Battlefield 3 Clubhouse

By Alex Co | May 12, 2011 | Interviews

Here’s part two of our exclusive interview with DICE Community Manager, Daniel Matros. The man known as "zh1nt0" talks with us regarding the Battlefield franchise, the philosophy and transition to Battlefield 3 - in short, this is a must read for any Battlefield fan.

If you somehow missed part one where Matros talks about his duties as the community manager for one of the biggest brands in gaming, see Interview with DICE Community Manager Daniel Matros.

Disclaimer: Aside from style and spelling, all the answers are left unedited.

The studio with the "golden gun" when it comes to FPS games - DICE

DeltaGamer: What are your thoughts on the people that are upset that DICE chose to unveil the single-player portion of the game first, also the sentiment that Battlefield shouldn’t have or need to have a single-player mode?
What we have shown so far from the game has been very tech focused. Every segment of the Fault Line Trailer shows, you all of the 5 core pillars of the game we are building on such as the animation system, the destruction, scale and the lighting/rendering. Battlefield has generally been focused around multiplayer but we feel that it is just as important to show the players out there a solid single player mode. Also people know we can do multiplayer. They largely know what to expect from the multiplayer portion of our games, they don’t know what to expect from single-player. There are things we learnt in Mirrors Edge and in the Bad Company series that we think we can use to deliver a new experience to Battlefield 3 players.

DeltaGamer: What do you guys want to achieve with Battlefield 3 that you couldn’t do before?
We always want to improve, so that´s a pretty difficult question. What I would like to point towards is the Frostbite 2 engine that delivers some powerful stuff that has been unseen before. The destruction, scale, rendering and also the brand new animation system that has been developed for EA Sports titles has now been brought over to BF3. Technology is an on-going thing so we can now achieve things that were not possible two years ago.

DeltaGamer: Looking back at the first Battlefield game, it could seem like you will be importing quite a few features from Battlefield 1942, into Battlefield 3. Why now and not earlier?
Good question! If you take a look at the history of Battlefield, you will see that a lot of different features have been improved or have been taken out due to design and balancing decisions. We must also not forget thatBattlefield 1942, BF2 were the foundation of what is to become BF3; as it is the true sequel to both of these games. We took a different direction with the Bad Company series and of course it was well appreciated by many - and also many hardcore fans have been waiting for a proper sequel to Battlefield 2. Our vision of what we wanted to create with BF3 just didn´t add up at that time so we waited and played around with many more ideas before finally settling, looking at the big picture and saying, "you know what? I think we got it."

DeltaGamer: Have you seen any part of Battlefield 3’s multiplayer? How awesome is it? Is there any chance of telling us something new today?
There are people sitting around me making, play testing, and tweaking Battlefield 3 every day. Yes I have seen it, yes it’s awesome and no there is nothing new for me to tell you yet. We need to watch out for revealing things that won’t make the final cut which is why the information flow is slow at the moment.

DeltaGamer: What differences can you tell us about the PC to console versions of Battlefield 3? What sacrifices can we expect? Have you seen footage of the console version?
As with the last question, I can stand up and walk 2 meters to my right and sit with people running the software on consoles. Sacrifice is a bit of a harsh term to use but there is more we can do with the PC platform than we can with others.

DeltaGamer: Is it possible for you to discuss the differences between Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 gameplay-wise, if you can’t go into specifics about game mechanics, how about the core mechanics or overall feel?
What I can comment on right now is the engine and also the overall feeling of the game. The Bad Company series was based around four characters that were out on a big adventure as if it was a road movie with memorable Hollywood quotes. In BF3, things have changed. It´s no longer centered around these four people since it´s a different game and the tone has been set to more serious than ever in a Battlefield game.

DeltaGamer: Will squads be allowed to have more than 4 people in it at a time?
Unfortunately I can´t comment on any gameplay specifics at the moment.

DeltaGamer: Care to give your thoughts on faction specific vehicles, weapons, classes?
Our philosophy regarding weapons, vehicles and classes in the Battlefield series has always been about "countering" what the other person is equipped with or what vehicle he/she is using. An engineer takes out a tank and while doing so, the player dies on the Battlefield. A medic quickly rushes to his help together with an Assault soldier that covers his back while a Sniper spots both of them and drops a mortar strike. A chain of events triggered by multiple choices in-game has been very well represented over the years. I can´t give you any details right now to any specifics but I can tell you that there won´t be less than in our previous games.

DeltaGamer: A few of the developers have claimed that they have added prone but it will not allow for "dolphin-diving," can you confirm this or more importantly, can you give any details regarding this?
Firstly you need to remember that things have to come through official channels when it comes to feature announcements. There are plenty of things going on with regards to how each feature affects the overall flow of the game, especially in multiplayer. We know of various exploits from previous games and we are looking at ways of solving them without changing the pace of combat too much.

