Battlefield 2 preview

Before introducing Battlefield 2 the guys from DICE tried to warn us that their intentions with the sequel was not to change the game’s basic formula. For a dreadful moment one began to fear some sort of half-assed update like the disappointing Battlefield Vietnam, which managed to leech out much of the fun and immediacy of the original Battlefield 1942, while simultaneously reminding everyone how old the graphics engine was. Thankfully though, such concerns proved to be entirely groundless.

Before showing off the game proper though our hosts qualified their comments by saying it was the arcade style action which the team wished to maintain for the sequel, not the stodgy old graphics. Indeed DICE are making a concerted effort to make the game even more user friendly and easy to get into, with what was referred to as a “console style” interface that removed the need to choose servers, sides or anything else if you just wanted to jump into a game and start blasting. Such options would be there for those that wanted it though, as well as an integrated stats and rankings system to allow you to choose the allies and opponents most suited to your level of experience.

Full Spectrum Graphics Engine

All of which was very interesting of course, but what we really wanted to see was the new graphics engine at work. Before the demo started though we were given another warning: that the game was a year away from shipping and so was very much a work in progress. Again it was easy to take this an advance excuse for a dodgy frame rate or unexceptional graphics but the truth was very much the reverse. Although the difference in content between Doom 3 and Battlefield 2 make it largely pointless to draw a comparison between the two, DICE’s creation is already looking on a par with iD’s new masterpiece, if not superior to it.

The streets of what appeared to be a Middle Eastern city were insanely well detailed with every building appeared to be unique, with each one covered with incidental details from posters (some displaying adverts for Battlefield 1942 in Arabic!) to bullet holes and telephone cables. Of course this level of detail extended twofold to the soldiers and vehicles with easily the most realistic portrayal of a human (and a tank) in video game history. These details served a gameplay purpose though, as the contents of a soldier’s backpack accurately reflected what he was holding (ammo, med packs, etc.) and what he could therefore give to other players.

Tanks very much

After the initial gasps of astonishment were over from seeing the game running for the first time, it was time to demonstrate the new “material penetration” system. This works much like the similar set-up in Half-Life where different materials have realistic resistance to bullets, such that cloth and wood is quickly ripped to shreds, walls and corrugated iron provide only limited shelter and only hardened concrete barricades can truly hope to shield you from any kind of concentrated attack. The easiest way to demonstrate this of course was to shoot someone through a thin metal wall, which did indeed provide very little cover at all.

From here it was on to look at the M1 Abrams Tank (Battlefield 2 is, of course, set in the modern day) more closely. It looked almost frighteningly realistic, especially with the shadows of overheads power cables patterned across it, helping it to look fully part of a living 3D world. Indeed, despite the earlier protestations that the game would be a purely arcade based affair, it was made clear that the tank would behave as realistically as possible, with the firing arc being far more accurately modelled, compared to the unrealistically short range in previous games.

Look at my chopper

A nearby pick-up truck and an Anti-Aircraft vehicle looked similarly impressive and it was into the latter that our test soldier clambered, in order to deal with an overhead helicopter (which could be heard long before it was seen thanks to some truly incredible sound mixing). The vehicle comes complete with missiles as well as AA guns and in targeting the helicopter with the former we were shown how DICE were attempting to balance a realistic modern HUD with the simple to play action they craved. Aiming the missiles was as simple as moving the HUD aiming reticule over the chopper until a lock was achieved. This turned out not to work though as the choppers started dropping flares, at which point it was time to do it the old fashioned way with the ack-ack guns. Speaking of guns, DICE seem to have understood that the high-curving arch of tank shells was not only unrealistic but also unrewarding, so they have introduced a more realistic straight-firering arch comparable to the one used in the Forgotten Hope mod for BF1942.

When the helicopter was finally sent back to its maker the player received an instant promotion, providing the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the game’s new communication system. The idea here was to create an interface that allowed you to select a command or statement with a single button press and indeed this seemed to work well with a pseudo-graphic adventure style dialogue box appearing on screen with several options arranged in an oval shape for you to click on. Communication was also show to be context sensitive with additional, more specific comments, being made possible depending on what you were pointing at with your cursor (a tank for example, or a wounded colleague).

Bringing Out the Dead

Speaking of which, the last thing to be shown was the newly revised medic class and the rag doll physics of the person he was trying to heal. Medics now come equipped with cardiac shock machines and, more importantly, earn points for their good work – making the choice of character far more rewarding than has previously been the case. Not that this particular medic was likely to be winning any awards as he seemed to have gone shocker happy, reviving an injured soldier with one jolt and sending him back to la-la land with another.

Of course the chance to do exactly what you want with the game’s huge arsenal of weapons, vehicles and items is all part of the fun and if Battlefield 2 really is a year away, then it’s almost too much to bare thinking about how good the final product will be.