Sometimes when press statements come out drawing the whole summit meeting about aim-assists from Battlefield 6 devs, you get an impression of how really shifting the entire conversation among gamers in a frantic uproar. The devs have clarified that they are approaching it differently from other shooters, like that other very popular military shooter we all keep picking up from time to time. They are going very light on aim assist; for instance, snap zoom is completely gone, and so is rotational aim assist. Internally, the devs have named this new approach “Humanise aim assist.” It sounds good enough; now everybody is fighting about it.
Means basically that it should be more natural: it should feel as though one is doing the hard work and not being unfairly pulled through every gunfight. This is a complete turnaround from games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, to the contrary, where aim assist may sometimes seem to do all the heavy lifting. So, they’re already having opinions; strong ones, so let’s just say.
Let’s see what this really means. Snap zoom will lock directly onto the enemy crosshair anytime you aim down sights. Rotational aim assists in tracking a moving target if you are not perfectly moving the sticks. By removing both, Battlefield 6 is essentially trying to endorse the more mature generations of controller players to skill up on their own. It’s quite a powerful move, with reactions being of all kinds.
Some of the gamers love the news. Like one user tweeting “Great news! Players will be rewarded for aiming on their own, and frags will feel much more satisfying.” Many voices are singing the same tune right now. There’s a belief that this might bring the playing field a bit closer to mouse and keyboard players for controller users, where kills actually feel earned and not a slapping of the hand. Another user said, “As a controller player, big W,” which shows that all of the console users don’t welcome these training wheels.
In contrast, on the other side, they’re mad. They are already foretelling the death of this game. One comment goes: “Dead game already,” while another echoes: “This game will be dead in 3 months.” Without proper aim assist, there is a genuine concern that controller players will perform far worse, Gamer versus PC gamers. One user even lamented, “So it’s gonna be more harder aiming on the controller now??” followed by an annoyed emoji that really expressed their feelings.
Comparisons with CoD are always inevitable. One tweet screamed “YOUR TURN @CallofDuty,” clearly challenging Activision to follow suit. Then, others held down the irony of “Activision could never!!” presumably affirming that Battlefield is doing what’s right here. Then you got complaints that Warzone aim assist is “over tuned” and that players are praying Battlefield will be a bit more balanced since, let’s face it, finding that balance is hard. You do not want to make it weak enough to be considered unfair, but on the other hand, it can’t be so powerful that it is blatant cheating.
Then the whole argument about mouse and keyboard versus the controller starts, always getting heated. Some PC players are obviously thrilled, writing things such as “Mnk is the way,” while others are voicing their concerns for exiling console players. One user noted, “Controller technology isn’t up to par yet when it comes to deadzones so AA is needed to an extent.” That is a strong point – thumbsticks just aren’t precise compared to a mouse and hence, need some level of assistance. But where do we draw the line?
In fact, there’s already a disagreement amongst controller owners. While some were celebrating the changes, throwing jabs, “If you want the game to do it for you, go to other shooters for kids.” Bit rough, but it shows a desire for skill-based gameplay. Others are still a little cautious, hoping sensitivity settings will be customizable to give them some control in fine-tuning their experience.
Of course, now they are heading to galleries for big laughs. One person posted the celebration GIF, captioned “Shitty Controller players rn,” implying less skilled players are starting to panic. Another captioned, “Streamers cry out in terror,” accompanied by a laughing emoji, suggesting content creators reliant on strong aim assist may struggle a lot. Great in-joke aside, that just shows how much polarization has arisen.
Looking through the lense of past Battlefield titles; one says: “Whatever BF4 console one is, is what it should be. Felt right, not to powerful either.” That kind of old-timer praise for games definitely points toward the existence of a middle ground, and the fact that it can be done. Battlefield 4 is often hailed as the pinnacle of gameplay; maybe DICE are learning from their past.
There are also hopeful voices with some doubts. They are hungry for something new, tired of all the other shooties that are out right now. One tweet read: “I can’t wait for this game to come out. Fuck Warzone & COD with their infestation of cheaters and bugs.” So for them, this is a welcomed change from the current frustrations they’ve been dealing with elsewhere.
An ounce of risk here, but the movers and shakers of Battlefield 6 can pull off a home run here. In humanising aim assist, developers want to portray their game as one that’s more realistically based and skillful. It probably will weed out a percentage of players who quite honestly have been leaning on assist since day one. Others will be drawn to the fair and competitive alternative. If this works depends on how well they pull it off and whether they actually keep their ears opened during the beta or early access.
The more information that’s spilled, the more certain it should be that this aim assist conversation will be here to stay. Whether you’re a PlayStation player, a PC master race enthusiast or just a guy who enjoys a fancy shooter, everyone is talking about this change. And honestly? That probably was the dev’s plan right from the start: to get people talking about what defines a great FPS in one way or the other. We will have to wait and see if it stands or falls when the game finally drops, whether you’re on Xbox or another platform.
