Next Battlefield Game

[Azazel]

From PALGN:

EA to release new Battlefield game
For free. But with ads.

EA have revealed plans to release a brand new entry into the Battlefield series - and it will be free. Battlefield Heroes will be headed by developers DICE, also responsible for the other games in the series.

The game will utilise EA's trademarked 'Play 4 Free' system - basically, users don't have to pay anything, and EA still makes money through in-game advertising and micro transactions. Just what exactly those transactions involve remains to be seen.

As well as the unique business model, helping set Battlefield Heroes apart is a new cartoon theme visual style, which is reinforced by the game being rather accessible to newcomers. Players will be able to customise their character to great detail, and can also build up their character's abilities. Helping out here is the matchmaking system, ensuring players only play other players of roughly equal abilities.

“We put a different twist on this Battlefield game going with the cartoon-style graphics and gameplay,” said Ben Cousins - not the footballer, but the Senior Producer at DICE. “There's something here for all types of players - be it our core Battlefield fans or casual gamers. With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games.”

Battlefield Heroes will be available to download at some time later this year. While there are no screenshots as yet, you can still check out the game's official website here.
http://www.battlefield-heroes.com/


Looks.. not so good.

[Margalis]

I love how the magazine cover has an inset pic of TF2 with the guy looking almost exactly the same except without a helmet.

[Simond]

As well as the unique business model, helping set Battlefield Heroes apart is a new cartoon theme visual style, which is reinforced by the game being rather accessible to newcomers.

Somewhere in EA's Fortress of Evil there's a bar graph showing "Daily Ad Impressions from Battlefield 2100", and on October 10th last year it started dropping.

[Azazel]

I love how the magazine cover has an inset pic of TF2 with the guy looking almost exactly the same except without a helmet.

Yeah, that was something I picked up on as well from their site, even before noticing the TF2 guy there...

[WayAbvPar]

Why the fuck would they cartoon everything up? Arrgh. EA can even make a free game I won't play. Well done, boys.

[schild]

I wanna play it.

[Yegolev]

I'm emailing you a slap.

[schild]

i liek gamez.

[HaemishM]

Shit, I'll play it unless it sucks ass. It's FREE.

[lesion]

Fucking copycatting microtransaction piss-brained dickbaskets. Now I'm gonna shit blood for weeks. Take your thrice-new World War bullshit and cram it up your collective asses, bitchwigs. ablooooorhrargh

[sidereal]

I'll play it unless it sucks ass

I'll bang Carol Channing unless she's old

[hal]

dickbaskets?? really?

[HaemishM]

I played Lineage 2 because it was free (beta). I think it's pretty clearly demonstrated that I'll almost any game once for free.

[Samwise]

I played Lineage 2 because it was free (beta). I think it's pretty clearly demonstrated that I'll almost any game once for free.

Boy, have I got the game for you.

[Yegolev]

Spend some time thinking about what sort of people you will be playing against in BattleFree Heroes.

Ever dance with the Dickbasket in the pale moonlight?

I ask that of all my prey.  I just like the sound of it.

[Nija]

They're going to copy the graphics from TF2 and add vehicles. Hey, look, new game!

Meanwhile, when you hit escape it'll switch to an 800x600 60hz 16bit menu. And they won't copy the fun from TF2, either.


People will still eat this shit up, just like they have all the amazingly bad Battlefield games.

[Mrbloodworth]

I'm not sure i would instantly go the "They are ripping off" route. For one, we don't how long its been in development, and its not like the TF2 style is wholly unique.

Well done, fresh, pleasing to the eyes. Yes. Absolutely original, not even.

[Nebu]

People will still eat this shit up, just like they have all the amazingly bad Battlefield games.

I loved BF1942.  I R DUM 

[NiX]

1942 wasn't that bad. I'm pretty sure he's referring to Vietnam, 2 and 2142. They were all equally shitty.

[Nija]

I loved BF1942.  I R DUM 

The BF1942 demo was better than the actual game.

[LK]

I get the feeling that this game is going to be for kids or something.  I.e. no gibs or blood.

[MrHat]

I get the feeling that this game is going to be for kids or something.  I.e. no gibs or blood.

As long as it's fun and has a mute button, I don't care.

[lamaros]

I still play BF2. It's fun.

[MaceVanHoffen]

I seem to remember all the Battlefields sucking in a well-worn, evenly distributed suckfest.  Wasn't BF1942 the game where Lum was in the beta test, chatting about it over IRC?  TAXI TO VICTORY?!

[squirrel]

I seem to remember all the Battlefields sucking in a well-worn, evenly distributed suckfest.  Wasn't BF1942 the game where Lum was in the beta test, chatting about it over IRC?  TAXI TO VICTORY?!

By the gods no. That was World War II Online.

