LEVOLUTION. The term has been spoken over and over. Our favorite game has been Levolutionized. We don't destroy stuff anymore, we Levolute it instead (hey, it's a verb)! We've seen and heard
Levolution described in at least a dozen different ways since Battlefield 4 was announced. So what is it?
Allow me to break it down into its simplest form:
Levolution can be defined as "anything that changes the level you're playing on." All of these fancy descriptions really just come down to that. It just seems bigger when you think about all of the awesome ways this can happen during game play, which is probably why everyone involved with this game in any way is so excited by the concept. Because it hasn't simply changed game play, but has further set this game apart from any other in the genre.
Let's take a look at the ways
Levolution has been shown to affect Battlefield 4 so far.
Many of the game changing experiences can be triggered by the player. Just be careful, because in Mother Russia,
Levolution destructs you! In all seriousness, some of these events may be worth fighting for, while some may be worth fighting against. Gamers may want to cause these events in order to gain an advantage on the Battlefield. Or , let's face it, sometimes we all have fun making something really cool happen. Other times, such episodes may really screw up your strategy. Either way, here's a list of the things we've learned so far that players can have some control over:
- Birds may fly out of the bushes you're sneaking around
- Players can set off car alarms
- Metal detectors can go off
- Players can activate bollards to control vehicle access
- Shutters can be lowered to block off an area
- Train doors can be closed to trap enemies
- Lights can be turned off in some buildings, enveloping players in darkness
- An elevator can be used to reach the top of a skyscraper, opening a new area
- Bridges can be destroyed, making vehicle access to some areas more challenging
- On a larger scale, events can be triggered by destruction.
Those of us familiar with the Battlefield series are used to destruction, but Levolution takes it to a whole new level:
- Support beams can be destroyed to collapse the street above
- A levee on an urban map can be blown to flood an entire city
- A huge skyscraper can be brought crumbling down on Siege of Shanghai
- A damaged destroyer can be freed on Paracel by destroying the windmill it's caught on
- In another map, players will battle to either start or stop a countdown for a warhead
- Falling trees will cause damage to vehicles and players
- The trailer below shows some of the above. It also hints at even more destruction, with falling power lines and more rolling boulders than an Indiana Jones movie:
Battlefield 4: Official Levolution Features Video
[yt]?feature=player_embedded&v=Q3W4FbsAqIY[/yt]
Finally, the dynamic weather changes we've already seen alter the lighting in the map, plus create wind effects that add excitement to the environment. But beyond that, lightning caused by the storm strikes the aforementioned windmill, eventually freeing the destroyer for us. Also in Paracel Storm, we've seen the effect that this inclement weather has on the seascape. Large waves add a new element to naval battles, or, as I like to call them, frog fights. You may be fighting against your enemies, while nature fights against you. Or, you may learn to use the waves to your advantage, catching big air or using them to cover your escape. Either way, this form of Levolution is a big change from what we're used to.
I can't wait to see more of the amazing examples of this concept that the developers have in store for us, and I get the feeling that they're as excited as I am to show us!
