Shooters!
Battlefield 3 - Caspian Border Analysis by the golden voice
Hello again Battlefield fans! The battlefield expands…this time to the Caspian Borders by the shores of the Caspian Sea – the world’s largest enclosed body of water and an area which connects the borders of Russia to the north, Iran to the south and the territories of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to the west and east. It is an area of huge economic significance after the construction of a major oil pipeline in 2005 making the Caspian Border region one of the world’s most lucrative regions of natural resources.
The first thing we see is a huge communications tower looming over the map, and a platform is visible on the lower reaches, surely a suitable location for snipers to set up shop to cover the bridge approaches from a high vantage point. Though this comes with the added risk of silhouetting and with the addition of sniper scopes reflecting sunlight this nest is likely to be somewhat of a double edged sword.
The viewpoint shifts, giving us a glimpse of a firefight taking place in shallow water. The player is using an AK-74 fitted with a PKA Variant sight and a PEQ-2 or PEQ-4 IR Laser. We can also see that there are 5 control points on the map and the closest point – “C” – is the Forest.
We’re then shifted into the driving seat of an open-air BPM-97 which swerves to the left just in time as a T-90 is destroyed by an FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile. We see here that the “A” capture point is the Gas Station. For a split second we are shown a player advancing with his squad, carrying a SCAR-H fitted with a Trijicon Reflex Sight.
The player stabs his opponent in the heart and pulls the dogtags from his neck as he falls...
DICE have revamped the melee animations this time around and the kill we see next showcases one of the multiple animations that will be in the final game. The player stabs his opponent in the heart and pulls the dogtags from his neck as he falls. Tango down…
We’re then treated to our first brief glimpse of Jets in action over the battlefield. The player is flying an F/A-18E Super Hornet engaging two SU-35BM Flanker E’s.
After the Battlefield logo, we’re shown a squad of vehicles moving forward to engage the enemy. The player is driving a Growler ITV accompanied by other Growlers supported by an LAV-25 and an M1A2 Abrams battle tank.
We’re then shown the Russian forces heading to meet the USMC forces with Armor Piercing Shells loaded which might indicate the possibility to switch between different ammunition types in armored vehicles. The T-90 is flanked on the right side by a 9K22 Tunguska anti-aircraft vehicle and an Mi-28 Havoc helicopter flies past, close to the ground.
Next, some jet-on-jet dogfighting with two Hornets locked in combat with Flankers around the communications tower. It appears that the Jets are able to pass through the wires around the tower without any effect. Whether this is intentional or due to this being footage from the Alpha is not known at this stage.
Jets will make a big difference to the outcome of the Caspian Border battlefield...
Quickly we’re back to the ground war, following the movements of a player seemingly using an RPK fitted with a Reflex sight and an AN/PEQ2A laser sight. Above, an Mi-28 Havoc flies in to provide close air support.
At this point there are a couple of minor details which may have escaped players attention. It is here that we see the first example of the lens glare created by sunlight reflecting off an enemy’s scope, revealing their position. If you look carefully you can see it near the centre of the player’s screen as he is firing at his opponents.
It is also interesting to note that the kill feed shows “SkummGummi” killing RNK with a headshot from an M16A3, a weapon which was not including in the recently released Battlefield 3 multiplayer fact sheet. It’s inclusion however, has been confirmed by Alan Kertz, senior gameplay designer at DICE. The key difference between the M16A3 and the M16A4 is the fire rate. The A3 fires is capable of firing in semi and full automatic whilst the A4 is fired in either semi automatic or three round bursts. We are then shown another Mi-28 Havoc firing heavily at the enemy from a third person perspective.
Back on the ground, three US Marines attempt to assault capture point “A” and meet heavy resistance. One marine can be seen carrying an AT-4, indicating he is playing as an Engineer. The Mi-28 Havoc flies in to attack the advancing Marines, pouring fire down using “White Hot” thermal imagining to identify targets. “Cannon Rounds” are shown in the lower center of the screen, now showing you a precise ammo count when occupying the gunner position in a helicopter. The view then switches back to a Marine after the Havoc completes its first run before showing us the perspective of an F/A-18 fighter jet locking onto the Havoc and shooting it down with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.
Vehicles really are a vital part of the Caspian Border battlefield, crucial to the success of either side.
Vehicles really are a vital part of the Caspian Border battlefield, crucial to the success of either side. We see an M1A2 Abrams tracking an SU-35 Flanker, firing with its coaxial machine gun. To the left there appears to be an LAV-AD Air Defence vehicle firing at the jets.
We’re shown more vehicles, this time more dog fighting between US F/A-18′s and the Russian SU-35′s, including some footage of how the pilot can look around instead of being fixed to the reticule in the cockpit and then switch to a player shooting at an enemy perched on a hill. Briefly we catch a glimpse of a health bar which is rapidly depleted raising the question – does the spotting system in Battlefield 3 now reveal enemy health? The same soldier is then seen taking out an enemy whilst he is using a fixed position Javelin launcher and interestingly, he is participating in the flag capture, despite being a considerable distance from the flag itself.
Our view then switches to three T-90 tanks storming a Traffic Control Point or TCP. We can see a Russian Engineer running forwards near the grass on the right hand side with an RPG-7, the perspective then apparently shifts to this engineer as he engages two M1A2′s stationed under the roof of the TCP. He scores a hit but doesn’t destroy the tank. During the reload, a soldier can be seen parachuting down near control point “D” – Called “Checkpoint”.
The tension of battle is suddenly broken by the arrival of a Foster-Miller Talon EOD bomb disposal robot, which drives into a concrete barrier whilst the player is reloading his MP443 sidearm. An amusing interlude, but also highly informative as the robot can be used to diffuse MCOM stations and also players can opt to plant C4 on the robot itself and operate it is as a remote controlled bomb, all information confirmed by DICE.
After a heavy night on the town...the bot struggles to find his way home..
Next appears appearance of the Miniature Air Vehicle or MAV – a smaller version of the UAV which is normally unarmed. We see it here taking off near an M1A2 which is promptly destroyed by a T-90 A, netting the T-90′s gunner a triple kill in the process. It is still not known if there will be a UAV in Battlefield 3 and if so, what differences it will have compared to the MAV. However, in the bottom left of the screen, behind the list of squad members, we see the words “FEED REC” – does this refer to the MAV recording or is this a glimpse showing the emergence of the oft-requested “Battlecorder” feature? Time will tell…
The closing shots of the trailer focus on the jets, first of all being fired at by anti-aircraft, potentially an LAV-AD and then we are shown the underside of an SU-35 equipped with 4 R-60 Aphid air-to-air missiles. A quick succession of shots shows us glimpses of countermeasures being used in flight which can be released by using the “X” key for IR Flares on the PC.
The final scene shows the view of an two F/A-18 Hornets engaging an SU-35 with cannon fire ending in complete destruction of the Russian aircraft in a torrent of smoke and flames.
64 players. The return of Jet aircraft. Carnage along the Caspian border zone – Battlefield 3 is coming…”