GenieKnows Games Narrowing the field

Most have heard of it, others have seen it in action. Battlefield Bad Company promises to revolutionize the art or virtual combat by introducing completely destructible environments into the mix. Before I get started on the multiplayer aspects of the game which to most are the bread and butter of this series, let me first talk about the new and improved campaign mode.

It’s of no surprise to most that Battlefield needed a better single player component to its series. Its previous efforts were nothing more then simple bot matches in which you tried to kill as many AI opponents as possible but for Bad Company, Dice decided that they wanted a rich experience complete with compelling story and lots of “wow” moments as they call it. Instead of scripting elements like the call of duty series has in the past, they instead decided to build custom AI that was capable of making decisions on the fly that would give the player a unique experience everytime while still delivering on the promise of cool moments that typical AI wouldn’t be capable of.

Let’s now talk about the newest and coolest feature of the series, the destructible environments. Dice has made every surface in the game completely destructible as well as persistent. what does that mean? Well if you blow a hole into a wall, you can expect that hole to stay there, as well as all the other damage you’ll inflict. Here’s what I noticed could be destroyed in the videos I’ve seen, vehicles, walls, trees and even the ground will show visible damage when shot at. But don’t worry, Dice has been very careful not to ruin the gameplay as they’ve given each surface a certain hardness that requires the correct explosive damage to destroy. In other words, you won’t be putting any 5 foot holes in a concrete wall with an m16. but feel free to use a rocket launcher to achieve that.

So how does all this translate into multiplayer? Perfectly says Dice. Their primary focus with the new Frosbite engine was to ensure that all aspects of the single player game could be brought into the multiplayer experience. Of course expect to see all of the old components make a comeback too. Lots of vehicles, huge expansive maps, lots of buildings and open terrain, great vehicle physics… and now environment physics as well such as trees that move when you hit them, building that implode when driven over with tanks, etc.

What does all this mean for us? It means we are in for a treat when Bad Company releases early next year. I know I’ll be playing it for sure, and I’ll most likely be the last thing you’ll see as I come barreling down the road with my c4 laden humvee! Yippee Kayai M#$%^#$!