DeltaGamer: On the server side of things, is DICE ready to handle the load that Battlefield 3 will bring as to avoid any service outages from the get-go? For cheat-protection and hacks as well?
When you approach a launch day for any specific title that many people have been waiting for, it´s necessary to take certain precautions and steps in order to make sure that the players out there get a flawless connection and a good first day impression of the game. Of course we will do our best in making sure that it also happens.

DeltaGamer: Is it safe to assume that Battlefield 3 will implement the Online Pass or VIP system that EA is currently employing to almost all its games?
It’s safe to say we want to know if a user legitimately purchased the game before they take a seat on the server, yes. Whether this will be VIP on Online Pass is yet to be fully decided but a check will take place.

DeltaGamer: What can we expect regarding maps and post launch support for Battlefield 3? While Bad Company 2 had them, the community is asking for more frequent updates regarding this. Does DICE know of this concern?
The only DLC we have announced now is the "Back to Karkand" pack that includes re-made maps, Weapons and Vehicles from Battlefield 2. If you pre-order the game you will get that for free. We will of course give Battlefield 3 the best support we have in terms of in-game and community support. Quality as you´ve probably heard before is a lead word for us.

DeltaGamer: Can you tell us any info about BF3 that we don’t know yet, anything at all.
No, the Easter bunny stole all of my secrets

DeltaGamer: Any message to the GamerSpawn, DeltaGamer readers out there?
Are you going to put forward an e-sports clan to take part in any upcoming BF3 events?

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I would like to thank DICE and Daniel Matros for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer our Battlefield questions. Be on the lookout for Battlefield 3 at this year’s E3 where I’m sure the game will have a huge presence at the show.

If you ever see zh1nto online, please say hi and knife him for us. Now if you’ll excuse me I have an Easter bunny to hunt.

BY: matthewpruitt
POSTED : May 13, 2011, 04:51PM

Another week is now on the books here on team Battlefield, and what a week it was! There have been giveaways, details on what’s coming next, and plenty of contributions from you, our amazing readers, providing plenty of goodies to discuss, so let’s get to it, shall we?

Hunting For Vietnam

We kicked the week off with a scavenger hunt of sorts when we handed download codes for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam over to five of the biggest Battlefield fan sites around the ‘net. These sites all hid the codes within their regular content. Backgrounds, images and text all could hold these codes, and only the most dedicated and perceptive of our fans tracked these down to call their very own. When will this happen again? Which sites will hold the key for some free DLC? The only way to find out is to stay tuned to the Battlefield Blog!

Back to Karkand

This past Tuesday saw the launch of a new blog series detailing the Back to Karkand DLC, where we sat down with Lead Designer Niklas Fegraeus to chat about the map pack to the upcoming Battlefield 3.



This post brought us new details on this map pack which will include some of the most famous maps in the Battlefield series to date. Some tidbits from this include that this updated version of Back to Karkand will use all of the destructive power of the Frostbite 2 engine. “Now, with the destructive power of Frostbite 2,” says Fergraeus. “Someone can just RPG that building and expose the defenders within.” Don’t just take our word for it – our fans had the chance to speak out as well, including Twitter user @insane 141 when he said “It’s well designed and well balanced. The best map ever made.” Be sure to check the full post for all the details. Be sure to pre-order Battlefield 3 today and get Back to Karkand for free!

Around the Web

GameSpot named Battlefield 3 as one of their most anticipated games from E3 2011. GameSpot editor Shaun McInnis says “In an era when everyone is trying to make a Call of Duty clone, DICE may be one of the few studios out there with the talent and resources necessary to create the new standard in military shooters. But whether DICE follows the Call of Duty formula or sets off in its own direction remains to be seen. We just know that we're eager to see where Battlefield 3 is headed.” With this year’s E3 promising loads of great games, we’re thrilled and honored to be one of GameSpot’s most anticipated games.

German PC Gamer named Battlefield 2’s Karkand map the #2 greatest FPS map in gaming history this week, and we’re ecstatic about it. We’re incredibly happy that people still think of Karkand in such high regards, and that’s the reason why we’re bringing it back for Battlefield 3. This is certainly one of our favorite maps as well, and that’s why we’re making sure that everyone gets a chance to see this legendary map for themselves. Just imagine what it’ll be like on the Frostbite 2 engine!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if DICE took a “Pimp My Ride” approach to designing vehicles for the Battlefield series? Well, one of our fans actually did, and recreated what would happen if the troops from the Battlefield series wanted to turn their 1989 Humvee from slopper to proper, creating some LOLz for the entire family. Get a taste of this comic strip below, and take a look at the entire strip here.



