Interview by Chris |
Oct. 24th '05
Introduction:Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is about to hit the store shelves and bring the classic Battlefield experience to the Xbox Live community. Following the amazing release of the PC version the console release is boasting to be more then your standard port. EA is ready to bring the some serious action to the consoles with this new adaptation of Battlefield 2. We took a minute with developer Digital Illusions to see how the console version is shaping up, and to see if it will make another huge impact on gaming like it did with the PC market.
Developer Interview with Digital Illusions
XG. Thanks for taking the time to talk to Extreme Gamer. My first question about Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is, How would you describe Battlefield 2 to a console gamer who has never heard of it's PC beginnings? DICE: The Battlefield series has sold more than 6 million copies on the PC. Battlefield is about all-out war, it is a sandbox where you have all the toys you need and how you use them is what makes the game great. The possibilities are almost endless. We want to give that to console gamers as well. So how do we do that? We build a new game from scratch. We are very conscious that PC and console gamer are different and therefore we never even thought about porting the game. Every decision is taken with console gamers in mind to create the ultimate experience for an on and offline gaming experience.
XG. What is the biggest challenge bringing the action to life on the consoles?
DICE: It has been a challenge all right. It is however always a challenge developing a game in the Battlefield series due to the demands from the gamers. Through PC, gamers have been spoiled with the best online FPS there is and on console we won't deliver less than that. First of all, the game is totally developed for the console, it's not a port, in fact, it could not be further from it. It builds on the same core values but since demands from PC and consoles are different, so are the games. Some limitations obviously had to be in there, for example, we knew early we could not support 64 players. But instead of seeing that as a negative, we designed our maps in a way to make them fit perfectly for 24 players and play faster than the PC cousin.
XG. What new features are introduced to the console version that aren't present on the PC version?
DICE: The games are in fact quite different for the above mentioned reasons. Therefore many features are new and console branded. To give a few examples, we have 5 kits and they are equipped differently, and we have a huge artillery strike which leads to great big battles to secure it. The Battlefield franchise gameplay has so much to give and can be tweaked in various directions, and this is done to create the best possible experience on the platform the game is targeted for.
XG. With Battlefield's great attention to detail was it a hard decision to exclude blood from the game? and is it because you are concerned with it's ESRB rating?
DICE: Blood would not at all add to the gameplay in Battlefield in my opinion. Battlefield is about red vs blue. The rag doll effects are powerful enough to give satisfaction from taking an opponent down.
XG. Battlefield reputation is strongly rooted for it's online action. If you didn't have an online connection would the gamer still get an experience close to the online portion? And what Multiplayer features have been added for the offline crowd?
DICE: Single player gameplay is based on the MP counterpart. We all knew the gameplay in the MP game was really good so that was the base when starting the adventure with SP. It so happens that the Battlefield gameplay marries perfectly with the new genre-changing feature we call "Hotswapping". Hotswapping makes it possible to play Battlefield alone without being online. You can be every soldier on the Battlefield and if you see something cool going on, press a button and you can control the soldier doing the cool stuff. I think this feature will make a big noise in the FPS genre.
XG. Are there plans in the future to create downloadable content or patches for the multiplayer or single player modes?
DICE: I would not consider our Xbox SKU to be a proper title without it, but you need to stay put for more info.
XG. For our last question. Will we see Battlefield 2 on the Xbox 360?
DICE: Yes you will. We'll be talking about that very soon and you are going to be amazed at what you see and hear.
Thanks for your time, I know Extreme Gamer and the rest of the gaming community is buzzing an anticipation for Battlefield 2: Modern Combat's release.
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FEATURES:
- A brand new single player campaign mode drops players into an all-out war framed by propaganda, forcing gamers to choose sides and decide the outcome.
- HotSwapping takes squad-shooters to the next level. Be anyone in your army in the blink of an eye and take total control of your army.
- Over a dozen maps for award-winning online multiplayer action for up to 24 players**.Clan support, VoIP and a deep stat tracking system help round out one of the deepest online console shooters to date.
- Take control of more than 30 land, sea, and air vehicles, including tanks, helicopters, amphibious craft and fast attack vehicles.
- Own the battlefield with more than 50 state-of-the-art weapons.
- Battle as US, EU, Chinese, or Middle East Coalition troops, each with their own unique arsenals.
- Multiple solider classes including Assault, Sniper, Special Ops, Combat Engineer and Combat Support units.
- Power up your soldier by executing multiple kills quickly. Increase health, take more hits, do more damage and become an unstoppable force on the battlefield.
- Complete each unit's unique "Unit Challenge" to unlock rewards including upgrades and promotions.
- Upgrade your unit with new equipment, including thermal vision for the sniper rifle and extra destructive mortar strikes.
- Get promoted through the ranks, from a Private to General, as you lead your army to victory.
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