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Reflecting on Battlefield 3 and Transitioning to Battlefield 4

Corp II | Battlefield Division

27 July 2013

DoctorKajita [BF 1SA]

Reflecting on Battlefield 3 and Transitioning to Battlefield 4

As the community prepares for the debut of Battlefield 4 (BF4), I think it's important to take a moment to reflect on how Battlefield 3 (BF3) has impacted us-The Art of Warfare (TAW)-and what we should look forward to in the coming months; what we have learned from BF3 and what our expectations for BF4 should be as it relates to how we structure our division, internal matches, training and competition teams.

The Current State of BF3 and the BF3 Division at TAW

Based on how BF3 started almost two years ago, we should expect a huge influx of new members for what will be the BF4 division. As it stands today, we have over 100 active members in BF3, which I consider good, provided this game is on its last legs. With that in mind, we shouldn't be surprised to see at least 200 total active members in the first few weeks of the official spin-up period for BF4.

The appeal of the Battlefield (BF) franchise has always been the emphasis on combined arms, teamwork, strategy, accessibility for all skill types and the innovation behind the game (e.g., graphics, audio, authenticity of weapons and vehicles). These attributes have allowed the franchise to align itself with the steady advances in technology, both from a production and consumer perspective, making the newest iterations the most successful; it's fair to say that the success of BF hinges on its ability to mesh fun with realism.

However, players of BF3 have been extremely critical of that balance, among other (valid) complaints. While it's natural to transfer to another game within TAW due to one's preference and mood, there have been quite a few transfers from the BF3 division specifically due to BF3 being imperfect. Flaws in BF3 are amplified by the fact that players can choose to exploit them, such as playing exclusively as the assault class, because it has the best weapons and the ability to heal or revive damaged or downed players, respectively.

The venerable M16A3, a tryhard's best friend

It should be interesting to see how or if DICE, BF's developer, has addressed the laundry list of issues that plagued BF3 in BF4.

Additionally, one of the toughest challenges for the BF3 division staff is keeping the game relevant, as it crawls to its inevitable death when the BF4 open beta debuts on 24 September 2013. Even though the active membership in BF3 stands at over 100 members, the feeling of exhaustion can be felt, as members have become numb to the mechanics, environments and game modes (but hopefully not each other!). Members still love the game, but simply put, not as much as before. The components that drive a TAW division-internal matches, external scrimmages, training and competition teams-have been affected by the lack of interest.

Again, it should be interesting to see if BF4 will succumb to a similar fate, or if the new features prolong the game, both for casual gamers and TAW gamers. It will depend, of course, if DICE will produce the Battlefield 5 in two years, like they did with BF4. I hope they do and don't at the same time.

New Features in BF4 and How TAW Should Benefit From Them

As we wait with bated breath (October 29, October 29, October 29!!!), let's review some of the key BF4 features that have been advertised or leaked, and see how they can enhance the BF division better than before:

Suppression Effect Limited

Light machine guns (LMGs) will be the only weapon that induces the suppression effect. In BF3, any weapon induced the suppression effect on an enemy player. The role of the LMG in real life is to suppress the enemy. I think we should expect the support class to be used more, and more effectively. The support class should have a more defined role, especially in internal matches, besides being the "ammo guy" or the "C4 guy."

Squad Size Increased

The squad size increased from four to five. In internal matches, one important, but often ignored responsibility of being in a squad is communicating when you die. It allows remaining squadmates know when and if to spawn, revive or play conservative. It's forgotten because in BF3, it's actually quite easy to wipe a squad, it happens very fast. In those instances, you wish you had that one extra squadmate to spawn off of or be revived by.

This subtle increase in squad size should give squads more versatility.

Dynamic Squad Specializations

Squad specializations (or "perks") are dynamically earned through progression in a game, not chosen ahead of time. This should further help define a squad's role in a game. For example, a hard-hitting infantry squad will probably want to go for perks that benefit fast, precise gun battles whereas a tank squad will want to go for perks that benefit the ability to fight other vehicles and repair their own more effectively.

For internal matches in TAW, we make all unlocks available via server settings, to level the playing field, which means even if you haven't earned certain weapons, vehicles and loadouts (including perks) through pub play, they are available to all players. So, it's uncertain how this new feature will be employed, but it will at least encourage better teamwork in pub play.

