I thought I'd do a thread about people's hopes and demands for this game.
So Ghosts wasn't quite the innovation we were promised or expecting. A few things renamed but the premise was all too similar. I think Advanced Warfare has the opportunity to really change the infrastructure of the game with perks expected to be attached to the suit and not the usual list that we've seen before renamed or not. This could be pretty neat if we get things like jump boosts and extra cloaking seconds or something as opposed to the usual stuff that we've seen before such as Steady Aim. I think the perk system has been really good in the franchise particularly when balanced and to diversify between modes accordingly but I'd love to see it overhauled into something different.
The one thing about Ghosts that I hated was the Squad Point system. They were far to easy to earn and the challenge was all but extinguished in terms of unlocking weapons and attachments. This used to be very satisfying in the likes of MW2 especially when going for camo and attachments. You often had to use things you weren't used of or comfortable with but that made it even more worthwhile and enjoyable to accomplish. Without this core challenge and just perks to unlock; you'd see everyone rolling the likes of Honey Badger and other overly-popular items. This was a major factor in why I got bored very quickly.
I also want the Prestige system to be scrapped or modified. I love a grind but ranking in COD of late has become so easy and dissatisfying; prestige only seems to represent how much you play the game now; it doesn't demonstrate the player you are and how good you play. It seems to be dumbed-down to keep people interested without the long term chore but many players would loved to have accomplishments that actually show the effort you have put in. Battlefield 4 has a superb structure; 120 levels to sift though, medals, assignments, weapons, attachments, basically everything on offer has to be unlocked based on a catalogue of requirements such as kills, score, heals, revives etc...Battlepacks also add something new and sometimes it's nice to see some good stuff being unlocked that way. It's like a present every time you rank up. You can't beat seeing an XP bonus of 200% in your gold Battlepack. It makes ranking satisfying and you don't know what you're going to get. The assignment and general attachments unlocks provide a challenge and aren't rank unlock dependent. This gives you the opportunity to be responsible for what you can earn without relying on just a ranking level to unlock items. The challenge is basically down to you and you can choose what and when you want to attempt to unlock certain things. This is a brilliant format which offers huge depth and rewards you accordingly based on your performances.
I hope the maps are rich and varied. I hated the core maps on Ghosts and the DLC weren't that much of an improvement. Freight echoed a good Call of Duty styled map but the likes of Chasm represented everything that we didn't want to see with embarrassing dynamic features. Everything felt lackluster and dated. I'm hoping that if we have super jumps and more vertices gameplay. I'm not hoping for Titanfall-inspired window jumping into buildings but I'd love to see some elevation in the map design if jumping is going to be a feature in the multiplayer. I hope the player count may be upped to 12v12 or something and that the maps are sizable but not oversized. I'd love to see more atmosphere and effects such as rain and snow. The current maps are rather bland and simple. Whiteout had a really good look and vibe to it but it was pretty basic.
I want them to do away with this camo DLC culture and tacky game mode inclusions. Just have a popular playlist and no novelty items. Ghosts bordered on the ridicilous with Snoop Dog and a load of shoddy DLC. They really need to change the Microtransaction format. It's a good idea; it's not pay to win or anything but it's hardly being utilized in a mature and appealing manner. I'd love to see a map a month or something that continuously engages the gamer. A new weapon per class a month or anything that keeps the dry periods filled with content regardless of the Xbox exclusivity. To think of what COD used to be and what it has become is depressing. The commercial side is so samey and predicable and when they do finally do something different; it's farcical. If you had told me Snoop Dog was commentating on COD just 2 years ago; I wouldn't have believed it. Now it's happened; it's just stupid. I don't know who they are catering for or the who their target audience has become but the brand is derailing itself from normality. I hope Sledgehammer take a more sensible and mature route to keep the brand and their game consistent with what the series initially was. Black Ops 2 only brought the Peacekeeper, Ghosts has had a couple of guns but BF4 is offering plenty of weapons and items per DLC drop along with solid maps and new modes. These packs are great value but COD is just scrapping for anything it seems because they know they'll sell it to some. I want AW to represent huge quality and justify itself as the most lucrative brand in gaming.