Forgive my rant, but I just had to get this out...
Frankly, I've been disappointed with how "Vanilla" the gameplay in BF2:SF is. (But don't get me wrong, I love BF2:SF)
Most maps are just head-to-head conquest and could just as well be Vanilla BF2.
Even when considering the head-to-head conquest nature of the core BF2, and that SF would follow that paradigm, it seems that the "missions" and the way they are set-up are not terribly "Special Forces"-like.
For example, from what I have read it is kind of rare to have SpecFor vs SpecFor encounters. Admittedly most of my reading is on the British SAS, but it seems the premise of mist of the maps is a little...skewed.
The Insurgents and Rebels are both equipped similarly to to their SF opponents... this seems a little odd to me. When the SAS have done missions in Columbia against drug barons, they have been up against SF-trained fighters, but they have seldom been as well equipped or backed.
Most of the SpecOps I have read about are seldom done with immediate access to Artillery, Armour and Attack Chopper (because of the obviousness of the logisitics of getting them set-up) - unless only on the non-SF side.
I think most of what I'm saying about the set-up is that the sides are too even - and this is rarely the case (from what I understand) in genuine special operations. Usually the SF are out-numbered and out-gunned, but are better trained, have better intelligence, have better equipment and the element of surprise. Basically, the starting conditions should be asymmetric but still balanced.
Sure I'll cop flames for this but...
Iron Gator - I actually see this as a good Head To Head (HTH) SF vs SF map... it works.
Devils Perch - Again, this seems a good take on a HTH Special Operation. I would take away the SEALs artillery and give them a "parachute drop" spawn point.
Surge - Good premise, but I'd expect a greater proportion of Rebels with more mundane equipment (no gas masks, flashbangs, teargas, ziplines), no UAV or Satellite, and Spetznaz without Arty but with UAV & Satellite.
Mass Destruction - Same comments as Surge.
Leviathan - Premise is "okay" but seems more like a strategic strike by conventional forces than a SpecOp. I'd take the artillery away from the MECSF, possibly lighten their armour too, change the SEALs to conventional Marines...
Night Flight - This is definitely a good SpecOp premise, but still. I'd take away the SF equipment and weapons from the Insurgents and give them more mundane stuff. Get rid of their commander assets except UAV. SAS should have only UAV and Satellite, and possibly have some Insurgent flags that are easier to defend. Apart from that it's a good premise and a good map.
Ghost Town - This is like someone blended Mashtuur, Karkand and Sharqi then threw some LSD and Amphetamines in too. It's a brilliant map. Bloody awesome. But it's too direct for genuine Special Forces! At the most I'd take away artillery from both sides as they are "recovering documents" rather than trying to take ground.
Warlord - Possibly the definitive SF map. And as above, it's brilliant. I'd take away the SAS artillery, and downgrade the Insurgents weapons and equipment to mundane. Maybe even boost their numbers if possible. I'd do-away with the insurgents Satellite and UAV. I'd take away the SAS tank, perhaps replace it with another APC/AFV and move their staging area a bit further away from the city. Or get rid of the tank and APCs/AFVs and make it a Night Map since this is the sort of thing that the SAS wouldn't do during daylight. If you want it as a daylight map, make the changes above, get rid of the tank, and add two Black Hawks - then you have a Black Hawk Down style of "daytime interdiction" against a local "Warlord".
On top of all this I'd also like to see the SF teams using special weapons - the silenced version of the L96A1 for example, the MP5SD3 silenced SMG, the Russian Silenced Assault Rifle That I Can't Remember the Name Of. Every SF soldier to have a suppressed pistol for example... the Assault kit could have some of the "special" rounds for the 40mm grenade launcher - like the grapple throwing charge, or the shotgun round. The Engineer could have frame charges for opening doors or ferret / door opening rounds for his shotgun (or fibre optic cameras to look round corners etc). And what about rapelling? Oh dear.
And if you must have "Arty" you can make it a commander function, not an assett, and it's actually an airstrike or something.
With the cooperative modes we could have had extra bots as civilians - giving everyone extra TKs... then we could have had hostage rescue and other kinds of scenarios.
What kinds of maps / schenarios would I make? Don't have the time right now but will post again later. Unless this waffle has put everyone off.