Water, Reinvented

Combat in water is being expanded and enhanced. It's really not accurate to say BF3 had any sort of naval warfare, unless you consider LAVs moving at a blistering 1 mph through the water, subsequently getting dismantled like by the Frogfoot on Kharg Island (Rush). So, really, I'm just looking forward to having naval warfare added. Additionally, players can now swim fast, dive and deploy pistols and C4 in deep water. In BF3, you were quite literally a sitting duck.

Practice/Tutorial Mode

Practice/tutorial mode is making a comeback. Players can now practice how to shoot, fly or drive without being a liability on a public server. Um, YES!

Commander Mode

Commander mode will allow one player from each team take on the role of commander without taking up an active-player slot in-game. For TAW, this should be very exciting, as we emphasize teamwork and strategy from the top down, with this feature adding another layer on how to game the other team. A platoon leader (PL) or squad leader (SL) should have a lot of fun playing or delegating this role for internal and external matches.

Commander Mode can be accessed through a tablet, like the Apple iPad

Spectator Mode, Battle Recorder and Competitive Play

Spectator mode is confirmed, but "Battle Recorder" is not. It remains to be seen if a recording function will be available for PC. For consoles, it appears that DICE will be leveraging the recorders included in the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Whatever the case is, a spectator mode has been a long-awaited feature amongst TAW members, as the ability to view fellow players provides opportunities for entertainment but also training (e.g., how to approach a certain section of a map, what buttons do what, etc.).

It should be presumed that DICE will allow a server-enabled function to delay the feed to players that choose to spectate and restrict spectating the opposing team's players.

While cheating in games will always be prevalent, the ability to spectate in BF4 should help combat it better than BF3. This feature, especially if combined with a recording feature, should thrust BF4 into the competitive gaming scene. This would be a tremendous opportunity for TAW to pursue, and one that I think has the potential to reshape how TAW structures its competition teams.

The BF4 Spin-Up and Future Division

Horizon Team, a program within Vanguard to help develop divisions better, will form around 1 August 2013 to prepare documentation for the new BF4 division. During this period, drill instructors (DIs) will be trained before 24 September 2013, when the beta starts. Once the beta starts, the spin-up team, led by TexasHillbilly will start recruiting, activate forums and socialize ideas to ensure quality membership. TexasHillbilly has set the goal high and expects to bring in 250 members before becoming a full-fledged division in TAW.

For more information on the Horizon Team program and Vanguard, please visit the respective TAW TeamSpeak channels, contact a TAW staff member or visit the Units page on the TAW website.

The backbone of the BF3 division is the internal matches, dubbed "Battlelines" for BF3 (it will likely be named differently in BF4). We are currently coming up on the 14^th "season" of Battlelines, which most likely will be the last for BF3. I can't speak for other games and divisions within TAW, but the thought that has gone into Battlelines has been nothing short of consistent A-plus effort by all staff and members. There has been controversy, but controversy spurs discussion, and discussion leads to solutions. Every generation of the BF staff has placed great emphasis on creating a fun and innovative structure for the internal matches, led by the field specialist (FS).

The internal match structure is evolving and should continue to be the priority for BF4. It decides how trainings are conducted, how competition teams are organized and how membership is maintained. It prepares members to play against other clans in scrimmages and molds recruits into leaders. With the hopeful improvements being made to BF4 by DICE and ideas being concretized by the current TAW staff, the next BF division should see a lot of success. It has, and always will be, about the members.

What are currently peripheral and dying components of the BF division-training nights, competition team and external scrimmages-should expect to play a bigger role, become more robust and sustainable in BF4. Just because internal matches are the backbone of a TAW division, it doesn't mean that it can function by itself. It is the most sustainable, but the success of it is, and should be, dependent on the other components, and vice versa.

So, as we anticipate the debut of BF4, current TAW members (in and out of the BF3 division), players thinking about joining TAW and players who are in other clans/gaming communities should know that the future BF4 division will be dedicated to creating the best structure for the game and will put its stamp on the community. The BF TAW division has evolved along with the game itself, and the next rendition of BF will highlight what TAW does so well. Everything.

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DoctorKajita [BF 1SA]