Battlefield 3

[Hendo]

I'm a little bored of the constant comparisons to CoD and the knocking of CoD because it's more popular than Battlefield. They're both doing different things in the same space.

Bad Company 2 was never going to get the mainstream audience because it simply isn't as fast and snappy as CoD, which is what the audience wants. Not even talking about gameplay (although that comes into it) but navigating menus and finding a game is often slower in Battlefield. And there's far more reliance on team and tactics which the mainstream audience doesn't really want. It's the reason CoD is my go to game of choice when I'm playing on my own - Battlefield isn't much fun when you're playing with strangers, but is amazing when playing with a group of people all talking to each other.

I love both but the constant digs on CoD (by EA and Battlefield fans) just end up sounding like sour grapes. Let them both do their own thing and exist separately.

[retroed]

I'm a little bored of the constant comparisons to CoD and the knocking of CoD because it's more popular than Battlefield. They're both doing different things in the same space.

Bad Company 2 was never going to get the mainstream audience because it simply isn't as fast and snappy as CoD, which is what the audience wants. Not even talking about gameplay (although that comes into it) but navigating menus and finding a game is often slower in Battlefield. And there's far more reliance on team and tactics which the mainstream audience doesn't really want. It's the reason CoD is my go to game of choice when I'm playing on my own - Battlefield isn't much fun when you're playing with strangers, but is amazing when playing with a group of people all talking to each other.

I love both but the constant digs on CoD (by EA and Battlefield fans) just end up sounding like sour grapes. Let them both do their own thing and exist separately.

I +1'd you last night. 100% agree with all of this.

[Hendo]

Read Eurogamer comments threads more.

[Sly Reflex]

I went into a Gamestop today and they had a whole wall dedicated to this. I was talking to the guy working there and he says it has three times as many preorders as the next leading game this year which was Mass Effect 3. He was surprised because apparently BC2 didn't do that well for them.

Also, be thankful you don't pay NA prices for your games guys. What a fucking rip.

[retroed]

Hi Niklas Fegraeus! You’re Lead Designer on Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand, where the classic Wake Island map will be remade. How far do you and Wake Island go back?

-- Wake Island was my very first Battlefield experience, like it was for so many others. In 2002, I was actually involved in a professional Counter-Strike clan. We had just trounced our opposing team, when they proposed a rematch – in the recently released Battlefield 1942 demo on Wake Island!

So what did you think of your very first Battlefield experience?

-- Never having played anything like Battlefield before, my squad of Counter-Strikers ran along on the ground on Wake Island while the other team dive-bombed us with Zero fighters. I was like “IMBA! What’s the fun in this?” Pretty soon, though, I realized this was something completely new and different, and that it was in fact an awesome game.

Fast forward 9 years to the present. What does it feel like being in charge of the reimagining of perhaps the most defining Battlefield map ever?

-- It’s a weird mix of pressure in staying true to the heritage of Wake Island, while at the same time having new and exciting possibilities thanks to the Frostbite 2 engine.

-- I feel that we have a shot at making our own unique interpretation of Wake Island. The map has seen so many iterations through so many games that we don’t feel constrained by some hard-coded template of what it must be.

One thing on our fans’ minds is why we are working with additional content for Battlefield 3 already?

-- Well, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2, we did a lot of experimenting with DLC, and I think that we learnt a lot along the way. The goal is that any content for Battlefield 3 will be of the same quality as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. That means we have to start work early alongside the base game.

Finally, why do you think Wake Island is a great Battlefield map?

-- I love the fact that Wake Island is so straight-forward, that you have such a good view of all the action, and that it has plenty of space for vehicle combat. It just screams Battlefield.

Hi Lars! What guided the design for Wake Island back in the original game?

-- The basic premise was that we looked at how real-life Wake Island [from the Pacific Theatre in WWII] looks today. We knew we couldn’t do it to scale, but that kind of one-to-one fidelity wasn’t really of interest to us. Funny thing is, it was in fact downscaled so much due to a decimal error in programming. The map was originally meant to be bigger, but the involuntary downsizing created a very cool and concentrated gaming experience.

-- That concentration also comes from the fact that when fighting on land, because of the island’s U-shape, you cannot escape. If there’s a tank in your way, you will have to confront it head-on sooner or later. That’s something we have tried to recreate throughout the Battlefield series: To have some kind of clear frontline.

