Battlefield 1943 Video Interview - PCGames
PCGames.de posted a video interview with Battlefield 1943 Producer, Gordon Van Dyke.
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Submit Your BF1943 & BFBC2 Questions Now
If you have a Battlefield 1943 or Bad Company 2 question send us a message on twitter or leave it in the comments.
Thanks for all the questions. Event is over.
Last edited by HaiBai (2009-05-07 20:35:19)
You don't need to post it twice in two different threads.HaiBai wrote:
Submit Your BF1943 & BFBC2 Questions NowIf you have a Battlefield 1943 or Bad Company 2 question send us a message on twitter or leave it in the comments.
Thanks for all the questions. Event is over.
The irony of guns, is that they can save lives.
Some people don't check both. Besides, does it hurt anyone?War Man wrote:
You don't need to post it twice in two different threads.HaiBai wrote:
Submit Your BF1943 & BFBC2 Questions NowIf you have a Battlefield 1943 or Bad Company 2 question send us a message on twitter or leave it in the comments.
Thanks for all the questions. Event is over.
Battlefield 1943 & Bad Company 2 at EA3
EA offered a pre-show glimpse of the E3 titles at the Los Angeles campus today, offering up a wide selection of Wii, Xbox and other game titles for the media to play. It was also an opportunity to show off titles not yet publicly announced, in secret conference rooms that contained blackout curtains and stern looking guards.
The 8 hour event started at 11:30 am today, with media check-in, followed by a special barbecue lunch for the E3 Game Critic Award judges. Once lunch was done, the show began and members of the media were whisked to various gaming stations to jump, shoot, race and create. Special game presentations were given in the Mann’s Chinese theater, a large room with stadium seating and high tech screens. E3 Game Critic Award judges received the red carpet treatment and given the opportunity to play games that EA wanted to be considered for the “Best of E3” nominations.
Matt Leone of 1UP said he had been attending pre-E3 events all week and that EA’s was by the far the biggest. He was waiting for his appointment to see one of EA’s newest games. “It’s a chance to get a sneak peek at some of the titles,” he said.
t was also a chance for some good food and drink. There was food available all day, with fresh brownies, cookies, fruit and snacks available post lunch. At 4:30, the cocktail party kicked off with a mashed potato bar – 5 different types of mashed potatoes and 25 different toppings, all served in martini glasses. A full service bar was also available, along with dinner and music.
Upstairs, on the second floor above the main lobby, the loud sounds of guns, planes and comraderie reverbverated throughout the floor. "I can't believe how loud it is," said one new EA employee. "It's so cool that we get to see the games."
This is the third year the event has been held at EA Los Angeles. Preparations began two months ago and culminated in the set up of 40 consoles and HDTVs and dozens of couches and chairs. EA worked with Tekamaki, a technical services team that handled set up and equipment rentals. Tekamaki is also designing EA’s booth at E3 this year.
“This event really allows us to show off what we have here as far as the location, campus and facilities,” said Tim Sabourin, Facilities Director. “It gives us an opportunity to be at the center of the EA universe for a bit.”
Check out all of the pictures from the Event at EA's Flickr Photo Stream.
Source
EA held an E3 pre-show yesterday called EA3, which we were lucky enough to attend. Included in the many games showcased were Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The event was a great opportunity to meet many of the devs and get some hands-on time with the game.
Unfortunately we can't release any new information just yet, but keep checking back these next couple weeks leading up to E3.
Meanwhile, check out these pictures EA put up on their Flickr.
EA offered a pre-show glimpse of the E3 titles at the Los Angeles campus today, offering up a wide selection of Wii, Xbox and other game titles for the media to play. It was also an opportunity to show off titles not yet publicly announced, in secret conference rooms that contained blackout curtains and stern looking guards.
The 8 hour event started at 11:30 am today, with media check-in, followed by a special barbecue lunch for the E3 Game Critic Award judges. Once lunch was done, the show began and members of the media were whisked to various gaming stations to jump, shoot, race and create. Special game presentations were given in the Mann’s Chinese theater, a large room with stadium seating and high tech screens. E3 Game Critic Award judges received the red carpet treatment and given the opportunity to play games that EA wanted to be considered for the “Best of E3” nominations.
Matt Leone of 1UP said he had been attending pre-E3 events all week and that EA’s was by the far the biggest. He was waiting for his appointment to see one of EA’s newest games. “It’s a chance to get a sneak peek at some of the titles,” he said.
t was also a chance for some good food and drink. There was food available all day, with fresh brownies, cookies, fruit and snacks available post lunch. At 4:30, the cocktail party kicked off with a mashed potato bar – 5 different types of mashed potatoes and 25 different toppings, all served in martini glasses. A full service bar was also available, along with dinner and music.
Upstairs, on the second floor above the main lobby, the loud sounds of guns, planes and comraderie reverbverated throughout the floor. "I can't believe how loud it is," said one new EA employee. "It's so cool that we get to see the games."
This is the third year the event has been held at EA Los Angeles. Preparations began two months ago and culminated in the set up of 40 consoles and HDTVs and dozens of couches and chairs. EA worked with Tekamaki, a technical services team that handled set up and equipment rentals. Tekamaki is also designing EA’s booth at E3 this year.
“This event really allows us to show off what we have here as far as the location, campus and facilities,” said Tim Sabourin, Facilities Director. “It gives us an opportunity to be at the center of the EA universe for a bit.”
Check out all of the pictures from the Event at EA's Flickr Photo Stream.
Source
spidery_yoda you faggit! Why haven't you post this yet?!
Iwo Jima trailer
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/49226.html
Iwo Jima trailer
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/49226.html
Battlefield 1943 Iwo Jima Trailer + 2 New Screenshots
EA released two new Battlefield 1943 screenshots and a trailer for the map Iwo Jima today.
HD 720p Stream | HD Download (41 MB)
Battlefield 1943 Pre-E3 Previews
When you first see Battlefield 1943 you'll likely assume it's a new retail release. But this is a downloadable first-person shooter headed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The 3D game is simply stunning for a digital release. It's light on features compared to a disc game, though: included are three multiplayer maps, recycled from the seven-year old PC game Battlefield 1942. That's all you get, but they should provide plenty thrills for your online multiplayer sessions. Plus, Electronic Arts will be making announcements about downloadable content, soon.
Battlefield 1943 lets players fight alongside either the U.S. Marines or the Imperial Japanese. Up to 24 soldiers can join a game (12 on 12) and the three maps are quite large. Battles will rage across the islands of Wake, Iwo Jima, and Guadalcanal. There are three different classes to choose from in between spawns: scout, infantry, and rifleman. The choice only determines what weapon you start with, and any gun can be picked up once in a game. Battlefield 1943 also lets players climb into vehicles such as tanks and planes to deal out heavy destruction.
This is what an XBLA game looks like in 2009.
The only game mode is Conquest, where players attempt to take control of the enemy's territories. Like your typical game of capture the flag, merely standing near the enemy's flag will initiate an acquisition. Kills also push your team to victory. Players can expect games to last around 15 to 20 minutes.
This will be the first time these World War II Battlefield maps are available on consoles. They're powered by Battlefield: Bad Company's Frostbite, engine, however, bringing all of that game's environmental destruction to these classic arenas. Trees can be shot down and buildings aren't safe hiding places from tanks.
Shooter fans will definitely want to check out this most impressive downloadable effort from DICE. You can return to these Battlefield islands next month.
Team Xbox
After getting some significant hands-on time with Battlefield 1943 (courtesy of EA at its pre-E3 event last week on the EALA campus), it’s become clear that DICE has recaptured that original, seminal game’s feel, while presenting an intriguing new hallmark of what you can expect from a downloaded console game. It’s similar to how Battlefield 1942 spawned a whole new multiplayer gameplay meme with its inclusion of vehicles, classes and other innovations that rival games would mimic for years. They still do.
After getting some significant hands-on time with Battlefield 1943 (courtesy of EA at its pre-E3 event last week on the EALA campus), it’s become clear that DICE has recaptured that original, seminal game’s feel, while presenting an intriguing new hallmark of what you can expect from a downloaded console game. It’s similar to how Battlefield 1942 spawned a whole new multiplayer gameplay meme with its inclusion of vehicles, classes and other innovations that rival games would mimic for years. They still do.
So, the question is, does the impending release of its remake/follow-up/now-gen interpretation signal the turning point for digital media and herald a new age where we can download any kind of game over Xbox Live, even triple-A titles? Maybe, as we’ve all seen complete digital distribution on the horizon for a while now, so its arrival is not surprising. Battlefield 1943 looks like a triple-A title available on Xbox Live. But looks can be slightly deceiving.
