‘Did DICE treat pigeons with respect?’ – Your Battlefield 1 questions answered

Battlefield 1 finally launches today, but rather than have another person (me) waste more of your time explaining whether it’s any good (it is), I thought it would be best to answer some of the most burning questions you still have about it. Like whether DICE treats pigeons with respect. Or if you can customise your moustache. Because apparently those are things some of you care about.

So, after asking you earlier this week whether there was anything you still wanted to know about Battlefield 1, I’ve compiled this handy Q&A that hopes to get to the bottom of some of the most pressing concerns.

There’s a mixture of the silly and the serious in here, but hopefully, just hopefully, you’ll come away having learnt a thing or two about DICE’s excellent new shooter. And even if you don’t, I’m sure you’re just dying to find out whether you can apply different camos to the pigeons, aren’t you?

@SameerMonier: How long is each story episode? I’m afraid that the episodes may leave me wanting more from a certain character.

There’s no denying that the single-player campaign is short, but it’s also decently paced, with each episode being long enough to tell its own story without suffering from padding. The only exception, I felt, was Through Mud & Blood, which went on just a tad too long compared to the rest. Here’s how long each War Story took me on Normal difficulty:

Prologue: Storm of Steel – 13:46

1. Through Mud & Blood – 1:14:01
2. Friends In High Places – 50:57
3. Avanti Savoia! – 40:55
4. The Runner – 32:23
5. Nothing Is Written – 41:59

Total: 4:14:01

And if you’re wondering, Friends In High Places was my favourite episode, with Avanti Savoia! coming in a close second.

@ILikeLego: I want to know if I should buy it. I was not impressed with the beta.

It’s difficult to say without knowing what you didn’t like about the beta. If it was the map, don’t worry, there are plenty of excellent maps in the final game, and many of them don’t feel as open/empty as Sinai Desert. After playing the full game, I’m not entirely sure why DICE opted for Sinai Deserti Desert during the beta. I’ve found it to be one of the least interesting maps in the game.

But if it was the core mechanics themselves, well, little has changed for the final game, and if you really didn’t get on with the beta, maybe don’t risk picking it up yet. Titanfall 2 or Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare are both just around the corner, and they may better suit your tastes.

@mahonicles: Having played the beta and thought it felt fairly standard Battlefield, do the other maps make it feel any more distinctive?

As I say in our review summary, Battlefield 1 is more about refinement than revolution. It’s still undeniably Battlefield, but its aesthetic and terrific sense of atmosphere help give it its own identity. Each map is terrifically well crafted to suit the setting, and playing St. Quentin’s Scar in BF1’s new Operations mode looks, sounds and feels exactly as you’d expect from a WWI Battlefield. The decision to focus on intense, smaller scale destruction helps change the flow of the game, too, as buildings and cover points are destroyed throughout the match rather than at one specific moment.

One thing that can take a bit of getting used to compared to recent Battlefields, however, is the weapons themselves. The single shot rifles often take a while to reload, while the semi-automatics can be wildly inaccurate at distance, especially compared to the weapons found in some of the more recent modern/futuristic shooters. It can be slightly frustrating at first – I felt like I was missing a lot of my shots when I first started playing – but after a brief period of readjustment you do get used to it.

@TheAngryBrownie: Is War Stories (unrelated missions) better than a linear campaign like we’re used to?

War Stories works fantastically well for a game like Battlefield, allowing DICE to focus on shorter, tighter episodes to tell a story rather than padding out a larger narrative. Each War Story largely has its own tone and gameplay style, too, and each have clearly been designed to introduce players to the different mechanics found in the game’s multiplayer. Friends In High Places, for example, has you playing a pilot defending the European skies, while Through Mud & Blood is largely focused on tank gameplay. And while you won’t be in floods of tears, they can be quite hard-hitting at times, too. Avanti Savoia! is particularly moving, as an Italian veteran narrates the struggle he faced finding his lost brother to his daughter.

@Mick_Boss: Worth buying for the story mode?

It’s easily Battlefield’s best campaign yet, but that short run-time makes it difficult to recommend solely at full price. If you’re buying it with the intention of playing the multiplayer too, it’s unlikely that you’ll be disappointed by the single-player. But while there are some spectacular set-pieces, it perhaps doesn’t feel as timeless as other shooters like, say, Modern Warfare.

@Azza_360: How’s the sound/music? Have they really captured the atmosphere of WWI?

The audio design is terrific, with explosions ringing out across the battlefield, mortar fire screeching overhead and commanding officers’ whistles signalling an advance. It sounds chaotic, exactly as you’d expect war to be. There have been some creative liberties, as capturing the full essence of World War I would have made for a fairly depressing experience, but the atmosphere, particularly during some of the larger battles, is outstanding. The soundtrack itself is wonderful, too, helping the game deliver those emotional blows during the campaign.

@bort118: How is the level up sound?

Ah, the one element I was a little underwhelmed by. A subtle chime rather than an over the top jingle, Battlefield 1’s level up sound is suitable given the context, but doesn’t quite have the same impact as Battlefield 3’s.

@oathDCR: How is the destruction different from Battlefield 4? To what extent are you able to customise your weapons?

A two-parter! Let’s tackle the destruction first before moving on to the weapons. Destruction in Battlefield 1 is incredible, ditching BF4’s large Levolution events to bring it closer in line with Bad Company 2, allowing players to destroy smaller buildings and deform the terrain dynamically. Not everything can be destroyed – bar a few scrapes, the larger structures can still remain intact – but in truth, the use of destruction is one of Battlefield 1’s greatest strengths, allowing you to witness the transformation of the battlefield across an entire match. Buildings are levelled and craters are formed, developing a sense of immersion that reinforces the game’s terrific sense of atmosphere.

