Battlefield Heroes
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This article or section contains information about an unreleased video game. The content may change substantially as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details. |
| Battlefield Heroes | |
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| Developer(s) | EA Digital Illusions CE |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Series | Battlefield |
| Engine | Refractor 2 [1] |
| Platform(s) | Windows XP, Vista |
| Release date | Summer 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Action,[2] Cartoon-style shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | PEGI: 12+ |
| Media | Free download |
| System requirements | Windows XP/Vista
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| Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse |
Battlefield Heroes is a cartoon-style action game currently under development by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE; an EA Company). The game features context-specific third- and first-person shooter perspectives.[4] Currently planned for release for Windows-based PCs in summer 2008, Heroes will be the first Battlefield game to be released under Electronic Arts' new "Play 4 Free" model, which will see the game released for free with revenue generated from advertising and micropayments.[5] Advertisements will appear on the website and the 'front-end' of the game although none will appear in-game, while micropayments may be made for additional items to customize the appearance of players' avatars without any gaming advantage.[6] The game is said to be placing less emphasis on skill and strategy, and will be less demanding on computer specifications than the previous games of the series to increase the audience base.[6] In addition, a system will be in place to match players of similar skill levels together for fair play.[7]
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[edit] Gameplay
Battlefield Heroes features a modified conquest mode providing each team 50 tickets and two flags at the start of the round. Killing enemies will reduce tickets and holding more flags than the opposing army will grant a multiplier. It is possible to win by owning more flags than the enemy and by killing fewer of them. Matchmaking will also be a feature to keep players of the same level together. Players of each level will play with other players within a couple levels of their own. Developers of the game have talked about levels going as high as 40 or 50. The two armies are called the National Army (possessing a red base color flag) and the Royal Army (possessing a blue base color flag). The game is third-person only at this point, but senior producer Ben Cousins has stated if first-person is really wanted it may be added in at a later date. Spawn times are Five seconds allowing for less waiting and more action. Players do not pick spawn points since the game has an "Intelligent Spawn System" putting players closest to the nearest battle. Two maps will be available on release, but a third map is in development.[3][8]
The point system in Battlefield Heroes is being called Metagame (non official name), which allows characters to fight for a territorial positions during each match. The land gained is then recorded as a win for each army, and at the end of the week everything is added up and both armies are given money based on percentage and land conquered. Players can choose whether or not to participate in the Metagame.[3]
Like previous Battlefield games Battlefield Heroes also has a class system, but has been reduced to three basic classes. Commando (light), Soldier (medium), and Gunner (heavy) are the available character options.[3]
[edit] Characters
Each account would have four character slots, in order for players to play characters in different classes and factions.
[edit] Commando
The Commando class is the "quick" class, specializing in stealth tactics as well as back-stabs and sniping. The known weapons of the Commando are a sniper rifle and a knife. Although the sniper rifle does high damage, it cannot one-hit kill an enemy.[9] The Commando is a spy type character and has low health compared to the other classes. Special abilities of this class are laying traps and cloaking. The commando class has rolled up sleeves/short-sleeved jackets, long slim trousers and berets.[3]
[edit] Soldier
The Soldier is an all around class—equally balancing speed and armament. Currently the known weapons that the Soldier carries are the Submachine Gun and the Shotgun. Some abilities the Soldier can possess are incendiary rounds, a "health boost" (this heals allies around you), and throwing multiple grenades. The soldier is able to determine enemy locations via a special ability called "See-the-Enemy". This ability outlines nearby opponents even if the enemy is behind a wall. This effect lasts for 10 seconds and then takes 30 seconds to recharge. The soldier class has waist long jackets, semi long trousers and light helmets. [3]
[edit] Gunner
The Gunner is the "heaviest" of the three classes, bearing a resemblance to the Team Fortress 2 class "Heavy". He is the slowest moving, but also the best armed. He wields a rapid-fire machine gun and rocket launchers. Flame throwers are a possibility for future updates. Special features include the ability to throw and return (to the enemy) multiple grenades. The gunner class has long bulky jackets, long bulky trousers and heavy helmets.[3]
