I was going to wait until I’d finished Motherland to post this, but I’m pleased to say, that’s taking some time, so thought I’d share some thoughts whilst I have the time to write it. I’ll perhaps come back and add my thoughts on the content I’ve not yet played.

The Good.

Motherland overall plays very well. The missions are pretty good overall and generally make sense.
There’s also some decent variation. Obviously there is repeating of mission types, but that’s to be expected. I like having an impact on the game itself.

Although I wasn’t too sure about the new enemy types, I actually rather like most of them. They don’t feel too much like bullet sponges to me.

The game world itself does feel a little different. It’s a subtle difference, but has an effect. The Wildlands music helps, I’m certain. Overall it just feels a bit better.

I like the ‘3 skull’ regions, with the increased numbers of personnel in each patrol.

I really like the weapon mastery idea. Getting increased mobility, is a game changer when clearing areas and increased handling does seem to make otherwise hard to control guns better.

I also like some of the new cosmetics. In particular, the future soldier gear and Gorka jackets. It’s great that almost everything is available in all the colours.

Vehicles seem improved, especially the sounds. Seems Nomad has finally learnt to drive and is not slipping the clutch quite as much.

The Bad

Still not crazy about the new Seeker enemy type. The challenge it brings is ok, but even though it’s sort of canon, it still seems a little silly. I honestly think the whole optical camo thing should be written out of future games.

Although the missions are good, they do sometimes feel a bit easy. It’d be nice if we had the option, to turn every region into a 3 Skull region, complete with larger patrols and greater numbers in bases.

EDIT: On some of the Destroy the enemy vehicles missions, it would be nice to have a secondary objective, or perhaps have the mission be Destroy or Steal enemy vehicles.

Its a shame the enemy detection and damage output are still intertwined.

We could still really do with a armour, weapon, gear, weight, movement speed and agility system.

Enemy AI are still pretty dumb.

Tying the weapon mastery system to a ‘complete’ skill tree is, imo, a mistake. We need a way to deactivate any skill we wish. On the same theme, I would still like to be able to reduce the amount of ammunition carried and turn off auto ammo pick up.

We still can’t sling/holster all weapons.

EDIT: Still no ability to give individual team members orders, or even bind one team member to Nomad to create two fireteams. Still no ROE.

Most missions still don’t have a briefing on what we are doing and what to expect, this is a must for a tier 1 team.

The Ugly

The BELT. Why are we still stuck with the belt?

Helicopter animations and controls are still awful and rather immersion breaking.

Nomad still walks like he has haemorrhoids.

The Fixit trousers now seem to sit unnaturally high above the boots.

Vasily still has an extra weapon displayed. A Recon A1 I think, despite the claim that this was fixed. (PS4 Pro, FYI).

I actually do hope they keep supporting it as well. Quite often we mistakenly believe there is an ‘either, or’ situation.

Either they continue to support BP

Or they make a new game!

The truth is, they can probable do both. So better they take their time developing a new game, so they can release it in a fit state and whilst doing so, continue to support BP, taking the lessons they learn from it and applying them to the new game as well.

Perhaps then, rather than having a half finished mediocre game that takes two years to become good, we’ll get a game that’s good on release and just gets better.

Wildlands has alternate endings and I for one, don’t know which is counted as canon. Or maybe both are counted as canon.

So why not have an alternate beginning for Breakpoint.

My idea was to take some of the better bits of episodes 1 to 3 and do a bit of a rewrite, so as to make it into a more cohesive story that leads nicely into Conflict mode, but also introduce a new mode. One that has new features that fit the premise of being stranded on an island, cut off from support, but also has some new missions that activate the AI team mates.

Now, first off, open your minds slightly. I’ve only got so much to work with and I’ll need your help to fill in the plot holes. I also want you to say which of the original missions you think should be included.

Alternate episode one -

Survival Mode

Story

The island of Auroa is taken over by hostile forces.

A message is gotten out just prior to a complete communication blackout.

An advance force of 16 Ghosts are sent in to secure a ‘beach head’, for a larger force.

This leads us into the original start with the helos being brought down by the drone swarm, but also brings in the first changes that survival mode brings. (A possibility is to have Scott Mitchell insert with the Ghosts. He could be injured and take Holts place in Erewhon. (More on that in a bit). He could provide new dialogue and coordinate the Ghosts efforts and provide mission briefings. I would pretty much remove all the current cutscenes. They were honestly so awful and thoroughly immersion breaking, I’d rather just have over radio and in game dialogue).

