(not exclusive for PC platform but for xbox and play station as well)

This isn't about a specific technical issue, malfunction, or bug, but rather a general design flaw that was inadvertently and probably unseen introduced alongside changes and additions that are otherwise very exciting and welcome. In my view, however, a few minor adjustments are urgently needed here:

The problem described specifically affects only servers or matches with fewer players—meaning it explicitly does not apply to matches where the maximum number of players is participating (!!) .

Over the last few days, I have been intensively playing and testing the FIA ​​faction.

On the EU servers, I have noticed a growing imbalance between the number of players on the American side and those taking on the Soviet faction. To some extent, this phenomenon was visible before, but it usually evened out as the match progressed or seemed to play a relatively minor role.

However, since the introduction of the third faction (the FIA), the disparity between the number of American and Soviet players has become glaringly obvious. Essentially, it seems increasingly pointless to play on the Soviet side; it is clear from the start that you will be heavily outnumbered and—even with the best will in the world and skilled teammates—stand almost no chance of holding your own.

As an anecdotal example, consider a match I participated in yesterday—one that, in my view, is symptomatic of the situation and far from being an extreme outlier:

It started with a 1:1 player ratio between the US and Soviet sides.

At a certain point, however, several players—and some obvious groups of players—joined. They all signed up for either the FIA ​​or the US side; over a prolonged period, the ratio fluctuated but hovered around 1 (Soviet) : 5 (FIA) : 6 or 7 (US).

Later on, individual players sporadically joined the Soviet side, and for a very brief moment, the ratio was roughly 5:5. However, under attack from the FIA, some Soviet players quickly left the game, while a number of new players suddenly joined the American side. Ultimately, the ratio of Soviet to FIA to American players settled at roughly 3 or 4 : 8 : 9. At that point, the match made absolutely no sense from a Soviet player's perspective. That was just a description of a single game, but—as I noted above—it stands as a symptomatic example rather than an isolated case.

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Here is the big warning(!!!): unless the situation is skillfully rectified, fewer and fewer people will be willing to play as the Soviet faction.

I would go so far as to say that the game could currently be considered broken—perhaps inadvertently so, and in an unforeseen way, due to the introduction of the FIA ​​faction.

In essence, there is predictably no longer any point in playing on the Soviet side.

The fewer people willing to play as the Soviets, the more frustrating the experience becomes for the few who are still prepared to take on that role. In the short to medium term, this will result in no one being willing to play as the Soviet side at all. Consequently, the American side will be left without opponents. It is precisely this trend that leads me to conclude that the game Conflict—given how most matches are currently playing out—can be viewed as in the process of breaking down.

Why is that so and why does the new playable FIA faction matters?

Understandably, new and unsure players tend to start with the faction that feels more familiar (culturally or historically) and already has the largest player base in a match (driven by uncertainty and the herd mentality). For most players from European countries (excluding Russia and Belarus), this means choosing the American side.

Consequently, the number of players on the American side grows disproportionately compared to the Soviet side.

In the past—before the FIA ​​faction became playable in version 1.7—this (initial) imbalance between American and Soviet players could be offset by skilled, experienced players joining the Soviet side later on.

However, with the introduction of the new playable FIA ​​faction, many of these experienced players who join later a match now prefer to play as the FIA. This further exacerbates the imbalance between the US and Soviet sides.

What can be done?

Here are a few suggestions and ideas from me:

Simplify or increase the difficulty the delivery of supplies based on the ratio of number of players on each side. (Countering the imbalance of players with more and easier or more difficult and less access to supplies.)

Give faster, easier, or more difficult access to potential weapons/vehicles / amount of heavy ammunition based on the ratio of players on each side.
(Countering the imbalance of number of players with accessibility to more potential weapons.)

Or, as a more radical measure:

Give the FIA ​​faction the opportunity to recapture bases to supplement the increasingly weak and currently less attractive (Soviet) faction, or to act as a genuine alternative to the numerically weaker faction, countering a disproportionately powerful side.

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