HD (1280x720) | SD (640x360)
While Battlefield 1943 has the shine and polish of any game you wouldn’t feel bad dropping 60 bones on, one only needs to take a peek under the hood to see how they’re getting away with putting this thing out on the Xbox Live Arcade platform. When it comes to content, 1943 doesn’t hold a candle to its uglier ancestor. However, the game’s developers have done an impressive job getting as much content in there as possible, while maintaining the “feel” of the original. This may be a truncated version of the classic game, but it’s still much meatier than a demo or a closed beta.
That Zero is a split second too late.
There is only one game mode, but it’s much more satisfying than Team Deathmatch types of to-do’s. Conquest has you capturing different points on an island, which then become spawn points for fallen players as well as vehicles and gun mounts. It’s a familiar type of gameplay, thanks in no small part to the original game. Since there isn’t much good reason to mess with that proven formula, the gamemakers have kept the game pretty much entirely intact when it comes to features of the gameplay. You’ve still got planes and tanks and jeeps, and you still play the game mostly the same way.
The cutbacks come more sharply in the map list. There are only three this time around, concentrating on South Pacific islands that were the backdrop of the conflict between the United States and Japan: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.They are quite large, though, and you’ll have plenty of different experiences fighting across different parts of them. I’m not saying it won’t get old at some point; three maps can only stretch so far. But we understand there are restraints that must be made when releasing something over Xbox Live.
In practice, the game doesn’t suffer too much from only having three player classes. The varying weapon layouts provide a wide enough range of options when it comes to the way you want to play. The Infantry, Rifleman and Scout classifications provide a simple rock-scissors-paper type of metaphor: one guy is good long range, one has more powerful range, etc. Each can do a few things well, so there’s not a lot of need for further specializations, such as sniper or medic.
Everyone can take control of vehicles, too, sometimes more than one at a time, like a guy grabbing the machine gun on the top of a tank while someone else drives and fires the cannon. Battlefield games are meant to be enjoyed with the proper employment of teamwork. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of dudes running around willy nilly.
And that illustrates one of the problems inherent in the original that carries over here. Battlefield 1942 games could often devolve into chaos, because of the size of the map or from a player list overladen with newbs that don’t know how to play with each other. As in the original, Battlefield 1943 will be a lot more fun with some experienced gamers on your team. Otherwise, it’s just a parade of spawning soldiers grabbing vehicles to drive themselves to the front lines, ditching said vehicles, fighting, dying, rinse, repeat.
Destructible environments are another new feature of the game.
Hopefully, gamers have become much more sophisticated, and finding a good match online won’t be too much trouble. [Cue laugh track here.] But seriously, when Battlefield is fun, it’s fun. It’s challenging, too. Flying planes is definitely not easier; in fact, it’s harder to fly an F4U Corsair in this game than it is in the recently released Battlestations: Pacific, and that game is intended to be more realistic. It’s not the only similarity between the two games, but they couldn’t be farther from each other in the way they play.
Even though it’s sort of an abridged remake, the new graphics powered by the Frostbite engine, along with a few new tweaks and additions to the gameplay (the Bomber Shack attack is particularly cool), should give old fans a reason to check this game. Being a ton of fun should be enough for neophytes.
Shacknews
"It's not supposed to be the game that's gonna replace your big games, like Battlefield 2 or 2142," producer Gordon Van Dyke tells me of the upcoming Battlefield 1943. "It's more action-based and it's not as heavily [focused] on the strategy, per se."
Powered by the Frostbite engine--the same technology that was behind last year's destruction-happy Battlefield: Bad Company on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360--the downloadable multiplayer shooter packs remakes of three Battlefield 1942 (PC) maps.
But make no mistake console Battlefield fans, this isn't just Bad Company with three different maps. Even though it uses the same overall technology, the gameplay has been tweaked, focusing more on fast pick up and play action than strategy.
Those that have played Battlefield 1942, you're in for some surprises too. Sure, you may know the maps by heart, but the addition of destructible environments changes things a bit. A fence blocking your progress? Go ahead and knock it down with a blast or two.
And while the diehard Battlefield community has been extremely vocal regarding its opposition to the game's regenerating health, unlimited ammunition and the 24-player limit, there may be good news for those willing to wait for the later PC version.
Though nothing's set in stone, Van Dyke explained that "those are all things that we're taking into consideration" for the PC release. "We know that the PC crowd, they look for some different things in games than maybe somebody on the console."
The later PC release of 1943--the $15 download hits consoles in June and computers in September--is because of the extra development time needed to bring the previously console-only Frostbite technology to the PC and "create a proper PC version of Battlefield 1943 and not a console port," Van Dyke previously stated.
One thing that definitely won't change, however, is the three class limit. And it's doubtful that any changes made to the PC version would come to the console editions.
But what about mod support? Once the Frostbite engine is on PC, does that mean that future games, like Bad Company 2, will hit PC and consoles at the same time? And what's up with the oft-rumored Battlefield 3? Read on to see what Van Dyke had to say.
Shack: There have been some rumblings that the PC edition of Battlefield 1943 could remove the 24-player limit of the console versions along with unlimited ammo and regenerating health. Any truth to that?
Van Dyke: Those are all things that we're taking into consideration. We know that the PC crowd, they look for some different things in games than maybe somebody on the console. So it's definitely something we're thinking about, but we're not gonna restrict one or the other.
Whatever we do come up with, we're gonna try and make sure we maintain the core values of this game that we've worked so hard on and the core gameplay features, but then look at what the PC can support and if it can offer some alternatives and things in that nature.
Shack: How far have you been able to push the player count? Can the Frostbite engine do 64 players on PC?
Van Dyke: Those are questions I can't answer. I mean, right now, we're not in a position where we want to start answering really heavy details about the PC version. That time is gonna come, I mean, we've got plenty of time to go.
Right now, we don't want to say "yes" or "no" to something because we do have that extra development time, and that's where we're going to be able to explore. One we get this [console build] and we put it to bed and we let it to rest then a lot more attention is going to go into exploring those additional things, above and beyond what this one has.
http://www.shackvideo.com/?id=14310
Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.
Shack: You've indicated that more maps could arrive based on player feedback. Any chance that more classes could be added post-release?
Van Dyke: I think we're gonna stick with the three that we've got with this game, because that's the specific formula for this game. It's not supposed to be the game that's gonna replace your big games, like Battlefield 2 or 2142.
We're not looking to really, just, steal those types of games or capture that much attention, but this should be the game that you really want to play, that's kinda quicker to get into, it's more action-based and it's not as heavily [focused] on the strategy, per se.
It's more about the fundamental cores of Battlefield, which is capturing flags, killing the enemy, driving lots of vehicles, or being a soldier and taking out lots of vehicles and feeling like, you know, you're David versus Goliath and I just bested this guy in a tank and you suck, because I'm just on foot, I'm just flesh and blood ...virtually.
Shack: A few of our readers speculate that Battlefield Heroes and 1943 are essenitally the same game, and that the existence of 1943 means that Heroes has failed.
Van Dyke: No. Battlefield Heroes... I wouldn't even call it a casual game. It's a different kind of game that took the elements of Battlefield and made a new flavor out of it. And it hasn't failed, at all.
I mean, it's doing what it's supposed to do, which is [to] be accessible on all levels of computers. Frostbite is not for the weak of heart. I mean, Frostbite is a serious engine. I'm sure people saw at GDC, one of our top programmers, Johan Anderson, did a presentation about DirectX 11 graphics and implementing things like that.
Our guys are thinking really far ahead, and also looking at what's going on currently. Frostbite is a really robust engine, and, for the guys that are really into it, they're gonna get some use out of, you know, their hardcore computers that they spend speccing and posting up those little signatures showing off how their PC rates.
Keep reading for more on the costs of delays, a denial of "evil doctor genius-type guys up at the top of the ivory tower of EA," the "magic five" and some Battlefield 3 talk.
Shack: By the way, I have to really hand it to you for making the most out of that "summer" release window. The console versions are due the first few days of summer with the PC edition...
Van Dyke: ...a few days before summer ends? Yeah. It's still summer. It's still summer. You can complain [but] we said summer 2009. You can play it in September, but it's still summer, technically. And in California, we have Indian Summer, which is even longer.
Shack: With the delayed PC release of 1943 stemming from the desire to properly bring the Frostbite engine to PC, will Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the next Frostbite-powered game, be hitting PC and consoles simultaneously?
Van Dyke: I'm not sure. It depends on the development of the PC version and then the console version.
Nothing's ever done intentionally. I know a whole lot of people think that there's these evil doctor genius-type guys up at the top of the ivory tower of EA going "one million dollars" with their pinky to their lip but it doesn't happen like that.
