What I think Battlefield 3 Will Be Like

[CptainCrunch]

I brought this to the new forums because after the migration, the blog section is gone. I posted this on June 8th, 2011, before the alpha leaks and all that. No alpha information is in this post and I dont think it would really change much of anything in it anyway.

I've been meaning to make this blog entry for sometime, but never really got around to it. The videos coming in from E3 has confirmed what I thought Battlefield 3 would be like. Most the footage being released in E3 is probably Alpha or pre-alpha, but with the open beta being in September and the release date set for October 25th, I would think a lot of things are on the verge of being set for the game.

Shibby2142 made a great breakdown on this video showing things going on in Battlefield 3:

Battlefield 3 is going to have awesome effects and sounds thanks the the Frostbite 2 engine. There is no denying that. Everything related to sight and sound is going to be fantastic and anything less than a 10, in those catagories, from the big game reviewers is going to show who is under the thumb of Activision. Not that you should believe game reviewers anyway, just saying

So with that said, I don't plan on saying anything more about visuals or sounds. What I am focusing on is the layout of the game itself and where they are coming from with previous Battlefield titles:

-Maps
I think most map layouts and ideas are going to come from Battlefield 2. The "Back to Karkand" pack aside, DICE has already said some of the maps are larger than any other maps made. For vehicles and air combat, there is going to have to be large maps. You can't just make really big boundaries for air vehicles and confine everyone to a small area.

I think the exception to this large map idea is going to be dependent on the game mode chosen. It has been confirmed that Battlefield 3 is going to have Rush, Team Death Match, and Conquest. Looking at the map in the video I posted earlier, they are showing the Rush mode. As you can see on that video, it seems Rush is a bit tight and linear, as it was in Bad Company 2. This could just be because of the map, Operation Metro, chosen to show off Battlefield 3, but I can see the game having different map sizes based on the game type being chosen. It is unclear the features on TDM at this time. Nothing is known if there will be any vehicles or if it will be like Squad Death Match in Bad Company 2.

Summary: My overall opinion though is that the maps will be large and even complex with multiple levels to the maps, making them more like Battlefield 2. All Battlefield games had smaller maps, but I think they will be larger than Bad Company 2.

-Classes
It has been recently confirmed that there are four classes. This article goes a bit into detail about them:

http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/117/1172554p1.html
Thank you MrChris_CJ for the link!

Riflemen - Double as medics. Unknown is what a "rifleman" really means. Sounds like someone with an assault rifle. This could be the assault class without unlimited ammo.

Support - LMGs and ammo bags. Reminds me of the BF2 support class. A new feature is suppression. It seems shooting at people with this class will blur their screen. In my opinion, this will allow actual teamwork and cover fire for others in your squad to actually take them out. In BC2, the medic class was given the LMG and was suppose to be a support type role that stayed behind to cover fire and heal, well, that didn't work out too well.

Engineer - Vehicle repair and destruction. Hopefully will still get SMGs and maybe even with silencers.

Sniper - Long range with demolitions. So far it sounds like the BC2 version.

Summary: So I said how the classes remind me of Battlefield 2 and Bad Company 2, however, the layout is actually Battlefield 2142. In 2142 you had to select options in your classes and create your kit. Each class in 2142 basically had two paths to go down and changed how the class worked. There is not enough information at this time to think Battlefield 3 will be setup like that, but it actually was a very nice layout and though there were "only" four classes, there were enough options to make eight different ones. Situations in the game would have me change these layouts often and actually promote teamwork as all the classes were too weak to be dominate on the battlefield.

-Weapons
A lot of different weapons being seen and I don't think we have seen near all of them. From the things we have seen so far, some weapons from both Battlefield 2 and Bad Company 2 seem to be available. We also do not know if all weapons will be in both Singleplayer and Multiplayer. Here is a list that is a little out dated:
http://www.gamersbook.com/scene/news...-weapons-list/

Summary:As you can see, it's a lot. With that being said, I would say the options are more like Bad Company 2.

-Weapon/Gadget Accessories
We know that there are weapon options, such as scopes, silencers/suppressors, and types of ammo, but that is about it. There is not a lot of information yet on what other options there are. We also know that there will be gadgets for your soldier, but again, no information on exactly what and how it will be deployed

Summary: The layout and options will more than likely be like a Bad Company 2 layout. A selection for Vehicle, weapon, and soldier. I wouldn't be surprised if Squads also get a slot for some teamwork items.

-Squads/Commander
Its already been confirmed that there is no commander. Its also been confirmed that there are squads of four as well as a squad leader and you can only spawn on the leader. We do not know what other options are available for being in a squad or being the leader of the squad, however, we do know that the squad leader will have certain abilities. So the commander role may be collapsed in with the squad leader.

Summary: This is a hybrid setup of squads between Battlefield 2142, Bad Company 2, and something new.

-Single Player
There is one. Only Bad Company has had a true single player.

Summary: I think its a nice addition to Battlefield as well as to entice the console crowd. There is no doubt its from Bad Company 2.

-Co-Op Campaign
This is new. None of the previous Battlefield Games have had a Co-Op game play. There has been bots on servers, humans vs. AI or mixed, but nothing where you are working as a team.

