BF4 to be "modern day" themed

[Misnomer]

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/ba...odern-warfare/

Battlefield 4 sticking to modern warfare

by Alexander Sliwinski
Battlefield 4 will be set in modern times, DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson revealed at GDC Europe today. The game, which was announced with no pomp last month, will have a beta sometime next year, but little else has been revealed. However, with a lag time of six years between Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 3, why did the studio go with Battlefield 4 so quickly instead of heading back to Bad Company?

"There's a lot of things inspiring us as to how the franchise will move on. Everything from fans' feedback, to market research and, of course, what we want to build ourselves. It's not just one single thing," said Troedsson, continuing with a hint of sarcasm. "And, yes, I know Battlefield 4 is probably the most creative name we ever could come up with. I can't comment any more on that games because it's all secret."

However, he did go on to say, "We still want to stay in this genre, the modern day as it is. We feel this is a place we can be and continue with the series. Battlefield 4 can live in this space and be very successful."

Hinting, in conclusion, "That doesn't mean there might not be a Bad Company game again in the future."

I often defend DICE and I don't think BF4 is too soon a release after BF3, yet I can't help but feel disappointed by this news.

I know it would be near impossible in today's shooter world to do a game without thousands of weapons and unlocks. BF1942 by today's standards would sadly be called "content light." What is more, a 2143 would look like a "Me too" title with the announced theme for BLOPS2, Planetside, Firefall, Tribes, and Ghost Recon Online.

Somehow it just feels like with this being the same theme, we are just getting another evolution of BF2 but without a new engine. Yet, I am okay with Borderlands 2 being roughly the same, but L4D2 pissed me off. No one complains about ArmA 3 being basically the same thing (where they will sell national armies like Sims 3 DLC).

For some reason, all I can muster about this game is a feeling that whatever is made is purely based on what will fit on a current generation console disc and because they couldn't revise broken systems and maps in BF3 entirely without a 5-9 gig patch they have decided to go BF4, which will in turn have a different pile of issues.

Are we at the point where we need subscriptions to AAA shooters just so they will finish the things rather than making the same thing over again?

[The JG Man]

Combined by the misgivings I have about 3 and the fact this is again set in a contemporary setting, DICE will have to really pull something out of nowhere to get me interested in this. I don't see what I want to be happening happening.

It's worse though when you consider that a DX11 1942 or 2142 would be utterly amazing. What a damn shame.

[slick_101]

battlefield is becoming the new CoD. /Endthread.

[Brit89]

I wanted a 2143 so bad, this is so disappointing :(

[Heliocentric]

Still sticking with BF2, the last game where you don't have to unlock fundamental stuff. 2142 had a few good mods I gather.

[Finicky]

Did you even play bf1942? Content light? It had way more maps and the mod support (DC mod,forgotten hope, action battlefield) gave the game years and years worth of content.

DC mod has more vehicles than bf3 does after all the dlc and had way WAY WAY WAY (way way way way) way better vehicle physics. (and it was free)

Sauce:
http://megagames.com/patches/desert-combat-07-full
http://realtimerendering.com/erich/b...hiclelist.html

Content light my ass.

Bf3 was content light: no c130, no bomber planes, far less maps (much smaller too), it took 50 euros of dlc just to bring the map count and vehicle count up to vanilla bf1942. (and still no bomber planes)

BF1942 gave me 4 years of gaming, well over a thousand hours.
I was done and bored with bf3 after less than 100.

[Misnomer]

battlefield is becoming the new CoD. /Endthread.

That is a weird argument:

COD has had 3 modern day shooters so far. BF series has had 4 (BF2, BC1, BC2, BF3).

COD had 4 WW2 shooters (COD1 (and COD:UO expansion), COD2, COD3, COD:W@W). BF had 2 (though 1.5 really for the size of 1943) 1942 and 1943.

Blops is future or alternate history... hard to place really.


You could also say BF is becoming the new Counterstrike...except with more content. (4 modern day shooter games in a row.)

or BF is becoming the new ArmA (3 in a row with ArmA 3)... 4 if you counter Operation Flashpoint as part of the series.

Crysis is going to have 3 "near future" games in a row...4 if you count Warhead as a separate game.

I think the disappointment in the BF series is because of that glory era from BF1942-BF2142 where each and every iteration was a new theme. Everything since BF2142 has been a theme they have used before. I kinda wish they would take that enthusiasm they generated for BC2 Vietnam and turn it into a full game...but like I said, I think they have no idea how to have as many weapons and unlocks in a game like that. RO2 showed that historical communities won't support taking that many liberties with historical unlocks (COD:W@W was much the same way and was largely less popular than COD4).

Maybe the better question to ask is: "Are full scale BF games limited to only modern or near future games now?"

[coldvvvave]

There are ways to make the contemporary setting interesting and original. DICE doesn't even need to be very creative, they just have to switch TV's on for a moment and see what happens in the world. Russian VDV fighting USMC over a patch of forest somewhere in Caspian basin? Thats never going to happen, thankfully. Now look at Libiya, Egypt, Syria, 2006 Israel-Hizbolla war, Cast Lead, Yemen, 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

What I want to see:

0) Setting is something local, some parts of Africa, ME, Asia, whatever, just don't jump all over the globe
1) Israel, show some goddamn IDF or Zahal or whatever, I'm not asking for Mossad combat pigeons
2) Civil War should be shown how it actually is, not in a Star Wars-ish way, please, it's serious buisness
3) Religion of Peace guys shouting ALLAHUACKBAR, shooting things up and cutting heads and they are your allies, the moderate ones of course, they cut heads sparingly
4) Media's role in War shown in single player. Or better in MP too, add some "neutral"(lol) Military Journalist class or Combat Twitterer class or something.
5) I wants less shiny tacticool gadgets and more improvised stuff, it's not like only Taliban make IED's, VBIED's, Kassams, tacticals and booby traps.
6) Let me customize my soldier guy. I want to play as a black dude when I want to, not when I choose Assault Kit.

