BC2 UK Forum: Accessorize It: Finding the Perfect Setup to Fit Your Playstyle

In this episode of “Inside DICE”, Core Gameplay Designer Alan Kertz returns with an in-depth look at how we balance and rebalance the game after launch. He will also help you realize some of the most significant changes in how the different accessories in Battlefield 3™ are tweaked in the latest patch – and how you can experiment to find a new and perfect setup to fit your personal playstyle.

http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Close-Quarters2.jpgSeek and destroy on the Donya Fortress map from the upcoming Close Quarters expansion pack.

Battlefield™ is a big game. Balancing a game as diverse as Battlefield 3 requires constant attention, multiple iterations, and both a detailed approach as well as a broad vision. To start, we begin with the broad vision: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Tank, Jet, Infantry, Boat, Helicopter. At the heart of “Battlefield Balance” is the idea that no single soldier can be all powerful. We believe this makes the choices presented in Battlefield more interesting, as the player is not simply advancing an ever steeper power curve, but rather the player is consistently presented with new choices. The choices a player makes, whether before spawn, at spawn, or when playing will determine which role he plays and what abilities he possesses.No silver bulletsFor example, on a vehicle level a jet can destroy a tank, but an AA vehicle can destroy a jet, but the tank can destroy the AA. Only through teamwork can the tank be protected from the AA and the AA protected from another tank. Each of the vehicles is powerful within its role, but no one vehicle can master everything. Teamwork though, trumps all. The attack helicopter is a great example of a situation where two players, cooperating in the same vehicle can greatly increase the power of the vehicle. With a gunner and a pilot the attack helicopter can engage both ground vehicles and infantry, as well as defend itsellalalaainst other helicopters. However, even the attack helicopter is vulnerable to the jet, or an AA vehicle, or even infantry with a SAM launcher. It is when players find all powerful combinations that we need to do a balance update.Battlefield 3 made some major additions to game balance: vehicle disable, suppression, and deeper weapon customization all have a major impact on how Battlefield 3 is balanced. Suppression is an addition generally unique to Battlefield, as we felt that shooters really didn’t represent the unnerving fear that comes from being truly shot at in an authentic way. Suppression allowed us to better represent this psychological effect of being shot, while also adding to the gameplay. Being able to pin down and suppress a player so he cannot accurately return fire opens up new tactics and strategies for dealing with threats. A player with an SMG might not be able to put effective lethal fire on a sniper, but he can put enough rounds near the sniper to suppress him and get into cover.A Delicate Balancing ActOf course all of this is a delicate balancing act, and based on community feedback in the last update we made some tweaks to how suppression is calculated. We increased the size of the suppression sphere (bullets going through or impacting in this sphere cause suppression) in order to allow better suppression of targets in windows or behind some kinds of cover. Previously players would have to shoot over the cover, and this change allows the bullets that hit the cover to provide some suppressive effect. Of course, the closer a bullet passes to the player the more suppression he receives, and some tweaks were made to how close a bullet must be to fully suppress. I’m generally happy with the larger sphere, as it makes suppression clearer (and was a small adjustment), though community sentiment is clear that while divided a significant number of players dislike the changes made to suppression. We look forward to continued community feedback on how these changes are affecting Battlefield 3. Based on that feedback we may make additional adjustments in the future.Finding the Perfect Accessory Combo for YOUFor weapon customization, we did an in-depth analysis of how players were customizing their weapons and found that players, especially high level players who have many unlocks, were generally gravitating to a single combo: Foregrip and Suppressor. When we see many players gravitating towards a single setup, as game designers we can conclude that the other choices are not interesting enough to give players reason to try them out. We want players to experience the width of the game, and for this reason we concluded it was time to make a change. I think it’s been an overall improvement for the game. There’s some confusion that comes when a system wide change comes, as players find their go to combo suddenly is not as good as it was. It’s time to try out some new combinations! Which playstyle do you want to go for below?Continued in next post below do to image limit.

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