First Battlefield 3 details emerge

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 4 February, 2011

Out this autumn.

PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 shooter Battlefield 3 features improved visuals and what developer DICE describes as an "exponential leap" in destructibility.

Game engine Frostbite 2 has made Battlefield 3's existence possible, according to US magazine Game Informer.

"Armed with powerful upgrades like deferred rendering, real-time radiosity, a new animation system borrowed from the EA Sports label, and an exponential leap in destructibility, executive producer Patrick Bach dubs Frostbite 2 'the best piece of technology on the market when it comes to building games'" reads the website.

Other details revealed this morning: 64-player multiplayer on PC returns, jets make it in and you'll have the ability to go prone.

In October last year DICE went on the record to reassure PC gamers that their version of the game will be just as enjoyable as the console versions. Designer Alan Kerz acknowledged, "PC players have a fear that BF3 will be 'consolized'.

"PC players have their own set of requirements... Anything that feels like it might have been "ported" from a console is going to get flamed hard," he wrote. "It's a damn sight harder to please a PC player, they have higher expectations.

"Battlefield 3 needs an extra bit of special attention on the PC. I intend to give it that attention, tradition and our community demand it."

According to the first teaser trailer, below, Battlefield 3 will launch this autumn.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (61) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • CaptainQuint #1 1 year ago

    On the consoles, the most important thing the latest iteration of the Frostbite engine should have is a decent level of anti-ailiasing. The ugly jaggies are the only thing wrong with the current version.

  • jebus #2 1 year ago

    I think that is the trade off - personally I think the particles and destructability are worth having jaggies for

  • geox30 #3 1 year ago

    Of course pc players demand extra care.We pay good money for our games-and so far I wasn't disappointed from DICE.I dare to say that Battlefield series is my dearest thing in gaming..
    Edited by geox30 at 04/02/11 @ 08:41

  • binky #4 1 year ago

    Touch of The Terminator about that trailer.

  • FTM #5 1 year ago

    I hope they open the maps up a bit more...bad company 2 felt a bit restricted, compared to battlefield 2 on the PC (or even bad company 1 on the consoles) I prefer the large rolling battlefiields with lots ot tanks on tank action

  • CaptainQuint #6 1 year ago

    @geox30

    Yeah, pc players "pay good money". And the console owners get it for nothing, right?

    Bugger off.

  • adofessex #7 1 year ago

    My suggestion would be to utilise the pause menu. Controls for vehicles, controls for character, so have controls for pause menu and reintroduce a commander for the console version and allow them to set targets for spec ops. Like BF2 but on a console.

    Regardless I am sure this will be as good if not better than BFBC2, and I personally cannot wait to play.
    Edited by adofessex at 04/02/11 @ 09:01

  • TheEarlOfZinger #8 1 year ago

    PS3 owner here. Why do I feel there's an air of 'second class citizen' surrounding these comments?!

    Yes, pc will have a higher player count and larger maps/resolution etc - but essentially Dice should be putting just as much care and attention into the console versions, no? They're happy for us to fork our money over after all.

    At the very least we should get a fucking server browser this time.
    Edited by TheEarlOfZinger at 04/02/11 @ 09:03

  • tiny_Eggy #9 1 year ago

    In general console gamers play it for a few months and then move on to the next big thing. PC gamers play games for a whole lot longer because the communities are tighter.

  • ChaK #10 1 year ago

    Mod tools.

    Please :(

  • linea #11 1 year ago

    Oh dear. I had to have three weeks off work once due to Battlefield 2-induced RSI. Which sounds great except of course I was medically barred from playing games (or indulging in most of the other traditional gentlemen's recuperative activities... )

  • Gambit1977 #12 1 year ago

    @Captainquint

    spot on! If anyth

  • Bikram #13 1 year ago

    Completely agree with FTM

  • Gambit1977 #14 1 year ago

    Doh iPhone

    If anything, us console owners get dumbed down versions that we don't want!

    Baldurs Gate still stings :(

  • coolbritannia #15 1 year ago

    Earl of Zinger, if you're a pS3 player, you're actually 3rd class ;0-)

  • space_ace #16 1 year ago

    finally, 3d has been surpassed by VHS-vision

  • TheEarlOfZinger #17 1 year ago

    Happy to be. Launch model still going strong ;0-)

  • SBfistfun #18 1 year ago

    oohhhhh ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    *soils self in excitement*

    I've got a stack of games I've barely played because I havent been able to stop playing Bad company, Bad company 2 and now vietnam.

