Do Tarkov’s Developers Understand Their Own Game?

(Intro)

Do Tarkov’s developers, BSG, understand their own game? A rather loaded question, considering we are two months away from release, but it’s something that has been brewing in my head ever since we had the conversation about the vision of Tarkov and what they wanted the game to be in a perfect world, versus the reality of having constraints across the development cycle and not being able to execute on that vision for one reason or another. Over the course of EFTs life, there have been moments and patches that felt like they really got it; BSG understood the assignment and were actively working towards improving the game and getting us closer to that vision. And then there are other times and patches where we couldn’t have been further from that idea, and it all felt lost and hopeless for some time. This rather violent back and forth begs the question of at this point, with all the knowledge and experience BSG now has under their belt working on Tarkov, if they could start over and remake the game, how much different would it fare when compared to what we currently have. Would it be closer to their initial vision and mission statement for Tarkov? Or would the game be not much different than what we have right now? Let’s have a conversation about BSG and their understanding of Tarkov not only as a game that they are working on, but a product being sold to people who have been giving them feedback for almost a decade.

(The game in its current state)

Currently, Tarkov feels like it’s... meandering. And I mean in the sense that the game has no idea what it wants to be or where it wants to go. Riding the low of the hardcore wipe, that to this day we still have elements from that event in the game currently. As we wait for the release, it seems most of the team's effort is obviously being put towards the final rush to release. Which makes sense; if they even want to generate any buzz, hype or most importantly, new sales from their newly released steam page for Tarkov with some ummm.... questionable tags associated with the game; they need this 1.0 release to hit; hard. Will it? That remains to be seen, and my confidence for it hitting the way it hasn’t been very high for a long time. But other than the occasional adjustment to what’s left of hardcore, the game feels almost abandoned somewhat. Now to be fair, we did get the Friend from Norvisnk event that added a bunch of new quests that were related around Reserve and other locations, but their updated roadmap from the early summer has kind of fallen apart. Unless this was the event that was mentioned; I think a lot of us expected something a little more involved. Where the game kind of shifts and warps around the event and players tend to react on the fly to whatever is happening. More quests don’t really feel like an event anymore; something more akin to the zombies' event at has become the expectation. I mean at this point, the focus and direction of the game should primarily be about optimization and trying to clean up the mess. So many mechanics are kind of haphazardly thrown together into something that isn’t super coherent, especially when it comes to an end game. Because other than Kappa, Lightkeeper and prestige, after level forty-two, you’ve essentially beaten the game. The true win condition, escaping Tarkov, is coming with 1.0. So, in the meantime, it’s kind of like, what are doing post forty-two? What you do with your time after that is entirely up to you as a player. Which has me asking: what is the plan for the game's direction post launch? What does the game look like?

(Their direction for 1.0 and post release)

It’s impossible to know where BSG is taking the direction of the game after November. Normally they are a little more open to sharing details with the player base about what’s on the horizon, while keeping some additions a surprise for everyone. But this time, they are being especially quiet. Really keeping the cards close to their chest. We have no idea what’s in store for us, except for a select few who recently went to a convention where BSG were and they had a kind of closed door showing of Terminal and what to expect form that location, which apparently is much different from the usual going on’s of Tarkov. But is that the only part of the game that is going to play substantially different? Or are there more elements and additional mechanics being added that will make the game feel fresh and wholly unique again? I’m so torn on this; in my heart I hope that this game opens completely differently, and from there the rest of the larger game is shaken up to a point that makes it feel like playing Tarkov for the first time. But the back of my mind knows deep down that this game will most likely just include an optimal tutorial, the main story quests, and Terminal for when it’s time to actually beat the game. And I don’t want that, I don’t think any Tarkov player who has been following this project wants that. We know BSG can do so much more but are hindered by the manner in which they have created this game. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place. And I’m just curious if they are trying to work through it or are out of touch with not only the game, but with the players as well.

(Do they understand their player base?)

At the end of the day, I am aware that BSG are still people, and not just a developer. It’s never been right to call them names or to lash out at them with expletives. But it’s tough to watch them stumble and fumble the way through this project when they have shown through the media they release online for their socials, to their collaboration with big budget teams to produce live action series, they have the creative chops to make something that people are genuinely impressed by. And I still am; the fact that Tarkov even works as well as it does sometimes is a technical marvel. But I just wish this was reflected more in their decision making and how they interact with us. Anyone who again, travels to conventions and meets the team always has nothing but nice things to say. These are people that just want to make a cool game, and I have nothing but respect for them on that front. We are a passionate community, and when things are going south or when really bad decisions are made (like unheard), people will voice their disdain for those kinds of choices. And sometimes, BSG is on the same wavelength as us; they get what we are trying to convey, understand the feedback and implement in a way that feels genuine. And other times, we’re kind of just told to hold that, and it never feels good. The language barrier certainly doesn’t help, but that can’t be an excuse forever. I want to have faith that this will all come together in the end; that it may not be perfect, but their major ideas and desires will be implemented into the game in such a way that it makes sense to exist and that we can enjoy it. Otherwise, the game won’t last very long after launch, and again, no one wants to see that happen.

(Outro)

Tarkov right now doesn’t feel like it knows what it wants, and BSG have felt like they don’t understand the game and where to take it. I’m sure their plans for 1.0 are going to show when the game is done, but the live game right now feels like a hodgepodge of too many conflicting ideas, that were half baked and then tossed aside once the player base voiced that they had enough. Other than some additional quests, the events have been largely absent from the game. Whether or not Tarkov wipes once more time before launch is also up in the air, which is kind of a shock. Unless they plan on doing the opposite of a hardcore wipe and just give everyone everything at the start so people can go to town, which you know, that might be interesting. It feels like BSG is putting everything they have into 1.0, but I hope they haven’t stopped paying attention to what is currently happening and what the players are desperately trying to get across to them before the game launches. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts on whether or not BSG os in touch with the player base, whether 1.0 will be a hit or not and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the slowly escalating sense of dread that is washing over many people who want this game to succeed, but are fearing it won’t. I hope to see you in future ones.