Battlefield 3 Clubhouse

[Volkszorn88]

[1Kurgan1]

What are you talking about, MW3 you fire rectangular bricks of iron at enemeys. I wouldn't call that a clip so much as ammo, the "clip" is perforated and it just snaps off a new piece of the "clip/ammo" and fires it at people, of course there is no bullet drop, the reason why is because they are firing bricks.

[cheesy999]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

the reason why is because they are firing bricks.

sound like some really 'heavy' thinking there

[FreedomEclipse]

Originally Posted by caleb

Some summary from a guy on another forum:
(original post here : http://forums.tripwireinteractive.co...&postcount=770 )

Spoiler

Tank footage show at EA press conference is possibly the first mission in the game
New suppression system -
Operation Metro - rush gamemode, close combat, play as U.S. Marines, take on Russian forces in heart of Paris, infantry focus
Operation Metro objective is to take back Stock Exchange
Team Deatchmatch, Conquest, Rush gamemodes confirmed
Battle Log - hub for social Battlefield experience
4 classes tuned for teamplay - Assault (medic abilities), Engineer (anti-vehicle, repair), Support (give ammo, suppressive fire), Recon (main focus supplying intel)
Heavily focused on unlocks, more than any Battlefield game, customization key
Engineer has flashlight under-slung on weapon for lighting up area, blinding enemy
Every weapon has 3 customization slots (barrels, etc)
Support solider has bi-pod - placed on any surface in game (more accuracy)
New feature called Suppression - all the bullets you fire at an enemy affect them regardless if you hit them or not. All the bullets you fire that get close enough will start to reduce their combat efficiency. Squad can then flank the enemy and you will receive a Suppression score.
Jets, boats, tanks, helicopters confirmed
LAV-25 Light Armored Vehicle confirmed, also in Operation Metro
Dog tags - fully customizable, dynamically updated, only obtainable from knife kills in the back
Knifing system more dramatic, spectacular

On the death screen it now displays statistics of how many times you have killed the person who killed you and how man times they killed you (e.g. 2-1)
When deployed it displays on the bottom of the screen a countdown of when a squad member can spawn on you, and when they spawn who it is
Most of the rifles that we played with had 3 fire mode : automatic, semi-automatic, and single shot
After you are killed the health of the person who killed you is shown as a heath bar over their head
When your in a vehicle and stopped the camera begins to shake from the rattling of the engine
Flashlight can blind you momentary if someone points it directly at you
100 points for killing someone, 10 extra points for a headshot, 100 points for reviving
In order to revive you must hover over the dead body and hold down left mouse button while your character rubs the paddles together and charges them before the player is revived
2 grenades were given by default
In order to knife in this build of the game you need to press “f” to do “quick knife”. When pressed you enter into an animation that will pull you close to your enemy and you will grab their head and execute them by slitting their throat
You can only obtain an enemy’s dog tag if the “quick knife” command is done when you are behind your enemy
The knife seems more like a switchblade than the classic knife we are used to
Commo rose is not in the build we played. EA wouldn't give us a firm yes or not when asked if it would be in the final version of the game

I see they only have 2 nades. that should slow the nade spammers down a little unless one of them has a ammo supply pack shoved so far up his ass hes literally giving birth to it.

the medic revive thing makes me curious though. it looks like they put a small 2 or 3 second delay in to stop people medic whoring. the positioning when reviving a decapitated teammate is a good idea. BF2 was just retarded. you could revive someone by shock paddling their feet. which made it easy for kamikaze medics to sprint around the corner and dolphin dive to a team mate who had pushed too far ahead by himself and got pwnd - zap their feet and it was back to business.

[GullyFoyle]

Planet Battlefield Hands on experience:

Spoiler

Planet Battlefield Tuesday, 7 June, 2011 – Planet Battlefield News Planet Battlefield
E3 Battlefield 3 Booth Walkthrough Part 2
20:03 PST | ^Scott^
Some more notes on our time with Battlefield 3 at E3, and a quick breakdown of things there worth noting.

--On the death screen it now displays statistics of how many times you have killed the person who killed you and how man times they killed you (e.g. 2-1)
--When deployed it displays on the bottom of the screen a countdown of when a squad member can spawn on you, and when they spawn who it is
--Most of the rifles that we played with had 3 fire mode : automatic, semi-automatic, and single shot
--After you are killed the health of the person who killed you is shown as a heath bar over their head
--When your in a vehicle and stopped the camera begins to shake from the rattling of the engine
--Flashlight can blind you momentary if someone points it directly at you
--100 points for killing someone, 10 extra points for a headshot, 100 points for reviving
--In order to revive you must hover over the dead body and hold down left mouse button while your character rubs the paddles together and charges them before the player is revived
--2 grenades were given by default
--In order to knife in this build of the game you need to press “f” to do “quick knife”. When pressed you enter into an animation that will pull you close to your enemy and you will grab their head and execute them by slitting their throat
--You can only obtain an enemy’s dog tag if the “quick knife” command is done when you are behind your enemy
--The knife seems more like a switchblade than the classic knife we are used to
--Commo rose is not in the build we played. EA wouldn't give us a firm yes or not when asked if it would be in the final version of the game

Overall the game was very smooth for something that is pre-alpha. We never notices any framerate loss while we were playing. The game has a Battlefield: Bad Company 2 feel, but it's a lot more than that. If you try to jump over something you don't just simply jump, you see an animation of your solider leaping over. It's Bad Company 2 on crack with mind-blowing graphics, more intense gameplay, amazing weapon customization, superb animations, and most important of all it's the most fun we have had playing a Battlefield game.