  • SClaw #19 1 year ago

    Dear Dice,

    Please make it exactly the same as Bad Company 2 only with bigger maps and about three times as many vehicles on each one. Oh and you can drop the whole XP thing now. It's pretty tedious. I just like shooting people in the face, I don't need any more carrot than that. Oh and if you can do something like 50v50 battle sizes that would be absolutely wicked.

    Carry on.

  • TheEarlOfZinger #20 1 year ago

    Box art here:

    http://www.battlefieldbadcompany2.com/si...

  • JahB #21 1 year ago

    Of course pc players demand extra care.We pay good money

    you don't seem to realize how much extra work has to be done for a "proper" PC version, and that in many instances, it's just not worth the dev work. yes you pay good money, but the PC slice of the pie is not enough to do more than a console port with an added options menu in most cases.

  • hollowroom #22 1 year ago

    If the PC version of this doesn't have 64+ player maps, I won't be buying it.

    I bought BFBC:2 and enjoyed it for a short while, but it doesn't have anything like the longevity of BF2.

    For me, it's purely because of the chaos of 64 player maps.

  • Ranger101 #23 1 year ago

    ""exponential leap" in destructibility. "

    SWEEEEEEET!

    Fuck you Homeland, Battlefield doesn't have magical wooden cabins that can take rocket explosions big enough to kill 15 men but doesn't scratch the paintwork.

  • TheEarlOfZinger #24 1 year ago

    PC has 64 player maps, confirmed on the battlefield blog. Prone and jets are in too.

  • Whizzo #25 1 year ago

    A properly done PC version of a game will still be getting sales long after this generation of consoles is dead, BF2 is still picking up new sales six years after release.

    I'm sure DICE and EA realise that as this is the next "proper" Battlefield they'll have to make a really good stab at doing the PC version.

  • Ranger101 #26 1 year ago

    @tiny_Eggy - Rubbish! Bad Company 2 is still in the top 10 most played games on the Xbox360.

  • Vlad27145 #27 1 year ago

    @CaptainQuint @TheEarlOfZinger

    It think, or I hope, that you might have misunderstood what he meant there.Work on console will be finished before the work on PC, as these days consoles always get priority being where the big money's at. I'm sure they will do everything possible so that the console versions are the best they can be. When he says "more" care to the PC version, what I think he means is additional care over and above the simple porting process, as it should be. Although not as important as the consoles from an economical point of view, the PC is still an important platform, and it's nice to see some developers still realize this. Especially from my point of view, as a PC gamer. I'm not expecting a totally different game for the PC, as it would have been in the past at this point of the console generations lifespan, as it's simply not economically viable anymore. But the PC does offer more possibilities in terms of features and flexibility, and I do hope that at least the basics are covered. I've already went on about the topic in another thread, but as I get angry at devs when console versions of game are not as good as they could/should be, because all gamers, regardless of platform, deserve to be treated with respect, I would expect the same type of empathy from console gamers when we PCers get shafted. And unfortunately, that doesn't happen very often, as we are simply perceived as snobs... CaptainQuint seeming to be one of those that doesn't really like us much :D

    @Gambit1977

    There are indeed many console gamers which resent the dumbed down content they are fed, fortunately. And it's nice to see you are one of them. The problem is that you are not in the majority. Gaming in general, and not only on consoles, has become mainstream and definitely more casual, it's enough to see the phenomenon that is CoD, which lately is probably the least sophisticated piece of entertainment that has ever been seen, at the same level as the worst crap that Hollywood feeds us. And it's not consoles' fault, but there's no doubt many of these "casuals" are on console, simply because PC is too much too much of a hassle. If they don't have the patience and attention span necessary to play and appreciate the more "hardcore" mechanics of old, they'll definitely not have enough to tinker with their PCs, for a good gaming experience.

    EDIT: Obviously what I said is wrong. The most casuals are on PC, if we intend the whole of them. Facebook "gaming", solitaire "gaming", flash "gaming", "pixel hunt" gaming and all that bunch. I was referring to the "casuals" within the "proper" gaming bunch. I hope I was able to make it clear, I didn't get much sleep tonight so my brain is hurting :D
    Edited by Vlad27145 at 04/02/11 @ 10:05

  • TheEarlOfZinger #28 1 year ago

    In my experience of BF2 and BF2142 on pc (before I moved to PS3)...cheating was...how can I say this...RAMPANT.

