What made the Battlefield series GREAT was the features that other First Person Shooters (FPS) did not and still do not possess. The innovative pillar that elevated Battlefield above the rest was integrated teamwork.
Other video games have taken a large group of people and created an entertaining environment. Battlefield brought together 64 strangers, formed an organized structure to what would otherwise be a chaotic mob, evolved the gaming industry, and created another whole level of FUN.
Now instead of players just looking out for themselves, DICE created the conditions to encourage cooperation. They gave online players the tools and incentives to unite as a functioning team. Players volunteered to be an integral part of a structured group which succeeded with the concept of division of labor. Their specialized role allowed their small groups to unite under of the banner of a cohesive team to experience synergy. That’s right, all of the individuals produced a result that would not have been obtainable by any of them independently.
DICE introduced the lessons learned from centuries of warfare to online gaming. The Roman Legions of ancient times consistently defeated less organized adversaries. They united as a team using the combined arms approach to warfare.
Military organizations need a Leader. Someone must be in-charge. There has to be a unity of command. The commander establishes objectives to be accomplished by the collective group. Ask yourself, “How many professional sports teams do NOT have a coach?”
DICE broke new ground by putting in place systems that created a positive social atmosphere. They changed online gaming behavior. Here is their winning line-up:
Commander – Lead the team, Intelligence, Logistics support
Squad Leader – Lead the squad, mobile spawn, coordinate with team lead
Assault – Primary killer, organic indirect fire
Anti-Tank – Destroy vehicles
Spec Ops – Destroy equipment
Sniper – Long range killing, surveillance
Engineer – Repair, counter vehicular mobility
Medic – Restore health
Support – Ammo resupply, suppressive fire
With the following modern military branches represented:
Infantry
Armor
Artillery
Air Defense
Aviation
Special Forces
And on a small scale (or represented function):
Medical
Transportation
Engineer
Ordinance
Signal (Commo Rose & Functioning VoIP)
So, why are Battlefield Veterans up-in-arms about the limited information that has been made public reference Battlefield 3 (BF3)?
First, because they care about the future of the Battlefield series.
Second, because of the disturbing information that has been released by DICE. Here is a brief summary of what was stated by the DICE representative to the GameInformer magazine (FEB 2011) reference the Commander mode:
“… giving the power back to the players so everyone could use it... We lowered the threshold for everyone because we gave it to everyone. We now know where the boundaries are for keeping the strategic depth and complexity while lowering the threshold to get in.”
Battlefield fans want the series to progress and not revert into pandemonium commonly known in other FPS video games.
The remaining portion of this message may come across as a little corny, but none the less,… on target. The 1991 film “Hook” starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. The main character Peter Banning forgets he is, in fact, Peter Pan and must be forced to remember his past. I order to truly recall his personal history he must discover his “happy thought.”
The leadership at DICE should make their employees play the Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 games. There are many indications that they have forgotten the unprecedented gameplay.
DICE, for the sake of the Battlefield series, you must commit to memory your “happy thought.” DICE remember your “happy thought” is – Integrated Teamwork.
Other video games have taken a large group of people and created an entertaining environment. Battlefield brought together 64 strangers, formed an organized structure to what would otherwise be a chaotic mob, evolved the gaming industry, and created another whole level of FUN.
Now instead of players just looking out for themselves, DICE created the conditions to encourage cooperation. They gave online players the tools and incentives to unite as a functioning team. Players volunteered to be an integral part of a structured group which succeeded with the concept of division of labor. Their specialized role allowed their small groups to unite under of the banner of a cohesive team to experience synergy. That’s right, all of the individuals produced a result that would not have been obtainable by any of them independently.
DICE introduced the lessons learned from centuries of warfare to online gaming. The Roman Legions of ancient times consistently defeated less organized adversaries. They united as a team using the combined arms approach to warfare.
Military organizations need a Leader. Someone must be in-charge. There has to be a unity of command. The commander establishes objectives to be accomplished by the collective group. Ask yourself, “How many professional sports teams do NOT have a coach?”
DICE broke new ground by putting in place systems that created a positive social atmosphere. They changed online gaming behavior. Here is their winning line-up:
Commander – Lead the team, Intelligence, Logistics support
Squad Leader – Lead the squad, mobile spawn, coordinate with team lead
Assault – Primary killer, organic indirect fire
Anti-Tank – Destroy vehicles
Spec Ops – Destroy equipment
Sniper – Long range killing, surveillance
Engineer – Repair, counter vehicular mobility
Medic – Restore health
Support – Ammo resupply, suppressive fire
With the following modern military branches represented:
Infantry
Armor
Artillery
Air Defense
Aviation
Special Forces
And on a small scale (or represented function):
Medical
Transportation
Engineer
Ordinance
Signal (Commo Rose & Functioning VoIP)
So, why are Battlefield Veterans up-in-arms about the limited information that has been made public reference Battlefield 3 (BF3)?
First, because they care about the future of the Battlefield series.
Second, because of the disturbing information that has been released by DICE. Here is a brief summary of what was stated by the DICE representative to the GameInformer magazine (FEB 2011) reference the Commander mode:
“… giving the power back to the players so everyone could use it... We lowered the threshold for everyone because we gave it to everyone. We now know where the boundaries are for keeping the strategic depth and complexity while lowering the threshold to get in.”
Battlefield fans want the series to progress and not revert into pandemonium commonly known in other FPS video games.
The remaining portion of this message may come across as a little corny, but none the less,… on target. The 1991 film “Hook” starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. The main character Peter Banning forgets he is, in fact, Peter Pan and must be forced to remember his past. I order to truly recall his personal history he must discover his “happy thought.”
The leadership at DICE should make their employees play the Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 games. There are many indications that they have forgotten the unprecedented gameplay.
DICE, for the sake of the Battlefield series, you must commit to memory your “happy thought.” DICE remember your “happy thought” is – Integrated Teamwork.
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