\\'
Frankly, I've been disappointed with how "Vanilla" the gameplay in BF2:SF is. (But don't get me wrong, I love BF2:SF)
Most maps are just head-to-head conquest and could just as well be Vanilla BF2.
Even when considering the head-to-head conquest nature of the core BF2, and that SF would follow that paradigm, it seems that the "missions" and the way they are set-up are not terribly "Special Forces"-like.
For example, from what I have read it is kind of rare to have SpecFor vs SpecFor encounters. Admittedly most of my reading is on the British SAS, but it seems the premise of mist of the maps is a little...skewed.
The Insurgents and Rebels are both equipped similarly to to their SF opponents... this seems a little odd to me. When the SAS have done missions in Columbia against drug barons, they have been up against SF-trained fighters, but they have seldom been as well equipped or backed.
Most of the SpecOps I have read about are seldom done with immediate access to Artillery, Armour and Attack Chopper (because of the obviousness of the logisitics of getting them set-up) - unless only on the non-SF side.
I think most of what I'm saying about the set-up is that the sides are too even - and this is rarely the case (from what I understand) in genuine special operations. Usually the SF are out-numbered and out-gunned, but are better trained, have better intelligence, have better equipment and the element of surprise. Basically, the starting conditions should be asymmetric but still balanced.
Sure I'll cop flames for this but...
Iron Gator - I actually see this as a good Head To Head (HTH) SF vs SF map... it works.
Devils Perch - Again, this seems a good take on a HTH Special Operation. I would take away the SEALs artillery and give them a "parachute drop" spawn point.
Surge - Good premise, but I'd expect a greater proportion of Rebels with more mundane equipment (no gas masks, flashbangs, teargas, ziplines), no UAV or Satellite, and Spetznaz without Arty but with UAV & Satellite.
Mass Destruction - Same comments as Surge.
Leviathan - Premise is "okay" but seems more like a strategic strike by conventional forces than a SpecOp. I'd take the artillery away from the MECSF, possibly lighten their armour too, change the SEALs to conventional Marines...
Night Flight - This is definitely a good SpecOp premise, but still. I'd take away the SF equipment and weapons from the Insurgents and give them more mundane stuff. Get rid of their commander assets except UAV. SAS should have only UAV and Satellite, and possibly have some Insurgent flags that are easier to defend. Apart from that it's a good premise and a good map.
Ghost Town - This is like someone blended Mashtuur, Karkand and Sharqi then threw some LSD and Amphetamines in too. It's a brilliant map. Bloody awesome. But it's too direct for genuine Special Forces! At the most I'd take away artillery from both sides as they are "recovering documents" rather than trying to take ground.
Warlord - Possibly the definitive SF map. And as above, it's brilliant. I'd take away the SAS artillery, and downgrade the Insurgents weapons and equipment to mundane. Maybe even boost their numbers if possible. I'd do-away with the insurgents Satellite and UAV. I'd take away the SAS tank, perhaps replace it with another APC/AFV and move their staging area a bit further away from the city. Or get rid of the tank and APCs/AFVs and make it a Night Map since this is the sort of thing that the SAS wouldn't do during daylight. If you want it as a daylight map, make the changes above, get rid of the tank, and add two Black Hawks - then you have a Black Hawk Down style of "daytime interdiction" against a local "Warlord".
On top of all this I'd also like to see the SF teams using special weapons - the silenced version of the L96A1 for example, the MP5SD3 silenced SMG, the Russian Silenced Assault Rifle That I Can't Remember the Name Of. Every SF soldier to have a suppressed pistol for example... the Assault kit could have some of the "special" rounds for the 40mm grenade launcher - like the grapple throwing charge, or the shotgun round. The Engineer could have frame charges for opening doors or ferret / door opening rounds for his shotgun (or fibre optic cameras to look round corners etc). And what about rapelling? Oh dear.
And if you must have "Arty" you can make it a commander function, not an assett, and it's actually an airstrike or something.
With the cooperative modes we could have had extra bots as civilians - giving everyone extra TKs... then we could have had hostage rescue and other kinds of scenarios.
What kinds of maps / schenarios would I make? Don't have the time right now but will post again later. Unless this waffle has put everyone off.
\\'