Battlefield 4: DICE discusses 'toolbox' of subtle dynamic map events

Battlefield 4 developer DICE wowed onlookers at E3 last month with its multiplayer stage demo, in which a battle in Shanghai caused an entire skyscraper to collapse. The game's multiplayer producer Aleksander Grøndal has said in a new interview that there are dynamic events all over each map, they're just more subtle than a whole building collapsing.

Speaking with AusGamer, Grøndal was asked if DICE has been toying with the idea of dynamic events for a while, to which he replied, "Absolutely. It’s been on the cards the whole time. That whole skyscraper event is an evolution of the concept. The idea was to add big and small events that dynamically change the battlefield, so it will feel different every time you play it."

"So here on Siege of Shanghai, you have the destruction of the skyscraper that creates a whole new gameplay area for you guys to play around in. It also throws up a lot of dust into the air, so then the whole visual look and feel of the map changes, and the viewing distance also changes a lot, so you need to be in closer -- if you’re in the helicopter, for instance: you need to be in closer to see targets and engage."

"The same thing goes for smaller things that we have. If there’s a parked car, and you bump into it, the car alarm might go off. Or when there’s a fire, the sprinklers in the roof might turn on, then there’s water around you, and you get camera effects based on that.

"If you shoot a fire extinguisher, that creates a temporary smoke cloud. All of these small things allow you to use the environment to your advantage. So it’s a toolbox, and you can do what you want with them, but our goal is to get the feeling that it’s a more dynamic environment."

In the end, Grøndal stated that this dynamic toolbox of changing visibility and the need for constantly adapting strategies will require players to change up their play-style to meet certain situations. It sounds like it's going to be a real test of skill.

What do you think of Battlefield 4's dynamic events? Let us know below.