My issues with the pacific campaign:
-Stupid bullet dispersion on Japanese LMGs (and dispersion in general, silly mechanic)
This is especially bad on the Pacific because the Type 11 has to go up against the BAR, the BAR is superior in every way only because of the bullet dispersion mechanic which I absolutely despise. RNG should not play a role in whether you hit your target or not. Dispersion is not how you should balance weapons either, it’s just nonsensical and shouldn’t be done in a semi-realistic shooter.
My recommendation is instead of bullet dispersion on any LMG you simply make the recoil greater, add sway, and on very heavy MGs such as the M1919 or MG42 you make it so the player cannot sprint or HAS to fire from the hip unless prone/mounted. In the manual for the MG42 IRL they trained to use the bipod and spray from the hip. (Though there are pictures of German soldiers shoulder firing it, specifically the Fallschirmjager)
Regardless, the Japanese LMGs appear to be abysmally worthless, and that is where they definitely need to be able to match the US for balance purposes.
-AI shooting through bushes, having omniscience and seeing you randomly even when you’re sneaking up behind them, being unbelievably dangerous in melee and even stabbing you while facing the other direction
The AI is extremely bipolar on the pacific, more so than other campaigns due to the lack of hard cover and requirement to use concealment. They will wander about aimlessly and not even notice me half the time when I’m shooting them from 40 meters away, but if I dare attempt to sneak up on them, or banzai charge, or even if they randomly decide to, I’ll get one tapped by an AI squadmate using a bolt action instantly. They’ll turn around the moment I’m nearby and shoot me through all the bushes/concealment known to man.
On maps like this, especially if you plan to have more dense foliage, you desperately need to tweak the AI to be less omniscient.
-The M13 being stupidly strong and constantly spammed
The M13 is very overpowered and is the strongest vehicle the allies get, it’s far stronger than the LVT and the Stuart. It’s fast, has insane firepower, and is all but bullet proof frontally. I have since learned how to shoot the gunner with a bolt action but it’s an incredibly difficult shot requiring you to hit the top of his head. Alternatively you have to use a melee weapon, WP, or the (thankfully) very strong Japanese AT gun. However the disparity between Japanese and American vehicles is even greater than I would have imagined. I knew Japanese tanks would mostly be inferior, but I didn’t expect an M13 off the bat which can pen all the japanese (except the preorder) frontally.
My recommendation would be to up the HE filler power on tanks so they don’t have to directly hit infantry to kill them, so they are more useful. Tweak the M13 hitbox so you can actually reliably kill the gunner with a well placed shot. Lower the Japanese gunner’s hitbox on the Ta Se so that he is as well protected as the M13. This will go a long way to achieving balance and making the M13 less relevant.
-The lack of close quarters jungle
I’m hoping we’ll get more dense jungle with small clearings in the near future, perhaps interior Guadalcanal or Okinawa. Iwo Jima would also be interesting with the mountainous terrain. That said the AI would definitely need a rework for any kind of dense foliage maps.
-Banzai charge having no perks/upgrades to it, and the fact that melee attacking/dropping down/banzai charging puts your sprint on cooldown which is obnoxious.
The Banzai charge should be potentially lethal and tactically useful. As it is right now the only use I have for it is rushing M13s. The fact that after performing a melee attack you force us to not be able to sprint for a few seconds, means we simply cannot take advantage of it. I do not mind the cooldown on the banzai itself, but you need to be able to continue sprinting after a melee attack, or you’re stuck moving 2km per century while his AI guns you down. It’s silly.
There also needs to be Japanese ONLY perks for the Banzai charge, because that is what the Japanese are known for. The charges the Japanese made were suicidal, not just ‘heroic’, and would mass charge into withering machine gun fire regardless of how many losses or bullet wounds they received. It is not just a case of individual heroics, or mass charges that perhaps the Russians did. Therefore the Japanese need to stand out with this mechanic, and it can be buffed in such a way to make the faction unique and be able to compete with the Americans despite the Americans having far better equipment.
I would look at Rising Storm as an example of how to do the Banzai charge mechanic correctly.
It is also a missed opportunity to have your entire squad be able to banzai charge as well. I anticipated the pacific campaign for a very long time and in my imagination I expected entire mass-banzai charges from the Japanese team, with dozens of men rushing with bayonets through the artillery smoke. Which sounds extremely epic AND realistic, AND tactically useful.
Yet what we have is… extremely underwhelming and downright disappointing.
I recommend reading that to get an idea of the gravity and ferocity of a Japanese suicidal charge.
I hope my suggestions are taken seriously, and to add a bit of credibility to myself (because I know how these kinds of forums work), I’m not a bad player, this isn’t just me complaining to complain.
I have at minimum 85% win rate on all of my campaigns, and I consider myself a good player, so my suggestions are taken with experience of how the game works.
