It's always easier to see problems than it is to appreciate the overall big picture and huge quantity of work that's gone into making something. Also, remember that when CoH2 was first released, a lot of people just hated the style and didn't feel like it was responsive or comfortable to play, but later grew to love it.
So I just wanted to say thanks to Relic... while there are many valid nitpicks, CoH3 (multiplayer) IMHO already has achieved some absolutely amazing stuff
- Most of the best gameplay aspects of CoH1 and CoH2 combined.
- Four EXTREMELY varied, interesting and cool factions.
- More potential playstyle options and strategic choices than ever.
- Big-picture thinking in terms of asymmetric faction design and how games fit together.
- High quality maps encouraging varied gameplay
Yes there are many things that need polishing and, let's be honest, are not 100% ready yet...
- Graphics & sound may be more "realistic" but don't provide game feedback in a clear way
- UI not yet in a consistent and polished style
- E.g. some new animations look amazing and realistic, some awkward and buggy
- Plenty of game balance will be needed as the community works out the metas
But yea... FYI I am not shilling for Relic, I just thought it's also nice to get some positive feedback out there. Polish is definitely needed but there's already a HUGE amount of content and a potentially amazing game there.
True, people were VERY critical of COH2 when it released. But the fact is that COH2 has maintained a higher player base for longer than COH1 ever did, so they must have done something right.
I'm having fun with the playtest and the game is growing on me. There are alot of issues that have to be ironed out such as some UI elements that are far worse than in previous titles, directional audio not working as intended and some serious framerate drops when big explosions are happening. I'm confident that it will get better with time, just like COH2.
In terms of the graphics...yes, I wish it had more of a wow-factor and that it would be a further leap forward in terms of the technical fidelity, but honestly I didn't spend thousands and thousands of hours in COH2 for its graphics but for its addicting gameplay. But yeah, I get it, people expect the cinematic quality of the game to be far better in 2023, and I can't blame them. COH2 and COH3 are nearly 10 years apart and it doesn't show.