E3 Battlefield 3 Booth Walkthrough Part 1
15:07 PST | ^Scott^
Before we were allowed to play Battlefield 3, DICE's Lars Gustafsson, BF3 Lead Multiplayer Designer briefed a small group of us about the game. We'll have our impressions of the game later!

--Tank footage show at EA press conference is possibly the first mission in the game
--New suppression system -
--Operation Metro - rush gamemode, close combat, play as U.S. Marines, take on Russian forces in heart of Paris, infantry focus
--Operation Metro objective is to take back Stock Exchange
--Team Deatchmatch, Conquest, Rush gamemodes confirmed
--Battle Log - hub for social Battlefield experience
--4 classes tuned for teamplay - Assault (medic abilities), Engineer (anti-vehicle, repair), Support (give ammo, suppressive fire), Recon (main focus supplying intel)
--Heavily focused on unlocks, more than any Battlefield game, customization key
--Engineer has flashlight under-slung on weapon for lighting up area, blinding enemy
--Every weapon has 3 customization slots (barrels, etc)
--Support solider has bi-pod - placed on any surface in game (more accuracy)
--New feature called Suppression - all the bullets you fire at an enemy affect them regardless if you hit them or not. All the bullets you fire that get close enough will start to reduce their combat efficiency. Squad can then flank the enemy and you will receive a Suppression score.
--Jets, boats, tanks, helicopters confirmed
--LAV-25 Light Armored Vehicle confirmed, also in Operation Metro
--Dog tags - fully customizable, dynamically updated, only obtainable from knife kills in the back
--Knifing system more dramatic, spectacular

We've been posting pictures of the booth on our twitter. Unfortunately, no video or photos were allowed inside the briefing room or gameplay areas.

Plus some stuff from their Twitter, today:

--Revival system - space bar for accepting revive, hold E to die. Lighting bolt visual cue means revive #BF3 #E3
--Flashlight is weapon mod for all classes. You get 3 slots. No damage modifications. Only vehicle they are talking about now is LAV #BF3 #E3
--Inside watching people play BF3. Its 16 players here vs 16 QA players. Specs on Alienware computers not being released but they are beefy

More stuff from Planet Battlefield that I missed:

BF3 Frame by Frame MP Analysis
Flickr Pictures
GTTV EA CEO Interview on BF3
Activision CEO Comments on Lack of Console BF3 Footage
Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima comments on BF3 - #1 & #2

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by cheesy999

sound like some really 'heavy' thinking there

It's Activision, I wouldn't put it past them to think that bricks are immune to wind or gravity. And if anyone argued that they were effected by those, they would just say "have you ever fired brick shaped bullets?"

[Volkszorn88]

BF3, so close yet so far.

[GullyFoyle]

au.ps3.ign.com - E3 2011: Taking Battlefield 3 Online

Spoiler

DICE still holding back for now.
US, June 7, 2011

DICE keeps talking about jets, boats, helicopters and the huge potential for stage destruction with its Frostbite 2 technology in Battlefield 3, but in its first reveal of the game's multiplayer mode, these elements are left out. Instead, on display at E3 2011 was an online conflict set in Paris, taking place across a series of four maps. There's no doubt it was fun and distinctly Battlefield, and perhaps it's still too early in development for the studio to publically show off the huge maps where jets tear across the sky.

Much of the interface should look familiar to anyone who's played Bad Company 2, with similar icons plastered across the heads-up display, including one to indicate which teammates can be revived. Four classes are included here, including a medic that can revive and toss out health packs, an engineer with an underslung flashlight and the ability to make repairs, a support soldier that can hand out ammo packs and has a bipod on his gun that can be deployed on any surface, and a recon soldier that can provide valuable intel.

For this online conflict, called Operation Metro, the action proceeded in stages. It's based on the Rush game mode, and requires the advancing team knock out objectives in order to proceed to the next section of the map. It starts in confined urban streets with only enough room to accommodate a light armored infantry transport as a vehicle. The rest is on-foot action that moves between clustered buildings and down into subway tunnels underneath the city. Here the fighting gets especially frantic, with the teams of 16 picking away at each other while taking cover behind turnstiles and broken down trains in the shadowy underground.

Watch the Battlefield 3 Tank Gameplay Video

To move around you'll be able to vault low objects by, on PC, hitting the space bar while moving forward. Since there's also the ability to drop to a prone position, you'll be able to take up less space onscreen, which means when wandering through grassy areas you'll need to be especially cautious of hiding enemies. Should you get killed, which is very likely, you can either wait around for a revive or spawn right next to a squad member.

Even though there were no large explosives on this map to really get a sense of how much of the stage can be wiped out, there's still plenty to marvel at. Though it's still pre-alpha, the game is looking really sharp, with tons of detail built into environments and weapon models, making the combat feel exciting when you're standing still. The animations stand out too, with some great animations for running and character models tumbling to the ground after being shot. It was nothing as jaw-dropping as the single-player footage shown off so far, particularly the tank mission from EA's E3 2011 press conference, but there's still a while to go before its October 25 release date.

