Battlefield 4: Don't alienate fans by "adding crazy features, crazy changes," says DICE
Battlefield 4 lands on PC and current-gen consoles week after next, and what better time than now for VG247's Sam Clay to have a chat with executive producer Patrick Bach regarding the game's development. Video inside.
While the game has many new features coming with it Battlefield 4 is still at its heart, a military shooter but one in which you can rise in the ranks; decide for yourself how to approach encounters; delve into 64 player matches, and watch as Levolution changes the entire area around you.
It all sounds a rather bit ambitious, but it's meant to: while DICE likes to shake things up, it also strives to remain true to the core values it set out with from the first Battlefield developed.
"Since I started at DICE I feel we have the same core values, and of course that is both a good thing and a bad thing," said Bach. We still believe in what we are doing; we still believe that our way of thinking is the right way of thinking when you want to create great, great games."
With the game shipping just a week before its biggest competitor, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Bach also feels that unlike the head-to-head race between Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 last time out - there is no need to "be a winner" as both are, to the point, two very different games.
"It's all about tastes or what you prefer. That being said, there are similarities, and yes you want your game to be the number one shooter of course," he said. "But we also feel everyone's taste is different when it comes to what they feel is number one. Like movies, dining, etc. There's not one thing that is the ultimate best.
"So for us, it's about creating the best Battlefield game that we can ever create. Staying true to our core values; staying true to what we feel is best for the franchise. With Battlefield 3, we set quite a high bar and we know it's hard to beat that especially since BF3 was in development for such a long time.
"There were things we wanted to introduce to the game and to the franchise without disturbing the core of the game - you don't want people to feel alienated by crazy features and crazy changes."
Bach said the majority of the changes in BF4 over BF3 are all under the hood, minus the few tweaks and supplemental changes to make gameplay flow better and more balanced. The main focus this time around has been to make the game more fun to play, deeper, more engaging and more intuitive.
"The biggest changes cannot be seen in trailers or screenshots, but when you pick up the controller - especially with the newer generation consoles. Thanks when you see the changes with BF4," said Bach.
Bach also said the popularity of BF3 is still strong, and people still playing it everyday, it may not seem that two years have passed since a new addition to the franchise was released. However, Bach says the team felt the need to update the game with BF4, make it better, and take a big step forward in technology and gameplay.
Hopefully, all the hard work will pay off come October 29 when Battlefield 4 becomes available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It will also be made available on PS4 November 12 in North America and in Europe on November 29.
The Xbox One version will be release in North America on November 19 and in Europe on November 21.