Vanguard players losing patience with annoying destructible environment mechanic
Call of Duty fans are not happy with Vanguard’s new destructible environment feature that just doesn’t seem to work.
Vanguard devs were proud to share a new destructible environment feature with the Call of Duty community. Many players were left wondering how this would affect the Multiplayer experience. It didn’t take long for players to sour on the new mechanic and they have had enough just three weeks after launch.
Upon hearing of the inclusion of destructible environments on maps, many players shared a similar reaction, “Is this something we absolutely need in Call of Duty?” Introducing a major element such as this is a big risk as it could damage the identity of Call of Duty games. It appears that the risk hasn’t necessarily paid off.
Vanguard’s malfunctioning destructible environment
The devs‘ inclusion of destructible environments may have been better received if it actually worked more than half of the time. Vanguard players are left feeling frustrated because it is impossible to break wooden planks at times. Just take the window in the video below as an example.
LA Thieves’ Kenny found himself in a key moment in which not being able to break the window cost him valuable information.
Even when a melee successfully breaks apart a piece of a window, players feel the mechanic is downright awful. It’s common for players to waste valuable time executing four to five melee attacks just to break half a window that they can’t even jump through properly.
This problem goes beyond just windows. Moreover, players can actually look through large planks of breakable wood to see enemies on the other side. This effectively hides the onlooker on one side of the wooden plank and offers way too much protection and information.
Destructible environments also slow down the competitive nature of the game. Call of Duty is at its best when engaged in fast-paced gameplay. Forcing players to stop and break windows, doors, and wooden planks slows players down which makes the game less exciting.
Certainly, Sledgehammer could plan on fixing some of the interactions between players and the destructible environment. For the latest patch news stay tuned to Charlie Intel.
Image Credit: Activision / Sledgehammer Games