Multiplayer Battlefield fans will get Conquest and Team Deathmatch modes in the final game, as well as a wealth of unlocks and customizable dog tags that will show off the statistic of your choice.

arstechnica.com - Hands-on with Battlefield 3: new abilities, combat medics, and destruction

Spoiler

By Ben Kuchera | Published about 18 hours ago

There is a soldier in front of me, and he's running away from a volley of gunshots coming from behind a fence. We're fighting through Paris in the Rush game mode in Battlefield 3, and the way he runs is lifelike. For a moment I'm transfixed as I simply watch him try to avoid death. I'm not sure what happened next—it might have been a grenade—but an explosion rocked a window on the building above him, and large pieces of rubble fell down, barely missing him. It's a single moment of Battlefield 3 multiplayer, but it shows off why this game is so anticipated.

There have been many changes to the Battlefield formula, but so far I'm very happy with the results. Let's jump in.

A combat medic?

You can play as one of four classes in the game, although you can customize and change the loadout of each one. The assault class and medic have been melded into the assault medic class, able to throw health packs to wounded allies while fighting on the front lines. The engineer is still a powerful weapon against vehicles, but he can now also equip a flashlight on his gun, temporarily blinding enemy soldiers in dark environments. The sniper has been given the ability to hold his breath for a few moments to steady his aim. The class I played was the light machine gunner.

The light machine gunner has a powerful weapon that lays down an impressive amount of fire in a short time, and with the bipod attachment, you can rest the gun on any solid surface to improve your accuracy. This gives you the ability to create a temporary turret wherever there is a solid surface, and this also allows you to use suppressive fire more accurately. When you lay down supressive fire, anyone caught in it will have slightly blurred vision, making it harder to see and move. If one of your teammates kills an enemy that's suppressed, you gain experience points.

While I didn't have time to explore all these new abilities, suppressive fire was a powerful tool used to keep multiple targets in check, and can even control the movement of the enemy in a limited way. Of course, it also makes you a target for nearby snipers, using their new ability to hold their breath before sending your brains flying through the back of your head.

Each weapon will have three slots for you to add unlocked upgrades as you play, and even vehicles will be customized with extra guns or options. We'll likely learn more about these options later, but it's clear you'll have a lot of control over your loadout, allowing you to adjust your equipment to the style of your play.

The flow of battle

It's hard to describe what it's like playing Battlefield 3 with the power the Frostbite 2 engine behind the game. Structures can be taken down, explosions are more realistic, and the animations of the soldiers on both sides are uncanny. One significant advantage that DICE often talks about is the ability of the engine to render large outdoor battles as well as fighting in tight quarters.

This became apparent as my team fought through its objectives. At one point, we found ourselves underground in a small tunnel. The enemy was waiting for us, and a bloody, close-quarters firefight broke out, spilling into a nearby subway. Cover was at a premium, grenades were used extensively, and finally we broke through to another large, outdoor arena. Levels can now have rhythm, with both large areas and tighter sections, and it changes the character of the game for the better.

The game has exceeded my expectations in terms of presentation and mechanics; the battles are intense and almost scary in how much destruction can take place around you. There is a lot we don't know about the game, and we have yet to see it on the consoles—at E3 I played the game on a tricked-out PC—but it feels great to get a taste of the multiplayer game and walk away so satisfied. The game is moving in the right direction, and it offers enough updates and change to feel fresh.

This is what a modern war game should be, and this is how it should look. Also, this is where it should live: on the PC.

www.gamepro.com - E3 2011: Battlefied 3 Multiplayer Impressions

Spoiler

One of the best online shooters reveals changes in its new sequel.

I can leave E3 now because I've done the one thing I wanted to do more than anything here at the show: Get my hands on Battlfield 3. EA hosted some multiplayer action with the PC version of the game, and I got my hands dirty with one of the most anticipated titles of the show (certainly so for me).

by Tom Price
June 07, 2011 17:36 PM PT

Our look may have been a bit limited -- we only played one round -- but a couple of important things for fans of Battlefield multiplayer became quite clear.

A group of about seven of us played an online Rush map set in the heart of Paris, and it followed the same basic progressive objective format that Rush mode always has. The noticeable difference was the really divergent settings of each of the connecting sections.

The first stage was set in a large downtown park, with open fields offering long lines of sight, but it still had plenty of trees and low walls to take cover behind. After our marines captured the first point from the defending Spetsnaz (Russia's special forces), we moved on to an underground section set in the subway system. This part was far more claustrophobic, and the long tunnels became treacherous firing lines that turned into a tube of death. After clearing that section, we arose into a tight urban environment full of places to hide and crossfire opportunities. The changing styles of the three sections made for a very varied experience throughout the map, something that the DICE development team hopes to continue throughout the multiplayer maps.

While there is still no word on what other changes we can expect from the multiplayer game modes, Battlefield's players classes have seen some significant changes.

Assault: Since these guys are your frontline attackers, they're often the soldiers closest by when a buddy goes down. So the assault class has been mixed with the medic class to give those soldiers healer and revive abilities.

Engineer: The engineer can repair vehicles and carries a rocket launcher much, like before. But now he has a powerful flashlight attached to his weapon that not only lights the way for the team in darker areas but can also effectively blind oncoming enemies at close range.

Support: The Support class guy is basically your heavy gunner. But now he can set his light machine gun on things with the tripod out, increasing stability, which leads to greater accuracy. More importantly, though, he can earn support points for laying down suppressive fire for his team.

Recon: Your sniper class now has the added feature of holding their breath while beading a guy in for the long-range shot. It slows down your movements, but you can only do it every so often.

