Battlefield 3 in 2008?/ BF Heroes
Source: Digital Battle
Breaking: Battlefield 3 Leaked Info
October 9th, 2007 by James Hyde in Rumor, MMO, Multiplayer, OnlineA tipster sent us PDF document which looked like an outline of features for Battlefield 3. The three page document is apparently prepared for investors which should get it by December of this year. It details basic features of BF3, and are as listed:
Release in late 2008
Powered by "Frostbite DX"
Set in year modern day (just like BF2, ed.)
Will ship with 8 maps, each supporting up to 40-players per team
Two playable factions, NATO and MEC (Middle Eastern Coalition)
Same "ticket-based" gameplay style as before
Maps are mostly urban, based in Middle East
Squads and Commanders are present, introduced are "Battalions" which consist of three to four squads.
Five playable classes; Sniper, Assault, Engineer, Medic and Support
Will feature 48 different vehicles (24 for each faction)
Will feature 34 different weapons (17 for each faction) and another 22 unlocks (for both factions), in total 56 different weapons.
Other unlocks include different types of ammunition, body armor, helmets, camouflage and accessories.
Possible public beta in "Summer 2008"³
Online stats tracking, awards and "real world ranks"
"Soldier" feature, looks like MMO-styled characters and avatars
Ranked servers will be available for resellers weeks before the game ships (for testing, apparently, ed.)
In-game replay and recording feature
VoIP, friends list, in-game IM-client and "extensive clan support"
Built-in auto software updater (no more patches!, ed.)
Widows Vista and OS X (no XP?!, ed.)
Announcement and teaser trailer in January 2008.
A map is mentioned by name, called "Baghdad Burning", and appears to be a massive urban map, similar to BF2's very popular "Strike at Karkand". The game is powered by "Frotbite DX", currently the Frostbite engine is used in Battlefiled: Bad Company on PS3 and Xbox 360. The "DX" could refer to DirectX (10?), a PC version of the Frostbite engine.Please note that none of this is confirmed, we've emailed a few people from EA and DICE (Battlefield developers) and will update the article as soon as we know more. Also note that we cannot, for obvious (legal) reasons, release the PDF document. Stay tuned for more info.
[Update 1] A few wanted to know if the document mentions in-game advertising, it does not, but wouldn't be surprising, considering BF2142 had in-game advertising.
[Update 2] EA responded to the rumor with a "no comment" statement. Still waiting for a reply from DICE (which will probably be the same).
[Update 3] For clarification, the document doesn't say that XP is not supported, it only lists Vista and OS X.
[Update 4] Further investigation reveals that EA DICE owns the domain "battlefield3.com" (not so important, since it was registered in 2004, so was battlefield4.com etc.). Still no reply from DICE. Stay tuned for further updates.
Well, I'd need at least one upgrade to play it...
You don't have to call me Lieutenant, Rosie......
XBox Live: SwampYankee68
Skill?
Seriously, No XP? oi vey.
Richy Rambo : It's a Journey song, you idiot!
Swampy: F*** You Richy Rambo.
Good to see that EA has gotten over this annoying "unlocks" idea. Oh wait, I see they just plan to make it even worse.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I am so not in.
XBLive: Thin J
PSN: Thin_J
I don't imagine master craftsmen leaping away from completed projects and shouting "Done, motherf*ckers! - 1Dgaf
2142 just came out on OS X. See it here.
Xbox Live: Stilgar Black
Ohh wow! Such a giant improvement..... add 16 more people in........ wow what a great improvement on gameplay.. I bet it will still have the same retarded FOG that does not allow you to see the otherside of the map. Or AA Turrets that have 10 feet of lock-on range... Yeah i cant wait till EA brings this out.. and then makes a "Booster Pack"
I'm so over BF series, i will dice could somehow escape and make it on their own.. they might be able to fix all the issues but i doubt it.
I am looking forward to crashing to my desktop in 08
Xfire: Pharacon
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
Yeh. Crap- no XP?
This probably means that the new patch coming will be the last support we'll ever get from EA for 2142.
I've got your numbers, I got all your numbers!
They need to get rid of the commander already. It's broken and it isn't fun. I wish we could get more Sci-Fi stuff too.
XBox Live|Tshirts|My Music|GameFly|xfire
Meh. I'm probably more tired of the Modern Warfare setting than I am of WWII at this point. My gut tells me that CoD4 might be the apex of this type of game for a while, and anything afterwards may start to feel like a rehash. Bring on Battlefield Anglo-Zulu War!!
Xbox Live: hubbinsd
I don't necessarily agree. It's broken, but mainly in that it's gimped and doesn't provide enough interaction and cool stuff.
Being commander is just boring.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
Boring = not fun for me.
XBox Live|Tshirts|My Music|GameFly|xfire
Sure. I just think they should try to fix it rather than get rid of it.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I agree, I think they will try to fix it because it would create an interesting dynamic.
Xbox 360 Live Tag: Lothar71 PSN - Lothars
"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"
Mex refering to Actresses:
Make no mistake, I'd hit them all so hard that my pelvis would have to be classified as a deadly weapon, I just don't think they're all
We should be hearing about BF3 soon, but this sounds like the .pdf for BF2.
I'm a sucker... hehe i like the idea of jumping in a plane dive bombing people.. getting shot down.. ejecting then running around and killing people i cant help it if the game type draws me in.. but i hate how buggy it is... Random disconnects and CTD's in all BF series..... Well actually 2142 wasnt that bad... But it was not as much fun as bf2
Not to mention i will put money on EA making a expansion / Booster pack while they are still developing the damn game instead of putting all the money into the game to make it as polished as possible.
My main concern is getting rid of the lame FOG so you can see the entire map. Also the clunky UI upgraded would be nice as well.
