Games Fusion talks to DICE Studios about their forth coming first person shooter title and sequel, Battlefield 2. Various people at DICE took the opportunity to answer our questions, including Sean Decker (Exec. Producer), Lars Gustavsson (Producer), Linus Josephson (Assoc. Producer), Torbjorn Laedre and Torbjorn Soderman (Lead Rendering Programmers). The interview takes an in-depth look at some of the features of Battlefield 2, as well as looks at how the genre will develop in the future.
Q. What will the new game engine bring to Battlefield 2? And what features have you implemented to bring the game up to date with other competing titles?
A. To achieve our goals and expectations for Battlefield 2 we had to raise the bar for visual quality several notches from our previous titles. The new rendering engine, developed from scratch for BF2, is completely shader driven, and is written to utilize the full potential of next-generation graphics hardware. One of the major improvements over the first Battlefield installment is that in the new rendering engine, every pixel you see on screen is dynamically lit and shadowed from multiple light sources. To make lighting in the world of Battlefield both compelling and convincing to the player, and still retain the frame rate required to enjoy the playing experience, we've had to develop several new techniques to compose the end result you see on screen. We've developed techniques that allow us to combine global illumination and hemispherical lighting with per-pixel normal mapping, and we further expanded this by using a new, more realistic looking approach to applying normal maps. Lighting and shadowing such an expansive and dynamical world as Battlefield also meant that we had to come up with new hybrid shadowing techniques which realistically integrate the players into the world. All of these new features allow artists and designers alike to put an enormous amount of detail into the game world, both in terms of per-pixel visual detail, and dynamic, interactive game environments. In the end, this makes for a rich and visually pleasing environment for the players to interact with.
Q. What research have you had to do to deliver realistic depictions of modern day weaponry in the game? Have you involved the US military at all in the development of the game?
A. We have made extensive research in modern weapons systems, vehicles, uniforms and other available, equipment of today’s fighting forces. Not only the US military. Many of us have served in the army and we even have an ex US-army captain employed on the project. But, mind you, this is an action game. We want to deliver a game that looks extremely real but is easy to learn and fun to play. We will carefully retain the “feeling” of Battlefield when we take the step into the 21st century. The biggest challenge when making the transition to modern war is to also retain the skill element in every weapon. Many modern weapons are all about being far, far away from you enemy, and letting the weapon itself do all the work. We will not allow for this, but carefully make sure there is skill involved in every kill.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about the weaponry available in the game? Can we expect to see futuristic weaponry, such as the OICW Assault Rifle?
A. Our approach is to use equipment that are actually fielded, or just about to become fielded by armies.. You can expect to see many common weapons used today such as M16’s, M249 machineguns, Kalashnikovs, Miniguns, .50 calibre machineguns and so on. And then you can expect to see some of the next generation hardware. I will leave what they will be as a surprise, but if you watch something like the Discovery Channel, you will get an idea of what I’m talking about.
Q. Can you name a few of the vehicles that will be available in the game? What planes, helicopters, boats and tanks will be at the disposal of the player?
A. You can expect both current and near-future vehicles, found in use today in the US Marine Corps, Chinese and modern Middle-Eastern Armies. Battlefield has always being about Land, Sea and Air and we will continue to provide a fun experience in all of the those areas.
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Q. Will the flight physics remain similar to Battlefield: Vietnam or will you be making dramatic changes to provide a more realistic experience to the player?
A. Well, the “style” that was set in BF1942 will be retained. That style was carried over to Vietnam, and will be carried over to Modern Warfare. What will happen though is that we develop the style adding new features that fit with modern day flying. For instance, our jets will have afterburner that you can use to get a speed burst for a short time. Very useful when you need to get out of trouble. And our aircraft will have functioning head-up displays that tell you about your flying and about your targets. I also want to say that dog-fighting in Modern Warfare will not be about selecting radar blips on a screen and watch them go out. This will be more like the dog-fighting sequences in Top Gun, where you try to get a lock on your enemy and deploy counter measures to avoid incoming heat seeking missiles.