I know it’s been like years since I’ve put one up, enjoy. Just to give you guys an idea, it usually takes about 3 hours to assemble the GTKY’s, I usually have to chip away at them. I had some time this morning so I knocked it out, we just interviewed Kush a couple days ago.
John Pleasants, chief operating officer of Electronic Arts, confirmed today that Battlefield 3 is currently in development over at DICE, making it the next full installment in the Battlefield franchise. John disclosed the information during a presentation at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference in Chicago. Battlefield 2, also published by Electronic Arts, was released back in June 2005 using the Swedish developer’s Refractor 2 engine; Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam serves as the series’ first two installments.According to Pleasants, the game is shaping up. “I’ve had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden and was highly impressed by the way the team is working on that product,” he said during the presentation. “Of course, that’s not in [this] fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good.” And of course, he’s not going to say anything negative about the game seeing that EA has invested millions into the project; his comment serves as the unofficial official pre-press announcement that the game does actual exist.News of Battlefield 3 has surfaced many times before. Nearly two years ago, a features list surfaced, originally intended for EA investors but somehow “leaked” onto the Internet. Apparently the game was to be set in modern day times, taking place somewhere in the Middle East. The game was also to feature up to 40 players per team on eight different maps. In addition to in-game replay functionality, customizable characters, and unlockable equipment, both factions would have access to its own arsenal of 17 different weapons and 24 different vehicles. The game was even slated for a Q4 2008 release, however that obviously never happened.Still, if the original plans hold true, Electronic Arts may release a public beta for Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X before the game goes retail. Based on Pleasant’s revelation, Battlefield 3 won’t be a possibility until after March 2010, maybe even during the holiday season.
I would quickly say that it is taboo and almost sacreligious to discuss a game with regard to it being, “The Next Battlefield 2″, but after reading this interview and the Wikipedia article it looks like Operation Flashpoint 2 is shaping up to be the next kick butt squad based multiplayer tactical FPS game in 2009. From the Wikipedia page, “The PC version will feature a total of 36 players (18 vs 18) in addition to 252 NPC squad members”, basically 18 vs 18 and each side (in theory) gets 126 bots to control. That’s all the detail I could find on multiplayer, hopefully the later developments prove fruitful and the multiplayer is delivered as the bulk of the game.Â
Here are some of the highlights comments that stuck out to me in the Clive Lindop (Lead AI designer for the game) interview.
 ”Very quickly, normally in the first 10-15 minutes of game play, players have grasped that the game is very different from standard shooters. The key to survival is not running around or ‘bunny hopping’, it is tactical thinking, working together and using the environment around you to gain an advantage.”
 In terms of military realism, what have been your key concessions to the unreality of videogames? The cliché about active duty is that it’s 99% boredom and 1% panic and fear, but this wouldn’t make for a great game experience…
“Fundamentally the game occurs during combat operations; the periods inbetween, when your unit would be resting, is effectively when the player is within the interface between missions. That being said, even in the thick of battle, action ebbs and flows, there are periods of tense anticipation, of moving through hostile country preparing to come under fire any moment. Once combat does occur it can be quick sharp fire fights or prolonged engagements. Part of the dynamic nature of the game is that the pacing and events are constantly shifting.”
 I’m not holding my breath, but I will be keeping up on the development of this game.
Looks like we can use chainsaws this time:
LEFT 4 Dead 2 just announced for Nov 14, 2009. It looks like it’s Mardi gras in L4D2
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