there were wide ranging issues that cropped up late as we neared launch and they were deeply rooted (UI, function, rendering, saves, saved films etc etc) and the fix last time introduced a new error, which is why they basically didn't function properly at all. So a small team was carved off to address the problem as a single issue instead of as a suite of minor fixes.
To me it's actually a really big deal and I'd be interested to know how people think the information 'feels' after a bunch of games. An example of how it's changed things for me that isn't even tactical - in SWAT on levels with short or frequently interrupted sight lines, I no longer feel as exposed or frustrated and even though its not literally true, I feel like I'm sort of aware where danger is.
There are obviously dozens of scenarios where they are directly helpful, but for me the general sense of situational awareness they provide is a big deal.