It's just about resources, it's about planning, it's about timing, it's about unforeseen things coming up that, you know, could affect it and change everything. There's a real ripple effect in game development. It's a very orchestrated event, and if you have one person that's just sick for a day, it could cause a ripple effect for the whole development and change everything.
To delay anything costs so much more money than it would to actually release it, ahead of time. If you ever hear of a game being delayed, it's definitely not this plan to make more money.
Shack: Unless the game is already done and delayed for marketing.
Van Dyke: Right, unless it is done, then yes.
I think the intent is always to try and release them as closely as possible. The thing is, Battlefield games are multiplayer games, so you log on online--the piracy thing isn't an issue like with single-player games. You don't have those type of fears, that's not what we're worried about.
What we're worried about is quality, and we're really trying to focus on that track, and then focus on this engine and really develop and make it really really strong and make it a powerhouse.
Shack: Any chance that we'll see cross-platform play for 1943?
Van Dyke: Definitely not on 1943, and I don't see us going that direction [in the future], but that's not written in stone.
The thing is, if you wanna do cross-platform play, there's too many variables that you have to give and take for both directions. I think with a game like Battlefield, you should focus and make sure that you're delivering it right for that platform and never give up something just for the sake of cross-platform play. I think you gain less from that--that's just me as a developer thinking.
For the Xbox 360, you can get Games for Windows [cross-platform play], but you have to make sure that your 360 controller is compatible [with the PC edition]. We don't want those kinds of restrictions.
As an example, we're gonna go forward and we're just gonna do, like I said, a true PC version [of 1943], so there's not gonna be 360 controller support and things like that.
Shack: Let's say you drop regenerating health from the PC version of 1943. Any chance that option would eventually come to consoles?
Van Dyke: I think we're gonna stick with what we've got for the console version. I don't see us making any changes like that. For one thing, we have to pick up the server costs, we maintain the servers, and we do everything like that.
Whereas in PC-type games, you can make that accessible to the users, and you can let them manage their server. But with this, this is our servers, and to put in those types of options, it just makes a confusing environment for the end user. I think we would definitely leave it as it is for the console version.
http://www.shackvideo.com/?id=14159
Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.
Shack: What about an SDK for mod support in the PC version?
Van Dyke: We're not gonna have one, not for 1943. But that's always something we're looking into.
Shack: A while back, DICE was said to be working on five Battlefield games in the works...
Van Dyke: The magic five [laughter].
I would say that a lot of things have changed since [then], that was when the executive producer was Ben Cousins. Now it's Karl-Magnus Troedsson, so, a lot of things have changed. Karl-Magnus, he is really a huge player, and he's really into Battlefield.
That whole thing about "what's the five, what's the five?"--I would let that go, but just know that he hasn't forgotten the hardcore groups. He played Battlefield 2 adamantly, he loved 2142. He and I used to play late at night at the office after release. I was the producer on the updates for that when it first came out.
He hasn't forgotten them, and I think in the future, the fans that are going "oh what's going on," I think that they'll be happy with a lot of the decisions that take place and go on with DICE in the future, but nothing happens overnight.
Shack: That said, I have to ask, where's Battlefield 3?
Van Dyke: There is no Battlefield 3 [laughter]. That's just a rumor! Where's that PDF? It doesn't exist! [laughter]
[People] just need to be patient and wait. DICE isn't going anywhere. There's going to be more games, and I think that those games are really gonna hit what it is that people are seeking from a Battlefield game in the next generation.
Developed by DICE, Battlefield 1943 hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a $15 download in June, with the PC version following in September.
GameSpot
For most historians, Guadalcanal was a key battle for the Allied forces fighting against the Empire of Japan, not just because of its strategic significance, but also because of its designation as a major turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II. For those who may not be familiar with the franchise, our brief hands-on time with the Guadalcanal map (one of three different maps) in the upcoming download-only release of Battlefield 1943 is like a Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer portrayal of what happened during the pivotal battle. Countless bullets whizz by, massive explosions erupt, and debris constantly flies in your face. You might just say that it's all-around sustained chaos with 23 other players.
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ … rview?hd=1
The development team wants the action to be filled with constant intensity and very few lulls, and it appears that they've taken the lessons learned from previous Battlefield games and combined them with a desire to make the Battlefield series even more accessible than before. In fact, during the first online session, our base was immediately overwhelmed with Japanese troops taking up positions on ridges located just outside of the spawn point. Naturally, this made for a pretty good sniper alley, so our teammates were getting picked off left and right, until one of them managed to jump into a nearby tank and started blasting their position. Unfortunately, that bought us only a few minutes of time to organize and move forward to an enemy camp. We were able to pick off some additional snipers using the rifleman class (there are also scout and infantry classes) just before an enemy tank came strolling down the main road. Whoever was in control of our tank either didn't see the enemy tank in time or was focused on gunning down enemy troops nearby, because the enemy tank blew it to pieces within a few moments.
As previously mentioned, Battlefield 1943 is designed to keep you fighting at all times, so right after we died, we jumped back into the thick of it by choosing the control point closest to an enemy base. We also decided to stick with the rifleman, who is especially useful on this map because you can scale any of the nearby ridges and take up a pretty good sniping position--that is, if you can gain control of it. Shortly after respawning, a faint hum could be heard from up above; a few members of our team had managed to get control of some bombers, which let them fly in formation and drop some heavy-duty bombs right onto the main path. This opened up a nice bit of road for our tank, so we jumped in and took to the machine gun on the back. After mowing down some enemy infantry, we finally made our way to the enemy base, where, to our surprise, the opposing team seemed to be waiting for us. Needless to say, this scenario did not end well at all for us.
Don't stay comfortable in any single position.
The straightforward jump-in approach of Battlefield 1943 should be immediately appealing to those looking for some quick bouts of action, but it also seems like a good jumping-off point if you're not entirely familiar with the concept of a first-person shooter that integrates different types of vehicles, ranging from planes to tanks. Although the support for up to 24 players is great, it seems as if the maps have been designed in such a way that you might not necessarily notice if the maximum amount of players isn't flooding a map, given that the battles seem to be confined to very specific points. And the fact that it's using the same engine that powered Battlefield: Bad Company certainly doesn't hurt. Battlefield 1943 will be available for download for $15 in June.
GameSpot
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ … rview?hd=1
GameTrailers
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/patri … 9?type=wmv
IGN
When you first see Battlefield 1943 you'll likely assume it's a new retail release. But this is a downloadable first-person shooter headed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The 3D game is simply stunning for a digital release. It's light on features compared to a disc game, though: included are three multiplayer maps, recycled from the seven-year old PC game Battlefield 1942. That's all you get, but they should provide plenty thrills for your online multiplayer sessions. Plus, Electronic Arts will be making announcements about downloadable content, soon.
Battlefield 1943 lets players fight alongside either the U.S. Marines or the Imperial Japanese. Up to 24 soldiers can join a game (12 on 12) and the three maps are quite large. Battles will rage across the islands of Wake, Iwo Jima, and Guadalcanal. There are three different classes to choose from in between spawns: scout, infantry, and rifleman. The choice only determines what weapon you start with, and any gun can be picked up once in a game. Battlefield 1943 also lets players climb into vehicles such as tanks and planes to deal out heavy destruction.
This is what an XBLA game looks like in 2009.
The only game mode is Conquest, where players attempt to take control of the enemy's territories. Like your typical game of capture the flag, merely standing near the enemy's flag will initiate an acquisition. Kills also push your team to victory. Players can expect games to last around 15 to 20 minutes.
This will be the first time these World War II Battlefield maps are available on consoles. They're powered by Battlefield: Bad Company's Frostbite, engine, however, bringing all of that game's environmental destruction to these classic arenas. Trees can be shot down and buildings aren't safe hiding places from tanks.
Shooter fans will definitely want to check out this most impressive downloadable effort from DICE. You can return to these Battlefield islands next month.
Team Xbox
After getting some significant hands-on time with Battlefield 1943 (courtesy of EA at its pre-E3 event last week on the EALA campus), it’s become clear that DICE has recaptured that original, seminal game’s feel, while presenting an intriguing new hallmark of what you can expect from a downloaded console game. It’s similar to how Battlefield 1942 spawned a whole new multiplayer gameplay meme with its inclusion of vehicles, classes and other innovations that rival games would mimic for years. They still do.
After getting some significant hands-on time with Battlefield 1943 (courtesy of EA at its pre-E3 event last week on the EALA campus), it’s become clear that DICE has recaptured that original, seminal game’s feel, while presenting an intriguing new hallmark of what you can expect from a downloaded console game. It’s similar to how Battlefield 1942 spawned a whole new multiplayer gameplay meme with its inclusion of vehicles, classes and other innovations that rival games would mimic for years. They still do.