Thanks for tuning in and we’ll be back next week with even more Battlefield goodies for you to enjoy! Until then, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, leave us a note in the comments section and we’ll respond as soon as possible.


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BY: HBrun
POSTED : May 18, 2011, 12:00AM


It's yours at no extra charge if you preorder. Release date to be confirmed.

Part II in a behind the scenes series on Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand

Battlefield 3 is our biggest production ever. We also have our biggest pre-order bonus ever: The complete Back to Karkand expansion pack at no extra charge, available after the base game is released. Read on for more info on this bonus content -- and learn why Lead Designer Niklas Fegraeus shouted “IMBA!” the very first time he played Battlefield.

Hi Niklas Fegraeus! You’re Lead Designer on Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand, where the classic Wake Island map will be remade. How far do you and Wake Island go back?
-- Wake Island was my very first Battlefield experience, like it was for so many others. In 2002, I was actually involved in a professional Counter-Strike clan. We had just trounced our opposing team, when they proposed a rematch – in the recently released Battlefield 1942 demo on Wake Island!

So what did you think of your very first Battlefield experience?
-- Never having played anything like Battlefield before, my squad of Counter-Strikers ran along on the ground on Wake Island while the other team dive-bombed us with Zero fighters. I was like “IMBA! What’s the fun in this?” Pretty soon, though, I realized this was something completely new and different, and that it was in fact an awesome game.


Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is still in heavy development. Above is an early piece of Wake Island concept art meant for inspiration only. You can still recognize the typical shape of this quintessential Battlefield map.

Fast forward 9 years to the present. What does it feel like being in charge of the reimagining of perhaps the most defining Battlefield map ever?
-- It’s a weird mix of pressure in staying true to the heritage of Wake Island, while at the same time having new and exciting possibilities thanks to the Frostbite 2 engine.

-- I feel that we have a shot at making our own unique interpretation of Wake Island. The map has seen so many iterations through so many games that we don’t feel constrained by some hard-coded template of what it must be.

One thing on our fans’ minds is why we are working with additional content for Battlefield 3 already?
-- Well, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2, we did a lot of experimenting with DLC, and I think that we learnt a lot along the way. The goal is that any content for Battlefield 3 will be of the same quality as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. That means we have to start work early alongside the base game.

Finally, why do you think Wake Island is a great Battlefield map?
-- I love the fact that Wake Island is so straight-forward, that you have such a good view of all the action, and that it has plenty of space for vehicle combat. It just screams Battlefield.

"A timeless classic with something for every type of player. A map of true, all-out war!"
-- Twitter user @jcdean78 on why he loves Wake Island


Lars Gustavsson was Producer on Battlefield 1942 back in 2002 and worked on the original Wake Island. He probably knows more intimate details about the map than anybody working at DICE today.

Hi Lars! What guided the design for Wake Island back in the original game?
-- The basic premise was that we looked at how real-life Wake Island [from the Pacific Theatre in WWII] looks today. We knew we couldn’t do it to scale, but that kind of one-to-one fidelity wasn’t really of interest to us. Funny thing is, it was in fact downscaled so much due to a decimal error in programming. The map was originally meant to be bigger, but the involuntary downsizing created a very cool and concentrated gaming experience.

-- That concentration also comes from the fact that when fighting on land, because of the island’s U-shape, you cannot escape. If there’s a tank in your way, you will have to confront it head-on sooner or later. That’s something we have tried to recreate throughout the Battlefield series: To have some kind of clear frontline.

How do you mean, clear frontline?
-- Well, on some maps, the frontline can be rather “slippery”, or almost like a merry-go-round. Which happens to work really well on maps like El Alamein. I mean I love that map, but the reason the merry-go-round gameplay works there is because you have an overview of the entire battlefield so you realize when you’ve been overrun. But on Wake Island it was super important to get the sense across of where the frontline is at all times.

What is the gameplay generally like on the uniquely shaped Wake Island?
-- It’s very dynamic. Its U-shape means that the water gameplay between the map’s two legs – whether it’s going by boat or swimming across – creates new alternatives for when you’re locked in a hopeless struggle against superior armor. There’s always an alternate solution on Wake Island, and for me personally, that’s what makes Battlefield Battlefield.

There was a special style and tone to that map as well.
-- Yes. It was very much a case of “fun over realism”. We took reality and shaped it into something that suited our design ideas. There’s this neat kind of ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ thing going on in the clash between the paradisiac beauty of the map set against the frantic battles.

How do you feel now that Wake Island is set for a reimagining?
-- I feel excited! What still grabs me about Wake Island is the fact that it really is all-out war. Aircraft are taking off from the carriers, anti-aircraft guns are firing, boats are coming in, tanks are rolling by… And sometimes you just have to stand there and look out across the glittering water because it’s so beautiful. There will always be a special place in my heart for Wake Island.


