There are no PC mod tools at launch as DICE need to dumb them down. Want ‘sweet spot’ for soldier customisation. Destruction ”believable” say DICE.
The magazine article was ripped to shreds by the Internet so now we know Battlefield 3 will have co-op, a completely original story that’s not linked to Bad Company 2, the lead platform release is PC and more and better post launch DLC is in the works.
The Frostbite 2 engine is entirely rewritten say DICE and is the ”culmination” of everything that worked before. Mod tools will be released eventually but only after they’ve been watered down. It takes place in Tehran, Paris, New York, Sulaymaniyah and Iraqi Kurdistan.
DICE promise they are looking into way to better personalise your solider without comprising the feeling of being in an army.
”I think it also has to do with the way you play more professionally. You don’t want people to look completely different. It’s team A versus team B. It’s always a challenge – how do you personalise a uniform?” said producer Patrick Bach.
”Giving the pink rabbit hat to someone would make it fun, but if you’re running around and you don’t know what you’re shooting at, you don’t take the professional gaming seriously in my book.” Bad Company 2 ‘personalised’ through weapon unlocks.
”There’s a challenge between personalising and keeping it uniform. We will do more in that area, making sure that you can get your character to be more personalised both in a visual way and more specifically in the way you gear up.”
”We did a good job I would argue with Bad Company 2 with specialisations, different scopes and different weapons – you can kind of find your way of playing the game, which broadens the game for more people,” added Bach.
According to retailer Best Buy, Battlefield 3 includes 24-player console multiplayer as well as mentioning that you can ”drag your fallen comrades to safety and mount your weapon on almost any terrain to defend them.” PC has 64-player online confirmed.
Other tidbits from the Game Informer article:
- One probe in Battlefield 3 on lighting will contain more info than an entire Bad Company 2 level.
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Level destruction will be “believable”, but everything is destructible.
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Character animation will be powered by a program used at EA Sports, ANT. AI and multiplayer characters will also different sets of animations and that there’ll be no more “gliding” animations that look off.
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DICE captured its own war audios – tanks, helicopters, bullets, etc – at various distances to capture realism. There’ll also be better audio cues for certain actions, with it more easily able to listen to incoming threats.
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Battlfield 3 dev team is nearly twice as big as the team was for Bad Company 2.
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DICE wants the single-player pacing to be balanced with highs and lows.
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“F*ck” will be used a lot, so expect an M-rated game from the ESRB.
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A significant narrative that will go with the single-player.
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No complaints from console gamers is why the PC version will support 64-player multiplay on PC SKU.
Battlefield 3 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC later this year.
