“It’s not about size, it’s how you use it,” is a rather crass way to describe map design, but I firmly believe it’s the reason why many of Battlefield 6‘s maps have left players unsatisfied. To get big map energy in smaller sandboxes, you need to nail the illusion of space. From what I’ve seen so far, Battlefield 6’s upcoming Eastwood map is going to provide some much-needed breathing room, despite its suburban trappings. Fortunately, the Battlefield team isn’t planning to rely on new additions to fix its foibles, and has today reaffirmed that it will make changes where necessary.
In a fresh community post, the Battlefield team lays out its plans for next week’s California Resistance update and beyond. The next Battlefield 6 drop is set to bring with it bloom fixes, lighting visibility upgrades, aim assist adjustments, and more. However, for those struggling to enjoy the existing map selection, December 9’s Winter Offensive update promises upgrades to Breakthrough maps like Mirak Valley, alongside improvements to Rush mode’s MCOM placements on Manhattan Bridge and Liberation Peak.
Of course, these don’t fundamentally fix the space issue inherent in the design of many of the BF6 maps, but it’s something. More importantly, Battlefield HQ acknowledges that it’s “seen your comments about map size and pacing,” and “will continue monitoring existing maps and modes for targeted adjustments.” BF6 itself is the result of its devs working closely with players to bring it back to its roots, so with a bit of luck (and a lot of yapping), this crucial disconnect will eventually be rectified.
Personally, I’m totally fine with certain maps being more contained. There has to be a balance between arenas that provoke total mayhem, and those that let you take a minute to plan your strategy before executing a daring flank. In its current form, I do feel that BF6 leans too much into the former, encouraging the sort of manic flow I’d expect to find in Call of Duty. Considering how CoD-like certain gameplay elements felt during the beta, before they were ultimately scrubbed ahead of launch (feedback works!), it’s clear that BF6’s first batch of maps were designed with this sort of hecticism in mind.
Though Eastwood was most likely part of that early development cycle, it looks to be a step in the right direction. Soon, my golf cart battalion will ride forth, and if it lands as well as I’m expecting it to, hopefully this sparks further action from the Battlefield team to make more substantial tweaks to its current pool beyond those the community post has already outlined.
