Battlefield 3

[FFN]

Late this year comes the return of the PC multiplayer "modern combat" king: Battlefield, which seems set to challenge Modern Warfare 3.


Some main points about Battlefield 3:

* 64 player support on PCs
* 24 player support on Xbox 360/PS3
* Prone is back
* Jets are back
* No commander mode
* 4 classes
* Single player campaign + co-op. Original story, not based or a continuation of Bad Company 2
* It will have more unlocks than Bad Company 2
* No mod tools
* Release date is set for Fall 2011
* PC is the lead development version

Frostbite 2.0 engine
* Frostbite 2 will only support DirectX 10 and 11, so no Windows XP support
* Frostbite 2.0 is recommended to run on 64-bit CPUs and versions of Windows
* The engine will have a new set of compilers and pipelines, which will improve its diversity and open the possibility to mod tools.
* Tile-based deferred shading via DirectCompute, which will improve performance.
* Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA), implemented with DirectCompute, which provides better bandwidth conservation (exclusive DirectX 11 feature).
* Realtime radiosity (a dynamic light source with HDR), powered by the Enlighten middleware engine, previously used in God of War 3 for the PS3
* Improved environment destruction.

(info from http://bf3blog.com/2011/02/battlefield-3-what-we-know-so-far-2/


Gameinformer info and images
http://bf3blog.com/2011/02/battlefield-3-gameinformer-info-screenshots/

Official screen shots
http://bf3blog.com/2011/02/more-battlefield-3-screenshots-emerge/

Official videos
- 23/3/11 Gameplay teaser: 23/2/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9SCWClN4Ic

- 1/3/11 Fault Line series episode 1: Bad Part of Town single player video:
http://www.ea.com/battlefield3/videos/faultline-ep1

- 16/3/11 Fault Line episode 2: Good Effect on Target
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z02p7ej1Dew

- 30/3/11 Fault Line episode 3: Get that wire cut!
http://www.ea.com/battlefield3/videos/faultline-episode-3

- 16/4/11 Fault Line full length trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zw8SmsovJc

- 26/5/11 PWNED: PWNED #7 | Battlefield 3 Special
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXaFw7aC9GE

- 6/6/11 Frostbite 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KksAB31DG3U&feature=relmfu

- 6/6/11 Operation Metro Multiplayer teaser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxbOC8Ui3H4&feature=relmfu

- 8/6/11 Thunder Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHxn852N42g

- 16/6/11 BF3 on PS3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLCFQyqEoHA

[Zombaholic]

I wonder what the four classes are and what has been nixed. I'm also a bit downed by the fact it doesn't support XP, but that's to be expected with newer games these days.

I would like to think that Battlefield has the name to stand up beside Modern Warfare pretty well. If you looked at the two, they're different flavours. Call of Duty always felt more of a get in there and shoot things game while Battlefield was more tactical in nature. Though I wonder if today's market wants a tactical shooter.

I am excited for this game, but hearing DICE is on it I'm not too sure. Bad Company 2 just didn't do it for me when I got around to it. Hopes for it to be an actual BF3 are there though.

[FFN]

Probably the same classes as BC2, though it might be a good idea to give the ammo box back to the LMG class and the medkit to the assault class (ala BF2142) to reduce the occurrence of people spamming 40mm grenade launchers.

DICE has always developed Battlefield, no? I'm happy with Bad Company 2, but I'd also like a happy medium between BC and traditional Battlefield

[Agloriouscuppa]

I have 2 problems with BF3. The lack of a commander which I think helps make battlefield 2 so good, because at the end of the day a commander supporting your goals can turn the tide of a battle.

And that they're not going to go with more classes for balance sake. The issue of 40mm spamming and such is easily solved by going back to the old system of 6 classes. I would support there moving the med kit to assault if they take away the 40mm by taking the medic bag.

I cant count this as a problem, but, I'm also worried that they'll just keep 4 person squads which in a 64 player game is really really dumb. They should up it back to 6 like they had in BF2 and 2142.