Xfire: Pharacon
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
I loved BF2 to an extent but can't justify dropping cash on what sounds like a slight upgrade from the previous with a few more players on each side. In my opinion, BF2 still has legs to stand on and here's what I propose instead of BF3. They should take BF2 fix ALL of the existing bugs, add more maps and modes, and tie in all boosters and expansions. Then repackage it with the updated tech and additional players mentioned above. I'd be willing to pay cash for a completely updated and revamped BF2.
Currently on a gaming hiatus until the fall.
She's dead Jim.
Long live Forgotten Hope!
Xbox Live gamertag Druidpeak
Yes, I would agree.
Those 80 player battles do sound great, and it is long overdue. BF1942 was already on 64 player games, and played like a charm. That was 5 years ago, and still they haven't upped the maximum players. (Joint Ops was the only 100 player shooter I think.)
The urban maps sound good, I'm a sucker for the urban warfare. I just hope the building will all be accessible. That would create so much more tension.
More unlocking, I do hate unlocking.
I wonder when they will finally create truly customizable classes. I would like to trade in 2 grenades and 1 medic pack for some more ammo, that kinda thing. It would be nice to create your own personal class.
I don't watch, I interact!
An update to this a few days later from the article says the following.
Source: http://www.digitalbattle.com/2007/10/11/ea-and-dice-respond-to-bf3-rumor...
An updated engine. Even with only 8 maps. Better graphics. Looks to be much more vehicles and guns. One less classes. More than enough room for expansion or map packs as before. Automatic patch updater which means no more waiting for every single group patch. Solid global stat tracker and ranks hopefully learning from their BF2 mistake of not making the point system aggressive enough. It doesn't mention XP but come on, who would be stupid enough to release a game in 2008 or 2009 that doesn't take advantage of XP? Only 40 players per map is not an issue for me. 40 is more than enough for pretty decent battles and hopefully less taxing on the servers.
All in all I am very much looking forward to this and come January I hope there is some confirmation leaked that they got the investors for this project. Look at all the very cool Mods that have come from BF2. Expect the same for BF3. Very exciting and well worth $49.99 retail in my eyes. If you loved BF2 as much as I did and played it as much as I did then you would be lying if you say you aren't going to find the $50 to buy this game. Granted we have to wait for development of the game and all the normal pre-production screenshots, footage and beta stuff. That's normal. But for right now I'm willing to put down $50 at this very instant on this game, especially if it got me into the beta group.
Prederick wrote:
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis.
aggressive point system as in taking longer to level?
Gamer Tag: Rantyr
Yes that is part of it. Some has to do with points given when earning badges or ribbons. Most of the point (xp) system was reworked about 9 months into game release because they realized that there were some rather elite players and a few cheaters that had nothing to do all day but strive to be number 1 out of 10,000's of people. So they felt these individuals were achieving rank/ribbons/badges much too fast in comparison to what they wanted in progression. So all the points that went to get to a certain rank were reworked and the such. It was a big stink at the time. Many average to above average players suddenly found out one day that the gap to their next rank was hugely different than the night before they patched. I know I'm probably two to three ranks below what I should have been at the point I stopped playing BF2 Vanilla.
I just hope they work it more intelligently this time to avoid this kind of mid game change and this kind of controversy with the game.
Additional note: I have always thought that in games like this, where you earn a significant amount of points and most likely will only get better and get more points as time goes on, that the Fibonacci Sequence of numbers is the perfect template to use for advancement. As the points get larger there are more and more points needed to get to the next level. It's simply defined as:
The sequence of numbers is as such...
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657, 46368, 75025, 121393, ...
0 remains 0. 1 remains 1. 0+1=1, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 5+8=13, 8+13=21 and so on. If one were to graph this increase of numbers you will get an increasingly steep upward curve with each increment on the X axis approaching infinity.
Obviously you don't need to follow the numbers exactly but use them as a template hence if you are only going through perhaps 50 ranks then you can adjust accordingly based upon scoring amounts.
I tried to explain this to the DICE people on their forum about 3 months in because I noticed people going up in rank much too fast. I don't think they listened then and they probably won't now either.
Prederick wrote:
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis.
There's always going to be cheaters and people who boost. My friends and myself made a point to not boost and came about our ranks naturally. It was very disheartning when they made the xp change. I stopped playing not long after that. To make the level gain that much more harder is crazy.
Gamer Tag: Rantyr
Playing for rank seemed like a different game to me. I guess I played to help the team win and enjoy the game and the variety it offered. ..looking at stats was secondary. I really never even paid attention to my rank.
EA has really been pushing the rank/unlocks more and more with each iteration of the series. I fully expect BF3 to push the envelope even further, much to my dismay.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I dont mind the rank/unlocks. Actually it hits my MMO nerve pretty hard and makes the game that much better. If something is set and i see it as a goal i dont want it changing on me. I just remember the unlocks seemed to take forever after their changes were made and to make it ever harder seems out there. Still i'm sure i'll line up and buy my copy and start chugging away.
Gamer Tag: Rantyr
I dont see the big deal with unlocks, I enjoy them adds a bit of replay ability into the game, in the BF series you can kill just as fast with stock crap as with the unlocks, plus they allow you unlocks in game so its not like its unbalanced. The unlocks just add extra tricks you can do.
Xfire: Pharacon
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
Ha, you try defending a Titan corridor without grenades, APMs, detpacks, or turrets!
Fedaykin98 wrote:
Gamers, by and large, are a visceral lot, and like to feel constantly rewarded for their efforts. A rank system that moves quickly does a good job at this, at little effort by the developers. I don't believe it would even be a serious contest for developers between frequent "rewarding" of players or a more logical ranking system.