THIS IS NOT COMPLETE YET
I'm using Kuntliott's map rating system for this
Albatross - 8
A solid map that provides many options to the players, both in vehicle choice and in locations that they can go. These choices are further amplified by the fact that the order of the first and second objectives are semi-randomly chosen along with the spawn location and the objective locations so that the are technically half a dozen or so ways that the mission could be set up. The secondary objectives are easily accessible, and can be used to lead more mobile vehicles to positions that could be advantageous for the final objective. The only real problem with this map is that the "destroy the base" objective can be completed far too quickly by single trigger-happy player and result in the team being up to their necks in enemies and dangerously out of position for the final objective.
Anvil - 6
A decent map, but fairly straight forward and lacking complexity. Engagements mostly occur at short range, so light vehicles struggle to remain relevant until the team gets close to the final objective at which point a single player (there really isn't enough space or targets for two players) can drive out onto the pier to put some range between themselves and the enemies. The secondary objectives are relatively easy to obtain, but are entirely meaningless outside of a small increase to the post-battle rewards.
Banshee - 6
...
Basilisk - 8
While the single primary objective is not particularly complex, the amount of time it takes to reach the objective area partially makes up for this. There are many good opportunities for vehicles of all types to find advantageous positions that they can make use of, allowing players to use whatever vehicle they want without any major issues. The secondary objectives can be a little bit out of the way depending on which version of them you get, but completing them gives you an extra 3 minutes to complete the primary objective (which can be very useful if your team is struggling to put out the DPM needed).
Cavalry - 6
The primary objective is very straightforward, although the map design provides near-constant opportunities for long range support fire. The secondary objectives don't provide any in-match bonus, but are almost trivial to take out. It almost feels like this map needs to have a second objective that occurs after the players have killed off all of the enemies or secured the capture point.
Cerberus - 9
One of the more unique maps in that it requires players to kill off specific enemies instead of capturing or defending locations. This change of pace is very refreshing compared to other PvE missions, although it seems to prove challenging for players who are not used to the lieutenants. There are plenty of opportunities for players to find locations to work to the strengths of whatever vehicle they are driving, allowing any vehicle to perform well. Two of the three possible variations of the secondary objectives (namely the "destroy the trucks" and the "destroy the ammo" variations) do not require players to go out of their way to complete them, while the third (the "satcom trace" variation) is worse than the others because it does. My only recommendation for this map would be to get rid of the "satcom trace" secondary objective.
Dire Wolf - 4
...
Erebos - 8
...
Frostbite - 8
...
Ghost Hunter - 9
...
Harbinger - 10
An excellent map that provides good opportunities for all playstyles. No mater which vehicle a player is driving, they can always pick a suitable position that will allow them to play to the strengths of their vehicle. While the objectives are not overly complex, the players can choose between one of several routes to complete the first objective. While the secondary objectives don't provide anything outside of the reward bonus and can be a bit out of the way, the fact that the player only needs to shoot them means that they are easy to collect.
Hydra - 5
...
Kodiak - 6
...
Leviathan - 9
While I like the complexity of this map, the objectives tend to vary wildly between being too hard and too easy. The randomized locations of the "defend the radio tower" objectives can lead to situations where nobody on the team has enough mobility to reach the new objective on time, causing the objective to fail. Conversely, the final objective is far too easy as the sole requirement for completing it is that at least one player survives until the end of the match. The random locations of the secondary objectives are often too far out of the way for players to reach them before they expire, and do not provide anything outside of the typical bonus rewards. That said, there are plenty of opportunities for vehicles of all types to find suitable positions for their intended playstyles, meaning that any vehicle can be comfortably used for this mission.
Life Jacket - 5
...
Meltdown - 8
...
Onyx - 6
...
