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We’ve all seen the stunning infantry animations shown in Battlefield 3’s single-player footage, but DICE has revealed that some of the Frostbite 2 engine’s features will be modified for the multiplayer component of the anticipated shooter.
Speaking in Edge issue 230, DICE lead multiplayer designer Lars Gustavsson detailed that Battlefield 3’s multiplayer infantry animations are not the same as we’ve seen running in single-player footage, but are instead finely tuned for more responsive competitive play.
“In multiplayer, we do an additional pass for animation. In single player you don’t mind if a guard up on a balcony does a Hollywood death – stumbling around a bit before falling over.”
Don’t people want ‘Hollywood’ deaths in multiplayer, then? “In multiplayer it needs to be a one-to-one correlation between action and result,” says Gustavsson.
This means infantry units won’t have the same kind of animated flourishes in Battlefield 3’s multiplayer as they do in the single-player campaign.
Gustavsson says this is done to ensure the best multiplayer experience. “We’re more than willing to make differences to deliver the best experience in [single and multiplayer]”.
Speaking about the strains on the differing requirements of the Frostbite 2 engine for Battlefield 3 single and multiplayer, Gustavsson said: “Singleplayer and multiplayer both have their own needs, but in the end I feel it’s utterly important that it feels like the same game.”
“There’s no better way of proving your single player run-and-gun experience than seeing what it feels like against a live human opponent.”
VideoGamer.com went hands-on with the Operation Metro map in its E3 2011 Battlefield 3 preview.
Battlefield 3 will be released for PC, Xbox 360, and PC on October 28.