So, the question is, does the impending release of its remake/follow-up/now-gen interpretation signal the turning point for digital media and herald a new age where we can download any kind of game over Xbox Live, even triple-A titles? Maybe, as we’ve all seen complete digital distribution on the horizon for a while now, so its arrival is not surprising. Battlefield 1943 looks like a triple-A title available on Xbox Live. But looks can be slightly deceiving.
HD (1280x720) | SD (640x360)
While Battlefield 1943 has the shine and polish of any game you wouldn’t feel bad dropping 60 bones on, one only needs to take a peek under the hood to see how they’re getting away with putting this thing out on the Xbox Live Arcade platform. When it comes to content, 1943 doesn’t hold a candle to its uglier ancestor. However, the game’s developers have done an impressive job getting as much content in there as possible, while maintaining the “feel” of the original. This may be a truncated version of the classic game, but it’s still much meatier than a demo or a closed beta.
That Zero is a split second too late.
There is only one game mode, but it’s much more satisfying than Team Deathmatch types of to-do’s. Conquest has you capturing different points on an island, which then become spawn points for fallen players as well as vehicles and gun mounts. It’s a familiar type of gameplay, thanks in no small part to the original game. Since there isn’t much good reason to mess with that proven formula, the gamemakers have kept the game pretty much entirely intact when it comes to features of the gameplay. You’ve still got planes and tanks and jeeps, and you still play the game mostly the same way.
The cutbacks come more sharply in the map list. There are only three this time around, concentrating on South Pacific islands that were the backdrop of the conflict between the United States and Japan: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.They are quite large, though, and you’ll have plenty of different experiences fighting across different parts of them. I’m not saying it won’t get old at some point; three maps can only stretch so far. But we understand there are restraints that must be made when releasing something over Xbox Live.
In practice, the game doesn’t suffer too much from only having three player classes. The varying weapon layouts provide a wide enough range of options when it comes to the way you want to play. The Infantry, Rifleman and Scout classifications provide a simple rock-scissors-paper type of metaphor: one guy is good long range, one has more powerful range, etc. Each can do a few things well, so there’s not a lot of need for further specializations, such as sniper or medic.
Everyone can take control of vehicles, too, sometimes more than one at a time, like a guy grabbing the machine gun on the top of a tank while someone else drives and fires the cannon. Battlefield games are meant to be enjoyed with the proper employment of teamwork. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of dudes running around willy nilly.
And that illustrates one of the problems inherent in the original that carries over here. Battlefield 1942 games could often devolve into chaos, because of the size of the map or from a player list overladen with newbs that don’t know how to play with each other. As in the original, Battlefield 1943 will be a lot more fun with some experienced gamers on your team. Otherwise, it’s just a parade of spawning soldiers grabbing vehicles to drive themselves to the front lines, ditching said vehicles, fighting, dying, rinse, repeat.
Destructible environments are another new feature of the game.
Hopefully, gamers have become much more sophisticated, and finding a good match online won’t be too much trouble. [Cue laugh track here.] But seriously, when Battlefield is fun, it’s fun. It’s challenging, too. Flying planes is definitely not easier; in fact, it’s harder to fly an F4U Corsair in this game than it is in the recently released Battlestations: Pacific, and that game is intended to be more realistic. It’s not the only similarity between the two games, but they couldn’t be farther from each other in the way they play.
Even though it’s sort of an abridged remake, the new graphics powered by the Frostbite engine, along with a few new tweaks and additions to the gameplay (the Bomber Shack attack is particularly cool), should give old fans a reason to check this game. Being a ton of fun should be enough for neophytes.
Shacknews
"It's not supposed to be the game that's gonna replace your big games, like Battlefield 2 or 2142," producer Gordon Van Dyke tells me of the upcoming Battlefield 1943. "It's more action-based and it's not as heavily [focused] on the strategy, per se."
Powered by the Frostbite engine--the same technology that was behind last year's destruction-happy Battlefield: Bad Company on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360--the downloadable multiplayer shooter packs remakes of three Battlefield 1942 (PC) maps.
But make no mistake console Battlefield fans, this isn't just Bad Company with three different maps. Even though it uses the same overall technology, the gameplay has been tweaked, focusing more on fast pick up and play action than strategy.
Those that have played Battlefield 1942, you're in for some surprises too. Sure, you may know the maps by heart, but the addition of destructible environments changes things a bit. A fence blocking your progress? Go ahead and knock it down with a blast or two.
And while the diehard Battlefield community has been extremely vocal regarding its opposition to the game's regenerating health, unlimited ammunition and the 24-player limit, there may be good news for those willing to wait for the later PC version.
Though nothing's set in stone, Van Dyke explained that "those are all things that we're taking into consideration" for the PC release. "We know that the PC crowd, they look for some different things in games than maybe somebody on the console."
The later PC release of 1943--the $15 download hits consoles in June and computers in September--is because of the extra development time needed to bring the previously console-only Frostbite technology to the PC and "create a proper PC version of Battlefield 1943 and not a console port," Van Dyke previously stated.
One thing that definitely won't change, however, is the three class limit. And it's doubtful that any changes made to the PC version would come to the console editions.
But what about mod support? Once the Frostbite engine is on PC, does that mean that future games, like Bad Company 2, will hit PC and consoles at the same time? And what's up with the oft-rumored Battlefield 3? Read on to see what Van Dyke had to say.
Shack: There have been some rumblings that the PC edition of Battlefield 1943 could remove the 24-player limit of the console versions along with unlimited ammo and regenerating health. Any truth to that?
Van Dyke: Those are all things that we're taking into consideration. We know that the PC crowd, they look for some different things in games than maybe somebody on the console. So it's definitely something we're thinking about, but we're not gonna restrict one or the other.
Whatever we do come up with, we're gonna try and make sure we maintain the core values of this game that we've worked so hard on and the core gameplay features, but then look at what the PC can support and if it can offer some alternatives and things in that nature.
Shack: How far have you been able to push the player count? Can the Frostbite engine do 64 players on PC?
Van Dyke: Those are questions I can't answer. I mean, right now, we're not in a position where we want to start answering really heavy details about the PC version. That time is gonna come, I mean, we've got plenty of time to go.
Right now, we don't want to say "yes" or "no" to something because we do have that extra development time, and that's where we're going to be able to explore. One we get this [console build] and we put it to bed and we let it to rest then a lot more attention is going to go into exploring those additional things, above and beyond what this one has.
http://www.shackvideo.com/?id=14310
Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.
Shack: You've indicated that more maps could arrive based on player feedback. Any chance that more classes could be added post-release?
Van Dyke: I think we're gonna stick with the three that we've got with this game, because that's the specific formula for this game. It's not supposed to be the game that's gonna replace your big games, like Battlefield 2 or 2142.
We're not looking to really, just, steal those types of games or capture that much attention, but this should be the game that you really want to play, that's kinda quicker to get into, it's more action-based and it's not as heavily [focused] on the strategy, per se.
It's more about the fundamental cores of Battlefield, which is capturing flags, killing the enemy, driving lots of vehicles, or being a soldier and taking out lots of vehicles and feeling like, you know, you're David versus Goliath and I just bested this guy in a tank and you suck, because I'm just on foot, I'm just flesh and blood ...virtually.
Shack: A few of our readers speculate that Battlefield Heroes and 1943 are essenitally the same game, and that the existence of 1943 means that Heroes has failed.
Van Dyke: No. Battlefield Heroes... I wouldn't even call it a casual game. It's a different kind of game that took the elements of Battlefield and made a new flavor out of it. And it hasn't failed, at all.
I mean, it's doing what it's supposed to do, which is [to] be accessible on all levels of computers. Frostbite is not for the weak of heart. I mean, Frostbite is a serious engine. I'm sure people saw at GDC, one of our top programmers, Johan Anderson, did a presentation about DirectX 11 graphics and implementing things like that.
Our guys are thinking really far ahead, and also looking at what's going on currently. Frostbite is a really robust engine, and, for the guys that are really into it, they're gonna get some use out of, you know, their hardcore computers that they spend speccing and posting up those little signatures showing off how their PC rates.
Keep reading for more on the costs of delays, a denial of "evil doctor genius-type guys up at the top of the ivory tower of EA," the "magic five" and some Battlefield 3 talk.
Shack: By the way, I have to really hand it to you for making the most out of that "summer" release window. The console versions are due the first few days of summer with the PC edition...