As for weapon customisation, you can unlock new skins via Battlepacks, change the scope magnification, and alter your sights.

@Clintboon83: Do the other game modes feel tacked on like Rush was in Battlefield 4? Any new game modes that you are more interested in this time around?

I wouldn’t say any feel particularly tacked on, and an in all honesty, even Team Deathmatch doesn’t feel too bad this time around. New mode War Pigeons can often feel the most frantic due to its smaller maps and the scramble to capture the pigeon, but Operations is clearly the jewel in Battlefield 1’s crown.

 @SnowyChrisOne: What’s your take on the Operations? They weren’t in the beta but they seem to be generating some hype at the moment?

 I love Operations. The mode is a natural evolution of Conquest and Rush, combining Conquest’s point-capture with Rush’s map-progression to deliver an exhilarating, chaotic game mode. Maps are outstanding and the sense of war is second to none, with the scale and atmosphere being truly terrific, particularly when you see an airship crash land for the first time.

That said, I’m not quite convinced it’s the second coming of multiplayer that some would have you believe, and while it has a great chance of becoming your game mode of choice, it’s probably best to keep your expectations in check. It isn’t much more than a combination of two existing game modes, after all.

@geronimo_73: There is a Hardcore multiplayer mode? There is friendly fire for that?

Hardcore is “coming soon”, according to the game’s menu screen, although there’s no indication as to how ‘soon’ that may be.

@Drewfox81: Are you playing it on PS4? If so have you experienced any of the issues with the dynamic resolution I’m  seeing mentioned on Twitter?

I’ve been playing both the Xbox One and PS4 versions (and on a standard PS4 I should add, not PS4 Pro). While I haven’t noticed it to any significant degree (certainly not to the extreme 160×90 extent that’s been reported), I’m fairly convinced I spotted dynamic resolution coming into play during a 64-player Operations map. A disappointment considering the framerate often struggles to keep up, too…

@blckknight61: Is the framerate dog s***?

The PS4 version seems to hold up to the 60fps target during the single-player, but can occasionally suffer during the multiplayer, particularly on some of the larger maps. Sadly, I don’t have access to tools that can give us an accurate measurement, but when the action gets a bit too intense, the framerate can dip pretty substantially, possibly, I’d say, as low as the 30-40fps mark.

@TheMrCheesecake: Where are the jet packs?

Okay, DICE may have taken some creative liberties, but it hasn’t pushed it that far.

@benshirtfriends: Do you get to play as Germans or is it entirely about playing as the Allies?

You can only play as the Germans during the multiplayer. The single-player campaign is limited to five short stories based around the Allied forces.

 @StriderMeow: Can you do any cartwheels to surprise the enemy?

Er, no. Was this a thing in World War I?

@neonhyperbeam: Is there any additional depth to the melee combat?

If there is, I can’t say I’ve particularly noticed it. If you’ve played previous Battlefields you’ll know exactly what to expect: sneak up behind someone for an instant kill, or mash the melee button to jab at them when approaching from any other direction.

@mweis100: How are the horse physics?

Don’t tell anyone, but I’d secretly been hoping to tell you some ridiculous scenarios about horses getting stuck in tanks or randomly soaring off into the sky. But sadly (thankfully) the horse physics seem to work just fine.

@kee1haul: What expansions are planned?

Four premium expansions are in development along with a free ‘Giant’s Shadow’ map in December set during the Battle of the Selle. The first premium expansion, ‘They Shall Not Pass’, is due to arrive in March. You should expect 16 new maps (plus Giant’s Shadow) in total, along with additional armies, new Operations and game modes, new vehicles, new Elite classes and 20 new weapons.

@DeathReveals: Can you pick a custom moustache?

Sadly not, although this is clearly one of the game’s greatest oversights.

@ilikesomegames: What are your loadout recommendations for multiplayer?

I’ve mostly been switching between the Medic and Scout classes, largely because of their longer range weaponry. I’m a particularly big fan of the Medic’s Mondragon Storm rifle.

@ODDERZinnit: Will I spend five minutes running from spawn to objective every match?

It depends on the game mode you’re playing, but overall I’ve found objectives to be a little closer to base spawns than in previous Battlefields.

@Yaqza81: I only want to know what you think about pigeon representation in BF1. Is it accurate? Did devs treat them with respect?

I admire your need to know about how well our feathered friends have been treated, but don’t panic: on a scale of 1-10 I’d give DICE’s treatment of pigeons a solid 8/10. There’s even an entire sequence dedicated to one of them in the single-player campaign, where players soar through the skies of France as a pigeon to deliver a life-saving message back to base. It’s an unusual sequence, but it does well to highlight the importance pigeons played in the war.

In the multiplayer, meanwhile, there’s an entire mode dedicated to pigeons, and while you don’t get to play as one here, you do spend your time scrambling to secure some before releasing them back to base. If you’re on the opposing team, though, you do have the unfortunate task of shooting them down.

@PIxelGamerUK: What pigeon camo can I add?

You lot really like the pigeons, don’t you? Sadly, there’s no way to customise your pigeon.

@lucimon97: Is it any good?

Well this is awkward. I thought you already knew the answer to that. Fortunately, I’ve come prepared with this handy video review…

Thank you to everyone who sent in their questions (yes, even the jet pack guy). Hopefully this answers most of the things you’d like to know about Battlefield 1, but if not, send me a tweet and I’ll do my best to answer.

And if you’d like to see more review Q&As just like this one for future games, please let us know by sending a tweet to @VideoGamerCom.