Battlefleet: Gothic Armada doesn’t like your friends

Battlefleet: Gothic Armada shipped with a lot of stuff in it. Four factions, character progression for online and offline games, a dynamic campaign. It also shipped with a lot of stuff not in it. Developer Tindalos is promising two new factions, ship customization, and asymmetry among the faction’s skills. Okay, so those things needed some more development time, but they wanted to get the game out the door, so those things could wait.

But I’m flabbergasted at what else they thought could wait. From the latest roadmap of stuff coming up “in the next few weeks”:

Online custom games will allow you to invite your friends to matches, competing with or against them in 1vs1 and 2vs2 battles.

And among the stuff coming up “in the next couple of months”:

You’ll be able to invite a friend to play 2 vs 2 against the AI – the progression system will be available in this mode for both you and your friend.

I had no idea those things weren’t in there until I tried to set up a game against a friend. It’s not possible. Okay, so let’s play against the AI. It’s also not possible. The only way to play with my friend is in a 2v2 game against random players. In a game with wide-open custom battle options against the AI, complete with long-term character progression, Battlefleet: Gothic Armada says you can only progress an online character by playing “fair and square” against random players. Tindalos seems to be of the mindset that if I level up by playing with a friend or — gasp! — by playing a comp stomp, I shouldn’t be allowed to use that progression online against other players.

It’s an inane idea that needs to go away. What do they care how I level up? Why this absurd need to expect everyone to grind away at the same millstone to pay their game tax? And while I’m glad Tindalos is changing their mind, it’s a shame that it’s taking them months to do something about it.