You start with one bandage and one syringe. The injury system would function differently in survival mode. The effects of injuries can only be removed with bandages. Syringes restore health, fully, but do not remove the effects of the injury. (This gives players the opportunity to play with the effects of injuries, without the ‘one shot’ kill that usually occurs when injured). Also, like stamina consumption, players could choose an injury health drain rate, from none to extreme. This would be the rate at which health drains when carrying an injury. (Kinda obvious) However, injuries can be fully healed in bivouacs.
So, Nomads one bandage at the start of the first mission, means the injury level is reduced from critical to severe and the syringe will restore the health to full, but maybe only temporarily.

The second change is, Nomad starts with no weapons except a knife. Obviously Nomad can get one as soon as the first enemy is neutralised, but this leads to the third change. The size and frequency of the patrols in the first mission. Minimum of four, but up to eight in each patrol and frequent.

The first mission is all about surviving. Escape and evade. Getting to each crash site is optional, but each crash site has some resources. A syringe, a bandage, a grenade, a pistol with one magazines worth of rounds, (but no suppressor). This brings me on nicely to the next change to Survival mode. No auto ammo pick up. You can still get ammo from enemies. In fact it’s one of the only ways to get ammo, but it’s in small amounts and has to manually selected. A simple button press, but with a short animation.

In fact, this leads to another change. No shop, at all. No ammo reload at bivouacs. One of the few places to get munitions is the bio-locked rooms found in enemy bases.

However, convoys could also take on a new function. Each convoy could function as a shop of sorts. Each item usually found in Marias shop, would be available from captured convoys. The player would get to choose what they get from each convoy captured as each convoy would be worth a certain amount of resource credits. The player could bank credits to use on a later convoy or pick the items they wish to ‘capture’ there and then.
Also, this would be where any items the player has purchased from the store with Ghost coins, would be available for free upon capturing a convoy.

Back to the story. In my alternate beginning Weaver doesn’t die and Holt isn’t in Erewhon. Instead, after evading the enemy and making it to Erewhon, where Nomad is fully healed, the next tasks are to gain information about the rest of the Ghosts, gather supplies and rescue team mates. Six team mate rescue missions, allowing the player to choose whether to run with the new team mates or the old.
(I know which I’d choose!)

From here, I’d combine elements of each chapter into one episode. I’d dispense with all the weird side missions, but incorporate the outcast storyline and resistance missions.

Rather than the whole Wonderland idea, the story for Survival mode would be about preventing an attack on the US, (Red Patriots), supporting the rebel uprising, (elements of the Outcast storyline and the Resistance event), and rescuing key persons and disabling the drone swarm, (Jace Skell, Paula Madeira and other parts of episode one).

We have three core protagonists. Pyotr Bukharov, Trey Stone, Walker and Josiah Hill.

Only the ludicrous Walker boss fight really needs a rethink and that could be done simply by putting him in a vehicle we destroy. (Not ideal, but still better than what we have currently).

Pyotr Bukarov and Trey Stone are obviously the commanders for the planned terror attack branch, Walker could be the commander trying to destroy the outcasts and Josiah Hill the commander for the final branch of the story, rescuing Skell and the others and disabling the drone swarm.

A final mission would need to be added for after Nomad and the team have killed the final main commander, where the drone swarm is disabled and Nomad and the team exfil from the island.

Thoughts? Which missions would you include?

Since the beginning I’ve thought that the rocket launcher should be a weapon, rather than an item. It’s ridiculous that it just appears from nowhere. I also think you should be able to equip one team mate with it and order them to target vehicles or drones. Your rocket ammo count would remain the same. It just would be you doing the firing.

@lolt6 I don’t think they need to make the next GR just for core GR fans. In fact, I think this wouldn’t be good business sense.

However, I also think they can design the game around what the community has been asking for, over the last few years, but then provide sufficient options that the experience can be made as ‘hardcore’ or ‘casual’ as the player wants.
We’ve already seen how well this can work with BP, especially if you take the mod into account. I don’t think it needs to be restricted to just one group of players.

