gameplay involvement.
· Silver Boosters/Multipliers:
Description: Introduce silver boosters or multipliers, obtainable through events, the Battle Pass, or for purchase.
Impact: Helps mitigate the high costs associated with the current silver economy, making progression more achievable and reducing frustration for players.
· Skill Bonus System:
Description: Implement a “Skill Bonus” system similar to War Thunder, but focused on objectives captured rather than kills.
Impact: Addresses the economy issues while promoting objective-centric gameplay, rewarding players for strategic actions and encouraging more balanced gameplay dynamics.
2 - Lack of Social System
Issue Description:
Enlisted lacks essential social features that are crucial for player interaction and community building. Currently, players do not have access to an in-lobby text channel for group communication, a system for quickly adding players to groups during matches, or a clan system for organizing and fostering community engagement. This absence of social tools severely restricts players’ ability to form connections, coordinate strategies, and build communities within the game. We have a current running count of 10+ clans that have self-hosted competitive games in custom battles, but the current issues are making this effort untenable. We do not feel like we have support from Darkflow, as the custom 10v10 matches have unbearable latency regardless of the server. Lag is persistent regardless of the hosting server, and hosting modded maps currently only work properly on NA servers. Moreover, hit registration is extremely poor, and the tickrate is notably low, further impacting gameplay quality. Casual players interested in playing custom modded maps and modders face challenges due to inadequate server infrastructure, which diminishes the overall player experience and community growth.The ability of players to effectively communicate and group into communities and build player friendships will retain the player base and drive community engagement.
Proposed Solutions:
· In-Lobby Text Communication Channel:
Description: Implement an in-lobby text channel where players within a group can communicate directly.
Impact: Facilitates real-time communication among group/stack members, enhancing coordination.
· In-Match Invite System:
Description: Introduce a system for quickly adding players to groups during matches, improving team organization and communication.
Impact: Streamlines the process of forming groups and encourages spontaneous teamwork among players.
· Clan System:
Description: Develop a clan system that allows players to create and manage clans within the game.
Impact: Promotes community building by providing players with a platform to organize events, competitions, and social interactions.
· Improved Custom Server Infrastructure:
Description: Address the awfull connectivity, extremely high latency, poor hit registration and low tickrate issues on custom servers to enhance gameplay experience. Invest in server infrastructure to support custom modded maps and accommodate modders.
Impact: Improves accessibility and performance for casual players interested in custom maps and supports modders in creating and testing content within Enlisted.
· Spectator Mode and Premium Custom Servers:
Description: Implement a spectator mode for custom games to allow other players to watch competitive matches. Introduce Premium Custom Servers that clans can purchase with in-game gold through a “Clan Bank” funded by player contributions. At this point clans are ready to financially support premium custom servers.
Impact: Enhances community engagement by allowing players to enjoy watching competitive matches and provides clans with dedicated servers for better gameplay experiences.
3 -Stack Based Matchmaking
Issue Description:
“Stacking”, where players have 1-3 squadmates in their team, often results in a one-sided battle. Stacks typically have external communications and operate in a manner that is more coordinated than most public teams. The end result is that players often leave if they see a known stack, leaving those that remain to have a notably unenjoyable experience.
Proposed Solutions:
· Implement Stack-Based Matchmaking
Description: Stacks should be prioritized to fight each other as a soft rule. For example, 4-man stacks would be prioritized to fight other 4-man or 3-man stacks. If the queue takes too long, then a stack will see normal matchmaking. This does not have to be a hard lock but should be taken into account by the matchmaker
Impact: Player retention in matches will increase, as they will know they likely have a stack on their team to assist them in winning the battle. Battles will be more balanced than in the current system.
4 - Some Game Modes Need a Redesign
Issue Description:
Many players feel dissatisfied with certain game modes in Enlisted. Conquest mode, for instance, is often criticized for its low score and XP gains from short matches, leading to a lack of perceived value and engagement. Armored Train mode also receives criticism for its static gameplay and reliance on bots and player models, which detracts from its enjoyability. Bots face challenges with boarding the train and navigating (pathfinding issues), further impacting gameplay dynamics. Rally point mechanics in Armored Train mode further compound issues, with placements often proving suboptimal due to the train’s movement. Additionally, Confrontation mode struggles with ticket balance, where capturing points does not always translate to a proportional advantage due to ticket regeneration mechanics. These issues contribute to gameplay imbalances and reduce overall player satisfaction with these modes.
Proposed Solutions:
· Conquest Mode Redesign:
Description: Increase the score and XP gain in Conquest matches, significantly increase tickets (in order to extend the match duration) to make them more rewarding and worthwhile for players.
Impact: Players will find Conquest matches more engaging and fulfilling, encouraging longer play sessions and active participation. It would also decrease the number of players leaving matches prematurely upon encountering this game mode.