There will be some upgrades to vehicles as well, like customizable weapon and equipment sets. We can also expect some updates to the skill tree system, to keep things more in line with the new class abilities. Dog tags get more personalized too, giving you more info about the people you take out in multiplayer matches. In all, the multiplayer for Battlefield 3 looks like the kind of thing that will keep fans and the community of Battlefeld online gamers happy while still switching things up enough to stay fresh.

kotaku.com - Rushing Through Battlefield 3’s Reworked Multiplayer

Spoiler

Brian Crecente — The recoil of guns in Battlefield 3 is deeply satisfying, especially when it's followed by an enemy staggering and then falling.

There's still much to be seen and experienced with Battlefield 3, but at this year's E3, Electronic Arts is giving press a first chance to go hands on with the game's multiplayer. In particular, six of us had a chance to sit down with the game's Rush Mode, a mode that has you fighting your way through a series of connected maps to defend or capture objectives.

Before dropping into our first gameplay session (on computers, gameplay on consoles still haven't been seen), the developers explained some of the changes they've brought to their popular shooter.

Battlefield has always been a class-based game and it remains so, but those classes have seen some pretty drastic changes with Battlefield 3.

The Assault class, a typical, balanced front-line soldier, has been combined with a medic to form a sort of combat medic, a class that can charge into the front lines, but also heal and revive other players.

The Engineer can repair vehicles, and take them down. He also has this bizarre little addition: An underslung flashlight mounted to his weapon that can blind other players when its pointed at them. In action, that flashlight makes it hard to pinpoint an enemy, but not impossible to eventually hit them.

The Support class is the heavy gunner of Battlefield 3. This time around he has a bipod that can be mounted to just about anything. When mounted that heavy machine gun has a lot more accuracy. It also allows players to throw down suppressing fire, something that can literally make enemy players have trouble seeing what's going on. When a player is suppressed, their vision blurs.

Finally the Recon, or sniper class has been tweaked so that it's a bit harder to run and gun.

Battlefield 3 brings other changes to multiplayer as well. You can customize your dog tags, dog tags that can be taken from you with a knife kill. You can customize your vehicles to tweak its special abilities and load outs. Destruction, a key element of the series, has once more been amped up.

In previous titles, you could initially chip away at cover with gunfire, they you could take down entire buildings. In Battlefield 3, players will be able to take out the entire facade of a building, exposing all of the enemies hiding inside to easy, unprotected fire.

After being walked through all of the changes, we were dropped into a session of Rush on a map with four areas.

I started out with an Assault class soldier, but had a chance to check out every class briefly as we steamrolled through the match up against a remote group of QA testers. The gameplay was fluid, though there were a few hang-ups in graphics or ping as we played. The developers assured me all of those issues were being ironed out. Battlefield 3 is an impressively gritty game, perhaps not as impressive as the singleplayer, but still attention grabbing.

With the distinct classes and the specific objectives, the gameplay felt a bit more guided, a bit more tactical than a match of standard Call of Duty.

I managed to gun down quite a number of people in the assault class, pulled off the first knife kill of E3 (or so I was told) and even sniped a few folks. It was a fun experience, one that has me looking forward to this shooter as much as I am toward Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

It's going to be a good year for fans of this genre.

pcgamer.com - E3 2011: Battlefield 3 hands on preview

Spoiler

Tim Edwards at 12:24am June 8 2011

Battlefield 3 is the best looking game on the showfloor, I think. But the good news is that it plays well; it’s familiar enough to instantly make you fall into some of the same routines: shoot, spot, move to cover. But it has improvements to the feel of the game that make it a significant step up from Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

First, some facts and changes.

All four classes are back, but there are slight modifications to what they can do, The assault class has been given some of the medic abilities (although there was no clarification on what they were are). Support class now has a bipod on which they can mount their machine guns. And there’s a suppression mechanic for support gunners which means that if a machine gunner lets rip even on a player behind cover, their combat effectiveness will be diminished. Engineers now have a flashlight. Sucks to be an engineer.

The multiplayer demo is a Rush mode – taking place in the middle of Paris. It opens in a park where the enemy have installed anti-air rockets. If the attackers take them down, they’ll move on through a subway, and then out into the Paris streets. What impressed me was the variation in each level. Whereas Bad Company 2 levels can feel very one-note, here, the progression was clear, and it made it more fun.

In play, I had a ridiculous amount of fun, first tooling around in an APC lobbing shells at the defending enemy, then switching to a support gunner. The weight and heft of the machine gun is really, really exciting; and spraying bullets down a crowded corridor is extremely satisfying. Particularly when it pops up with 100XP – ENEMY KILL each time someone walks into your rain of fire.

There were a couple of interesting tweaks to movement in the game, too. Now, players can slide and mantle ledges, seeing their legs jump over the obstacle. It reminds me of how Faith would jump over a crate or box in Mirror’s Edge. Really nice. Second, the knife has been tamed everso slightly – now you can only grab dogtags from back kills with knife, but it’s also a flick knife, rather than the wall wreaking monster from Bad Company 2.

Also confirmed but not shown: Team Deathmatch, and Conquest from launch. And it will come with a new feature called Battlelog, which will track stats and kills and interesting facts about your play all the time. You’ll also be able to customize your dog-tag, a la Call Of Duty.

Oh, and jets are back. Wheeee!

It looks great. And it plays great. And it was playing on PC. Much to the chagrin of the various retail buyers I crushed. Sorry about that, retail buyers.

gamespot.com - E3 2011: Battlefield 3 Updated Multiplayer Hands-On - A Second Look

Spoiler

By Andrew Park, GameSpot
Jun 7, 2011 7:51 pm PT

We try our hand at another multiplayer round of Battlefield 3 at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo and come away with a few additional details.