Van Dyke: ...a few days before summer ends? Yeah. It's still summer. It's still summer. You can complain [but] we said summer 2009. You can play it in September, but it's still summer, technically. And in California, we have Indian Summer, which is even longer.
Shack: With the delayed PC release of 1943 stemming from the desire to properly bring the Frostbite engine to PC, will Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the next Frostbite-powered game, be hitting PC and consoles simultaneously?
Van Dyke: I'm not sure. It depends on the development of the PC version and then the console version.
Nothing's ever done intentionally. I know a whole lot of people think that there's these evil doctor genius-type guys up at the top of the ivory tower of EA going "one million dollars" with their pinky to their lip but it doesn't happen like that.
It's just about resources, it's about planning, it's about timing, it's about unforeseen things coming up that, you know, could affect it and change everything. There's a real ripple effect in game development. It's a very orchestrated event, and if you have one person that's just sick for a day, it could cause a ripple effect for the whole development and change everything.
To delay anything costs so much more money than it would to actually release it, ahead of time. If you ever hear of a game being delayed, it's definitely not this plan to make more money.
Shack: Unless the game is already done and delayed for marketing.
Van Dyke: Right, unless it is done, then yes.
I think the intent is always to try and release them as closely as possible. The thing is, Battlefield games are multiplayer games, so you log on online--the piracy thing isn't an issue like with single-player games. You don't have those type of fears, that's not what we're worried about.
What we're worried about is quality, and we're really trying to focus on that track, and then focus on this engine and really develop and make it really really strong and make it a powerhouse.
Shack: Any chance that we'll see cross-platform play for 1943?
Van Dyke: Definitely not on 1943, and I don't see us going that direction [in the future], but that's not written in stone.
The thing is, if you wanna do cross-platform play, there's too many variables that you have to give and take for both directions. I think with a game like Battlefield, you should focus and make sure that you're delivering it right for that platform and never give up something just for the sake of cross-platform play. I think you gain less from that--that's just me as a developer thinking.
For the Xbox 360, you can get Games for Windows [cross-platform play], but you have to make sure that your 360 controller is compatible [with the PC edition]. We don't want those kinds of restrictions.
As an example, we're gonna go forward and we're just gonna do, like I said, a true PC version [of 1943], so there's not gonna be 360 controller support and things like that.
Shack: Let's say you drop regenerating health from the PC version of 1943. Any chance that option would eventually come to consoles?
Van Dyke: I think we're gonna stick with what we've got for the console version. I don't see us making any changes like that. For one thing, we have to pick up the server costs, we maintain the servers, and we do everything like that.
Whereas in PC-type games, you can make that accessible to the users, and you can let them manage their server. But with this, this is our servers, and to put in those types of options, it just makes a confusing environment for the end user. I think we would definitely leave it as it is for the console version.
http://www.shackvideo.com/?id=14159
Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.
Shack: What about an SDK for mod support in the PC version?
Van Dyke: We're not gonna have one, not for 1943. But that's always something we're looking into.
Shack: A while back, DICE was said to be working on five Battlefield games in the works...
Van Dyke: The magic five [laughter].
I would say that a lot of things have changed since [then], that was when the executive producer was Ben Cousins. Now it's Karl-Magnus Troedsson, so, a lot of things have changed. Karl-Magnus, he is really a huge player, and he's really into Battlefield.
That whole thing about "what's the five, what's the five?"--I would let that go, but just know that he hasn't forgotten the hardcore groups. He played Battlefield 2 adamantly, he loved 2142. He and I used to play late at night at the office after release. I was the producer on the updates for that when it first came out.
He hasn't forgotten them, and I think in the future, the fans that are going "oh what's going on," I think that they'll be happy with a lot of the decisions that take place and go on with DICE in the future, but nothing happens overnight.
Shack: That said, I have to ask, where's Battlefield 3?
Van Dyke: There is no Battlefield 3 [laughter]. That's just a rumor! Where's that PDF? It doesn't exist! [laughter]
[People] just need to be patient and wait. DICE isn't going anywhere. There's going to be more games, and I think that those games are really gonna hit what it is that people are seeking from a Battlefield game in the next generation.
Developed by DICE, Battlefield 1943 hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a $15 download in June, with the PC version following in September.
GameSpot
For most historians, Guadalcanal was a key battle for the Allied forces fighting against the Empire of Japan, not just because of its strategic significance, but also because of its designation as a major turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II. For those who may not be familiar with the franchise, our brief hands-on time with the Guadalcanal map (one of three different maps) in the upcoming download-only release of Battlefield 1943 is like a Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer portrayal of what happened during the pivotal battle. Countless bullets whizz by, massive explosions erupt, and debris constantly flies in your face. You might just say that it's all-around sustained chaos with 23 other players.
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ … rview?hd=1
The development team wants the action to be filled with constant intensity and very few lulls, and it appears that they've taken the lessons learned from previous Battlefield games and combined them with a desire to make the Battlefield series even more accessible than before. In fact, during the first online session, our base was immediately overwhelmed with Japanese troops taking up positions on ridges located just outside of the spawn point. Naturally, this made for a pretty good sniper alley, so our teammates were getting picked off left and right, until one of them managed to jump into a nearby tank and started blasting their position. Unfortunately, that bought us only a few minutes of time to organize and move forward to an enemy camp. We were able to pick off some additional snipers using the rifleman class (there are also scout and infantry classes) just before an enemy tank came strolling down the main road. Whoever was in control of our tank either didn't see the enemy tank in time or was focused on gunning down enemy troops nearby, because the enemy tank blew it to pieces within a few moments.
As previously mentioned, Battlefield 1943 is designed to keep you fighting at all times, so right after we died, we jumped back into the thick of it by choosing the control point closest to an enemy base. We also decided to stick with the rifleman, who is especially useful on this map because you can scale any of the nearby ridges and take up a pretty good sniping position--that is, if you can gain control of it. Shortly after respawning, a faint hum could be heard from up above; a few members of our team had managed to get control of some bombers, which let them fly in formation and drop some heavy-duty bombs right onto the main path. This opened up a nice bit of road for our tank, so we jumped in and took to the machine gun on the back. After mowing down some enemy infantry, we finally made our way to the enemy base, where, to our surprise, the opposing team seemed to be waiting for us. Needless to say, this scenario did not end well at all for us.
Don't stay comfortable in any single position.
The straightforward jump-in approach of Battlefield 1943 should be immediately appealing to those looking for some quick bouts of action, but it also seems like a good jumping-off point if you're not entirely familiar with the concept of a first-person shooter that integrates different types of vehicles, ranging from planes to tanks. Although the support for up to 24 players is great, it seems as if the maps have been designed in such a way that you might not necessarily notice if the maximum amount of players isn't flooding a map, given that the battles seem to be confined to very specific points. And the fact that it's using the same engine that powered Battlefield: Bad Company certainly doesn't hurt. Battlefield 1943 will be available for download for $15 in June.
GameSpot
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ … rview?hd=1
GameTrailers
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/patri … 9?type=wmv
Last edited by HaiBai (2009-05-15 14:13:00)
I'll probably end up getting it for the 360. For $20, it looks like it's going to be worth the money.
I think I'll upgrade my computer first(after it gets fixed) then get the PC version. I can wait until September, I'm actually glad it's that late as it bids me enough time.
The irony of guns, is that they can save lives.
Above post updated with GameTrailers Interview with Patrick Liu.
Battlefield 1943 Coral Sea Announcement Tomorrow?
The Battlefield 1943 Twitter has been dropping hints of something that is coming tomorrow. Recently a picture was posted with a binary string, which reads "Epic Coming Soon!" when decoded. Many people believe the trailer for the 3rd map Guadalcanal will be released tomorrow (Thursday). Others think a 4th map, Coral Sea will be announced.
Update: Looks like the announcement will be happening Friday instead.
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Just got news we can't announce today, but it will happen tomorrow says GvD! So keep guessing and GvD promises another clue soon!
http://tr.im/mzP7 zoom out or zoom in! :-D
about 7 hours ago from twhirl
Thursday is the Epic day! Of Course the Air will be thick and filled with Zero clouds!
11:56 PM May 25th from twhirl
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EA Forums user, Jerkfish figured out a pretty good explanation to the hints. They seem to lean more towards the announcement of a Coral Sea map.
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Zero clouds. Clouds of Zero fighters. Makes sense considering anyone who has played 1942 knows that Coral Sea was designed to be pretty much an air only map. Two unmovable carriers which were the first to endlessly respawn fighters and four small islands with nothing of value on them.
Then today the twitter links to a position on Google maps. It's a random spot in the ocean just north of the Solomon Islands, which just so happens to be where the Battle of Coral Sea took place.