Proposed BF 4 cover art:

[Voon]

Meh. They could've gone with 2143 instead

[Ravelle]

People were pretty disappointing with Battlefield 3 so it surprises me they continue doing exactly the same, people won't buy it if it's just BF3-2. The same with just a new maps, like some super DLC map pack of 60 bucks.

[coldvvvave]

people won't buy it if it's just BF3-2.

If it's good and has enough content, why not?

[Mohorovicic]

2142 was pretty much the pinnacle of Battlefield series.

Only logical it would be completely ignored.

[Xercies]

I mean COD brings out the same game all the time and people seem to buy that in their millions, look we all know what this is this is EAs COD competitor and there making it as competitive as they want it by bringing out the same game every few years and giving people what they want.

[The JG Man]

People were pretty disappointing with Battlefield 3

Quality-wise, certainly questionable. Sales-wise? It was the highest grossing and volume selling BF by a long, long margin. The most before that? BC2.

2142 was pretty much the pinnacle of Battlefield series. Only logical it would be completely ignored.

There was a long thread on the official EAUK forums (notable because many devs read and posted in it) about how to do a contemporary modern day Titan mode. So many fantastic ideas. Instead, we got Operation Métro.

[slick_101]

That is a weird argument

What I meant was, Battlefield used to be something that was quite interesting in that it wasn't all recycled. battlefield 1942, bf2 and bf 2142 were all completely different spins on the same genre. Now it's going to be simply the MW2 of the Battlefield series with Bf 4 and it is going to keep going and going till they've milked the IP to it's death(like CoD). Also you missed out Bf 2 Modern combat (but that's a console exclusive so I'll let that slide).

[Misnomer]

Quality-wise, certainly questionable. Sales-wise? It was the highest grossing and volume selling BF by a long, long margin. The most before that? BC2.


There was a long thread on the official EAUK forums (notable because many devs read and posted in it) about how to do a contemporary modern day Titan mode. So many fantastic ideas. Instead, we got Operation Métro.

Interesting if you combine these two ideas. I believe (can't find a source, just remember reading something) that BF 2142 had very disappointing sales and certainly today the number still playing it compared to BF2 is pretty dismal. As much enthusiasm as forum goers have for it, I wonder how much actual enthusiasm there is in the market for a 2143.

[shaydeeadi]

Mordor had so many reasonable and intelligent suggestions for improving BF3 (not everybody mind!) It only stands to reason that they shut it down.

I'd like to say I'm vaguely interested in a new BF coming out but I'm so sour about BF3 all I shall anticipate is a spectacular disappointment.

[Kadayi]

Personally played the shit out of BF3 MP for quite a while and definitely feel I got my moneys worth in terms of time invested. I wasn't a massive fan of Damavand or Terhan on conquest tbh, however really liked Seine, Bazaar, conquest & firestorm. With BF4 I'd like to see them allow more customization for sure in terms of character appearance, and I'd also like to see a full co-op up to 4 player campaign as well.

[Mohorovicic]

Interesting if you combine these two ideas. I believe (can't find a source, just remember reading something) that BF 2142 had very disappointing sales and certainly today the number still playing it compared to BF2 is pretty dismal. As much enthusiasm as forum goers have for it, I wonder how much actual enthusiasm there is in the market for a 2143.

Who cares? The sales of the next game in the series are mostly driven by how popular the previous game in the series was. BF3 was a hit, so great sales for BF4 are guaranteed.

[The JG Man]

Interesting if you combine these two ideas. I believe (can't find a source, just remember reading something) that BF 2142 had very disappointing sales and certainly today the number still playing it compared to BF2 is pretty dismal. As much enthusiasm as forum goers have for it, I wonder how much actual enthusiasm there is in the market for a 2143.

A lot of people were put off 2142 for two main reasons: 1. It was a re-skin of BF2; I don't know how true this is because I haven't played 2. 2. Futuristic lasers pew pew; this is obviously not the case. As it stands, I have many fond memories playing 2142, in the same way I do about 1942 and BC1 (Vietnam I never owned so only played it at LAN places every so often, 2 as I said, BC2 was good but wasn't enough and 3, yeah...). Still, the only properly futuristic FPS that is in the mainstream at the moment is Halo, from what I'm aware of. Obviously Planetside 2 is picking up pace and I'm very interested in that, but I think there is space for a 2142 sequel.

The most popular idea for a contemporary Titan mode was so very simple. Each team had an aircraft carrier (or some other large boat-type thing). On the area (island, peninsula, whatever) that was being fought over were heavy artillery pieces that could be reprogrammed to change target. When captured, they would target the enemy boat's automatically controlled AA/flak guns (they would only target the programmed missiles, with separate AA guns for actual human-gunning). Once they were destroyed, the enemy boat could be boarded and attempts to take it out from the inside.

It's basically the same, except instead of a flying airship you have a giant boat and instead of helicopters and rocket pods, you have helicopters and transport boats. It's a little out of reality, but it's plausible enough to work.

Mordor had so many reasonable and intelligent suggestions for improving BF3 (not everybody mind!) It only stands to reason that they shut it down.

I'd like to say I'm vaguely interested in a new BF coming out but I'm so sour about BF3 all I shall anticipate is a spectacular disappointment.

I gave up on the forums not too long after 3 came out. It was a good place before reality set in that it wasn't the game that people wanted. I understand why they closed it down and rolled it into the Battlelog forums, but still. As for your second point, I feel like I'm in exactly the same place.