Turtle Rock Studios, the developer behind Back 4 Blood, has acknowledged community frustration around the game's lack of progression in solo mode and is looking at ways to make it more rewarding.
As spotted by Eurogamer, the developer thanked fans on Twitter regarding their feedback on solo mode before explaining that it is looking at different ways to remedy the community's concerns.
"We have heard your frustrations about progression in solo mode and are discussing ways to address the issue," said Turtle Rock Studios. "Thank you for your patience and feedback at this time – we'll have more news as we strategize on potential ways to make it happen."
❗ Attention Cleaners! ❗
We have heard your frustrations about progression in solo mode and are discussing ways to address the issue. Thank you for your patience and feedback at this time – we'll have more news as we strategize on potential ways to make it happen.
— Turtle Rock Studios is Hiring (@TurtleRock) October 9, 2021
Complaints about Back 4 Blood's solo mode were exemplified in a thread on the game's Reddit page. Those unhappy with the mode voiced their reactions to a message that pops up on screen when choosing to play Back 4 Blood's solo campaign. The message, which can be seen in the post below, reads:
"Uses solo decks created in the Fort Hope deck menu. Maps and objectives will be adjusted. Matchmaking and player invites are disabled. Earning Supply Points is disabled. Stat tracking is disabled. Earning progress towards Accomplishments is disabled."
In Back 4 Blood, a player's character can be tailored toward different play styles. This element of the game uses a card-based system that allows you to tweak your character's base stats and abilities during each act of the game. In between runs, players can purchase further cards to add to their deck using Supply Points (an in-game currency that players are rewarded with for completing missions within the game).
In solo mode, however, players aren't able to earn supply points, and instead use solo decks. This means that throughout the solo campaign, players begin with access to all of the cards in the game, and can build a deck without having to spend supply points.
As players don't need supply points for the solo campaign, it might be a reasonable assumption to suggest they wouldn't need to earn any either. However, many fans feel that this isn't the case, and that disabling supply points completely detracts from the core progression element in Back 4 Blood's gameplay.
"I was REALLY looking forward to being able to play this solo," said Reddit user xslimz. "But the lack of progression really kills it. I get that it might be strange to unlock MP stuff playing SP with bots, but they could at least cut it to like 25% of the rewards or something."
"I understand that they want you to play multiplayer as it is a team-based game," added another user in a separate post. "But no rewards or achievements? It’s really disappointing that you are forced to play with others if you want to progress at all."
For those in the community, part of this frustration comes around the belief that the decision to disable supply points in the solo campaign isn't one that has been taken in the best interests of the game's core fanbase, but instead to limit those who might exploit the game's solo campaign by farming points that they could then spend in other game modes. "Wouldn't want someone to bot the SP for supply points now would we," said one user in the thread, while another added: "People are gonna cheat one way or another. Doing this just makes more people mad."
For more on the latest from Back 4 Blood, make sure to check out these articles delving into the game's various player characters and the origins and design of the game's new Swarm mode. Alternatively, if you're just getting into Back 4 Blood, then make sure to read through our beginner's guide to the game.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN who spent his weekend accidentally smashing through Back 4 Blood's alarmed doors. You can follow him on Twitter.