They also posted a link to a political cartoon (http://twitpic.com/6229t) and in it is a cross for the USS Yorktown, which was a ship that ended up being damaged during... you guessed it... the battle of Coral Sea. So yeah. That's my prediction.
Source
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Battlefield 1943 Twitter has been dropping hints of something that is coming tomorrow. Recently a picture was posted with a binary string, which reads "Epic Coming Soon!" when decoded. Many people believe the trailer for the 3rd map Guadalcanal will be released tomorrow (Thursday). Others think a 4th map, Coral Sea will be announced.
Update: Looks like the announcement will be happening Friday instead.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just got news we can't announce today, but it will happen tomorrow says GvD! So keep guessing and GvD promises another clue soon!
http://tr.im/mzP7 zoom out or zoom in! :-D
about 7 hours ago from twhirl
Thursday is the Epic day! Of Course the Air will be thick and filled with Zero clouds!
11:56 PM May 25th from twhirl
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
EA Forums user, Jerkfish figured out a pretty good explanation to the hints. They seem to lean more towards the announcement of a Coral Sea map.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Zero clouds. Clouds of Zero fighters. Makes sense considering anyone who has played 1942 knows that Coral Sea was designed to be pretty much an air only map. Two unmovable carriers which were the first to endlessly respawn fighters and four small islands with nothing of value on them.
Then today the twitter links to a position on Google maps. It's a random spot in the ocean just north of the Solomon Islands, which just so happens to be where the Battle of Coral Sea took place.
They also posted a link to a political cartoon (http://twitpic.com/6229t) and in it is a cross for the USS Yorktown, which was a ship that ended up being damaged during... you guessed it... the battle of Coral Sea. So yeah. That's my prediction.
Source
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Battlefield 1943 Recording Session
We were sent some news today about an article on Music4Games written by Battlefield 1943 audio director, Ben Minto and composer Ian Livingstone. The article talks about the recording of the Battlefield theme and how it was all put together with a live orchestra.
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Battlefield 1943 is an all-new multiplayer game that offers endless hours of 24-player action in popular maps inspired by Battlefield 1942, now updated with the Frostbite engine. The total destructibility afforded by the Frostbite engine ups the ante and leaves players with nowhere to hide.
In Battlefield 1943, intense battles ensue over three classic and tropic locations; Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Gamers play as the U.S. Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy, competing by land, air and sea. Players have the freedom to pick their path in battle - be it as a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting pilot that protects the skies.
The score for the downloadable game features live recording of Joel Eriksson’s original Battlefield 1942 themes arranged and orchestrated by composer Ian Livingstone (Harry Potter, Predator, Company of Heroes, Starlancer). About 15 minutes of music for the menus, release movies and in-game stings was recorded with 55 players at Abbey Road Studios on April 29th, 2009. Ben Minto from DICE/EA, the Audio Director on Battlefield 1943 and composer/arranger/orchestrator Ian Livingstone describe the process in their own words…
Ben Minto - DICE/EA Audio Director, Battlefield 1943
Battlefield 1943, is an Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC download title. It was a quick project, made using DICE’s Frostbite Engine based on three Japanese “Home Islands” maps from the Pacific theatre of WW2. It draws its inspiration from the original Battlefield 1942 game. When I came onto the project it was clear that this was a Battlefield title, set in WW2 on Japanese Islands that felt like Island Paradises.
For in-game action I always prefer the use of digenetic music. In 1943, the only believable source for “in the world” music was the radios in the jeeps. From there you look at the two opposing factions – the U.S. Marine Corps and the Imperial Japanese Navy – what would they be listening to on the radio? Once we had that answer we twisted the truth a bit, to find two styles that were a bit more ambient and laid back and fitted with the whole Island Paradise and “War Doesn’t Have To Be Hell” ideals: traditional Japanese Koto court music (of the era) and Hawaiian Steel Guitars. The project didn’t have a huge budget for music (initially) so I decided to license music from a music library to form the basis of these two “radio” stations – about 10 minutes worth for each faction. And then to take these two styles as the basis for a reworking of the classic Battlefield theme, and have a new, bespoke theme written for each faction.
I'd met with Ian Livingstone some years previously and from knowing his body of work and his skills at rearranging music, he was a perfect choice for the job in hand. The original brief was for two new Battlefield themes, one in the style of Hawaiian "geetar" and one in the traditional Japanese theme, which would fit with the brief/license music selected. The brief expanded to add in a few themed Battlefield stings and also two short news stings (one good news, one bad) reminiscent of the Pathe news idents. Ian did an amazing job and at first the rearrangements were too good, as in they really followed the selected styles, but maybe too much so for the average punter at which point the feedback was, I quote:
The music has to go ITS BATTLEFIELD MUTHERF**KER la la la de dar la la YEAH ITS BATTLEFIELD and last for about 2 ½ mins.
Once we had those themes we made quick edits for the Menu and front end and that was it, job done. Great.
The Battlefield theme is a bit special and is one of the most recognized “Game Themes”. At first I struggled with it, it’s like deciding everything in a house should be pink, it can be too dominant and if it’s not pink it isn’t right. At first I fought against this as I wanted to make a mark on the Battlefield series by introducing new themes and ideas to this classic theme. No matter how good the new music was people always had a soft spot for Joel Eriksson’s original Battlefield 1942 themes, so much so that the Battlefield 1943 producer Patrick Liu and the Executive Producer of the Battlefield franchise had a meeting and discussed how cool it would be to have the original music, but re-recorded with an orchestra. Fortunately by this time I had gone a bit Dr. Strangelove with the theme and saw the value and emotion it gave to the title. It is like a trademark or a logo; you know it’s a Battlefield product once you hear that music and instantly you get all the buy in associated with the entire family of titles. This became a lot more of a mantra as 1943 was positioned a bit like a modern remake of the classic Battlefield 1942 using the Frostbite engine.
Now for such a quick short project, I was initially amazed by the request to have the original theme re-orchestrated and recorded by an orchestra, thankfully having already worked with Ian and knowing his “orchestra” skills it made perfect sense to ask him about the feasibility of this – mostly costs and timescales. With the different budgets for using a range of countries (Moscow, Prague, LA, London etc) I went back to my producers. Which would you rather use? was the question. London (the most expensive-just ) I replied, I’m more comfortable with knowing that Ian would know most of the people we would work with and he has a lot of contacts dealing with that sort of thing; we don’t have to get VISAS, book hotels, have any language barriers." We know that a London studio will sound great (it was either Air or Abbey Road) and that the players will be world class and be able to deliver, as well as having some of the best instruments in the world. Ok, your budget is cleared and you have 3 weeks to deliver. Wow and OMG thoughts in the same split second.
After that, it was mostly over to Ian. Originally the plan was to just re-record the main theme from Battlefield 1942, but the difference in cost between recording 4 minutes and recording 15 minutes was marginal in the grand scheme of things. So we decided to replicate two of Joel’s original pieces (Intro and Vehicle 4), make a new Battlefield 1943 theme and record all the stings and stabs needed for the game. Now the new Battlefield 1943 theme HAD to sound a lot like the original, so that our audience would see this as being the “original” music, and hopefully the majority would hear it as a major re-working and recorded by a full on orchestra – this would be the NEW Battlefield theme that everyone referred back to. It feels to me that Ian approached this a lot like the way in which similar themes have been remixed over the years, The Terminator and Mission Impossible themes for example. Ian’s initial midi mockup of the theme hit the nail squarely in the face and added a lot of balls and sprinkles for good measure. People got goose bumps and a few teary eyes were seen here at DICE when they listened to this first version. We had a winner. This was going to rock.
Ian sorted the studio and everything else. My only task now was to give feedback as needed and be there for the day of recording. I’m a sound designer at heart, and not one of those musicians who do a bit of sound design, I am 100% a sound designer and don’t have a musical bone in my body. The joy for me in working with Ian was that he could interpret my non-music speak gut feelings into proper music speak and work this back into the music. Honest feedback and good communication allowed Ian to turn around new versions very quickly and we knew that we would have anything nailed days before our deadlines.
Abbey Road for me was a great experience; my only previous experience was over 10 years ago working as a ProTools techie when I had to drop off some PCI upgrade cards there. This time I was the client. The team Ian had gathered was amazing, I mean watching a group of 60-ish people all working together in such harmony (literally!) and managing to deliver what was needed straight off the bat was inspiring. If only game development was this smooth; well I suppose they have been doing this for over 400 years and we keep changing the rules every 2 years or so. Abbey Road Studio 2 didn’t overtly scream The Beatles at me; it was more the graffiti being cleaned off the ways and the endless queue of tourists blocking the traffic by crossing over the pedestrian crossing that did. The room sounded great and I spent half my time in the control and the other half in the live room, really feeling those 6 cellos playing together.
