Keep Normandy tests without linear/powerup progression

Suggestions
1

I really, really love that Normandy has no progression.

Sure, you could argue that we could use the campaign level to unlock more squads, but I personally think even that little of progression is not really needed here.

The gameplay feels extremely solid.
The maps are beatiful.
And without perks, weapon upgrades or squad upgrades, with every firefight, you have to rely on your skill to defeat the enemy.

Yes, skill. Enlisted has become a real skill-based game once progression is no longer a factor.

The reduction in the ammount of equipment you can carry per soldier forces you to pick between medkits, or grenades. You can’t have 2 of both and no longer will you have soldiers with 4-5 medkits or grenades that spam their equipment more than their guns.

Positioning has become very important, thanks to the verticality of the new maps. You have to consider more potential dangerous directions now. They are also large enough to make flanking much more rewarding.

Each squad has access to one or more semiautomatic weapons, providing enough firepower to compete with automatic weapons if you are skilled enough. Yet if you want to specialize in CQC, you can pick one of the dedicated automatic-weapon squads.

To deal with ranged targets, you need one of the bolt action rifles. Most squads carry one of these on the engineer. The bolt action rifle gives you (mostly, could be a tiny bit more) enough range to take out MG nests, snipers, etc.

Every squad is diverse enough to be able to deal with almost any kind of target. Tanks can be dealt with just fine with explosive packs as well, so no squad is entirely useless/dead against a specific opponent. Your squad choice only determines how much skill you need to defeat your counters. It will never be impossible

My only concerns here would be the MP43/1, which is an automatic weapon used by a non-automatic oriented squad, as well as the mortar squad having an engineer, that can give effectively infinite ammo, and the radio squad not having an engineer and thus not having a bolt-action rifle.

Thoughts are of course welcome below.
Maybe suggestions on how to keep the player progressing without perks, weapon or squad upgades?
Sidegrades perhaps?

2 Likes
2

Without progression after few matches I don’t have reason to play :v I think I’m not alone with this.

9 Likes
3

Though this testing period wont last long, will be enough players to fill this campaign at anytime.
Give out full stuff for a free exploration is great. Also some slight boost for founders pack purchasing and new players.

4

Do you only play the game to unlock the next shiny thing, or because the game is fun?

3 Likes
5

I guess both…you then 20+ battle zones/ maps in normandy to skip the grind to keep players occupied just like squad or ros2…where you have everything free from first match!..Still this game is f2p so grind incoming.

6

I think sidegrades could be the solution.

Backpacks that give more ammo, for more weight / less mobility.
Or more armor
Or 1 extra grenade/medkit slot
Or less of any of those for more mobility
Make your squads more unique and catered to your playstyle, instead of making them strictly stronger.

A diffrent bullet for your rifle, dealing more damage but having more falloff, or less recoil but less damage, etc
A heavier bolt that increases stability at the cost of fire rate
Etc

Somewhat like how H&G does it

That way the game becomes very new-player friendly, as long as there are no non-default loadouts that are strictly better, while also allowing players to have some form of progression.

7

You’re not alone my friend. I’ll keep playing moskow.

2 Likes
8

Aahh yes… I agree with this rather than RNG-ish game but, if it becomes skill-based game what are we gonna grind/progress??

9

Be like TF2. Give sidegrades to personalize your experience.
1: Giving access to more squads is fine, like having the core 3 squads, snipers, assaulters and bombers be unlocked by default and give access to the others later.