E3 2011 is under way, and many high-profile games are in attendance. Few games have a higher profile than DICE Studios' Battlefield 3, the remarkable-looking modern military shooter that made a tremendous showing at Monday's press conferences. While we've already posted the majority of the details on the Operation Metro map, which takes place in near-future Paris, in our exclusive hands-on preview, we had the opportunity to spend some more time with the multiplayer mission on the PC to glean a few more details.

Operation Metro takes place in the Paris of 2014, and in Rush mode, which we played, the game's two warring factions fight it out across four areas, which unlock successively as the attacking team captures each area's two objectives. (Venturing outside of the current "hot" area will pull up a massive "Warning! Leaving Combat Zone!" message onscreen and gives you 10 seconds to get back into the right area.) The areas were surprisingly varied--while the first zone was an outdoor park with plenty of leafy vegetation to provide concealment (but not much in the way of cover), the successive areas delved deeper into the heart of the city, turning into the streets of Paris, the city's subway system (escalators and all), and ending in the Parisian stock exchange. As we mentioned in our original preview, this mission is intended to be "infantry focused," and as we've mentioned, infantry have become highly streamlined in Battlefield 3.

There are only four different kits (the weapon loadouts that define a character class in the Battlefield games) this time around, but now that the assault and medic classes have been merged into a single combat medic class, each of the four kits seems very well rounded and capable. The engineer continues to act as an antitank class that can also repair damaged vehicles, and as mentioned, the class also carries an M4 carbine as a primary weapon mounted with a flashlight, which will become important in the game's darker subterranean areas and can blind enemy soldiers if shone directly in their eyes. The scout class can still call UAV drones and still carries a long-range sniper rifle, though this time around, the weapon will have suboptimal accuracy when fired from the hip and will be at its absolute best when used by a player who is lying prone and holding his breath (performed in the PC version by pressing and holding the space bar) to reduce the drifting of your sights as your character breathes.

Most interestingly, the support class (also known as the heavy weapons class) has been tweaked so that players can drop ammo packs for allies--and they can automatically mount their heavy automatic weapons when sitting still and putting their weapons into zoom mode. When support players' weapons are mounted, any gunfire they lay down near enemy players--even shots that don't hit home--will be considered suppressive fire, for which support players will receive points that contribute to their cooperative squad score (the statistic that shows how much you've contributed to your team). When enemies are suppressed, their screens get slightly blurry, hampering their accuracy somewhat, so providing covering fire seems like it'll actually be a worthwhile benefit that support players can bring to their team--especially for those players who don't have amazingly good aim. Also, should allies take out enemies that have been suppressed by support players, those support players will also earn additional squad score points. In addition to equipping each kit's default set of weapons and items, each class will apparently have three different slots for further character customization. You can even customize your character's dog tags--most likely with your character's most impressive statistics, such as number of sniper rifle kills, number of objectives captured, and more, so on the off chance you somehow get killed in battle and your tags get stolen, they'll at least know what a tough son of a gun you were. Even more intriguingly, you'll also be able to customize Battlefield 3's vehicles, though it's not completely clear how that will work.

Speaking of vehicles, we should mention that despite Operation Metro's infantry focus, the attacking team in the park has access to one drivable vehicle, an LAV-25A2--a modified recon vehicle whose heavier armor and mounted turret essentially make it a light tank. Since we happened to be on the attacking side, as soon as the match began, we found ourselves unable to resist our innate Battlefield vehicle-hoarding-jackass instincts. We completely ignored our surroundings, mission objectives, teammates, DICE staffers' personal space, and the bounds of basic human decency in favor of sprinting toward and commandeering the vehicle.

Once we were in the driver's seat, we immediately flashed back to the good old days of driving while shooting in Battlefield 2, which is exceedingly easy in the default, third-person driver's view. The camera hung behind and slightly above the vehicle's cockpit, which made steering a breeze since we could clearly see which way the treads were pointing. However, the perspective also gave us plenty of viewspace above the cockpit to aim our turret at enemy soldiers on the horizon. We made our way to the first objective in style, using the turret to blast far-off enemies into oblivion and switching to the secondary antipersonnel cannons--which have an alternate thermal scanner view that does a fantastic job in helping you sort out heavily camouflaged foes from foliage--to deal with enemies that had gotten in close. Sadly, the initial leg of Operation Metro ended near the area's objectives, which were fenced off by crates and industrial flotsam that made further progress by vehicle impossible.

Once we got into urban combat, the tone of the map, and of the action, changed significantly. In indoor environments, cover instantly became more important, and the environmental destruction made possible by DICE's proprietary Frostbite engine became much more apparent. The studio's general manager, Karl Magnus Troedsson, explained that Battlefield 3 will have three levels of environmental destruction: large-scale set-piece destruction that will be scripted into various levels; "facade"-level destruction of medium-sized environmental objects, like small buildings; and "microdestruction"--namely, the chipping away of solid objects under repeated gunfire. We saw plenty of the latter in our foray into Paris. Errant shots caused glass-encased decorations to shatter in the financial building, while concentrated fire chewed up concrete supports in the subway. Of course, modern-day close-quarters combat isn't anything new in today's first-person shooters, but the variety of switching from classic, open-field Battlefield gameplay to CQC on the same map during the same match helps set Battlefield 3 apart. This is an extremely impressive-looking shooter. And it launches this October. Stay tuned to GameSpot for more updates.