One thing about the recording that worked really well was recording it in sections. We had 3 sessions: 1 for the strings, 1 for brass and 1 for snares. This allowed us to get more isolation in the individual tracks, so that down the line we have more options for doing additional mixes whether this be a strings only mix, a 5.1 mix or whatever, we now have the ultimate session so that we can derive any variant on the classic Battlefield theme that we want to. Through planning and forethought, this recording session wasn’t just about getting music for a new Battlefield title, this was about embracing the theme and adding to its legacy for this and the entire Battlefield franchise.
Ian Livingstone – Composer, Arranger & Orchestrator, Battlefield 1943
As a composer it's very refreshing to work with someone else's theme instead of your own - it means you can just have fun experimenting with styles and textures without the usual stress of having to come up with the theme in the first place. On this project we went from a Japanese arrangement with live koto and taiko ensemble, to Hawaiian, to Sousa brass band march, but then went full circle and returned to the full blown orchestral war mix which has become the main theme. I gave it a slight twist from Eriksson's original and went slightly darker with a touch more menace, but didn't stray too far from the original pace or melody.
I'd worked with our conductor Alastair King at Abbey Road previously as part of the orchestration team on the forthcoming Harry Potter movie, so knew exactly what the London orchestras were capable of. It really is a slick, well-oiled machine there and the team we assembled were just awesome; no time for mistakes when you're paying serious amounts of money per hour. Everyone was totally focused on getting the best possible recording of the best possible performance.
The orchestra was amazing - this kind of music isn't easy for them, not because it's particularly virtuosic but because the constant Zimmer-style action gutsy-staccato rhythms need to be so precise in both timing and pitch. The concentration can be so exhausting for the players but they just nailed it effortlessly. Splitting them up into different sections per session (strings + wind morning / brass afternoon / percussion evening) gave us more options for the mix but also let us focus on the performance of each section individually. Every job is different and sometimes you want everyone performing together but for this type of music the layered approach really worked well.
Battlefield 1943 Music Team:
Recorded at Abbey Road Studio 2
Audio Director / Music Supervisor - Ben Minto
Arrangement and Orchestration - Ian Livingstone
Original Battlefield 1942 Theme composed by Joel Eriksson
Conductor - Alastair King
Recording Engineer - Jonathan Allen
Mix Engineer - Dave Moore
Part Preparation - Pete Whitfield & Alastair King
Copyist - Simon Whiteside
Orchestra Contractor - Darrell Alexander Cool Music Ltd
Orchestra Fixer - Gareth Griffiths
ProTools Engineer - Gordon Alexander
Mastering - Simon Gibson at Abbey Road.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We were sent some news today about an article on Music4Games written by Battlefield 1943 audio director, Ben Minto and composer Ian Livingstone. The article talks about the recording of the Battlefield theme and how it was all put together with a live orchestra.
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Battlefield 1943 is an all-new multiplayer game that offers endless hours of 24-player action in popular maps inspired by Battlefield 1942, now updated with the Frostbite engine. The total destructibility afforded by the Frostbite engine ups the ante and leaves players with nowhere to hide.
In Battlefield 1943, intense battles ensue over three classic and tropic locations; Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Gamers play as the U.S. Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy, competing by land, air and sea. Players have the freedom to pick their path in battle - be it as a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting pilot that protects the skies.
The score for the downloadable game features live recording of Joel Eriksson’s original Battlefield 1942 themes arranged and orchestrated by composer Ian Livingstone (Harry Potter, Predator, Company of Heroes, Starlancer). About 15 minutes of music for the menus, release movies and in-game stings was recorded with 55 players at Abbey Road Studios on April 29th, 2009. Ben Minto from DICE/EA, the Audio Director on Battlefield 1943 and composer/arranger/orchestrator Ian Livingstone describe the process in their own words…
Ben Minto - DICE/EA Audio Director, Battlefield 1943
Battlefield 1943, is an Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC download title. It was a quick project, made using DICE’s Frostbite Engine based on three Japanese “Home Islands” maps from the Pacific theatre of WW2. It draws its inspiration from the original Battlefield 1942 game. When I came onto the project it was clear that this was a Battlefield title, set in WW2 on Japanese Islands that felt like Island Paradises.
For in-game action I always prefer the use of digenetic music. In 1943, the only believable source for “in the world” music was the radios in the jeeps. From there you look at the two opposing factions – the U.S. Marine Corps and the Imperial Japanese Navy – what would they be listening to on the radio? Once we had that answer we twisted the truth a bit, to find two styles that were a bit more ambient and laid back and fitted with the whole Island Paradise and “War Doesn’t Have To Be Hell” ideals: traditional Japanese Koto court music (of the era) and Hawaiian Steel Guitars. The project didn’t have a huge budget for music (initially) so I decided to license music from a music library to form the basis of these two “radio” stations – about 10 minutes worth for each faction. And then to take these two styles as the basis for a reworking of the classic Battlefield theme, and have a new, bespoke theme written for each faction.
I'd met with Ian Livingstone some years previously and from knowing his body of work and his skills at rearranging music, he was a perfect choice for the job in hand. The original brief was for two new Battlefield themes, one in the style of Hawaiian "geetar" and one in the traditional Japanese theme, which would fit with the brief/license music selected. The brief expanded to add in a few themed Battlefield stings and also two short news stings (one good news, one bad) reminiscent of the Pathe news idents. Ian did an amazing job and at first the rearrangements were too good, as in they really followed the selected styles, but maybe too much so for the average punter at which point the feedback was, I quote:
The music has to go ITS BATTLEFIELD MUTHERF**KER la la la de dar la la YEAH ITS BATTLEFIELD and last for about 2 ½ mins.
Once we had those themes we made quick edits for the Menu and front end and that was it, job done. Great.
The Battlefield theme is a bit special and is one of the most recognized “Game Themes”. At first I struggled with it, it’s like deciding everything in a house should be pink, it can be too dominant and if it’s not pink it isn’t right. At first I fought against this as I wanted to make a mark on the Battlefield series by introducing new themes and ideas to this classic theme. No matter how good the new music was people always had a soft spot for Joel Eriksson’s original Battlefield 1942 themes, so much so that the Battlefield 1943 producer Patrick Liu and the Executive Producer of the Battlefield franchise had a meeting and discussed how cool it would be to have the original music, but re-recorded with an orchestra. Fortunately by this time I had gone a bit Dr. Strangelove with the theme and saw the value and emotion it gave to the title. It is like a trademark or a logo; you know it’s a Battlefield product once you hear that music and instantly you get all the buy in associated with the entire family of titles. This became a lot more of a mantra as 1943 was positioned a bit like a modern remake of the classic Battlefield 1942 using the Frostbite engine.
Now for such a quick short project, I was initially amazed by the request to have the original theme re-orchestrated and recorded by an orchestra, thankfully having already worked with Ian and knowing his “orchestra” skills it made perfect sense to ask him about the feasibility of this – mostly costs and timescales. With the different budgets for using a range of countries (Moscow, Prague, LA, London etc) I went back to my producers. Which would you rather use? was the question. London (the most expensive-just ) I replied, I’m more comfortable with knowing that Ian would know most of the people we would work with and he has a lot of contacts dealing with that sort of thing; we don’t have to get VISAS, book hotels, have any language barriers." We know that a London studio will sound great (it was either Air or Abbey Road) and that the players will be world class and be able to deliver, as well as having some of the best instruments in the world. Ok, your budget is cleared and you have 3 weeks to deliver. Wow and OMG thoughts in the same split second.
After that, it was mostly over to Ian. Originally the plan was to just re-record the main theme from Battlefield 1942, but the difference in cost between recording 4 minutes and recording 15 minutes was marginal in the grand scheme of things. So we decided to replicate two of Joel’s original pieces (Intro and Vehicle 4), make a new Battlefield 1943 theme and record all the stings and stabs needed for the game. Now the new Battlefield 1943 theme HAD to sound a lot like the original, so that our audience would see this as being the “original” music, and hopefully the majority would hear it as a major re-working and recorded by a full on orchestra – this would be the NEW Battlefield theme that everyone referred back to. It feels to me that Ian approached this a lot like the way in which similar themes have been remixed over the years, The Terminator and Mission Impossible themes for example. Ian’s initial midi mockup of the theme hit the nail squarely in the face and added a lot of balls and sprinkles for good measure. People got goose bumps and a few teary eyes were seen here at DICE when they listened to this first version. We had a winner. This was going to rock.
