As stated in other threads, there is a split in interests of what the community desires and it will be entirely impossible to come to an amicable conclusion where every one is happy with the changes, so I believe that one of the two following actions (if not both) would help solve the issue presented, alongside make things better for the game overall.
Realistic Mode:
With this idea, it is a separate matchmaker to queue for apart from the normal merged matchmaking that is being proposed and currently worked on. It will be a combination of the features listed in both the second and third tests for the merge, allowing to pair players based on BR, however, they are restricted to certain settings/campaigns based on the weaponry equipped in their loadout. For example: should someone have volkssturm weapons equipped in a squad, they will only see Berlin maps, however, the matchmaker will still try to take balance in account and pair them with opponents who have similarly rated gear that would appear in Berlin maps as well.
The majority of weapons, as realistically occurred, can be seen throughout the war and can see multiple maps. Yet, there are obviously a few weapons that are constricted in specific time frames of occurrence. There should be a notification before queuing for which maps you would be put up for, so you would be able to adjust your loadout accordingly to be selected in the maps you enjoy the most. This could also resolve all the issues and bickering regarding weaponry that never occurred in certain battlefields to be removed, like the Federov, until, in the future, more settings and factions are added to the game as the game grows and we can see scenarios like the Winter War which makes the most sense for that weapon.
Overall, I think this might be the easier of the two solutions for the developer to take, it will end up satisfying a portion of the player base that has been critical as of late, and could allow for more leniency and fantasy scenarios in the normal arcade matchmaking should that be what the other players want. Alongside we could see the development of new game modes based on larger scale maps, similar to how the “Multiplayer Campaign” worked in Rising Storm/Red Orchestra II and Rising Storm II. People who have made similar topics to this have also expressed that we do not mind an additional wait time in order to find these lobbies, if the game we get into is something we desire.
Custom Games Rework:
The other solution I had in mind would be a rework to how Custom Games works to make it more convenient for the people being told to go in order to obtain any enjoyment from the game they supported. First, should be the introduction of persistent servers, these can be official servers hosted by Darkflow, or there could be rented servers, should they choose to go that way, where the servers will never close even if it’s on 0 players. This would follow a system like with other FPS games like Red Orchestra II, where the server owner can place certain server rules, and could do things like host community events there. Although would ultimately provide a reliable sense of familiarity and would circumvent the need to organize a match every time someone has the desire to play.
Aside from the server stuff, we should receive identical progress to what’s obtained in the normal matchmaking, in regards to progression towards unlocking new equipment and levels, alongside progression with weekly tasks, the battlepass, achievements, and any ongoing event. If we meet the criteria to complete these tasks in the same manner as matchmaking, we should not be restricted from progress because we enjoy the game a different way from the people who will mainly participate in the Arcade matchmaking.