Re-working and replacing Vegas from a die-hard’s perspective.

I’m gonna list 3 important perspectives about the new update to Vegas coming in season 6 that I think the devs should be aware of. As well as how they think about the game moving forward into the future. I have almost 800 hrs on this game since launch.  I wish I had more but I’m often busy working. Let me tell you when I say that I absolutely love this game, I mean it. This is the best FPS I’ve ever played and I want it to continue to be that for as long as possible. So let me explain how replacing Vegas with the new version is the first major misstep I’ve seen from Embark. 

There are many updates that have made people unhappy but I think the game has ultimately gone in a positive direction, and has gotten better rather than worse (subjective but just keep reading)  This update (if they go through with it) might be the first that really marks the downfall of a great vision for an innovative FPS game. So let me explain why:

- From a gameplay perspective:

I’m mostly a melee user.  I have most of my hours in swords and hammers but I do use guns quite often as well.  I mention this to point out that The FINALS offers many different play styles that rely on different aspects of maps.  My preferred play style is heightened by close quarter areas and “clutter” to duck and dive in, and around.  Vegas was never a great map for melee users but it has kind of ended up not so bad compared to newer maps. Making the map more open and streamlined with less clutter when Vegas was already pretty open, makes my play style less viable.  Melee weapons have already been harder to use on the newer maps due to their obvious increase in open spaced out areas seen in S$S Horizon, Kyoto, Fortune Stadium, and in some cases Bernal. Another map with more empty space with less clutter or things to hide behind kinda sucks (especially if it’s replacing a version that's better for that)

- From a community perspective: (probably most important)

One of the main bi-partisan complaints this game has been getting is the fact that the servers aren’t working very well. The second most heard bi-partisan complaint is the lack of map variants we were told were coming multiple seasons ago, no new in-game gameshow events, almost no new LTMs, no new permanent game modes, no new maps for those modes or even adding existing maps to existing modes.  I know a few things about business, so when I see the game isn’t performing the way publishers predicted there has to be concessions made somewhere to account for the lack of income.  Removing a map and its variants was not on the list that I or anyone else in the community was thinking about.  Map re-imaginings (Fortune Stadium), very cool.  Reworks of older maps (New Vegas), also very cool.  Less of all the things listed above (lack of LTMs and such) not very cool but ok fine I kind of understand.  DELETING an older version of a map few people were complaining about and was pretty high on most people’s lists of best FINALS maps.  WHAT!?!!?!?!?!

Understandably this is making people mad and confused.  I think most of us would rather have no new map at all and just more variants to all the existing maps then have a rework with the old version deleted.

- From a design perspective: (subjective opinion but I think the devs might care)

Vegas is in my top 3 favorite maps, but it's my most favorite map for immersion and design reasons. The map is beautiful obviously but one thing I think the devs are taking for granted is that this is the only map that completely immerses you in a fully destructible environment. What I mean is that when I load up other maps, they look and feel great and most areas are totally fine and are awesome to play in, but as some people pointed out in the betas, A lot of the buildings are empty and devoid of life.  This is fine most of the time (its a bit egregious on Bernal) and in gameplay you barely notice. When I load up Vegas, to this day I am in awe of how detailed the map is compared to the others.  There are no noticeable empty areas (outside of the ones that make sense) The map is filled with props that fit the spaces they’re in.  The amount of slot machines in every casino is almost accurate to real casinos, The non casino areas are filled with stuff that makes sense like how bedrooms actually have beds in them. 

Reworking this map is cool but the removal of the “clutter” and streamlining everything is incredibly sad to see when you know this is the version you're going to be stuck with indefinitely.  The amount of soul being replaced by fictional brands actually makes it feel like the sponsor system is not so satirical anymore. (and this is talking about a casino…. Ironic, I know)

If this was just a new variant I would have few complaints, maybe none at all.

-TL;DR Make the new Vegas a map variant and keep the old one.  Removing content no one is complaining about and is better for certain play styles before adding in all the content you said you would (map variants etc.) is a bad move and is going to turn the community sour over time more than it has been recently.