[MaceVanHoffen]

Ah ok, I found it.  WWII Online, I'd forgotten.  Oh well ... I'm still not playing this new Battlefield game, too many other good games without ingame advertising, yech.

[Azazel]

1942 was great. The Desert Combat TC for 1942 was also great.

The Road To Rome expansion pack for 1942 was ok, but no servers ran it.
The Secret Weapons expansion pack for 1942 had some good things in it (FG-42, BMW Motorcycle with Sidecar) but also some stupid things like jetpacks and clazyplanes so overall it had too much suck. No servers ran it anyway.

Vietnam was not good. The Eve of Destruction (Vietnam) TC for 1942 did it far better.

BF2 was quite decent. Quite good in fact, though short of brilliant.
Special Forces expack for BF2 was ok, but also kind of useless.

2142 was again decent to good, and had a better unlock method then BF2, but somehow didn't hold my attention nearly as well as BF2.

None of the series have had quite the same insta-gib speed of CS, UT or even CoD4. I prefer the slightly slower game, and vehicles (along with ways to take them out).


So yeah, one awesome game. Two good games. One below average game, and several useless expansion packs.

[Azazel]

=======
From PALGN:

Battlefield Heroes not coming to Australia
As we shed a tear.

Only a few days ago, it was revealed that a new Battlefield game was on the way called Battlefield Heroes. Battlefield Heroes is a free to play game which is currently in development at DICE.

Despite our optimism for the game, EA has confirmed to Kotaku that the release of Battlefield Heroes is restricted to Europe and the United States. Considering the game is available to download for free, we’re not too sure how EA will restrict those from other nations from downloading the game, but we’re disappointed anyway.

=======

I'm thinking this is somehow related to the fact that the government here made them release a modified version of 2142 without the ads in it. It probably uses the same kind of spyware technology which is illegal here.

[Calantus]

I wonder if it will still have an obnoxiously bad menu system and matchmaking service?

[Azazel]

Maybe we'll never know.

But good point, they never did finish the fucking multiplayer menus in BF2, and 1942's was terrible even after several patches.

I can't remember much about 2142's.

[WayAbvPar]

I still play BF2. It's fun.

Ditto. At least once a week. I am less than 2000 points from my last two unlocks, dammit.

[Sky]

1942 was great. I loved the slower pace of the game. The game rewarded shooting in controlled bursts from prone and aiming for the head, and at the same time punished bunnytarding and run-n-gun. The planes were jalopies that took a lot of skill to fly but were easily balanced by flak guns...you could even take one out by shooting at the engine with an MG. Wake Island BF1942 was maybe the most visceral game experience I've ever had. RtR was a decent expansion, but the limited tanks were odd. Never played Secret Wars.

I guess I'm alone liking Vietnam. I think it did the populated areas quite well in contrast to the jungles, and having the radios blaring was a cool touch, I played it quite a bit.

BF2 was ok, but I hated the jets (I used to fly for my clan in 1942) and it did treat bunnytardeds much more nicely. Not sure if it was because the game was more mainstream or the production was shoddy/rushed, but there were a lot more exploits (dolphintards). Could've been great, but I was spoiled by clan playing and private servers with 1942, pubbing bothers the shit out of me (TF2 was fun for a week while F13 was playing, no interest in playing anymore, frinstance). First time my fiancee watched me play, some tard knifed me when I was going for a zodiac under the ship...then his buddy revived me, he knifed me, revive, knifed, revive. She was shocked, but it made a pretty good example of how fucking retarded the general internet public is.

Skipped 2142. Fuck your ads.

[HaemishM]

I still play BF2. It's fun.

Yes. I just picked it up at Xmas, and I'm hooked on it, despite quite possibly the worst menu and matchmaking system in existence. Maybe it's the weapon unlock grind... which is being added to TF2, BTW. I do wish they'd shut down the dolphin diving in BF2, but I use it and still enjoy the game and TF2. I've actually played it more than TF2 lately, but I blame that on my addiction to leveling curves fed by MMOG's.

BFH should be fun. Hopefully, they will skullfuck the retards working on the menu system.

[AngryGumball]

I wonder if it will still have an obnoxiously bad menu system and matchmaking service?

bingo bingo, fuck you DICE.

Oh wait Matchmaking, I'm still doing BGs in wow that are 14 versus 9 AB, or 10 versus 4 WSG. No real developer cares about matchmaking its all smoke.

Bloody menu, UI.....*waves hello to UT3 and your big suck to*

[Azazel]

From the official EA site:
http://www.battlefield-heroes.com/dev-blog/hello-heroes

One quick ‘rumor squashing’ comment: A few news sites seem to be reporting that Battlefield Heroes™ will not be available in Australia. This is most certainly not the case. Battlefield Heroes™ is available as a free download from the web, and as such would probably be available even if you connect to the internet via a satellite dish from a small unheated hut on the steppes of Uzbekistan.