· Rework the Armored Train Mode:
Description: Adjust Armored Train Mode to make the train stationary and longer, spanning the entire map. Transform the game mode into a destruction scenario where attackers must plant bombs in different parts of the train composition across the map, with defenders tasked to prevent them. Alternatively, include 2 or 3 planting sites on the train itself and additional sites in nearby structures or houses.
Impact: This adjustment would introduce more dynamic gameplay and strategic depth to Armored Train Mode, fostering engagement and offering players varied tactical opportunities throughout the match while avoiding the mentioned drawbacks at the same time.
· Rework the Ticket Mechanics in Confrontation Mode
Description: Adjust ticket loss mechanics in Confrontation mode to prevent situations where teams dominating the battlefield can still lose due to ticket regeneration. Implement a ticket penalty system where the team can only lose tickets: teams incur a 150-ticket penalty upon losing the mid-point, 300 tickets for the second, with capturing the final point resulting in victory. Teams start with 1000 tickets each, and there is no ticket regeneration throughout the match.
Impact: This adjustment aims to enhance the strategic importance of capturing and defending points in Confrontation Mode. It makes the impact of contesting and capturing points more pronounced, leading to more predictable outcomes based on team performance.
5 - Restructure the In-Game Events
Issue Description:
Events in Enlisted have begun to feel like “homework” for many players, leading to exhaustion rather than excitement. The current format requires completing grinds on a daily or twice-daily basis, which can feel burdensome and repetitive. Players have expressed a preference for event formats that allow them to progress at their own pace, similar to the positive reception of the April Fools Zombie Event. This event, highlighted by Helper Polls, demonstrated overwhelming player approval due to its rewarding gameplay, collaborative scoreboard mechanics, and avoidance of toxic gameplay incentives. Players seek events that provide a satisfying and enjoyable experience rather than feeling forced into continuous grinding. The community has also shown interest in permanent PvE modes based on successful event models like the Zombie Event, as shown by the overwhelmingly positive feedback below
Proposed Solutions:
· Revise the Event Structure
Description: Modify the events to eliminate stage locking based on time and instead allow players to accumulate required XP or progress freely over an extended period, or at least increase the gated deadline from 2 to 4 days (maintaining the same effective progress).
Impact: This adjustment can be implemented by maintaining the current monetization model stage-wise for those wishing to expedite progress while providing more flexibility for non-paying players to achieve milestones at their own pace.
· Introduce More Scoreboard Events
Description: Implement more events similar to the April Fools Zombie Event that feature a collaborative scoreboard.
Impact: These events should encourage teamwork and player interaction while offering unique challenges and rewards.
· Expand Reward Categories
Description: Diversify event rewards to include more categories and ensure rewards are unique and noteworthy. This could include exclusive cosmetic items, rare weapons or equipment, or special in-game titles to enhance player satisfaction and motivation.
Impact: Offering more levels of rewards based on performance ensures that players feel adequately rewarded for their efforts, leading to greater satisfaction with event participation. Introducing tiers based on performance can also foster a sense of competition among players to excel and achieve higher ranks, promoting a healthier competitive environment within the player base.
· Permanent PvE Mode
Description: Consider implementing a permanent PvE mode based on successful event models like the Zombie Event.
Impact: This mode would cater to players seeking cooperative gameplay experiences outside of regular PvP matches, offering continuous enjoyment and engagement. This can also lead to improved long-term retention rates.
6 - Content Release Imbalances
Issue Description:
Every update consistently focuses on vehicles with a minimal amount of infantry content. For example, the most recent update consists of a ratio of 5 vehicles for 2 infantry weapons for free-to-play players. The vehicle tech tree is already extensive for most nations. Infantry content is lacking on recent releases and many community-requested items are still not implemented despite many requests. For example, since the merge, there have been a total of 32 vehicles added for only 12 infantry weapons as shown below. Premiums are highlighted in gold, and events are highlighted in blue:
Vehicles
Jagdpanzer IV Tiger H1 GAZ AAA M3 Lee SDKFZ 7 SDKFZ 251/9 M3 Medium Bren UC P4G PZSFL 1C KV-2 LVT-4 SDKFZ 251 KV-1 ZIS AP-4C Studebaker 6 UI Ersatz Panther LaGG-3-11 M4A1 Pershing Jumbo 76 Ki-61-II Ke-7 Ki-84 Na–To D4Y1 Chi-to Type 94 Isuzu Chi-Nu J3M3 Ho-Ha Ho-Ri Whirlwind MK 1 Achilles T-34-100 Guns
Maxim-Tokarev M1 Bazooka (Ussr) TT Red T20 Rifle Tokyo Arsenal Type 2 Type 99 LMG Type 100 LMG Type 99 Rifle early Type 99 Rifle GL Walther A115 SVD 30 (5 rnd) Proposed Solutions:
· Revise how Content is Released
Description: Nations should receive roughly equivalent equipment by BR in releases if possible. Additionally, infantry content and vehicle content should be near a 1:1 ratio when possible. This does not have to be a hard rule, but should be a guideline
Impact: The current trend of “faction bias” where a large portion of the playerbase shifts to one side after a Major Update will be reduced, as all factions will have new equipment of equal ratings to unlock. Additionally all members of the community will have equal levels of new content to play with, so that neither infantry or vehicle mains are disappointed.
