EA & DICE pulled out all the stops, hosting the Final Hours event in San Francisco, CA at the posh Terra Event Center to show press never-before-seen footage of all 9 multiplayer maps to be shipped with Battlefield 3, as well as new co-op missions and new singleplayer missions. While PC was the main platform showing off the singleplayer portion, I was able to hop on both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the multiplayer, and let me tell you, if you were concerned about the game after experiencing often bug-ridden beta, you will sleep soundly knowing that this most recent build of the game played (and looked) like a game ready to be shipped. As DICE producer Patrick Bach reassured me, this most recent build that I experienced is STILL not the final build.
Though all 9 maps were present and playable, I was able to play through 3: Operation Firestorm – Conquest (Xbox 360), Caspian Border – Conquest (PS3) and Grand Bazaar – Rush (Xbox 360).
Here are a few of my thoughts from the maps and a list of improvements I noticed from the beta:
Operation Firestorm – Conquest (Xbox 360)
- A linear map with three flag captures, desert setting, like a cross between Arica Harbor of BFBC2 and Gulf of Oman of BF2.
- Each team has a plethora of vehicles including 2 jets, 2 choppers, tanks and jeeps.
- All flag captures are in the middle of a giant oil refinery spanning most of the map. The refinery contains a lot of tall structures, ladders, cranes, and construction buildings. Great for snipers.
- Though scaled for consoles, map still felt really large. I never once hit the boundaries while flying a jet. Map’s size slightly smaller than Heavy Metal.
Grand Bazaar – Rush (Xbox 360)
I’m not as big a fan of rush, but this map was really fun!
- Middle Eastern setting, lots of alleyways, quick corners, rooms and offshoots to get to the objectives. Found myself a little backwards at times which made it feel less linear.
- Impressive ambient lighting from porch lights and sun, great atmospherics made the city feel life-like.
- Map seem to turn directions as objectives were taken
Caspian Border – Conquest (PS3)
- Though DICE has said the map has been scaled down to fit consoles still, felt very large. Environment looked the same as PC, objectives seem closer than the PC counterpart, that’s really the only difference.
- Lighting effects were phenomenal on this map. Found myself blinded by the sun more than once in a dogfight.
- 24 players still felt really fun on this map. I didn’t find myself having to search for people to kill.
New improvements since the beta:
- First thing I noticed on the consoles were the graphics. They looked much better than the beta. Textures were smoother, character movements were much more fluid, and environments seemed to have more warmth to them. Also, the lighting was more dynamic, atmospherics more gritty and present, things just seem to run smoother on this build. All the frame rate issues, glitches, pops and sound drops of the beta were nowhere to be found. Bach reiterated that the beta was already a month and a half old before it was launched because of the time it takes to certify for release. It’s amazing how much polish they were able to put on the game since the beta.
Gameplay changes:
- When placing a spawn beacon or a enemy motion sensor as a sniper, the devices would appear red indicating that it could not be placed in that location. When the device could be placed, it would turn yellow. Very helpful visual cue as the beta gave no cue.
- Your player screen loses color saturation as a new visual indicator (besides the timer) when you go out of bounds.
- Same sort of visual indicator as the out of bounds screen appears but with blood surrounding it when you’re low on health.
- Hit boxes were dramatically improved. My bullets didn’t magically go through enemies’ torsos.
- When running as the assault/medic class, the visual indicator of an incapacitated teammate is more prominent with a circle surrounding the defrib symbol now.
- Jet stick controls on console are similar to BF1943 on console. If you don’t prefer those controls, they are completely customizable. Also, when your jet is low on health, it becomes a little more difficult to control until it is completely incapacitated and falls from the sky. Y (or triangle) switches between your heat-seeking missiles and your cannon. R-bumper (or R1) deploys smoke.
- Flying choppers felt almost exactly like BFBC2. Was able to fly right away.
- Changing views in the vehicles has been moved back to the R-stick much like BFBC1 unlike up on the D-pad on BFBC2.
- Parachutes take little longer to deploy than BFBC2, and while in the air they are a little harder to control to your destination.
- Death animations look more realistic. No more funky physics where their body flies 30 feet across the screen after being killed. Player’s eyes are closed when they die.
- Knifing animation looks a lot better, especially when knifing someone on the ground.
- Frostbite 2 was in full effect in terms of destruction. Buildings were tumbling down, everything was being destroyed around me in most every map I played.
- The amount of damage it takes to kill an enemy on regular mode seems a little less than the beta.
- I was able to equip the knife on the PS3 build. Not sure about the Xbox 360.