Ian sorted the studio and everything else. My only task now was to give feedback as needed and be there for the day of recording. I’m a sound designer at heart, and not one of those musicians who do a bit of sound design, I am 100% a sound designer and don’t have a musical bone in my body. The joy for me in working with Ian was that he could interpret my non-music speak gut feelings into proper music speak and work this back into the music. Honest feedback and good communication allowed Ian to turn around new versions very quickly and we knew that we would have anything nailed days before our deadlines.
Abbey Road for me was a great experience; my only previous experience was over 10 years ago working as a ProTools techie when I had to drop off some PCI upgrade cards there. This time I was the client. The team Ian had gathered was amazing, I mean watching a group of 60-ish people all working together in such harmony (literally!) and managing to deliver what was needed straight off the bat was inspiring. If only game development was this smooth; well I suppose they have been doing this for over 400 years and we keep changing the rules every 2 years or so. Abbey Road Studio 2 didn’t overtly scream The Beatles at me; it was more the graffiti being cleaned off the ways and the endless queue of tourists blocking the traffic by crossing over the pedestrian crossing that did. The room sounded great and I spent half my time in the control and the other half in the live room, really feeling those 6 cellos playing together.
One thing about the recording that worked really well was recording it in sections. We had 3 sessions: 1 for the strings, 1 for brass and 1 for snares. This allowed us to get more isolation in the individual tracks, so that down the line we have more options for doing additional mixes whether this be a strings only mix, a 5.1 mix or whatever, we now have the ultimate session so that we can derive any variant on the classic Battlefield theme that we want to. Through planning and forethought, this recording session wasn’t just about getting music for a new Battlefield title, this was about embracing the theme and adding to its legacy for this and the entire Battlefield franchise.
Ian Livingstone – Composer, Arranger & Orchestrator, Battlefield 1943
As a composer it's very refreshing to work with someone else's theme instead of your own - it means you can just have fun experimenting with styles and textures without the usual stress of having to come up with the theme in the first place. On this project we went from a Japanese arrangement with live koto and taiko ensemble, to Hawaiian, to Sousa brass band march, but then went full circle and returned to the full blown orchestral war mix which has become the main theme. I gave it a slight twist from Eriksson's original and went slightly darker with a touch more menace, but didn't stray too far from the original pace or melody.
I'd worked with our conductor Alastair King at Abbey Road previously as part of the orchestration team on the forthcoming Harry Potter movie, so knew exactly what the London orchestras were capable of. It really is a slick, well-oiled machine there and the team we assembled were just awesome; no time for mistakes when you're paying serious amounts of money per hour. Everyone was totally focused on getting the best possible recording of the best possible performance.
The orchestra was amazing - this kind of music isn't easy for them, not because it's particularly virtuosic but because the constant Zimmer-style action gutsy-staccato rhythms need to be so precise in both timing and pitch. The concentration can be so exhausting for the players but they just nailed it effortlessly. Splitting them up into different sections per session (strings + wind morning / brass afternoon / percussion evening) gave us more options for the mix but also let us focus on the performance of each section individually. Every job is different and sometimes you want everyone performing together but for this type of music the layered approach really worked well.
Battlefield 1943 Music Team:
Recorded at Abbey Road Studio 2
Audio Director / Music Supervisor - Ben Minto
Arrangement and Orchestration - Ian Livingstone
Original Battlefield 1942 Theme composed by Joel Eriksson
Conductor - Alastair King
Recording Engineer - Jonathan Allen
Mix Engineer - Dave Moore
Part Preparation - Pete Whitfield & Alastair King
Copyist - Simon Whiteside
Orchestra Contractor - Darrell Alexander Cool Music Ltd
Orchestra Fixer - Gareth Griffiths
ProTools Engineer - Gordon Alexander
Mastering - Simon Gibson at Abbey Road.
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The Iwo trailer shows Japanese aircraft taking off from a carrier?
CorrectPubic wrote:
The Iwo trailer shows Japanese aircraft taking off from a carrier?
The irony of guns, is that they can save lives.
Battlefield 1943 Coral Sea Trailer + Challange
EA released a new trailer today for Battlefield 1943 announcing they will unlock the Coral Sea map after 43 million kills on Xbox live and another 43 million on Playstation network.
Additional info from BF1943 Twitter:
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When a consoles community unlocks it they can play it regardless where the other console is at towards unlocking theirs.
The plan is to release the PC with it unlocked, not so fun when others already have it on console.
To ALL: Yes it is 43 million on each console, so 43 million on Xbox 360 and 43 Million on PS3. Yes there will be a counter on the website.
http://pnmedia.gamespy.com/planetbattle … a.ESRB.flv
HD 720p Stream | HD Download (33.9 MB)
DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio, today announced that Battlefield 1943 will kick off a worldwide community challenge that, when achieved, will reward players by unlocking a fourth map called Coral Sea. The WWII Coral Sea map will be unlocked when the multiplayer community achieves 43M kills on Xbox Live and the same number on PlayStation®Network. When it ships this summer, Battlefield 1943 will include three maps (Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Wake Island) plus this fourth bonus map, all for $15.
Coral Sea is designed to showcase the intense battle in the skies, offering an all-new Air superiority game mode. The legendary WWII action this map provides will have players dog fighting in this airplanes-only map, proving once again DICE delivers on a first class online vehicle warfare experience better than anyone else! Players will be able to track the progress of their respective console communities at the official website.
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EA released a new trailer today for Battlefield 1943 announcing they will unlock the Coral Sea map after 43 million kills on Xbox live and another 43 million on Playstation network.
Additional info from BF1943 Twitter:
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When a consoles community unlocks it they can play it regardless where the other console is at towards unlocking theirs.
The plan is to release the PC with it unlocked, not so fun when others already have it on console.
To ALL: Yes it is 43 million on each console, so 43 million on Xbox 360 and 43 Million on PS3. Yes there will be a counter on the website.
http://pnmedia.gamespy.com/planetbattle … a.ESRB.flv
HD 720p Stream | HD Download (33.9 MB)
DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio, today announced that Battlefield 1943 will kick off a worldwide community challenge that, when achieved, will reward players by unlocking a fourth map called Coral Sea. The WWII Coral Sea map will be unlocked when the multiplayer community achieves 43M kills on Xbox Live and the same number on PlayStation®Network. When it ships this summer, Battlefield 1943 will include three maps (Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Wake Island) plus this fourth bonus map, all for $15.
Coral Sea is designed to showcase the intense battle in the skies, offering an all-new Air superiority game mode. The legendary WWII action this map provides will have players dog fighting in this airplanes-only map, proving once again DICE delivers on a first class online vehicle warfare experience better than anyone else! Players will be able to track the progress of their respective console communities at the official website.
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Last edited by HaiBai (2009-05-31 08:30:53)
I wonder if the person whogets the 43 millionth kill gets some kind of boner
Above post updated with more information.
BF1943 & BFBC2 Banners at E3
Kotaku has some of the first pictures from E3. Among them are some of the BF1943 and BFBC2 banners hanging around the LA Convention Center. The BF1943 banner reads "Free Copies Available Daily* While supplies last. Intersection of West Lobby & Concourse Walkway"
Kotaku has some of the first pictures from E3. Among them are some of the BF1943 and BFBC2 banners hanging around the LA Convention Center. The BF1943 banner reads "Free Copies Available Daily* While supplies last. Intersection of West Lobby & Concourse Walkway"
New Age Battlefield Montage 2
Lolko released a new Battlefield montage video today combining the recently released BF1943 & BFBC2 trailers and a remixed version of the Battlefield theme music.
Lolko released a new Battlefield montage video today combining the recently released BF1943 & BFBC2 trailers and a remixed version of the Battlefield theme music.
Free Copies?!
Why is that im not impressed of 1943? It looks not that good as it should be. They should better work on the remake of BF2...
- JdeFalconr
- Lex Luthor, King of Australia
- +72|6760|Sammamish, WA
I would go for the 360 version (as I'm sure my computer can't handle the PC version) but I'm worried about what they're going to do to it. BattleField has always had such a strategic component to it and I'm afraid they're just going to turn it into a dumbed-down action game for the Xbox Live kiddies.
No kidding. I wonder what useage statistics across all of the current Battlefield games look like. I would guess that BF2 still comes out on top after all this time....it's still getting the most playtime out of all of my games. Despite the bugs and the horrible support from EA it's still one of the best FPS's I've ever played.They should better work on the remake of BF2...
Last edited by JdeFalconr (2009-06-04 16:16:21)
Battlefield 1943 is not coming out this month.
I just read that EA is going to sponsor free servers. You have to apply for them with at least 16 friends, but once you did, you receive one as soon as one becomes available.
Sauce
Sauce
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