Perseus - 10
Provides excellent opportunities for squishy vehicles to spot and provide long range supporting fire. The series of objectives give the map the dynamic feel that is usually associated with complexity, and the second and third objectives can both be approached from several different directions if the player so chooses. While the secondary objectives can be a bit out of the way, the one that is the most out of the way spawns several additional enemies that players can choose to engage for additional rewards at the end of the match (helpful if your team is hyper-competent and everyone is trying to maximize their earnings) or ignore completely (although they will occasionally send a few shots at any players that get spotted).
Phalanx - 6
...
Prometheus - 6
...
Quarterback - 6
...
Raiding Party - 9
Has the potential to be my hands-down favourite map, but the current mission timer is about 60 seconds too short. Objectives are complex without being confusing, and give players the opportunity to complete them in a variety of ways. Engagements can consistently take place at any range, allowing all vehicles to play to their strengths. The secondary objectives are a little bit out of the way, but generally not that hard to pick up when traveling between objectives. The only thing that prevents me from giving this map a 10 is the mission timer, which is just a little bit too short for an average team of random players to consistently complete the mission (outside of tier 9-10, which seem to do fine).
Red Opossum - 6
This map suffers from many of the same problems as Anvil. Most of the engagements take place at very close range, so the effectiveness of various vehicles is heavily weighted in favour of heavily armoured vehicles. While the multiple primary objectives make it more complex than Anvil, the randomized secondary objectives are now harder to obtain while still not providing anything outside of a small boost to the post-battle rewards.
Ricochet - 1
This map is a good example of everything that should not be done when making a PvE mission. The engagements all take place at relatively close range (due to a combination of AI spawn locations and urban/hilly terrain) and massively favour vehicles with armour. The map layout is extremely linear for the first half the match, but then branches out to give the players a grand total of 2 routes that they can take in order to continue the engagement - one that will allow players to attempt to get the secondary objective, and one that doesn't expose the players' flanks to a swarm of enemies. The secondary objectives are spaced far apart, and take so long to get to that the match is often over before the team can finish it. Additionally, while the average map time for Ricochet is significantly shorter than the other maps, the rewards from the map are so disproportionately low that a player looking to generate as much income as then can in a given period of time is probably better off skipping Ricochet entirely. The end result is a map that is neither fun nor rewarding to play.
Rolling Thunder - 7
A decent map that provides a reasonable level of complexity and good options for different vehicles. Engagements can occur at comfortable ranges for any vehicle on the first and last objective, but only at medium or close range for the second objective. Secondary objective locations are randomized, and are often in locations that are out of the way of the normal paths players would otherwise follow, but are being meaningless outside of increased rewards.
Sapphire - 4
Another example of a map that could be done better. The primary objective is very straightforward, which means that matches are usually pretty short. While nowhere near as constrained as ricochet, there are no particularly good spots that players can use to take advantage of the open fields of fire to provide flanking fire without getting spotted. The secondary objectives are well out of the way and require the player be right next to them in order to pick them up without providing any advantage in the match.
Scorpio - 6
...
Snakebite - 8
...
Spearhead - 3
...
Starry Night - 6
..
Stormy Winter - 6
...
Tsunami - 7
What would otherwise be a excellent map is hampered by the fact that any players that remain near the spawn for a few minutes after the match starts face certain death. Several enemies rush the spawn within the first few minutes of the match and spot anyone in the spawn for the lieutenant sitting at the end of the road with a clear line of sight into the players' spawn point. The single primary objective is straightforward, but the amount of time it takes to get there mitigates most of this as it gives players the opportunity to explore the map and choose from a wide variety of possible routes. The open area at the start of the mission gives plenty of opportunities for squishies to spot and give support fire, as does the relatively clear trainyard and dockside near the end of the mission. The secondary objectives are spaced far apart, but are not that much of an issue to get since players will need to go there anyways to deal with enemies that would otherwise hit the players with flanking fire from across the map.
Umbrella - 4
While this map provides reasonable opportunities for players to use their vehicles to their strengths, it is hampered by being the quickest PvE mission in the game (this is the only mission I have ever completed in under 3 minutes, and I have done so multiple times). The secondary objectives are randomly placed, and could either be well out of the way or in very convenient locations, and are meaningless outside of the post-match rewards. This mission is better suited to being a single objective of a longer mission rather than a whole mission in itself.