I know I'll still buy it, in the end because I enjoy battlefield, but I'd like to see it look at what worked in BF2 and account for some of that in its PC release. But I may as well be poking a whale with a toothpick.

[Metcarfre]

Do want.

Will probs get 360 version.

Is MW3 due out in the fall? I hadn't heard.

I quite enjoy BF:BC2. Just got it back from my broseph and intend on putting some time in soon.

[FFN]

The 40mm is useful, though, especially on an engine with destructible environments. The problem with grenade spam in BC2 is assault players, with the ammo box, can replenish their 40mm grenades. If they don't have the ammo box (and must rely on somebody else to ferry ammo to them), then they will have to conserve their 2 grenades or something. However, I know that I've resorted to 40mm grenading during a desperate Rush defence match.

Speaking of Rush mode, I hope they keep it for BF3. In my opinion, despite what some hardcore BF2 players might say, Rush mode forces the attacking players, if they are half-decent, to pursue the objective rather than their own personal kill count. And the while defenders are free to rack up their kills, they also need to protect their MCOMs. I like it much better than the traditional area-control based, Conquest mode. As the name says, there's a rush in desperately charging for the MCOM or frantically defending it from attackers.

I hope Bad Company 2's spotting system is indeed in. Being able to sight something and hit Q instead of fumbling around with the commo rose is convenient.

[Agloriouscuppa]

I hope for less swearing.. I mean nothing against swearing but I would prefer that fuck weren't a comma.

[FFN]

I believe I read there's quite a bit of swearing in this. In fact, they swear like sail-, erm, soldiers & marines.

[xdeathknightx]

Shame about commander mode, if you weren't up for running around it was fun to drop ammo crates on little dots, doing a scan and dropping a mortar strike on some people. And of course dropping a mortar strike, which was very visible on the bloody minimap and see half your team run in there like you are dispensing candy.

[Zombaholic]

DICE has always developed Battlefield, no?

Is my face red

Shame about commander mode, if you weren't up for running around it was fun to drop ammo crates on little dots, doing a scan and dropping a mortar strike on some people. And of course dropping a mortar strike, which was very visible on the bloody minimap and see half your team run in there like you are dispensing candy.

A real commander has to make the tough decision about mortar striking his own men to help the whole. Course I was never really good at those decisions, but in the end I wasn't dead. And that's what matters

[FFN]

I hope the UAV in this is as fun as Bad Company 2. The other day I controlled a UAV for most of the match, and was able to avoid being shot down. Then at the last MCOM, the enemy team got the Mi-24 (or whatever) HIND helicopter gunship.

Fortunately, I've been using the alt fire machine gun vehicle package so I engaged in a aerial dogfight with the gunship, eventually forcing it to land back at its base for repairs. I finished it off with an air-to-ground missile

[FFN]

New storyline gameplay video

http://www.ea.com/battlefield3/videos/faultline-ep1

[FFN]

Footage leaked from the GDC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sxg1KILWrpg



I am concerned by the total lack of interest for this game around these parts. I don't think it's "modern combat FPS" fatigue, as I am sure the forums with EXPLODE with excitement once Activision's hype train for Modern Warfare 3 leaves the station.

[Metcarfre]

I'm partial to Battlefield myself, but I think that its particular style of FPS doesn't appeal to all. It takes a fair amount of time commitment. A match can take half an hour and there's a lot less "run around, shoot guy in face, lather, rinse, repeat".

[Agloriouscuppa]

NOT EXCITED! Step back son!

I'm just containing my excitement to the battlefield reddit.

[xdeathknightx]

I like battlefield a lot better than the Call of Duty franchise, but I am not one to go crazy about a lot of games.

[FFN]

I'm partial to Battlefield myself, but I think that its particular style of FPS doesn't appeal to all. It takes a fair amount of time commitment. A match can take half an hour and there's a lot less "run around, shoot guy in face, lather, rinse, repeat".

*FFN tags metcarfre with tracer dart*

BOO. DICE said they won't be including that in BF3 because it's "a Bad Company thing", which I think implies that it's too unrealistic for the main BF series. Didn't BF2 suffer for air superiority griefing ground players?

