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E3 2013: Battlefield 4 multiplayer preview

Kurtis Seid

Kurtis Seid

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At E3 2013, EA showed off “Siege of Shanghai”, a multiplayer map for Battlefield 4. The map was previously demoed at their press conference to much applause from the audience. Highlighted features from DICE’s new title include simultaneous 32-vs-32 players, new locations, and dynamically destructible environments.

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The look and feel

Battlefield 4 makes use of the Frostbite 3 engine and looks fantastic. The PC demo’s graphics are impressive, but not nearly as crisp and bright as those shown in the first gameplay videos. We speculate that the game might not have vastly drastic visual changes on high end machines, as Battlefield 3 already looked impressively realistic on lower settings. Perhaps more graphical enhancements will be included in future demos.

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Speaking of the previous games, Battlefield 4 uses the same control scheme as the last installment with only minor tweaks. This will allow fans to quickly jump in and enjoy the game without a heavy learning curve or adjustment.

Not taking chances

Battlefield 4’s basic gameplay doesn’t have many differences from its predecessors. That’s quite fine, as Battlefield 3 already had a superb and satisfying recipe: large maps, destructible environments, a large array of vehicles, and team based objectives that encourages tactical coordination. Battlefield 4 retains all of these great qualities and improves on them.

Commander mode returns

Battlefield 4 sees the return of “Commander mode” from Battlefield 2, but with an enhanced redesign. The Commander on each team can monitor the battlefield map, observe their team’s location, and issues orders that will appear on other player’s games.

battlefield 4 gameplay

Even better, the Commander can aid the team with airstrikes, missile support, and other means of offensive tactics to cripple the enemy. This feature will hopefully keep matches intense with a huge feeling of uncertainty and risk.

Maps are even more destructible

levolution

A new environmental destruction system dubbed “Levolution” is featured in Battlefield 4. This system allows the map to change in real time based on the amount of chaos. For example players could blow up buildings that then collapse on the enemy, or obliterate the road a team is standing on. This is a great way to give a team a tactical advantage, and annoy the opposition. What we’re curious about is if Levolutions can happen anywhere on the map, or if most of them are scripted reactions.

We’ve enjoyed what we’ve seen so far of Battlefield 4, and look forward to more time for in-depth coverage. We’ll  have a chance as Battlefield 4’s October 31st release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC comes closer. The game will also release later on the Xbox One and PS4 when those systems launch.

Are you excited for Battlefield 4?

Kurtis Seid

Kurtis Seid

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