Crunch Time

So are we really getting a new game? Battlefield 3 has been out for almost two years and now, around the corner, is coming Battlefield 4. When I first seen some leaked material I have to say that I found myself thinking how this wasn’t BF4 at all, but a Battlefield 3.5. Everything looked about the same from knife animations to soldier uniforms to even the maps and its layout. I was very disappointed and thought maybe BF3 was going to be my last game. Why would I want to buy BF3 again? It was no different now than when so many people wanted BF3 to be like BF2.

I mention that those people wanted BF 2.5 and not BF3. They wanted everything like BF2 with better graphics. Otherwise, no changes. Even though I felt that 2142 was a better polished Battlefield title than the clunky BF2, it did not matter. It was BF2.5 or nothing. Non-stop complaining about all the other features and the stats and the missing things in BF2. I didn’t want a BF2.5 and why? Because I already owned BF2. Why do I want to buy BF2.5? It’s one of the reasons why I do not buy CoD games anymore. Now, here I am looking at BF 3.5.

Here is a nice comparison video that Cartelstrims369 created of BF3 and pieces of the 17 minute single player trailer:

The video was very well made and did an excellent job comparing footage in BF3 multiplayer and the BF4 17 minute release of the single player campaign. With the new Battlefield games, it is very easy to compare multiplayer and single player and get the same results that you would see in each area. So by looking at this it is very easy to see that there is just nothing “new” with Battlefield 4. This was making me believe that there may not be a good reason to go with BF4.

Later I found out that the animations and uniforms of the soldiers were still place holders and not finished for the game. Also, Frostbite 3 is being used in Battlefield 4, while Battlefield 3 is running the Frostbite 2 engine. Most gamers know that if a game is running on the same type of engine that the game is going to look very close to each other. A lot of people have mentioned because of that, the two games are practically the same.

After E3 and the release of that footage it became clear to me that Battlefield 4 was, in fact, a very different game from Battlefield 3. Yes, because of the Frostbite engine the two games are very similar. The problem with that is if you look at the Battlefront trailer and the Command & Conquer:Generals trailer, both using the frostbite engine, they too look like Battlefield. Entirely different games, but they have that same look and lighting to them.

As you can see from the above trailer, it looks like a BF3 fight in Back to Karkand.

So going by looks alone is really not enough to compare BF4 and it being a stand alone game.

So what is Battlefield 4 doing that is different from Battlefield 3 to justify it being a different game? Here is what we have so far:

• 5 man squads
• Commander Mode returns
• Spectator Mode returns
• In Game VoIP returns
• “Levolution” where sections of a map can be altered from fighting.
• Better dynamic lighting and effects such as explosions, particles, water reaction, and environments. (No blinding sun as before)
• Boat/Naval warfare, something that hasn’t really been seen since 1942.
• Battlelog 2.0 design and integration on iPads, smart phones, and tablets
• Adjustments in classes for weapons and equipment
• Adjustments in the squad perk system
• Change in vehicle momentum physics
• Weapon damage and attachment changes
• New Geo Leader board system
• Functional elevators, bridges, and electrical systems to cities and buildings

All the above are things that Battlefield 3 does not do. These changes are more than visual changes, but game play and design changes. If you took all those features and put them into BF3 you would have an entirely different game. You may be thinking, “Well then why doesn’t DICE just do that instead of making another game and I have to dish out more money?” Well, we all know that is not how a company stays in business and way back in the day few made this complaint when they purchased their sequel. I don’t understand why it should be free today and wasn’t just 10 years ago, but that is for another writing for another time.

The purpose of this article was to show how different Battlefield 4 is to Battlefield 3 and I think with all these currently known changes, the game is very different. It may have the same overall look because of the engine, but the entire mechanics of the game has changed and I think it may be for the better. I am looking forward to playing the beta and see how the game feels and how much has changed. Until then, I want to leave you with one last video that LevelCap made comparing Battlefield 4. ( Have I mentioned I really like his videos? ) It is a bit long, but I think it is well worth the watch.

So with that video and the list applied above it is very safe to tell that Battlefield 4 is a game of its own with a lot of changes and enhancements. My worries of just a BF3.5 are pretty much gone at this point.