 "Battlefield 3 Interview")
Undoubtedly one of the most hotly anticipated releases of the year, EA and DICE have been turning the heat up on the competition with tease trailers and gameplay demos of Battlefield 3, which have been nothing short of mind-blowing. Employing the all new Frostbite 2 engine, the game looks unlike anything else out there. Karl Magnus Troedsson, vice president and general manager at DICE, tells us what we can expect from Battlefield 3 when it arrives this October.
Looking good
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 did not have a smooth PC launch, with many PC gamers unable to play online for a while. What measures are you taking to make sure this does not happen with Battlefield 3?
Securing a stable launch of our products is one of the most important things for us outside the creation of the core game. So it’s something we and EA together are spending a lot of time, energy and money on. We’re running load tests and are scaling up all systems to be able to handle a greater number of players. We also have a whole team dedicated to everything happening post launch with Battlefield 3.
How big would you say is the jump from Frostbite to Frostbite 2.0? What kind of destruction are we talking about here?
The jump to Frostbite 2 doesn’t just mean that we can have more destruction; the big differences affect the whole experience. Lighting is better, making everything in the world look so much more real. Streaming works better, meaning we can have more things on screen at the same time. Simpler and optimized workflows mean that our designers can work faster, which in the end equals to a more polished game. And very importantly, the implementation of the ANT technology in combination with the award winning audio will change how people perceive animations and sound in an FPS.
Who doesn’t love destruction?
The Battlefield series (Bad Company not included) is not one to feature a single player campaign. What made you guys add one for this game?
When we introduced the story-driven campaigns in Battlefield: Bad Company, our idea was simply to widen the offering of our franchise so more people could enjoy it. We know for a fact that many people prefer to start their games by playing the offline campaign and then move onto the more competitive online modes, where the heart of Battlefield always has been, and still is.
What’s next for the Bad Company series?
Nothing is decided yet.
The Frostbite engine has proven itself to be quite flexible, being used in shooters as well as racing games (Need for Speed: The Run). What’s next for this engine? Do you plan on licensing it out to other developers the way Epic did with the Unreal 3 engine?
We built it here at DICE in order to be able to create the games that we want to make. Now, more studios within EA are using it, which is great, but it won’t go any further than that. The upcoming challenges will be to get it to run on new platforms, getting ready for the next, upcoming and expected console transition.
October can’t come soon enough
What made you include prone in this game? Aren’t you afraid people will abuse it the way they have in the Call of Duty games?
The reintroduction of prone into Battlefield 3 is solely based upon the feedback from the Battlefield community. They desperately wanted it, so we’re delivering it. As for avoiding exploits, we’re countering this with some other tricks. For example, the sniper’s weapon optic will give off a slight glint, which can reveal his/her position.
Urban warfare
What according to you is the most badass weapon in the game, and why?
I’m really eager to see what the gamers will make out of the jets now that they’re back in the game. It’s such a signature vehicle with unique capabilities, so I’m curious to see how gamers will utilize it to be effective on the battlefield.
Are jets in the multiplayer side of things killstreak rewards? Will players be able to pilot them?
We don’t have killstreaks in Battlefield 3 like some other games do, so no, the jet works like any other vehicle. Run up to the airfield, pick one that is free, and you’re off.
The new animation system at play
What’s your crowning achievement in Battlefield 3?
Well, we’re not done yet. We’ll have to wait and see how it’s received first!
Thank you for your time.
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