    There are negatives and positives to all formats/platforms. I have played both sides of the coin, as it were.
    Edited by TheEarlOfZinger at 04/02/11 @ 10:04

  • gallow #29 1 year ago

    As long the the game automatically kicks COD players I shall be happy.

  • BiffTanner #30 1 year ago

    Dear Dice,

    Bar possibly a smaller player count (which I hope is still larger than the current player count on console) please give us the same experience as the PC players, if the casuals can't understand how some things work in a proper BF game then tough, they can do this thing called learning.

  • hello_fi #31 1 year ago

    Of course pc players demand extra care.We pay a good amount of our parent's money for our PC's that we pirate all our games on.

    Fixed.

  • Vlad27145 #32 1 year ago

    @BiffTanner

    Thank you! That is the message I hope more and more players will send out! Devs these days are convinced that the new stream of gamers that I called "casuals" are way to stupid or too lazy to learn if they're not spoon fed, They may be right unfortunately, but I still think they should give it a try. Pursuing the current path of dumbing down EVERYTHING, more and more, will lead to this industries implosion sooner or later. Trying to change that can't do much harm.

  • mcmonkeyplc #33 1 year ago

    Juicy sexy Battlefield. I love it.

  • JahB #34 1 year ago

    Pursuing the current path of dumbing down EVERYTHING, more and more, will lead to this industries implosion sooner or later.

    uhm, no. this industry has grown insanely ever since the target audience was widened from elitist/nerd niche to everybody. it may lead to a host of substandard games, but the industry will be fine.

  • hollowroom #35 1 year ago

    @TheEarlOfZinger

    That's good to know. I still think that in the six years since BF2 they could have increased this further, but 64 is a good start.

    Also prone and aircraft. Shooting down transport helicopters full of snipers is a hobby of mine.

  • paketep #36 1 year ago

    Fuck you, DICE. You clearly don't understand developing for the PC anymore.

  • geeza2020 #37 1 year ago

    I really hope jets make it into the console versions, as well as higher player counts than 12v12. Just a standard 16v16 would be nice.

  • Vlad27145 #38 1 year ago

    @JahB

    I did specify "sooner or later". I am well aware of the huge growth that the industry has and IS still experiencing thanks to the new breed of gamers. But as with all good things, take them too far and not only they will not benefit you anymore, but they will harm you. And humanity doesn't have a very good track record for knowing when to stop. Of course this is only my opinion, but it is based on precedents, more or less connected. Look at GH. They started out churning more and more and it worked out fine for a whie. Look at what's happening with CoD, with the constant reduction in stimulation of braincells and amplification of bombastic fireworks. It's selling more than ever for now, but more and more people are starting to hate it. In a totally different field, look at Capitalism. I think everyone likes the freedom it gives and the variety of ways it allows you to make money. But then greed comes into play and that freedom becomes a problem, thus the cyclic collapses. And there are many other examples. Of course I could be wrong, but I just don't see it ending well when everything is more and more on rails in games. Eventually it will become too boring even for the "casuals" IMO.

  • TheEarlOfZinger #39 1 year ago

    @hollowroom

    I'm pretty sure it's been capped at 64 because it now includes the latest destruction technology. Guessing anyway.

  • kevwinter #40 1 year ago

    After enjoying the Bad Company games it would be nice to have a proper single player story mode. Playing against bots in BF2 was lame and BF2:MC was rubbish.
    Edited by kevwinter at 04/02/11 @ 10:48

  • Sodding_Gamer #41 1 year ago

    TheEarlOfZinger has a good point.

    YES it will most likely be better on PC. But console owners should have the same treatment really if you think of it. We pay £40 for console games, You can get most PC games for like £30 on release. Sometimes even less than that.

  • tiny_Eggy #42 1 year ago

    @Ranger101 : and yet more people play it on the PC. Even though DICE sold more copies on the consoles.

  • hollowroom #43 1 year ago

    @TheEarlOfZinger

    Yeah possibly.

    64 is a minimum for me, but having the destructible terrain and/or buildings will make it even more chaotic.

    And it's chaos I'm after!

  • AdamAsunder #44 1 year ago

    Hmm, 64 players on the PC version. Does that mean that the console versions will end up with huge maps where you don't see anyone for days?

    I'm glad they've put the ability to go prone in, I thought it was strange that you couldn't do that in BBFC2 and I was told by various people that it would 'break' the game. Not with the ability to spot it wouldn't.

  • carlitoswagon #45 1 year ago

    Here's hoping we all get the full cream version whatever platform.

    What can I say. Battlefield brings out the unity in me.

