Battlefield 3 Producer Talks Attention to DetailThe Battlefield series has a long and proud history stretching back to the original Battlefield 1942, but perhaps no sequel in the franchise's nearly decade-long history has been as acutely anticipated as Battlefield 3. It is actually the eleventh incarnation of the game despite the number on the end, but the real highlight is the Frostbite 2 engine. Bringing unheard of detail to a large shooter setting, it is probably Electronic Arts' best chance at taking some of the marketplace and mind share of the dominant force in the field: Call of Duty. We talked with DICE producer Patrick Bach about the game's phenomenal graphics, the small touches that are true to life and more.
IndustryGamers: Battlefield 3's visual presentation not only looks great, but has major grounding in authentic visuals. Why go so far as to make the uniforms of the characters realistic?
Patrick Bach: I’m glad you say “grounded in authenticity”, because that’s exactly what Battlefield 3 is. We are not trying to create a simulator. But the feeling that what happens in the game is plausible and looks real and authentic is important to us. We have a story tell and want to carry that story across in a unique style and tone grounded in authenticity. Researching authenticity is extremely important for us and it’s impossible to make this stuff up without risking our desired style and tone.
IG: Do you believe that gamers will notice and appreciate the implementation of such visual presentation? Do you work with the companies whose products you represent (such as Crye Precision, Eagle Industries and the like)?
PB: Attention to detail makes a huge difference for the final feel of the whole thing – even if it stays on a sub-conscious level for many players.
IG: What kind of preparation do you undertake when it comes to working on the weapons, tech and vehicles within the game?
PB: When it comes to weapons, we gather as much reference material as possible plus getting a feel for them in real life by taking them to shooting ranges. For weapons handling, we have also worked with military consultants, foremost ex-SAS operator and writer Andy McNab. He has actually been in the motion capture studio with us, showing how to reload specific weapon models, how to move properly between covers, and consulting on the story itself.
IG: Frostbite 2 is making waves in the gaming community, particularly in the modding community after it was revealed that mod tools would not be provided on the PC, at least for some time. Was this intended to be taken as some sort of challenge?
PB: The fact of the matter is, for us to release Frostbite 2 as a moddable tool to the community, we would need to spend a great deal of time making it accessible. It is not our top priority at the moment, since it would take focus away from supporting and updating the actual game itself and Battlelog.
IG: Going back to discussion the hyper-realistic presentation of the game; is there, in your mind, a war going on in the dev community as to who can present the game that does the FPS genre justice? That is to say, is it becoming a necessity to ensure that presentation is authentic down to the type of goggles being worn and optics being used?
PB: I believe different companies have different takes on what they want to do and where they want to take the genre. I don’t see it as a race to be the most realistic shooter – realism, as opposed to grounded in authenticity, is not our end goal with Battlefield 3 and probably never will be. Having said that, with greater graphics capabilities comes a greater need to focus on visual details.
IG: While we could go into discussion on the corporate parlance taking place, how do you guys personally see the state of the FPS arena?
PB: When we set out to do Battlefield 3, we realized that no existing game engines would be able to handle what we wanted them to do. That’s why we built Frostbite 2, and that’s why I think the genre will take a leap forward. On the arena as a whole, I think we are at a very exciting point in time. I think this year will see a huge growth in the total FPS market. I also believe that our free social platform Battlelog will make a huge difference in how people perceive where the game starts and ends. Games, especially FPS titles with their deep persistence and team play are no longer just hard-coded discs. They are transforming into a service.
IG: There is a belief that the overall shooter market can grow, resulting in major titles not taking from each other. Is this possible in today's market, or is it even feasible down the road?
PB: The market can grow and include several titles as long as they complement each other and add quality and value to the players.
IG: Now that we've seen Frostbite 2, what can we really expect from here on out? Are devs going to have to push even further on the visual presentation, or are they going to explore more on the options and game play mechanics?
PB: It’s really down to the product you are building. The Frostbite 2 engine will keep evolving and it will help build other games as well, such as Need for Speed: The Run from Black Box. Visuals are only a part of the game experience, and our engine can do so much more. Again, it is up to what experience you want to achieve.
IG: How big is Battlefield 3? Do you feel restricted by the Xbox 360 9GB DVD format?
PB: It’s massive, what with its single player campaign, separate co-op campaign, and the entire multiplayer mode. But data size wasn’t really a problem, since we simply put it on two discs for the Xbox 360.
IG: Where do you draw your inspiration for the design? Any particular movies or other media that helps to mold Battlefield 3 together?
PB: We’re big movie and TV buffs here at DICE, so we get inspiration from all over the place. One way we are thinking about Battlefield 3 is take the authenticity of Generation Kill and Hurt Locker with the overhanging sense of threat from 24. I’m not saying that’s all Battlefield 3 is but those are three of our many, many sources of inspiration.
IG: Patrick, thank you.
