Yesterday I made a thread in the official forums, that was locked within minutes. I spent alot of time and effort into putting my thoughts around the absence og any kind og gamelist so im reposting it here, and hope there are others who agree or want to contribute with their point of view.
I'm sorry to post another "where is public anihilate"-thread, but I feel there are very few threads that fully reflect my point of view in this matter. I did, like many others, expect a public lobby and game list where you would be able to play your favoured gametype and map versus randoms, and was sadly disappointed when the game released with few to none improvements in this area, compared to the beta.
Like many, I read threads assuring that the reason there were no game lists was that it was only a beta, so I'm sure you can all understand my frustration when this was left out in the final version. My impression is that quite a few people prefered the anihilation mode and really miss the ability to choose map and mode of their game, like myself. For me, this is a "gamebreaker" in the long run. It makes sure that COH2 isn't a game that I will return to, the way that COH1 was, and that saddens me a lot.
This brings me to my main point, and the issue I can't seem to wrap my brain around: Why would Relic leave out such a simple, yet fundamental, part of this, and any, game? It seems such a simple - and easy to integrate - feature, and its absence seems to ruin the game for so many people. If not a conscious designer decision, then how could anyone make such a horrid desicion?
Reading the feedback, I get the impression that this is in no way a priority, and that this is how the developers want this game to be, and as well that there really are no plans of improving and adding these basic features that I would expect from any such game. Of course I hope I'm wrong in this matter, but as mentioned, I find it very strange to leave out such a simple, yet important feature, if not by design.
All the criticism aside, I do think COH2 is a great improvement compared to the original in most respects, and most of the game mechanics are great. I have enjoyed the beta all the way, and probably will continue to play the occasional match. But the longevity and appeal of COH is probably lost, and it saddens me alot to see the absence of such basic features ruin a really great game.
To sum it up: I think Relic has made a great game, in most respects, and I am very impressed by your work. The absence of any decent game list/lobby, though, is a potential "gamebreaker" and is, for me, an incomprehensible desicion. I read alot of responses like "we plan to improve our matchmaking" and such, so my two main questions are as follows:
1: What are the reasons these basic, yet important, features have been left out? A designer desicion or mere lack of time?
2: Are there any plans for a proper custom server list system anytime soon? And I would really appreciate a precise answer to this one, as many of the answers seem to leave room for more questions.
Thank you for making a great game, Relic. I hope you will listen to our concerns and fix these obvious shortcomings.
http://community.companyofheroes.com/forums/company-of-heroes-2-discussion/topics/Please-bring-back-custom-public-lobbies-with-anihilate