And since when was Battlefield realistic? I'm pretty sure infantry just can't jump into a jet and fly off.

[xdeathknightx]

Yeah in BF2 you'd just release flares and do an afterburner to get the hell out of the reach of an AA site. Then turn around and bomb the crap out of it. The only cure was sending a better pilot up. Although the mobile AA was pretty lethal if you didn't take it out quickly. Plus with all the markers it was pretty easy to learn when to release the bombs.
A shame cause in 42 it took skill to fly a plane. And as far as I'm concerned they should make choppers Desert Combat hard. When it all got too easy you'd see a lot of people just using them as transport. I don't know how many times I sat in a chopper in BF2 thinking "man this pilot is erratic" only to find out the bastard jumped out without saying anything.

Should have stayed with the Desert Combat way of letting players control the missile. At some point I was so good at it that within seconds of me shooting someone down I'd get all the planes strafing me to take me out.
Remember one match where the other team (who weren't very good at bombing me) accused me of taking all the fun out of the game. Why? They wanted to rape everyone from the sky and I kept shooting them down. Yeah next time I'll let you rack up a monster score in your airplane because otherwise you'll b*tch about it...not

[FFN]

Fortunately, in my time in BC2, most chopper pilots would only bail if the ship was on fire/about to explode, so it was pretty obvious when to go (the in-game audio prompts help). Then again, I mainly play Rush mode, so I dunno if people still ram helicopters into control points in Conquest.

[FFN]

Fault Line episode 2 is up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z02p7ej1Dew

[AeroCmdr]

I have 2 problems with BF3. The lack of a commander which I think helps make battlefield 2 so good, because at the end of the day a commander supporting your goals can turn the tide of a battle.

And that they're not going to go with more classes for balance sake. The issue of 40mm spamming and such is easily solved by going back to the old system of 6 classes. I would support there moving the med kit to assault if they take away the 40mm by taking the medic bag.

I cant count this as a problem, but, I'm also worried that they'll just keep 4 person squads which in a 64 player game is really really dumb. They should up it back to 6 like they had in BF2 and 2142.

I know I'll still buy it, in the end because I enjoy battlefield, but I'd like to see it look at what worked in BF2 and account for some of that in its PC release. But I may as well be poking a whale with a toothpick.

These are basically my feelings on it as well.

I loved blowing up the commander's arty pieces and 4 player squads sound kinda ridiculous in a 64 player match.

[Agloriouscuppa]

I loved blowing up the commander's arty pieces and 4 player squads sound kinda ridiculous in a 64 player match.

Exactly, the great thing about BF2 is that you could go wander off with another squad and basically cause some attrition to the other side. It meant that not everyone was just throwing themselves at each other and hoping their weapon killed first.

[FFN]

Fault Line part 3
http://www.ea.com/battlefield3/videos/faultline-episode-3

[theashigaru]

Has it been confirmed that there will only be 4 members to a squad?
I haven't read that anywhere and I hope that they will bring back squads very similar to BF2. The concept of spawning on any of your squadmates like in BC2 is not very good for supporting teamwork and effective squad-based gameplay. Having one squad leader to spawn on makes the squad work together to keep him alive. Hopefully, the larger maps in BF3 will work to promote teamwork because players won't want to spend 2-3 minutes per spawn running up to the line.

[FFN]

I don't know.

But I think screw spawn on squad leaders only. Because what happens if your squad leader gets killed? he has to respawn from the nearest base again, and anybody left in enemy territory either has to carry on without him, wait, or more likely, get killed, wasting everybody's time and your team's tickets.

Teamwork in BC2 with spawn-on-squad works well enough. There have been times when one squad member, in Rush mode, has managed to make it all the way to near the MCOM, and he just tells the rest of us who are respawning to spawn at him. If it were only spawn-on-squad leader, he would be screwed with no back up, because we're all the way back *over there*. I also don't want to waste time waiting for squaddies to respawn *over there* and make their way to my position.


I'm a PC gamer, but I will accept convenient streamlining from console versions to enable a happy medium between fast-paced action and big scale tactical warfare.