With Battlefield 3, Dice and EA went aggressively after the Call of Duty crowd, showcasing big maps, flashy visuals and vehicle play as s means of wooing fans of Activision's lucrative series and pulling them over. They succeeded with this endeavor, but it was ultimately to the detriment of the series. The teamwork that seemed to occur organically in older Battlfield titles had evaporated, and game modes felt like littler more than team death match with a few optional objectives (something it shares with its Call of Duty counterpart). The unlock and leveling system encouraged selfish play; players did what would allow them to unlock new things and improve their personal statistics rather than what would allow their team to win.
It does not appear that Dice have managed to reignite the fires of teamwork in Battlefield 4. Despite boasting improved map design, voip and commander mode, the damage done to the community appears to be permanent as total anarchy once again reigns supreme while long time issues like a lack of team scramble resulting in horrible team stacking remain glaringly present. The unlock system that encourages selfish play and obsession over statistics like kill/death ratio remain disgustingly prominent in the experience; instead of focusing on playing the game to help your team win, you are encouraged to play in ways that allow you to gain the next unlock. This explains why poor maps like Metro and Locker are so popular; many who play the series at this point do so for the progression system.
Battlefield as a team game is dead, now we are left with a sort of combined-arms sand box that manages to largely miss the components that made earlier battlefields so enjoyable. Dice need to rethink their unlock system and revamp the design of the game to put teamwork and objectives at the forefront in order to pull players into the moment rather than have them focusing on statistics and progression bars. Mechanically BF3 and 4 are in many ways outstanding, but they stand side by side as the worst games in the series. When they happen, close games can be a lot of fun thanks to the involving gunplay and excellent sounds. Vehicle combat is intense and kinetic, and combined arms make for exciting moments of vehicular interaction viewed form both vehicles and from the point of view of infantry. Sadly the 'me-first!' attitude of many players results in important vehicles being wasted by players eager to grab a couple of quick kills to the detriment of their team. The test range is a great idea that dice implemented, but players don't seem to be using it.
To fix the games, the unlock system should be simplified and the number of meta-game objectives like ribbons, medals and assignments should be reduced. Squad related buffs should be implemented and work based on proximity. Commanders' orders should be more prominent, and the rewards for completing orders should be far greater. Killing enemies around objectives should be rewarded more significantly, while killing someone while neither player is close to an objective should provide very few points. A new game mode should be introduced that is more intricate, something like Titan mode in 2142, that forces teams work together to achieve success. Even if Dice implemented a handful of these things, the incentive for people to work together would be far greater, and the game would be more engrossing and less enraging. For now, the obvious talent of Dice is being wasted.