Summary: No information on what will be seen in Co-Op or what levels there may be. It's new to Battlefield.

-Vehicles
Yes, there are vehicles. Tanks, choppers, and jets. We do not know what features will be available for the vehicles, we just know that there will be some. The other thing we know is that there is regenerative repair on vehicles. They cannot reach 100% without an engineer though. Will this overpower them? We don't know because we don't know anything about the anti-vehicle weapons available.

Summary: With the option of jets, this is coming from Battlefield 2. The problem is that we know nothing about the anti-vehicle loadouts and there is regenerative repair on them. They can not repair to 100% without an engineer though. With that said, it may be a hybrid Battlefield 2/ Bad Company 2 thing. The vehicle handling may tip the scale on if this is more Battlefield or Bad Company.

-Gameplay
The way I feel about gameplay is that unless you play the game yourself, you just don't know. This is the feel and movement of the game and how heavy or fast your soldier or vehicle is as well as how quick they respond to controls and movements. Lets not forget the HUD and layout, which right now looks a lot like Medal of Honor. Many say they can tell by videos on how the gameplay is, but I am not one of those to decide that based on video alone. Many times I have looked at a video and then when playing the game, it felt different.

Summary: With the Frostbite engine, i think it will feel like a Battlefield game. I think it will feel more like Bad Company 2 than Battlefield though. Of course I thought Bad Company felt like Battlefield. Many disagree, however, when I first played the game I felt like I was playing Battlefield again. Now if the HUD doesn't change, it will have a Medal of Honor look to it as well.

Conclusion: A lot came from Battlefield to make Bad Company. There were a lot of ideas added to Bad Company to make it its own game. Now DICE is combining things that we have seen in Battlefield 2, 2142, and Bad Company 2 along with a few additional features and options. There is so much of both series in the game that it will be easy for people to say how this isn't Battlefield 3, but a Bad Company 3.

For those wanting a BF2 remake, you are going to be sorely disappointed. For those wanting a grand scale Battlefield game, I think this will have it. For those that hated everything about Bad Company 2, I don't think Battlefield 3 will be for you. I don't think this will be a Bad Company game entirely, but there is no separating out the makeup of it. The frostbite engine will give the game that look and, maybe even, feel. It's going to be a grander scale game that is going to have huge maps, a lot of weapons and options, and customization. There will still be a sandbox approach to it, but I think that will depend on the game types you play. The changes in options in the classes will promote teamwork better than what Bad Company 2 had, which will be a great improvement.

The link I posted above says DICE has the philosophy on Battlefield 3 as "Play it Your Way." and I think that's how it's going to be designed as. The game will be teamwork minded, but not focused. The teamwork will be better than Bad Company 2, but not what it was in Battlefield.

I'm looking forward as we get closer to the beta's and more multiplayer information. I will like to see how accurate I was with these thoughts and hope you all have some input as well. A lot can still be changed in any direction and there is still a lot of information missing to determine how this game will be. I can say that I am looking forward to it.

Crunch

[Lordsethonan]

It's gonna be the best team based shooter on PC and console until they release BF4 or BC3.

[CptainCrunch]

It's gonna be the best team based shooter on PC and console until they release BF4 or BC3.

I agree with that. I wish I could talk more about why, but NDA and all that :/

Crunch

[-Shifty-]

Can't say I enjoy the squad or order system from the alpha footage I've seen. Nonetheless, it'll be the best game around for a while.

[Anarchy1]

It's going to be a fantastic game, even if it isn't a "true" sequel to BF2.

Can't say I enjoy the squad or order system from the alpha footage I've seen. Nonetheless, it'll be the best game around for a while.

Yeah, it definitely needs some work. There isn't any order system at the moment but that is rumored to be added. DICE has confirmed that SLs will have a lot more abilities for the beta. I do like the spawning system though (when it works).

[DTPleeoswald]

Nice write-up Crunch.

Really cannot wait for this game to drop.

[Vreki]

For those wanting a BF2 remake, you are going to be sorely disappointed

True, if you have hated every single Battlefield game released after BF2, then you might as well not bother.

[Rambo]

^Lol ya gota love the loyalty to fans then.

What i see looks real good but im sick of dices secrets and why show a IO map off when even bc had more vehicles in its beta map..its all a bit teasing lol and i dont like it.It make's me hmmm.

the only non scripted vehicle we have seen is one APC and its 15 weeks from release.

I guess the rest will need to be anounced soon and not right up to release date.

[jimykx]

Yeah, i freaking want to see them jets on multiplayer. And attack helos with a pilot and gunner and a TV guided missile

[Anarchy1]

Gosh just be patient. I also desperately want to see them, but I don't expect to see them until I see them. We know they are in the game, and that is all the confirmation I need at the moment.

Gamescom is coming up and I expect we will see a huge reveal from DICE. It's one huge marketing ploy. There is a lot of impatient fans waiting for some footage, and then they release a ton of it, and then they announce an open beta for everyone in a couple of weeks. Cue the revitalizing of the hype. They aren't going to show off the entire multiplayer game months in advance of release, or else all the hype will die for the actual game. Likewise, they aren't going to show off the very important and most hyped parts of the multiplayer early. If they released a 30 minute jet gameplay video two month ago with the E3 footage, would you seriously be as hyped for jets?