Taking the Battlefield series all the way back to World War 1 surprised many, but DICE is confident the era will provide interesting opportunists for gameplay.
Battlefield 1 – DICE on WW1 setting, vehicle classes and horse battles
DICE recently announced the name and initial details of the next entry in the Battlefield franchise. What followed was an explosive trailer that revealed the name Battlefield 1, as well as the game’s setting being World War 1.
Speaking to Eurogamer, game producer Aleks Grondal said that making a WW1 game has been an idea the studio had for ten years. “We wanted to provide some really new gameplay opportunities,” said Grondal.
“And we wanted to challenge ourselves. We thought this setting had so much cool stuff in it, and it fit our needs.”
Grondal added that the setting affords the “juxtaposition of the old stuff and the really new things,” commenting on how the game will have cavalry charges alongside tanks and biplanes.
“The other part is the hardware this era provides are all very unique,” he elaborated. “They were all created for a specific purpose.
“We can use that to create some cool gameplay. For example, the light tank versus the heavy tank, where the light tank actually had the rotating turret, and another tank is just on tracks and it has turrets on the side. All that creates different types of gameplay flavour on vehicles.”
The same can be said for weapons, and Grondal noted the studio will be taking the same authenticity approach it’s known for with Battlefield 1, but not at the expense of fun.
Grondal also reiterated earlier comments that Battlefield 1 will have infantry classes as well as vehicle-dedicated classes.
“The idea with those [vehicle classes] is that you should be playing the main weapon of the tanker, which is the actual tank. And that’s the weapon you pick for it,” Grondal added.
“We want you to dedicate yourself to being in the role you choose to be. That allows us to create more unique flavours on the different classes and the gameplay around them – what kind of equipment they bring with them into the battlefield compared to the other classes.”
As for horses being the series’ first mounts, as well as horse combat, Grondal couldn’t confirm 64-player battles on horses, but agreed it would be fun having 64 players run around on horses.
You can read the rest of the interview at the link, which delves into revamped melee combat, the game’s different take on the way, and some details about the campaign.
Battlefield 1 is out October 21 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.