However, that hasn’t stopped YouTuber Karmakut from attempting to convert Battlefield 2042 into a hardcore military simulation. While there is only so much the content creator could do within the game’s engine, he managed to recreate a reasonably realistic simulation of modern warfare.
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Karmakut managed this using Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode. For those who’ve yet to give it a try, Portal lets players experience classic maps from earlier Battlefield Games. Players can also use the Portal system to edit many elements of the game. These include altering the maximum player count, weapon stats, AI behavior, and weapon and vehicle spawns.
Karmakut created his military sim using the legacy El Alamein map. He restricted weapons and vehicle options to relatively modern US and Russian equipment and lowered the overall number of vehicle spawns. He also tweaked weapon damage and completely disabled the HUD, forcing the player to aim down the sights or rely on tracer fire to hit their targets. He then uploaded a video of the results to his YouTube channel.
As Karmakut would be the first to point out, it’s not a perfectly accurate simulation. Soldiers and vehicles have an uncanny ability to survive long drops, and Battlefield 2042’s healing is still quite videogamey. One could also argue that tanks, planes, and similar vehicles probably should have a heads-up display, as they mostly rely on electronic targeting in real-life. Losing the HUD is also less user-friendly, as Players in tanks had some difficulty aiming based on statements in the in-game chat.
It’s also, as Karmakut discovered, not necessarily a balanced experience. For example, he chose to enter the match using the game’s DM7 Marksman Rifle and concluded that it and the SVK might need a nerf. Headshots with both rifles killed the target pretty much 100% of the time. While that may be realistic, it is not exactly fair in a multiplayer FPS. Karmakut specifically mentioned thinking about reducing the damage of both rifles the next time he edits the mode. Granted, it’s not as if vanilla Battlefield 2042 is always perfectly balanced either.
Since Battlefield 2042’s Portal lets players share custom matches, milsim fans can also try Karmakut’s custom scenario for themselves. Anyone who wants to try it out can find Karmakut’s custom server by searching for “KC MilSim Server” in the server browser. While Battlefield 2042 may not be the perfect game, Karmakut’s video shows that its Portal system has real potential for the franchise’s future.
Battlefield 2042 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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