I thought it was an awesome briefing that clears up a lot of things for me. In particular, as Planetside 2 player and Battlefield player since the PC only games, how they are managing the objectives and map dynamics sounds awesome. Some key items for me:
- The cluster approach to map objectives - this is something Planetside 2 successfully does on their large continents (approximately 5km squared). It's great to see Battlefield adapt this. You'll get intense fights within these clusters to control them. Given how long it can take a team to control a base in Planetside 2, I'm curious to see how this affects the win conditions in a Conquest match. It seems like a heavy infantry situation, but my guess is the ability to control the area around the cluster with vehicles will be a huge advantage.
- The large areas between clusters - vehicles become essential as players look to move from cluster to cluster. Reminds me of Battlefield 2's large maps. You didn't want to be that guy trying to run from flag to flag lol. In Planetside 2, vehicle combat between bases is essential for the ability to successfully assault or defend the next base. Vehicles are no longer just something fun to mess with or farm infantry in (how dare I suggest such a thing! LOL!!), but have a major tactical purpose/role within the overall conflict. Gear heads rejoice!!
- Specialists are subclasses of the main 4 classes - it was good to see this definitively stated. The main 4 classes are still there, but now the abilities are spread across the specialists. Interesting that the Medic is part of the support class.
- Customizing Specialist loadouts - this indeed is going to alleviate players just using one class all the time. You can put your favorite gun on any Specialist. You can equip your recon or medic specialist with an RPG or other anti vehicle weaponry. It allows players to be adaptable which will be crucial in maps and conflicts this large.
- Plus System - a nice explanation of preserving weapon archetypes. This won't let you turn an SMG into a sniper rifle. But gives extra flexibility needed in the large conflicts and maps. Planetside 2 addresses these sort of things with fairly easy access to weapon terminals either in APCs or bases that allow you to swap gear without respawning. It's the same basic idea...you want to be adaptable in large conflicts that are completely unpredictable with so many variables in play.
Overall so good...I'm ready!!! EA Play June 22 for more, right? Did I get that right? 😉
DICE Team