7 - Unique Mechanics Implementation
Issue Description:
New mechanics are often paywalled or are considered “half-baked” among the community; many items are introduced once and then never touched again. Paratroopers still have not reached the tech tree, being locked behind premiums and events. Only the USSR has paratroopers that can swap their primary weapons. Rocket Artillery is locked behind premiums and future event squads. Drop tanks are nearly useless due to low damage and are only in the US and Japan. Riders only belong to Germany and the US, and are widely considered useless. Heavy Mortars only belong to the USSR and Germany. Many premium squads also lack engineers and antitank soldiers
Proposed Solutions:
· Ensure all nations have access to all squad types
Description: All nations should have every tech tree squad type implemented as a basis in the game. Items such as Riders and Heavy Mortars should be open to all factions to utilize
Impact: Players who main certain nations will not feel like their faction is being neglected by lack of access to tech tree items
· Add Unique Mechanics to the Tech tree
Description: Unique mechanics should never be locked behind paywalls or limited-time events. Premiums and Event Squads should come with unique equipment and design, but not lock out entire portions of the game
Impact: Players will be able to fight more dynamic battles as they will have access to items such as Paratroopers, Drop tanks, and Rockets in the tech tree, resulting in a more satisfied playerbase and higher player retention.
8 - Map Variety
Issue Description:
Map Variety is heavily lacking. Reversing a map’s direction does not qualify as a new map. Playing the same maps repeatedly makes the game feel tedious, and many players have reported leaving games if it is not a map they like. Campaigns such as the Pacific have the most notable issue, as Japan is limited to one theater of combat that consists of mostly the same terrain
Proposed Solutions:
· Release more maps with Major Updates
Description: The Rhezev Update released only one map (Left Bank); Major Updates that release a new front should aim to implement 3-4 maps if possible to add unique battlefields. Common community requests such as Manchuria would allow the Soviets and Japan to fight, which enables all of the Allied factions to fight all of the Axis Factions.
Impact: Consistent map releases ensures players have new battlefields to explore. Players will not feel stagnation from playing the same maps repeatedly, which would prevent player burnout and encourage consistent gameplay.
Player Quality of Life
1 - Asia/Oceania Servers
Issue Description:
Players in Southeast Asia and Oceania often report high latency and ping issues due to the connection to servers across the globe. In a fast-paced shooter such as Enlisted, such issues often cause players to have less enjoyable experiences.
Proposed Solutions:
· Addition of a SEA server
Description: Adding a SEA server will allow players within the SEA/Oceania region to have better connectivity and an overall more enjoyable experience
Impact: Higher player satisfaction within the aforementioned regions, resulting in potentially higher player retention and engagement.
2 - Squad Access
Issue Description:
Upgrade options are inconsistent with some squads of the same class, such as the Rifleman I, II, and III upgrades for Japan as an example. For Vehicles, currently single squads are often stacked with an excessive number of vehicles of one BR instead of having BRs split among squads to allow for variation if desired This makes it difficult for players to find new equipment, especially when it is an event vehicle. Additionally, it is not an enjoyable experience for players to see squads with interesting mechanics, cosmetics, or weapons only to learn they are no longer available for earning or purchase.
Proposed Solutions:
· Reduce Limitations on Squads
Description: Vehicles also should be able to be accessed by more squads to encourage variation and reduce the time the player has to spend searching for a specific vehicle they want. Upgrade options among the same type of squad should be consistent so the player can reliably know what they are getting with each squad upgrade
Impact: Higher player satisfaction with squad logistics and upgrades, and less time players spend in menus instead of battles
· Rerun Events
Description: Event Squads should be rerun occasionally so players who are new to the game will be able to receive them should they wait for the event to occur. For players that already have them, alternate compensation would be sufficient.
Impact: New players do not feel left out because they are unable to access event items. PLayers will have access to more unique squads and items and feel driven to play more as they have a new variety of items to play with.
3 - Booster Selection
Issue Description:
Currently Boosters are often felt as wasted; as players are not able to select the time and place they wish to use them, a bad match or inability to play may result in a booster barely providing any results, if at all.
Proposed Solutions:
· Booster Selector
Description: Players should be allowed to select when they can use their boosters, instead of having them automatically applied. A simple selection menu in the main menu to select and apply as many boosters as a player wants would serve as a possible method of application.
Impact: Players will no longer be upset when boosters run out without being used. Boosters ould become an exciting reward to earn as a player would know their booster will always be used in an effective manner