@virtual-chris I see what you mean. I have no idea. I doubt they would ever build a mode where you couldn’t bring MTX items into the game.

But you could. You’d buy it in the store, but rather than just going to a menu to select it, you would get a message saying, “Your item is now available to be found in enemy convoys!” You then just capture a convoy and there it is.

I fire up the PS5, (I don’t actually have one yet, but this is my daydream) and I start up the new GR game.

The story looks good. It’s set between Wildlands and BP and features Bowman, Nomad and the team, including Weaver and it’s what I’d expect from Tom Clancy. It fits the charter.

I am immediately directed to the settings menu. There’s default settings, but having come from BP, I’m pretty sure I’ll want to customise/fine tune my experience.

The choice is extensive. I have all the choices I had in BP, but also many more.

Temperature effects On/Off. On, obviously. I’ll need to dress my team appropriately to avoid penalties to stamina, awareness, accuracy or reload speed.

Immersive Kit. On/Off. Again, On. Of course. My team can now only carry a realistic loadout.
Backpacks and vests will have a capacity.
The kit I equip will have stats like;
Protection, weight and load capacity for vests.
Protection and Weight for helmets.
Glasses and goggles will vary between offering an increase in contrast, (which speeds up detection awareness) and protection from the blinding, disorientation effect of flashbangs and explosives.
Active ear muffs reduce the ability to detect the direction of normal sounds, (like enemies moving), but provide great protection against the disorientation effect of flashbangs and explosives.
In order to use night vis, I’ll have to have goggles equipped.
Each item will also have a stealth rating.

Weapon Weight. On/Off On. I never carry two primary weapons anyway.

HUD tied to Crosscom. On/Off. I’ll go for this one too. I like to use some HUD and all the goggles and glasses offered, come with a Crosscom version.

Soul swapping On/Off. Yep. On please.

Equipment sharing. On/Off. I don’t need this so much if I have soul swapping on, but why not. I tend to prefer to play one character.

Auto soul swap on being downed. On/Off. This means I swap to the closest team member and have to manage the revive. I’ll need to be careful how much trouble I get into. If it’s too hot, I could lose the whole team. Sounds like fun. On!

After the settings I’m taken to the teams kit locker room. It’s an immersive experience from the off. I have a first person view to start, as I, as Nomad walk into the room. There is a soldier standing in the center of the room by some crates with a clipboard.
They look up as Nomad enters. ‘Morning Boss.’ They say, ‘Time to kit up. I’m just taking inventory. Grab what you want deploy with and I’ll get the rest packed up.’
Nomad Walks into the nearest kit cage and glances around. There’s a weapon rack. A selection of body armour and helmets. Racks of military and civilian clothing, boots, shoes, backpacks, glasses and goggles.
Nomad walks towards a mirror.
It’s here I choose the appearance of the entire team. I could take the default skins, but I prefer to choose for myself. I don’t just have the options from BP. I get to choose individual facial features, length and style of hair, (including an extensive selection of braids, all of which can be worn with baseball caps), shade of hair, skin and eyes. Build and height. I then select boots, pants (that’s trousers in the UK, but Nomad is American), a base layer top, outer layer, gloves, vest or harness, belt (or not) neck wear, face covering, glasses or goggles, ear piece or headset and head wear.
Next I select a primary weapon, sidearm and knife. I have the opportunity to customise each and visit the range to try them out.
Even though I don’t have access to every accessory from the off, I can see the level of customisation that will be available is extensive. Barrel options, gas adjustment, different suppressors. Every sight is available for every weapon. I get to choose not only what stock and foregrip I attach, but the positioning of those attachments on the weapon and how they are held.
Next I choose my loadout.
How much ammunition, how many grenades, flashbangs, C4 charges, med kits, the drone. I also choose what goes on my vest and what goes in the backpack. Interestingly, I get a bonus for items carried in the backpack. So I can carry more of an item in the backpack for the same weight, than I can on the vest. However, items in the backpack take longer to access. But this does mean that stowing a helmet in my backpack, whilst wearing a beanie, or boonie hat is worthwhile for the extra stealth I gain.
My selection a this point is not too important. It’ll just allow me to get into the action sooner, without having to visit the FOB to switch up the loadout.
I also meet the new member of the team. My pilot/driver. Vehicles are no longer a disposable commodity.

