User blog:Qbicle/Close Range Assault, Love it or Hate it?

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon has been released for a little more than a year. One of the main features of the game is the Close Range Assault, which consists of Dogfight Mode (DFM) and Air Strike Mode (ASM).

The new features, especially the DFM, faces polar views among players. DFM supposedly helps breaking the old dogfight problems of players circling around each other for ages, and is more visually appealing combating opponents up close rather than shooting them far away as tiny planes or even pixels. The use of machinegun is also more encouraged in this mode, whereas outside it is not often used due to its range and perhaps the difficulty to aim for the less skilled players.

The main complaints for the DFM include but not limit to it being compulsory in certain parts of the singleplayer campaign, the rail shooter nature of the combat, and perhaps the limitation in control during dogfight.

There are also complaints how DFM is like helping players to guide into position, hence making combat easier. Bugs are also encountered in campaign now and then, where sometimes ordinary pursued plane suddenly do impossible maneuver, or when one crashes into obstacles due to lack of controls when entering or forced out of DFM sometimes.

DFM is something that is debated among players. So do you like it or dislike it? I personally think it's a nice visual gameplay feature, but it is something that perhaps need a bit of smoothing and improvement if we want to see it making a comeback in the future. Otherwise I am happy with the good old lock and shoot.

ASM, being the "ground attack version of DFM", is not heard or debated as much. I personally find it feel strange while doing a strafe run in it; it feels unnatural compared to the bombing runs I usually do in other games, and one is more vulnerable from enemy fire while in it.

What's your opinion of them? Do you share similar feedbacks, or that what you get out of them are remarkably different?