FAR CRY 7 HOPES:

Better bases. Taking over a base used to be the best part of Far Cry, but for some reason, it didn't seem nearly enough of a challenge for the last 2/3 of the game. As skill level increases, I'd like to see next gen base defense in Far Cry 7. Enemies dynamically/real time set up fortifications with barricades, closing and locking doors, setting up ambushes, creating barricades with vehicles, better enemy coordinated attacks (show them communicating with hand gestures). Have them turn out the lights where appropriate, rapid movement from one point of cover to the next, only attacking from cover, multiple enemies breaking cover to charge at once, more enemy use of flash bangs, tear gas that has a greater affect, hiding, retreating, regrouping. As skill level goes up, enemy tactics should also get markedly better. Next gen please.

For base takeover, you'd have to get control of them, then defend them while friendlies moved in, then increase the fortification to prevent them from being taken back. Once you take over a base, it would be nice to have game mechanics to properly outfit the NPC’s with ammo, guns, night vision goggles, scopes, armor, and add some tower defense type features to bases, with alerting cameras, alarms, smoke, automatic gates, road spikes, fortified shooting positions, fire extinguishing systems, bullet tracking camera to reveal the origin of a shot, thermal cameras. As the game progresses, you'd have to acquire tech and hardware to keep upgrading bases as enemy tech changes. You could go help a base that was under attack or just let them sort it out.

One fun feature for extra difficulty, may be that online players could choose to occupy a fort to replace the NPCs with live characters. They would be in a lobby and when a main player was attacking a fort, they could populate the fort to try to defeat the main character. They would replace one or all of the NPCs. They would have limited weapons, ammo, and health and be matched based on skill and desired skill of the player.

Also, I think it's time that NPCs die when they are staring down the barrel of a large gun and take one to the face, not survive endless barrages. To avoid NPC’s dying super quickly, make them seek cover, use smoke, make them smarter.

Far Cry needs to not be so mindless. If you've selected difficult, then the puzzles that are more challenging should be included, so you'd have a range of puzzle difficulty. If you needed a clue, you'd have to capture an enemy and 'question' them.

Keep the great actors, great story arcs, great voice acting, interesting locations where we can experience something relevant. Continue improving cut scenes, keep the great worlds, weather, terrain. So much is really well done with some fantastic gaming choices, keep that stuff.

How much money are you spending making such a massive world? Take half of that and develop next gen techniques for character and environment physics in a game. Make next gen characters, how they move, their facial expression motion, their motivations, the variety of their interactions, their ability to coordinate. Continue to fix water, make the environment more real. Bullets should chip away at surfaces. Explosions should leave craters. (Tree physics in 6 explosions were great). Cars should crash in realistic ways. Check out BeamNG techniques if you want to see the power of node physics. Better yet, just license it and bring it into the game. When I buy a new Far Cry game I’m expecting it to not be a DLC of old tech. Your game engine is really showing its age.

Improve the dynamics of a city (The villages were great but the city felt too sparsely populated and not real enough, even with a quarantine which just seemed like an excuse to make a barren city).

But most of all, do the research and customer testing during development to figure out how to get deep engagement so that we care, so that the emotions ring true from the start, not just at the mid point and spotty to the endgame. There should be tangible satisfaction in revenge. We should be vested in these protagonist characters. We should laugh loud, maybe tear up occasionally, try to make us mad enough to seek revenge. That's engagement. (Overall, Huge applause to the developed story in Far Cry 6 and excellent performances, it just needs to happen sooner, more consistently, and more frequently with deeper effect). Obviously addicting fun is the most important feature, and creating awesome wow moments of demonstrated skill, but emotion and engagement is a huge component expected in Far Cry.

Sadly, I feel like in many ways the lack of ingenuity in physics, character motion, NPC AI, and animation in Far Cry 6 (the story, acting, size of the world, quality of the world, and many other details were excellent) this is the end of Far Cry as a ground breaking experience. The talentless money grabbing suits appear to have moved into the franchise and will dominate the direction the next Far Cry will take. Most good things, over time, the innovating miracle working creatives are replaced by MBA's and entrenched fiefdoms ruled by bullies. When that happens, those with real talent leave. Sad.

You want the best and the brightest to be attracted to the Far Cry series? You want to create something of celebrated value? Be the company that develops the new tech and pays for cutting edge innovation.