A screenshot from the highly-anticipated Battlefield 3
By John Gaudiosi
One of the big games of 2011 is preparing to invade PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Battlefield 3 is the latest shooter from acclaimed developer DICE and Electronic Arts. Patrick Liu, producer on Battlefield 3 at DICE, recently showed off new gameplay at the EA Vegas Gameshow. He talks about what’s in store for players when they engage in Battlefield 3 in this exclusive interview.
MTV Geek: What’s it like for you, personally, to be involved in this game, this franchise, especially with the big battle with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this fall?
Patrick Liu: We always set very high expectations for ourselves, just raising the bar with every game that we make. I think that pressure from ourselves, from each other, is actually bigger than anything else. Just to create the next gen Battlefield game, basically. That’s where we gauge ourselves. We focus on creating the best game that we can.
Geek: What were your goals heading into Battlefield 3?
Liu: We always try to innovate certain aspects of the game when we create a new Battlefield game, but I would say that with Battlefield 3 we basically innovated everything. With Frostbite 2, it was just making everything bigger and better, including a totally new rendering engine, new streaming technology for the scale of the maps, a new animation system, more destruction, and the vehicle warfare. We improved the whole package, basically.
Geek: When it comes to developing this game, where have you focused your attention across the three gameplay types?
Liu: Multiplayer has always been the core of the Battlefield franchise. Since Bad Company, we’ve added single-player as a core pillar. Now, with Battlefield 3, we’re adding a whole new component with the franchise, which is co-op. I would say that all of them are very important for us. No matter what you play in the game, we want to offer something that’s best in class and top notch.
Geek: With Medal of Honor, DICE worked on the online and EA LA focused on the campaign. What’s it like to have one studio do the entire Battlefield 3 game?
Liu: It’s a world of difference to work together at one location. The whole game is made at DICE in Stockholm. It’s great having the guys running around, talking to each other. Co-op, for example, is actually based on a lot of the philosophy behind multiplayer. Teamwork is never forced, but we have different gadgets and mechanics that help you work together. Just the co-op and the multiplayer guys talking to each other, what you should be doing, it’s a much more coherent and better product overall. Read More...