Once all this is done and confirmed, an intro film plays, which sets the scene.

After the cutscene there is a mission briefing that describes the teams overall objective and the first mission. It’s a hostage rescue. An asset has been captured. It’s believed they have vital information for the operation. The team is given a few places to start looking for intel. Here comes the first surprise. Any enemy soldier can be captured and brought for interrogation and any civilian can be spoken to. Any computer can be hacked, or have the hard drive taken, any mobile phone can be taken. Not all will have useful information, but more often than not you’ll get something, even if it just directs to where you can get the info you need.

I make a start, quickly narrow the search and before I know it I’ve found where the hostage is being held.
However, I don’t stop here. I know that I can keep going and build up a detailed intel picture.

By the time I've finished I don’t just know which base, but the building in that base, the floor and room, access points to the building how many soldiers are there and a rough idea of patrol patterns, the shift changeover times, the substation that power is routed through, where ground and air support comes from and how long it takes to get there. All this is done away from the base.

From the moment I knew the location I could have attempted the rescue. (And if the difficulty setting were low enough, I might even have succeeded).
However, I want the full experience, so I enter the planning phase. From the mission info screen I can switch to a planning screen. Here I can create a plan, listing the resources I need, actions that need to be completed and their order. I can add details to a map of the location, including points for rebel forces to attack.

The hostage is held on the top floor of a four storey building. There is access from the roof if I kit one of my team with breach kit. The base is heavily guarded, so my best bet is to create a diversion on the ground whilst the team goes in via roof.
I need helicopter so I’ll have to steal one. If I steal the aircraft that is used for air support, that’ll kill two birds with one stone.
I can block the route the ground support forces take. I can’t stop ground or air support completely, but I can delay it, by forcing it to come from further away or clear the route.
I’ll need a rebel force to attack the base, preferably from two different points, so I will need to secure them some resources.
I can set a charge on the substation to detonate remotely that will cut the power.
And finally I need my attack to take place away from shift change over time.

Having secured what I need and set everything in place on the planning screen I initiate the plan.

At 0200hours the rebels attack the base from the North and West and the charge detonates cutting the power.

Taking control of my pilot, a fly our stolen helo in from the South, revelling in the ‘Classic’ helicopter controls from Wildlands.
I’ve already set the ROE to Cleared to fire and the team make quick work of the two snipers on the roof, as I bring the aircraft into a gentle hover just above the surface.

I hit the exit aircraft button and am automatically switched back to Nomad, as his boots hit the roof. The pilot lifts off and goes into the holding pattern I have pre designated, just outside the action. If the aircraft takes too much fire, the pilot will bug out.

Sprinting across the roof, I activate the command wheel and am presented with the option to order a breach on the door I’m heading toward. I select it and Holt places a charge on it. I set up by the door and trigger the charge. I pie the door, then move through and down the stairs with my gun up. A bad guy pops out and I drop him without pausing. Now on the floor below I direct two of the team toward the top of the stairs. They’ll hold that area and stop me being flanked. Holt sticks with me. That’s the way I’ve set up the fireteams for this mission. We set on the next door. Holt breaches and I chuck in a flashbang, following it in and knowing Holt will follow. I drop a couple of stunned bad guys, Holt drops another.
The room is secure and hostage is here. I order Holt to escort and head out of the room. On the way back to the rooftop I initiate the second part of the plan. My pilot returns to the rooftop, arriving moments after I do. We board and once again I take control, lifting off and banking sharply away from the base, as the rebels break off their attack.

Safely away, I return the hostage to the FOB, where I’m rewarded with an excellently written and animated cutscene.

That’s my daydream for what I’d like from GR game.

Thanks for reading.

@virtual-chris I definitely agree that Ubi deserve praise for OP Motherland. I really enjoyed it on the first play through and it’s big enough and varied enough that I’m playing through it again already.

But, I also think it’s important to say how we think it could be improved. If the next game, (assuming there is one), released, based on OM, it’d be good. If it released based on OM, the options from the mod and even a few of the other suggestions from these forums, it could be great, or even ground breaking.

Of course this would be better than what we were given

I gather this is just a thought exercise? After all, a lot of what you’re suggesting related to mechanics changes will never happen. Or is a part of you hoping Ubisoft takes this to heart and provides an update to implement it?

