Battlestate Games has previewed some ‘realistic non-linear aiming’ changes coming to Escape from Tarkov, the pioneering extraction shooter with a decade in the business. In a post on social media, Nikita Buyanov, the head of the studio at Battlestate, showcased more than a minute of old vs. new footage, comparing the ‘reworked’ aiming mechanics to what exists now.
However, the changes have not landed well with the bulk of the community, particularly the infamously vocal streamers who have cut their teeth broadcasting Escape from Tarkov content for years.
Escape from Tarkov’s Aiming Changes Miss the Mark
In the post on social media, Nikita Buyanov shared what’s coming next for Escape from Tarkov’s aiming palette:
He followed up with a comment:
always wanted to have this approach to aiming in EFT. cause right now it’s unrealistic and linear. We will refine it more and test it first in ETS.
By ETS, he means ‘Early Test Server’, the platform that users can access to trial changes coming to Escape from Tarkov’s main platform at some point (or perhaps not).
Despite pledging more realism, the changes have gone down the other way with fans, especially those familiar with firearms. For instance, Airwingmarine wrote:
But legit, this looks nothing like what we do IRL. And high end shooters with lots of reps (PMCs) were actually pretty close to what we had in Tarkov. Maybe not for LPVOs and scopes, but for red dots and holos.
That weird set animation look super unnatural to me.
In another comment, LVNDMARK, one of the most prolific and popular Escape from Tarkov streamers, wrote:
Realism =\= fun in a video game nor do I think this is even realistic. You guys should be taking away a lot of the mechanics that were added to make this game feel more clunky rather than adding more. Just my 2 cents.
In the comments under Nikita’s post, some even said they would be uninstalling the game, at the insistence that Battlestate Games is out to make things as ‘unfun’ as possible.
But then, hours later, Nikita addressed the backlash:
guys, understood and got all of the feedback related WIP changes to aiming.
Take it easy, there will be another iteration and there will be ETS test first. If you still will not like it – than I will double down and add it ingame asap!
I’m kidding. Just let it be seen and tested first with the new changes to balance it out. Hopefully it will add more immersion and you will like it. Don’t worry, it’s being done by single teammember and me.
Battlestate Games is known for being relatively experimental, and not everything it reveals makes it into the final product.
Do you think this change would be a win or a loss for Escape from Tarkov players? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Marathon is getting an esports tournament
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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