  • RevanNL #46 1 year ago

    Is it me or is Q4 2011 getting a bit too crowded?

  • TheEarlOfZinger #47 1 year ago

    Dice should scale the maps accordingly. (to player count) As long as there's no long, ridiculous bottlenecks like BFBC2, I'll be happy.

  • Al_Swearengen #48 1 year ago

    This is what I've been waiting for! I enjoyed BF2 although I never truly gelled with it. However I had great fun with Bad Company and continue to enjoy Bad Company 2 to this day.

    For my money, Battlefield multiplayer destroys Call of Duty. Also the Battlefield community - in my experience - is much better to game with than the over-entitled homophobic children that frequent the COD lobbies.

  • polaris70 #49 1 year ago

    I think this game could be the biggest FPS release ever. I don't think anyone is not looking forward to this game. I've never pre-ordered a game, but this will be getting pre-ordered and played from day one. And personally, I don't give a shit what the single-player (if it has one) will be like. This is purely multiplayer heaven.
    Edited by polaris70 at 04/02/11 @ 12:42

  • obihobson #50 1 year ago

    I love BF games, looking forward to this one.. IMO BFBC 2 was the best version yet. Even without the 64 players of BF2 or the wide open maps... All to often on BF2 you ended up miles away from the flashpoints and spent a lot of time just getting to them. In reality most people wont be co operative, but the mechanics of BC2 went a long way to change that...... And the more focused maps kept the illusion of scale whilst creating far more bottlenecks of death....... My dream is something like BC2 with the complexities and depth of BF2,,, I played BF2 on PC and BC2 on 360!!

  • obihobson #51 1 year ago

    Yeah
    Edited by obihobson at 04/02/11 @ 12:44

  • hollowroom #52 1 year ago

    @AdamAsunder

    In BF2, the map scales to the amount of players.

    effectively, you play on a chunk of the whole map.

  • Iain #53 1 year ago

    @tiny_Eggy: well, the thing is that the community on PC has a lot of control over the game after it's been released in terms of customizing (servers, etc) and the glorious ability to run mods. hence they have the better tools to keep the experience fresh and players engaged.
    another thing is that the consoles simply see a lot more releases per year that can take away from existing games. the unpleasant truth being the the piracy on PC has killed off the variety in releases. there are so many great console-exclusives that I wish PC players could experience too.

    final thought: let's hope BF3 realizes its full potential, no matter what system it's on. let everyone enjoy the BF glory!

  • Yodith #54 1 year ago

    I'm very excited about the prospect of a full-blooded PC version. BFBC2 was excellent even with the 'limitations' imposed by console-based developments so I'm very keen to see what DICE's extra care amounts to.

    If they are going to put prone back in, they'll need to look into toning down the Recon class a bit, or perhaps limiting the numbers on a team at a time. All too often games on the larger maps in BFBC2 turned into tedious snipefests as half of both teams went recon and didn't bother to work towards the objective.

  • Ranger101 #55 1 year ago

    I don't think anyone's posted this or noticed it yet... but the box art and maybe even the trailer suggest: NIGHT TIME full scale warefare.

    How AWESOME would that be. Choppers will have to sweep with infra red, soliders with torches and night-vision (blind a player with night-vision on with a torch). Objectives with breakable floodlights. Amazing tracer fire.... NINJAS.

    DO IT.

  • metalangel #56 1 year ago

    Big maps, lots of vehicles, or no sale. Battlefield was never an infantry game like BC2 made it seem, that was just a concession to get all the CoD mouthbreathers to understand that was going on.

  • misho8723 #57 1 year ago

    As good as on consoles? Hello, we PC games are going to get a game that is build on DX11 graphics and we have maps for 64 players, etc... The PC version is going to be easy the one to buy

  • uninspiredcup #58 1 year ago

    "PC gamers that their version of the game will be just as enjoyable as the console versions"

    Implying the pc version wouldn't be as good as the console version? Which wasn't the point at all.
    Wesley Yin-Poole.

  • peppergomez #59 1 year ago

    Oh boy, this could be fun fun fun! BF2 was sweet for its time.

  • kevwinter #60 1 year ago

    @ranger101
    BF2 on pc had a special forces add on pack which had some night maps with Night vision goggles and zip lines. It was awesome.

    Special Forces Trailer
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgiBlt25ce4
    Edited by kevwinter at 06/02/11 @ 21:21

  • king26 #61 1 year ago

    Dont see why 64 players cant play on PS3 just look at MAG