I’m also interested in rewriting the story mode portion but in a way we can actually play it with what we have - not dependent on Ubisoft. As that’s bound to disappoint.

I haven’t got very far with my thinking as to how it would all fit together, but ideally my version of Story Mode has minimal involvement with Erewhon, Jace Skell, Walker and drones.

I also think your survival mode concept is not far off of what Mike and I put together in the Ultra Immersive Guide, where all skill and class items are earned through missions or at enemy bases. Same could apply to all other gear and loot… no store… you only have what you can find. We don’t need Ubisoft for a lot of this… just some role playing and self discipline. The guide could easily be expanded to cover where you need to go to get certain gear. And rules could be added about getting gear from convoys… with a bit of role playing.

The best missions in my view are…

• Outcast story chapter missions and faction missions.
• Resistance Live Event missions
• A couple Paula Madeira missions but you need Jace to unlock those
• The Flycatcher, Rosebud and Silverback missions - locked behind all Jace missions.
• Episode 3
• The last mission in the Amber Gas series?
• A couple of side missions (one where a couple key enemy LTs are meeting comes to mind) but most are junk
• Daily faction missions (in small doses)

The best way to do this is using a character that’s already played through everything so you can pick and choose mission content.

I haven’t bought any resources from Marias shop in as long as I remember. I loot or craft everything I need.

In answer to your question, I’d love them to implement something like this. I don’t think they will, but then Conquest has truly exceeded my expectations already and I can see the community suggestions in it. When you think about it, BP was a disaster at the start. But Conquest seems like a huge success. Maybe, just maybe, they’d like to make the most of that. Unlikely, but who knows.

I actually thought they could include the rescues of all, including Jace anyway and maybe the faction missions could compliment the rebel missions. You help the rebels get going in the Outcast story thread, but only keep there presence high by completing faction missions.

Ideally, they would introduce some sort of rebel support. Support you could only access if you had enough supplies acquired through faction missions.

Perhaps for role play, you could only use the strike designator if you had completed X amount of faction missions.

I can’t really remember the Amber Sky missions. I seem to remember thinking they were ok, but I’m struggling to see how to make them fit.

I’ve been thinking how fantastic Conquest mode would be in Wildlands. Same story, but with the ability to remove cartel presence from each region as you go. Ideally, it would actually be more of a Conflict mode, when the cartel would periodically strike back.

I’d rather this than an actual new game.

@fcac-no-moe I really don’t know. Maybe it’s a suits vs reality situation. The people in power at the business end are too detached?

@eagle-eyezx Hell yeah. Let the customers do most of the work for them. We pay a small subscription. They get a constant stream of revenue. We get a constant stream of content. Win win!

@fcac-no-moe Totally agree. This is a way to make MTX work for both the company and the customers. Give us something to buy that’s of real value. And definitely with an offline option!

@bigrexxx This is how I’d go with it. Think of it like the series Seal Team where they get deployed to different areas. The maps could be anything from a single mission, (perhaps monthly or bi-monthly), to a more protracted campaign every few months. They could even leave many of the storylines open ended so they can expand later.

@kean_1 I hope you’re right and I think you are. I really don’t understand Ubisofts stubbornness. The reception to Frontline was the worst I’ve ever seen, yet still they’re pushing forward with it.

@steven527 yeah hopefully these new options they have chosen to go ahead with tank so bad that selling becomes a clearer option. I don't think MS could do worse... then again I could be totally wrong about that. Not that it would matter. If they do worse we really aren't in a position to want the status quo. If the Clancy IP really is dead there are other games coming up to fill the space.

Exactly this. Even if another studio doesn’t do better, we’re no worse off. As we’ve said, ML was a real glimmer of hope, but it flies in the face of everything else they’re doing.

@kean_1 And now, hearing that Ubisoft are planning on pushing forward with frontnite/fortline, I can’t help thinking the only hope we really have is a takeover.

@rootimus I don’t see Wildlands that way. Now, I will admit that from the original concept interview held with the devs it was simplified, (dumbed down some would say), but the gameplay, animations, game world, dialogue, and simple yet compelling story carried it and made it a great game and a success.

And it’s far from a COD experience, imo.

@bigrexxx You’re right. Just wishful thinking I guess.

@flanker1six
Good point. How do companies let this happen? Get something so right, only to follow it with something so wrong.