[erixx]

The DRagon Slayer video is the one i like most! Tank PLatoon!!!!

[mastrdrver]

Originally Posted by Volkszorn88

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9743/47892785.jpg

What?!! No Dinosaurs?!

In related news BF3 expected to be more life like then MW3.

Who knew?

[GullyFoyle]

Replay of todays "live streaming" Q&A event is online: In Depth Look And Q&A With Battlefield 3

[1Kurgan1]

Reading through this, I do like the new class setup. But I keep hearing that the Medic and assault are now mixed, and see mention of med boxes.... but no ammo box? If the ammo box is gone I will be sad. I hope now with no other utility besides suppresive fire, that they can actually allow the LMG's to be the guns they are suppose to.

[Black Haru]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

Reading through this, I do like the new class setup. But I keep hearing that the Medic and assault are now mixed, and see mention of med boxes.... but no ammo box? If the ammo box is gone I will be sad. I hope now with no other utility besides suppresive fire, that they can actually allow the LMG's to be the guns they are suppose to.

I thought they said support had the ammo boxes?

[Wrigleyvillain]

Yeah. In the Gamespot link anyway. The others seem to focus on the suppression fire only...

[GullyFoyle]

gamereactor.eu - Battlefield 3

Spoiler

Text: Bengt Lemne
Published 2011-06-07

Don't mention the war. Or in this case Call of Duty.

Executive producer Patrick Bach, is happy to give journalists the first hands-on with Battlefield 3 at the DICE offices in central Stockholm, but with every interview he grows more tired of answering questions about the opposition. Not that he lets it on much.

"It's not like we can really fight head-to-head. It's not the same as say FIFA versus Pro Evolution Soccer", Bach sighs as he prepares for our GRTV interview. But journalists love to compare games and when EA boss John Riccitello seems eager to make it a duel it's easy to see why Bach is getting as many questions about Modern Warfare 3 as he is about the game he is making.

At the core of Battlefield 3 is Frostbite 2. An engine specifically designed for the game, and an engine that really shines, and not just in the looks department. The improved animations are not just for show as they allow for tons of incremental gameplay improvements that each by themselves may not look like much, but when added up they really make a difference.

One of the differences multiplayer lead designer Lars Gustavsson points out between Battlefield and its competitors is how maps are not really arenas, but rather a set of stages you progress through. DICE confirms three multiplayer modes at this point - Conquest, Team Deathmatch and Rush which we are about to embark on.

Conquest is a staple of the series and a must, but Team Deathmatch is something of a surprise. Lars Gustavsson says it was when he played team deathmatch in other games that he felt that this is something that would be much better if played in Battlefield.
Battlefield 3

The Rush map, Operation Metro, is set in Paris occupied by Russian forces. We, the attacking side, are US marines and our objective is to take out the Russian command located at the Paris stock exchange. We start out in a park, beautiful spring weather, flowing hills and birches. Our first objectives involve taking out a couple of AA installations located at the end of the park. As we achieve this objective bombers come in and soften up our path towards the stock exchange and this path takes us underground into the metro tunnels of Paris. There are a couple different paths we can take, and on one occasion a squad mate drove an infantry vehicle down the larger tunnel, which caused plenty pandemonium amongst the Russians as they scurried for cover in between train cars.

This infantry vehicle was the only one accessible in the map, but it illustrated some of the changes DICE have made to vehicles. Perhaps the most important change is that vehicles have regenerating health, and when health is down to a certain point you won't be able to drive them anymore. Furthermore, say an engineer scores a direct hit on a tank with five people in it. This used to mean he scored five kills, and in a way it didn't really promote troop transports. In Battlefield 3 he may kill the guy sitting right where the rocket hit and stop the vehicle, but the other four will survive and make their way out of the vehicle. Slight changes that will help promote team play even more. Another cool thing about the infantry vehicle - it had thermal vision which could be switched on, predator style.

The metro tunnels and the subsequent metro station provided us with a very different slice of gameplay compared to the combat we previously saw in the park. Plenty of choke points and intense firefights as we clung to the walls and ran inside train cars. Playing as support in this area was a good choice as when you go prone (yes you can) and zoom in and will plant your bipod (anywhere thanks to the new animation system) you're in an ideal position to supply suppressing fire. In Battlefield 3 suppressing the enemy will not only score you points, but their vision will be affected as well as their hearing, so suppressing becomes a much more important tool in Battlefield 3.

We've mentioned support and engineer and these kits or classes are joined by assault and recon in Battlefield 3. Assault is a frontline fighter combined with a medic, something that DICE wanted in order to have medics closer to the action. What's interesting is that the player will be able to use upgrades and slots to customise his kit. If you want your Assault to be more of a medic you can do so, or the opposite if you want him to be more of a straightforward frontline fighter. The Recon is equally versatile equipped with sniper rifle and C4. Overall, the design philosophy was to make all four kits fun and enjoyable and for players to be able to jump around between different kits and explore the game fully.
Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 does feel a lot like Battlefield 2, even with all the small changes it is clear that this is the successor we have been all these long years for. DICE will tell you that destruction is something that really switches up things, but perhaps it wasn't as evident in this map as it will be in others. That said, there was a house you could hide in next to the stock exchange, that was pretty much turned to rubble as we peeked out from a window and laid down suppressing fire, and I catch a glimpse of a fellow marine being buried underneath rubble as the side of a building fell down on him.