Preorder and you get the Limited Edition.

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is brought to you by the team that developed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. It will include 4 classic Battlefield 2 maps reimagined in the new Frostbite 2 engine. It also features iconic Battlefield 2 vehicles, Battlefield 2 weapons to bring back to the base game, new unlocks and persistence, and more.

This expansion pack will be available post launch of Battlefield 3. To receive Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand at no extra charge, all you need to do is preorder Battlefield 3: Limited Edition.

Come back next week for more in-depth details on Back to Karkand.

For more information on Battlefield 3, visit the Official Site.

For the latest news on everything Battlefield, follow us on Twitter.

BY: HBrun
POSTED : May 23, 2011, 12:00AM



This is for all our UK Battlefield fans out there. You can now preorder the Battlefield 3 Limited Edition: Physical Warfare Pack at GAME and gamestation in the UK and get exclusive in-game hardware at no extra charge.

This edition contains the Type 88 light machine gun with bipod for superior firepower, the SKS sniper rifle flash suppressor for increased stealth, and the wicked armor-piercing flechette ammo for the DAO-12 shotgun. Also included is day one access to the semi-automatic DAO-12 shotgun itself.

To preorder Battlefield 3 Limited Edition: Physical Warfare Pack in the UK, visit http://www.game.co.uk/

Or http://www.gamestation.co.uk/

This looks cool! What if I'm not in the UK?

We will reveal Battlefield 3 preorder bonus items in other countries soon. Stay tuned.

For the full press release, visit the EA Extranet.

PlanetBattlefield said:

Spike TV announced today the will be broadcasting the EA E3 press conference live from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, June 6th starting at 3:30pm ET / 12:30pm PT. This of course is where EA and DICE will reveal the much anticipated multiplayer side of Battlefield 3.

Additionally, Planet Battlefield will be there live from the event live blogging and posting pictures. Make sure you are following us on twitter @BattlefieldNews for all the action from the press conference and the EA booth.

Spike TV will also be broadcasting the Microsoft press conference the same day (Monday, June 6th) at 12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM PT.

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Spike TV said:

New York, NY, May 24, 2011 – Spike TV, the #1 network for video game programming, today announced that it is working with leading game publisher Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) for an exclusive live, commercial-free telecast of the company’s 2011 showcase event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the gaming industry’s leading trade show.

Broadcasting from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, premieres live nationwide Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT.

During the hour-long broadcast anchored by GTTV host Geoff Keighley, EA CEO John Riccitiello and the company’s development teams will unveil exclusive, world premiere demos and trailers for EA’s biggest releases for 2011 and beyond. Viewers will experience an explosive, never-before-seen demo of Battlefield 3™, travel across the galaxy for a look at Commander Shepard’s final voyage in Mass Effect™ 3, hit the pitch for a first look at FIFA Soccer 12, discover what’s new in Madden NFL 12, shred the mountains in the world premiere look at SSX™, experience the high-speed thrills of Need For Speed™ The Run and hear breaking news about other unannounced projects now under development at EA.

“EA and Spike share a valued publishing relationship and we can’t wait to exclusively broadcast the company’s E3 lineup with our reach of 99.4 million homes across America,” said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.

In addition to the exclusive live coast-to-coast broadcast on Spike, MTV Networks’ GameTrailers.com, MTV.com and EA’s EA.com will provide a live, high-definition video stream on the Internet of Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, powered by the global Akamai HD Network platform. The live stream will be viewable on a record number of platforms, including Facebook, iPhone®, iPad™ and other mobile devices.

“Gamechangers is an incredible showcase of EA titles for every platform – consoles, PC, handhelds, tablets and smart phones,” said John Riccitiello, CEO, Electronic Arts. “We are thrilled that Spike TV and MTV Networks will broadcast the news about Battlefield 3, Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, FIFA Soccer 12 and other EA blockbusters to millions of gamers around the world.”

For a sneak peek at many of the EA games set to be revealed during Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, tune into the E3 preview episode of GTTV with Geoff Keighley, premiering Thursday, June 2 on Spike.

The exclusive live broadcast of Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview is a key part of Spike’s largest-ever commitment to video game coverage at E3. Spike, home to the annual Video Game Awards, the biggest night of the year for the game industry, plans to deliver more than 20 hours of live E3-related programming across multiple platforms – including television, online, Facebook and mobile – from a new, state-of-the-art HD studio at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Spike and GameTrailers.com will unveil the biggest games of E3 before any other network with breaking news, live demonstrations, world premiere trailers, in-depth interviews and expert analysis.

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