2: Give weapon alternatives, unlocked purely through squad progression and not through campaign:

  • M1918 BAR should have low recoil for a LMG as it was ment to be used in the marching fire role. In return, it only has 20rd box magazines. Good DPS at mid range, but loses out to rifles at long and SMGs at short. The MP43/1 or the FG42 could be the German equivalents for it.
  • M1919 is a belt-fed LMG ment to be used solely with a bipod. It and the MG34 would provide larger volumes of fire with 50rd or larger belts, but much more recoil, less mobility while walking/running with them and longer reloads.
  • The panzerfaust should be replaced with the panzershreck, while providing some alternatives as well:
  • The M18 recoilles rifle was an American anti-tank weapon, which would be easier to use at longer ranges than the bazooka, but have less armor penetration, only being effective against side or rear armor. For the Germans, the Sturmpistole, a flaregun-style weapon that could use blanks to fire a shaped charge similar to the Panzerfaust, could be used, or, of course, the Panzerfaust itself. Both of the latter ones would have less ammo, but more mobility than the Panzershreck.
  • For SMGs, you could have the M3 grease gun for USA, having lower rate of fire but more controllability. For Germany you would have all the MP variants.
  • For sniper rifles, simply giving the semi auto variants would suffice, less damage but higher rate of fire.
  • For infantry rifles, a M1941 Johnson, a 10rd semi auto, could work for USA, there are many Gewehr variants for Germany.

NOTE that each of these weapons would have drawbacks and advantages so none of them would be strictly better options, except for maybe the MP43/1, as it was an assault rifle in WW2, kinda rare.

For soldiers, backpack and armor variations could do the trick:

  • Larger ammo pouches would provide more max ammo, but more weight, slowing you down
  • Equipment pouches would provide more slots for grenades or medkits
  • Armor plates could give slight damage resistances (5-15%) in certain body parts, but slow you down as well
  • Not equipping anything makes you lighter, making you run faster and further, as well as climb faster, crouch and crawl faster, etc.

NOTE that all of these would be VISUALLY distinguishable so you can tell during an engagement what a soldier is wearing and how to counter that.

For weapon progression:

For squad progression, they could be what unlock the modifications, as well as soldier equipment:
Assaulters would unlock the armor for all squads to use
Snipers would unlock the heavier bolts for all weapons to use
whatever, really.

This way we also get more simple riflemen into the mix, as those were historically much more common than the specialized classes. They just have to stay relevant by having bolt actions or semi-auto’s that deal enough damage to compete at mid range.

2 Likes
10

Well-said cat, that’s why i respect your every thoughts on this forum. And don’t forget shotgun too bud, since US got some variative guns there like, winchester, ithaca and browning 5. Yea but the downside is, i can’t customize my infantry’s loadout even further…

GG bruh

11

If done well, this should provide enough customization. Even for infantry, which only would get rifles.
Shotguns could be an option, but arent included in the current normandy campaign so i didnt include them in the list.

1 Like
12

I like to play this campaign. First i was dissapointed there is no progression. But guys - of course it will be. Now we just testing and have fun

13

I just hope for something that rewards skill instead of time/money invested.

14

Yea…just feeling sad because the loadout customization isn’t there :frowning:

Just want my smg infantry got some grease gun and springfield for my riflemen, i.e

15

It is so, but anyway its much more fair then War thunder play against some more effective and higher level tanks. And these perks really hard to be obtained. So you spend a lot - a few months for sure to got 2 squads of 5 stars. Its a fair deal.

16

Only if there is matchmaking, which isnt a thing and the playerbase is currently too small for that. And no, it is not fair to have an advantage just because you spent more time.

17

That’s your point. Some guys told you to play Day of Defeat like games. The Enlisted game as all other Gaijin games DO have benefits for your time and money spend.

18

No. Even at top tier, your win% is the same at reserve in war thunder. You do not get to bring your Leo2a6 in a match against a M3 stuart. That would be stupid.
In crossout, same thing. You do not get to bring your maxed build against starter cars, because of power score. That would also be stupid.
Yet in Enlisted, that stuff is currently possible in the Moscow campaign.
Neither of those parameters exist here. The game seems to only be made to have matchmaking by campaign. There are no signs of a level-based matchmaker being in the works.
Therefore, an alternative method has to be found to provide balance regardless of player progression. Because of that, a “strict upgrade” form of progression should not exist.

19

Edited thread name to more accurately represent what this thread has become

20

I think this mode should be exactly for you =p
I like it too. But there is kind a Bf 1941 style. Maybe sometimes it will be rebirth like dark souls series. Not now for sure