What really stands out after an hour of "Operation Metro" is the level of detail and the map design. Whether it is the graffiti on the wall as we make our way out of the metro station, or the little nooks and crannies you can explore and exploit undergrund, it is clear that this is a labour of love and game DICE have been dying to make for years.

One battle was won for Battlefield on this day, as DICE revealed plans for Battlelog, a social platform similar to Halo Waypoint and Call of Duty: Elite, where you can access and extend your Battlefield experience to web browsers and smart phones. Unlike Call of Duty: Elite which was formally announced on the same day as the Battlefield 3 press event in Stockholm, Battlelog, will be completely without additional fees.

Whether it's enough to win the war or not is up for the players to decide, but Battlefield 3 is probably as strong competition as Call of Duty and Modern Warfare is ever going to see.

gamerant.com -E3 2011: ‘Battlefield 3′ Multiplayer Hands-On Preview

Spoiler

Jun 8, 2011 by Andrew Dyce

‘Battlefield 3′ came to play at this year’s show, with the developers giving a brand new look at the game’s single player component. Read on for the details.

It takes quite a lot to get shooter fans truly excited about a new military simulation these days, but the official announcement of Battlefield 3 has done just that. Many of you were likely blown away by the impressive visuals seen in the extended gameplay trailer, but as far as multiplayer is concerned, DICE has been keeping relatively quiet.

Thankfully E3 tends to bring out the charitable nature in most developers, and the minds behind Battlefield 3 are no exception. At this year’s convention, DICE was kind enough to give us a few more multiplayer details, and a chance to play it for ourselves.

The developers have talked about the emphasis placed on the Frostbite 2.0 engine and giving the guns as realistic a feel as possible, but it already seems like the multiplayer will be what truly sets BF3 apart from Modern Warfare 3.

DICE provided a few more bits of information on the unique features Battlefield 3 multiplayer will be showing off, starting with destructible environments. From breaking down enemy cover to taking down entire buildings in Bad Company 2, escalation has been key, and the stakes are even larger with BF3. This time around, players will be able to reshape entire buildings by destroying facades in an increasing dedication to a realistic urban combat situation.

The developers made it clear that they’ve been learning plenty of lessons from their community, and that has brought some significant changes to both fighter class and strategy. Multiplayer is often the most fun for those who wish to run headfirst into the action and get killed in the process, which has led to the creation of a Combat Medic class. Using this fighter, you can help out teammates while still posing a threat to enemies.

In addition, the heavy gunners are a formidable opponent when operating in tight quarters, but DICE felt that the bipod stand hanging from the front of the machine gun wasn’t being put to proper use. Now heavies can deploy their weapon at the touch of a button, increasing accuracy and allowing a single person to control an entire city street themselves.

New campaign trailers are all well and good, but seeing Battlefield 3′s multiplayer in person is something else entirely. It won’t surprise anyone for me to tell you that it looks gorgeous, but it’s difficult to say enough about the Frostbite 2.0 engine. From environment renderings to character animations, the game runs as smooth as possible with no noticeable tearing or hiccups.

The multiplayer stage provided (via PC) was from the series’ Rush mode, tasking the team of players with taking out anti-aircraft installments in a park located in the heart of Paris (good hint there of the scale of Battlefield 3‘s story). With each completed objective more of the map was revealed, with an air strike opening up a crater into Paris’ subway system, and eventually leading to a massive firefight in the final train station.

The pace was fast and furious, but the moments when the team was working together and performing their own roles were not only the most satisfying, but extremely effective at scattering the opposing forces. Seeing how each class works together was an eye-opener, as DICE has added several new tweaks to the common XP system. If a machine gunner is keeping an enemy pinned down with suppressing fire when he is taken out by a fellow team member, then both the killer and the suppressor receive points.

The Engineer class is now also equipped with a flashlight mounted to his weapon, which comes in handy in the darker parts of the map. But the tool isn’t just for navigation, as it can also be used to blind enemies temporarily. This is just another instance of the biggest take-away from the experience: all of the elements of gameplay that shooters have been taking as a given for the past few years has been given a bit more depth and thought with Battlefield 3.

Medics, for instance, can revive a downed opponent as usual, but the fallen player has the choice to accept the help or not. If they choose to turn down medical attention, it seemed that the player can continue to fire with a handgun from a prone position or respawn elsewhere. Having a handful of shots doesn’t do much for Call of Duty except offer a chance for revenge, but in Battlefield 3 players were still able to be effective in battle while wounded.

We didn’t get a chance to see any buildings taken down or extensive vehicle combat, but the infantry focused map proved the obvious: DICE knows how to make a successful multiplayer experience. Our preview was only a tiny glimpse at the game, but was infinitely more approachable and conducive to teamwork than anything Call of Duty has put out in recent years.

Battlefield 3 may not have the same brand power as CoD, but if what we saw was a good indication of how the final game will approach multiplayer combat, then CoD fans would do well to try Battlefield 3 out for themselves.

We’ll all be getting a better look at Battlefield 3 when it’s released for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this Fall.

Stay tuned to Game Rant for more news on everything coming out of E3 2011.

gameinformer.com - Battlefield 3

Spoiler

Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Hands On
Preview
by Matt Bertz on June 08, 2011 at 05:46 PM

A first-hand account of the first multiplayer map, plus DICE talks about the class changes in store for Battlefield 3.

Before we could jump into combat, DICE general manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson shared some new details about how the game's class system is being restructured. The biggest change is the marriage of the assault and medic classes. After analyzing players' gameplay habits in Bad Company 2 and in listening to community feedback, the team decided that since the assault class is typically the bullet fodder in the frontlines it makes more sense to endow those soldiers with healing abilities like medic packs and defibrillators. These soldiers are armed with your standard array of assault rifles like the M4.