How do you mean, clear frontline?

-- Well, on some maps, the frontline can be rather “slippery”, or almost like a merry-go-round. Which happens to work really well on maps like El Alamein. I mean I love that map, but the reason the merry-go-round gameplay works there is because you have an overview of the entire battlefield so you realize when you’ve been overrun. But on Wake Island it was super important to get the sense across of where the frontline is at all times.

What is the gameplay generally like on the uniquely shaped Wake Island?

-- It’s very dynamic. Its U-shape means that the water gameplay between the map’s two legs – whether it’s going by boat or swimming across – creates new alternatives for when you’re locked in a hopeless struggle against superior armor. There’s always an alternate solution on Wake Island, and for me personally, that’s what makes Battlefield Battlefield.

There was a special style and tone to that map as well.

-- Yes. It was very much a case of “fun over realism”. We took reality and shaped it into something that suited our design ideas. There’s this neat kind of ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ thing going on in the clash between the paradisiac beauty of the map set against the frantic battles.

How do you feel now that Wake Island is set for a reimagining?

-- I feel excited! What still grabs me about Wake Island is the fact that it really is all-out war. Aircraft are taking off from the carriers, anti-aircraft guns are firing, boats are coming in, tanks are rolling by… And sometimes you just have to stand there and look out across the glittering water because it’s so beautiful. There will always be a special place in my heart for Wake Island.

*******************************************************************************

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is brought to you by the team that developed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. It will include 4 classic Battlefield 2 maps reimagined in the new Frostbite 2 engine. It also features iconic Battlefield 2 vehicles, Battlefield 2 weapons to bring back to the base game, new unlocks and persistence, and more.

This expansion pack will be available post launch of Battlefield 3. To receive Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand at no extra charge, all you need to do is preorder Battlefield 3: Limited Edition.

http://blogs.battlefield.ea.com/battlefield_bad_company/archive/2011/05/18/B2K-2.aspx

I am pre-ordering this.

[Sly Reflex]

Wake Island again? It's a good map and all, but there are other classic maps that for me would make more fun out of the destruction.

[retroed]

Pre-order the Battlefield 3: Limited Edition from Game or Gamestation and you'll get the Physical Warfare Pack.

This includes the Type 88 light machine gun with bipod "for superior firepower and total zone control". Also included is the SKS sniper rifle flash suppressor that provides increased stealth abilities for Recon soldiers. And finally, the "lethal armour-piercing" flechette ammo for the DAO-12 semi-automatic shotgun "that is sure to tear through anything in its path".

The pack also includes the Battlefield Back to Karkand day one expansion pack, which features maps from Battlefield 2, including Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman and the Sharqi Peninsula, recreated using the Frostbite 2 engine.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-23-battlefield-3-physical-warfare-pack

Will those weapons just be an early unlock? It would be pretty shitty if they were exclusives.

[retroed]

Right, the picture on GAME.co.uk (below) makes it look like the Type 88 LMG, ammo for DAO-12, and surpressor for SKS are actually exclusive to them. I have this pre-ordered at Zavvi for under £35, but I don't like to think I'm missing out. I'm not bothered about the maps as all the first run will have them, and day-one access to the DAO-12 doesn't bother me either. It's the stuff that you can only get if you buy from GAME group. EA were doing so well in my book this year, but this sucks.

[Sly Reflex]

I'll probably be getting the best version of whatever is announced. It wont be like I wont get my monies worth. You know this game will be DLC'd up the wazoo with kit unlocks and stuff like SPECTAT bundles, so I'm thinking that maybe these kits will be up for purchase for those who want to buy.

I wasn't going to bother with those on BC2 if I'm being honest, but I did fork out for the SPECTAT bundle due to all the maps they pushed out gratis, I'd probably do the same here too if they support the game with free maps. I'd hate to see it go the same way as CoD or Halo with the paid for maps, it was a fucking ballache trying to say in games with people who didn't have the VIP code. I had a similar problem with Gears 2 a few nights ago due to my missus not owning the map packs and it put a bit of a downer on it.

[HandsomeDead]

Down with retail exclusive in-game content! I think I'll do what I did with Red Dead and New Vegas and buy it somewhere that doesn't have any exclusives out of principal.

I really hate this stuff.

[Hendo]

I just want the game. Again.

[hinn888]

I like physical stuff you get free. Digital stuff i sell on.

