Hello there. Im Legacy Zero both here and Youtube. I have a long history at this board. I love this franchise, particularly the editor. Some of you know me as that dude his flipped his lid at the launch of Far Cry 4. Now that Far Cry 5 has come and gone, I think its fair that we discuss a post-mortem refarding the Far Cry Arcade. All of this is obviously my thoughts and opinions, having spent hundreds of hours in the IGE, The PVP, and this board.
This is a love letter.
Firstly:
THE GOOD:
I have to say, many of my wild complaints fron the Far Cry 4 launch were addressed during this cycle. Regular communication, feedback recieved and at least acknowledged, and the Editor was absolute PERFECTION. I could t have asked for a better IGE feature-wise. Even just the addition if basic shapes, walls, doors, windows, etc, placed it light years ahead of any other IGE out there, including Halo 5, which was king, prior to FC5's launch. It was an absolute genious offering, and those who worked on it probably arent paid enough (subjectively of course lol). But the problems with Far Cry Arcade have little to do with the In Game Editor, but rather, everything else in it's orbit. Everything attached to the Editor is what kept the Editor from truly shining. Lets take a look at what I think is the Arcade's undoing:
THE FEEDBACK:
- 30 FPS lock is a no-no for multiplayer shooters these days. This has been true since last gen. 60 FPS has been king for years now, and it may have put a lot of players off. It was certainly difficult for me. When even Blackout, Battlefield V, and Ubi's own Siege pushes for 60 FPS, its hard to understand why this wasnt an objective to shoot for.
- Modes: launching with only two modes, both of which are simply modes of killing down to zero and no objectives, is a 'Silver Bullet' of sorts. Even lacking a basic control or domination mode, not only severely knee-capped the Arcade, it also harmed the IGE due to not allowing its best creators, many of who reside here, to truly use their create spaces effectively. Then announcing dropping Arcade support altogether is, to me, unacceptable, after all of the good will established, and potential this IGE holds.
- Vehicles that dont respawn, is for lack of a more generous term, disappointing. It renders vehicles limited and near-useless, considering the scope of the IGE, and the size of the maps. Once again harming the creators potential use of their creative space.
- The Lobby system was a perfect attempt to really balance fairness with chance and creativity, regardless of the negative discourse from the usual suspects on this board. But the Voting Lobbies really should have only been supplementary to a server browser, and not the other way around. The fact that the Lobby Broswer only came to full realization just as support for the game ended, is testament to why the player base dropped off so suddenly. I absolutely ADORED the Voting Lobby idea (but hated that you reduced the candidates from 3 to 2). I will die on this hill every single time. But the lobby broswer was THE NUMBER ONE BEGGED-FOR FEATURE since Far Cry 3. The fact that it wasnt there at launch means that Ubi was prepared to 'die on that hill' too, at the very least, and at most, decided to ignore what a major section of the fanbase of the Arcade always wanted.
-Bland PVP: Not inly did not having a 60 frame rate hurt the PVP, the PVP being largely unremarkable, serviceable at best. But as unigue and powerful as the IGE is, the PVP wasnt allowed to thrive within it. I hear a whole lot of lo e for FC2 on this board. But its PVP was objectively liquid garbage. Clunky, janky, and largely unfun. Yet a lot of devoted folks, including myself, put up with it for the sake of the IGE. Those folks arent going anywhere then, or even now. But the PVP failing to have an identity, or or promise of longevity, killrd it as soon as it left the stable. Which is odd, seeing as Ubi has -THE- best and most creative shooter this generation (Siege) and its the complete thesis that Ubi could have followed to an extent. Its 60 FPS, there are NO Deathmatch modes, and its hook and gameplay loop are genuinely addicting.
THE SOLUTION:
I'll come right out with it. The IGE and PVP shouldnt exist in the Far Cry universe any longer. Rather, it shojld be its own IP. Ubi caught lighting in a bottle with Siege, a multiplayer-only game and shed its campaign for a singular focus. One rhat has generated praise world-wide. The Far Cry IGE should do the same, and I know Ubisoft is aiming to capture that idea again. The IGE should be its own title. It should exist stand-alone. With its own assets, its own marketing, its own drive, and its own identity, the a truly creative multiplayer with an identity that its CREATORS give it. Not Ubisoft.
Theres so much potential here, and its always been my biggest criticism of Ubisoft: failing at realizing its true potential. Ive done a 180 on Ubisoft since Far Cry 4. Ive seen a drastic change in this company, and jumped for joy when Vivendi took a hike. And I want to seem the succeed.
-Standalone IGE, either F2P with micros, or paid entry with P2W mechanics.
-PVP, SP, Co-op, Hoard, mode creation, etc
-dedicated servers with lobby browser, no questions asked
-Social Media connections, sharing on Twitter and YouTube. (The Arcade Website was an amazing idea.
-cross platform compatible maps out the gate
-regular support adding new guns, map assets, and general tweaks, balances, etc.
-60 FPS. It doesnt have to be pretty. It has to be fun. Call of Duty Blackout sure isnt the greatest looking. But its fun, addictive, AND it runs at high framerates. Asking for 60 FPS is not some narcissistic request. Its the best way to PLAY a game. Its responsive, smooth, and aesthetically pleasing.
I want this so bad, and I think the current IGE deserves it. Call me Ubisoft :P
Much love to all of you, the devs, and this franchise. XOXO
-LZ