05 July 2013

DICE discusses dynamic map events in Battlefield 4, new screens

 
The developer talked about dynamic events which can happen randomly on any map.

DICE multiplayer producer Aleksander Grøndal talked about the dynamic events which are all over each map. One example was when an entire skycraper collapsed during the multiplayer E3 stage demo of the shooter.

Grøndal was asked if DICE has been toying with the idea of dynamic events for a while:“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.”

This dynamic toolbox of changing visibility and the need for adapting strategies will require players to change their play-style to meet certain situations, according to the developer.