Couldnt disagree more as the maps are created predominantly for Conquest, with vehicles play not small scale TDM, Domination. CQ is BFs number #1 game mode, majority of players across all platforms.
Having height variations ARE part of BF the moment you have an air vehicle, a parachute and building you have a means to reach it. As well as a means to clear out rooftops yourself (or to drop in on a sniper unawares and do rude stuff to his body trolololol). Even hilltops traversed by foot are height variations. Nobody wants salt flats, they want natural environments/settings. This is true SANDBOX…
A section of a map too open that you get picked off every time you try getting to another flag. Try a diff approach such as a jeep or smoke as a couple of examples. Snipers annoying you as you spawn from a hill over looking, go back to base run a tank up em or come from diff flank and take em out.
The beauty of BF doesnt come from choke pts or predictable paths every time. Yes grand bazaar played well, as did Op Metro but at 64 player counts its a little messy due to tubes, nades, rpgs etc Hardscoping a passage/chokepoint wall hugging etc or firing an airburst down it isnt that special. Look at Lockers for example theres inside under path, inside main level, theres the outside path. Predictable, plenty of choke pts but not a lot of give if locked down.
BF is not CS or COD 3 flag DOM. I played a 10v10 CQ small season competitve, and the maps with 3 flags like Floodzone or Seige were terrible. It shouldnt be about choke points to force engagements, maps that had a 4th flag or a greater (swing flags) played much better.
BF has the ability to change momentum through vehicle resource allocation. For example in BF2MC map SPEC OPS you could push a team back across water from mainland and set up along beach giving them hell as they spawned on their only flag/island or they could go back to base. Both had boats to get across to mainland but was deadly/stupid to go straight at the beach, especially in small numbers, youd get chewed up. So ideally youd flank wide hit the far right shore then cut through the forrest around edge of map to flag 6 which if THAT TEAM ONLY capped the 6th flag an OP Little Bird spawned and the team could now spawn at 6 and get back into the game.
That is clever map design. To have a go at BF4 which has put time into flushing out complete maps when BF3 was noted for its over use of shipping containers rather than the extra time to finish off a map giving it a realistic feel is an equally valid argument for level design YET Noshar Canals TDM re-make in BF4 he gave a glowing review. Said it was one of his fave maps.
That map was fun but hardly balanced in either CQ or TDM. In TDM you had trainline side with height advantaged which by merely being back there anchored the spawn/hard to flip them. With a TUG and shotty you could wall hug a container watching your radar the moment they got close jump out BLAM. Was terribly cheap.
I understand his issues with those game modes, he is prob spot on. However i wouldnt like every map to be like Grand Bazaar just as too many maps like China Rising get a bit bland/too many heavy vehicles on a couple. There was a great map on BF2MC called Little Big Eye with 7 flags stretched out quite long map. Each side had 1 MBT couple of jeeps and a bonus LAV spawned back at base for whichever side controlled flag 5 first. It would respawn on the side whoever controlled 5 at time of respawn. So theres nothing wrong with scaled open maps as long as you dont always over vehicle them. Every now and then sure but i do think a few maps could of played better with a bit of tweeking/testing of balance. Maps like BF3 aftermath, Dragons Teeth are best two map packs IMO and going back to revisit some BF2MC maps for ideas wouldnt hurt neither as they were all class…