Watchdog - 8
A good map with varied objectives and decent variation in gameplay opportunities. While it is possible for squishy vehicles to support the objectives from longer ranges, the positions that they need to be in to do this are either not obvious and/or a bit awkward. Secondary objectives are easy to complete and provide decent rewards, but are otherwise useless.
Wildfire - 7
While this map has some opportunities for squishies to give spotting and long-range support fire, these locations tend to be a bit awkward. The multiple objectives are relatively open, and offer players multiple ways to approach each objective. Some of the secondary objectives are a bit far out of the way, and collecting them does not provide any in-match advantage.
Zero Hour - 10
One of my favourite maps, it is complex while still offering varied gameplay opportunities. Objectives are generally good and, with the exception of the latter half of the first objective, provide opportunities for squishies to spot and give long range support. While the secondary objectives give decent rewards they are quite far out of the way, although going after them does not take a player entirely out of the fight due to the fact that the enemies that spawn with them would otherwise flank the team. While not entirely necessary, increasing the timer for the second objective by 30-60 seconds or reducing the amount of time needed to capture it would make this map slightly easier to complete.
What's the most important thing to you in a PvE mission? - gameplay
While it is undeniable that all of the choices that were given for this question are important factors, I'm going to go with Gameplay. I have reached a point close to the "endgame" where I have most of the progression tanks and can afford to buy and upgrade the ones I don't have once I research them, so I'm not particularly worried about being sufficiently rewarded unless the earnings from PvE missions were to receive a massive nerf. Similarly, while certain enemy vehicles can be really annoying to play against (the old Swingfire in particular), I have enough experience in dealing with them that I generally just consider them to be "slightly more dangerous" or "mildly annoying". Instead, I'll focus on gameplay since this has the widest scope of things that can potentially be changed:
- map layouts and objective types (less corridor maps, less linear maps, no escort objectives)
- AI behaviors
- game mechanics (vision and spotting, shell damage and penetration mechanics, mobility mechanics, etc...)
- vehicle balance
- etc...
What's your favorite mission objective preference in PvE? - capturing a location
this is really just a placeholder answer, because I don't have the option to select the mission objective types that I actively despise:
- The escort objectives where you need to escort a vehicle with a limited HP pool and possibly preset pathing are terrible because they remove all of the potential creative solutions in favour of boatloads of DPM. There is no thinking involved with this type of objective, just driving around and holding down LMB and hoping that you can kill everything fast enough. This type of objective should be avoided for all future PvE missions.
-
The fetch objectives where you need to pick up and carry an object have potential, but their expectation in the Moscow Calling season were less than ideal and prone to abuse. This was particularly noticeable in cases where the death of the player carrying the object would result in mission failure, as this turned the objective into a variation of the escort objective where the vehicle that needed to be escorted was marginally more competent than the AI at best or actively and deliberately suicidal at worst. While the other variation of the fetch objective did not have this particular problem, it was still prone to abuse by players grabbing one of the limited number of objects available for pickup and then deliberately not delivering it to force a mission failure. This type of objective could be used in future PvE missions with 2 major restrictions to prevent griefing:
- the death of the player carrying the objective should not result in mission failure
- there should be multiple redundant copies of the objective available
- The "kill the enemy boss" objectives range from being OK to exceptionally boring/annoying depending on what the boss is. An example of this type of objective done well is Cerberus, where the bosses are strong but not overwhelmingly powerful or hard to kill. An example of this type of objective done poorly is the gunship in BSI 3 (particularly in Heroics) where remaining stationary for too long means certain death and the boss takes several minutes of sustained fire (RMB, hold LMB) from the entire team to kill.
All of the other objective types are generally fine, and I have no real complaints about them
How difficult do you like your PvE? - challenging but doable with random players
...