[HandsomeDead]

If there is an advantage it'll be pretty minor. I just hate marketing smothering my videogame experiences. I'll see some dude running around with a gun that can only be attained through one of these retailers and I'll get chain of thought going that'll lead me into thinking about GAME; they might as well stick a GAME logo on the side of their guns.

As far as I'm aware I thought the maps were for those that buy the special addition, which could be all the first run.

[HandsomeDead]

I member at GTM has summarised things on the multiplayer.

I've been reading multiplayer previews and watching some interviews so I decided to gather all the interesting and relevant data together. This is certainly open to change, and misinterpretation on my part, so don't take it as gospel.

Classes

4 classes: Assault, Support, Engineer, Recon.

Assault

Uses assault rifles as usual.

Assault now also doubles as the medic class, so health kits replace ammo boxes, and they also get the defibrillator to revive.

You can take more combat oriented equipment over the Medic stuff, such as replacing your health kit with a grenade launcher attachment for your AR.

Engineer

Uses carbines and SMGs. No mention of a silencer this time round though.

Uses anti tank equipment such as the usual rocket launcher.

Still carries the repair tool to fix vehicles.

Weapons have a flashlight attachment, which besides the expected application of providing light can also disorientate enemies.

Possible new to Battlefield gadgets hinted at for dealing with vehicles.

Support

LMG user.

Bipod attachment allows LMGs to be rested on walls, cars, boxes etc, and also on the floor when prone. This increases your precision.

Carries ammo for resupplying teammates.

Recon

Can be equipped to be effective at long and short range.

Carries C4.

No details on other gadgets, such as motion mines yet, but it's made clear they certainly have other tricks up their sleeve which have yet to be revealed.

Vehicles

Can now be disabled without being destroyed. Depending on the severity of the damage weapons may still be usable even if the vehicle is immobilised.

Tanks will slowly recover health on their own to a certain extent, but they will never be able to repair to full or fix critical damage such as broken treads or weapons without an Engineer.

Rockets and shells impacting a light vehicle or sufficiently damaged tank can instantly kill those inside if they are in the vicinity of the blast. Survivors have time to escape before another hit, and/or the vehicle explodes.

Revives

You now have the ability to opt-out of being revived. No specifics on exactly how this is achieved, but you can apparently survey your surrounding before choosing to revive or respawn somewhere else.

Suppression

This is new feature I'm most likely to detail wrong, so I'll start with what I know:

The Support class can lay down suppressive fire using a LMG. Enemies within the vicinity of bullets will be suppressed. From what I can gather this is a mostly visual effect which includes slight screen shaking and a dimming effect. Could also possibly affect the enemies ability to return fire, i.e., negatively affect their accuracy.

The support class will receive points for suppressing enemies.

What I don't know:

Whether other weapons such as heavy machine guns on emplacement or vehicles can also suppress. You'd think so, but who knows.

If heavy machine guns can also suppress will classes other than Support receive points for it. Again, you'd think so.

Customizable Dogtags

That is all.

Co-op Campaign

Ten mission for two players. Ties in with single-player campaign.

[retroed]

Was the EA conference Battlefield 3 demo running on PS3?

[Cyberpunk]

I watched the 8 minute tank warfare trailer last night. I think I'm sold on this one, and will be getting Battlefield 3 over MW3. I'll only be able to afford on warfare shooter, so this is it.

[DANGERMAN]

Was the EA conference Battlefield 3 demo running on PS3?

EA have said that they want to use the PS3 as a lead platform because its easier to transfer from that to 360 than the other way round. They also want to partner their shooters with ps3 a bit more because COD is tied to 360.

That said I'm sure the guy controlling the tank was using a mouse and keyboard. Impressive graphics regardless, but amazing if it was all ps3

[Sly Reflex]

All PC shots apparently, the console version have not been shown at all yet.

I really don't like the music tied with the Battlefield thing, I'm hoping it isn't in the game as that will drive me mad.

[retroed]

All PC shots apparently, the console version have not been shown at all yet.

At the bottom-right of the shots above it says they're taken from PS3 footage.

[Sly Reflex]

Yeah, everything I've seen has had a keyboard and mouse controlling it. Those PS3 shots were broken last time I looked in here, although they are stills. I'll be super surprised if it looks anywhere near as good on consoles as it does on PC.