The support class now replenishes ammunition for teammates, and many of the LMGs feature bipods for increased stability when firing. These can be deployed on the ground, on cars, or even on low walls. Support players also benefit from a new suppression mechanic; when you're firing in the general direction of enemies, you don't need to actually hit them with bullets to affect their ability to fight. As bullets whiz over their head, the opposing player will lose some combat awareness thanks to a gradual screen blur that mimics the sensation of being caught under fire.

The two other classes received small but interesting tweaks. Engineers still carry the anti-vehicle weapons and repair tools, but their weapons now support undersling attachments like a flashlight, which can be used to blind approaching enemies in low light conditions. The only major change to the recon class is a new breath-holding mechanic that momentarily increases accuracy. Once your character exhales, however, the weapon will have more sway for a short period of time so timing your shot is critical. This should kill off the quick scoping exploit that plagued earlier versions of Battlefield. Each class gets three specialization slots to customize their experience, but this feature was locked.

Players can also customize their dog tags. Now when you knife an enemy to take his or her tags, you'll receive a unique item that highlights that person's Battlefield triumph of choice. The examples DICE offered included the kills with a specific weapon and total hours served.

With no consoles in sight, DICE was only allowing us to try the 32-player PC version that pits Marines against the Russian Spetsnaz. The map I played, Operation Metro, takes place in the streets of Paris. The four-stage Rush map starts out in an open urban garden, transitions into the cramped and darkened underground subway, and eventually spills into the Parisian financial district directly in front of the Paris stock exchange. The beginning area featured smartly implemented changes in elevation that provide players with natural cover positions as they descend on or defend the crates. Once the battle descended into the subway, the support players gained an advantage in the darkened hallways thanks to the blinding flashlights and the ability to shoot out other light sources. The fighting here featured natural choke points, and overcoming them requires coordinated strikes.

The gameplay doesn't stray too far from the traditional Battlefield experience, which is a good thing in my book. You can still spot characters to highlight them for your teammates, take out cover with heavy weaponry, and generate tons of experience points by helping out teammates. The Frostbite 2 engine is also used to great effect, with varied lighting, realistic soldier animations, and impressive facade damage to buildings amidst all the multiplayer chaos. I wish we could have seen the map with 64 PC players or on a console, but we've got a lot of time to kill between now and the Battlefield release date on October 25. I'm sure EA will provide another opportunity to check out what's shaping up to be one of the company's biggest games in years.

[Rado D]

I kind of dislike that you will only be able to kill with a knife from the back,will take away those hilarious knife fight moments.

[kid41212003]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

Reading through this, I do like the new class setup. But I keep hearing that the Medic and assault are now mixed, and see mention of med boxes.... but no ammo box? If the ammo box is gone I will be sad. I hope now with no other utility besides suppresive fire, that they can actually allow the LMG's to be the guns they are suppose to.

Originally Posted by Black Haru

I thought they said support had the ammo boxes?

Assault has the medic kit, and Support carries ammunition.

According to an interview that i watched, people need medics in the front line and not far behind, so that's why they gave Assault (Rifleman) the medic kit instead.

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

Does it now include damage taken from ejected shell casing?



imo they should implement that. This will be the next big thing ever since the "shooting through walls" thing in fps

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by Wrigleyvillain

Yeah. In the Gamespot link anyway. The others seem to focus on the suppression fire only...

Ah, I only read about 5 down, all seemed the same. Should be an interesting class.

[Volkszorn88]

Ye get a double kill, one with the bullet and one with the shell casing. lol

"Oh sorry, didn't see you there mr. enemy"

[btarunr]

Activision is timing its MW3 launch just to troll EA. After the over the top nonsense of a single-player campaign of MW2, I won't be playing MW3.

[FreedomEclipse]

Originally Posted by btarunr

Activision is timing its MW3 launch just to troll EA. After the over the top nonsense of a single-player campaign of MW2, I won't be playing MW3.

neither will i or any of my clan lol. Everyones just waiting for BF3

(already got mine pre-orderd btw, didnt want to miss out on the old maps)

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by btarunr

Activision is timing its MW3 launch just to troll EA. After the over the top nonsense of a single-player campaign of MW2, I won't be playing MW3.

Doesn't really seem like they are trolling. If they were they would have announced the date to be a week before BF3. Just seems like they are on their yearly, "toss out whatever we can for $$$" plan.

[GullyFoyle]

Originally Posted by Rado D

I kind of dislike that you will only be able to kill with a knife from the back,will take away those hilarious knife fight moments.

My understanding was that the knife in the back gets you a special "swipe the dogtags" animation. That is the only way to get dogtags.
I hadn't heard that knifing doesn't work from the front, though.

[Rado D]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

My understanding was that the knife in the back gets you a special "swipe the dogtags" animation. That is the only way to get dogtags.
I hadn't heard that knifing doesn't work from the front, though.

Oh yeah,sorry I miss read that..well I guess its not soo bad then,we will have to try being sneaky bastards even harder

Originally Posted by Bjorn_Of_Iceland

Does it now include damage taken from ejected shell casing?

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...46ho7jq4-1.gif

imo they should implement that. This will be the next big thing ever since the "shooting through walls" thing in fps

thats well funny specially the reaction of the guy on the left and then the look on the face of the guy on the right