[edit] Abilities
Abilities are special powers that each player gets when they level up. Known abilities at this time are Grenade Spam ability (allows 15 grenades to be thrown at a time), I Eat Grenades ability (throw back seven grenades at once), Stun Grenade ability (Flings tanks into the air), Life-Points Boost, and Incendiary Ammo.[3]
Healing is by a 'blast heal', a soldier ability that heals the player and any friendlies nearby. Players also have a bandage which restores less health and only works for your own character. Using the bandage when you are not injured boosts your health over 100. There is no medic class for this reason. [10]
[edit] Achievement System
Achievements work by a mission system allowing players to choose an uncompleted badge, unlocking it by successfully completing a mission. The player's level increases as the game is played, as well as by completing missions. The more points allow players to buy better clothing items but has been reported to not unlock anything that gives a player a distinct advantage. [3]
[edit] Items
Visual items allows customization of 12 different aspects of your character: Head, face, facial hair, helmet, jacket, boot, neck, chest, hand, waist, legs, and feet. Additional items available for purchase are eye patches, badges, hats, boots, helmets, goggles, belts, and gloves.[3] More types of items may be added in the future, especially if the player community wants them.
[edit] Balance
There is not much information in regards to additional weapons. However there have been mentions of the sticky bomb. The intent of this weapon is to be effective against tanks so that there is a balance between the armored vehicles and infantry. The sticky bomb will allow you to blow up tanks easily as this class. Airplanes are also highly damaged by bullets. The ability of foot soldiers to take on more powerful vehicles will hopefully provide a balance not found in other shooters.[9]
[edit] Vehicles
Currently known vehicles include the classic American WWII styled tank (M4 Sherman), an American Jeep, a German Panzer division styled tank (Panzer IV). a German Kübelwagen, and WWII-styled airplanes for dogfighting. It appears that players can also climb onto the wings of planes and fire their weapons from there. This was brought in to limit the immense power that aircraft would deal to the ground vehicles and infantry.
[edit] Customization
The developers have allowed users the will to change their avatars looks and features as well as abilities for in-game play.
[edit] Closed Beta Release
On May 6, 2008 the first phase of the game release was an invitation only closed beta and the invitations were given to professional beta testers only. More information about the open beta and signing up will be released in the coming weeks prior to the closed beta's release.[11] Following the select beta testers, an immense website rush caused eager readers to be attracted to the website and caused the site to crash for a short time. Once the website was placed back up it was revealed that third-party professional testers are trying the game at this current time, where in the short future an open beta test will reveal the attempt of several beta stages. One being the main onlook of having players download the game and whether the servers provided can handle the intense use. The current closed beta players are under a non disclosure agreement, disallowing them from releasing information about the beta.
At this time a select few game retailers are giving off an incling that the game will be available around Q3 (July/August/September) in the US and Q2 2008 (April, May, or June) in Europe.[citation needed] The official site has now enabled users to log-in and post comments and change their in-game name at this time using their EA.com account.
[edit] References
- ^ Joystiq hands-on: Battlefield Heroes Page. Joystiq. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ BATTLEFIELD HEROES Page. GamePro. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Battlefield Heroes Features. Planet Battlefield (2008-02-23). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ Battlefield Heroes First-Person Plans. Blue's News (2008-01-23). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ Seth Schiesel (2008-01-21). The Video Game May Be Free, but to Be a Winner Can Cost Money. New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ a b EA pushes ad-backed video games. BBC (2008-01-21). Retrieved on 2008-01-22.
- ^ Battlefield Heroes Leads The Way For EA's New 'Play 4 Free' Business Model. EA Digital Illusions CE (2008-01-21). Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Blog about the maps Page. battlefield-heroes.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
- ^ a b Weapons Page. ieatgrenades. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ Battlefield Heroes Trailer Dissection Page. BFHeroes.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Beta | Battlefield Heroes - Free to Play, Cartoon Shooter
http://www.battlefield-heroes.com/dev-blog/closed-beta-clarification
[edit] External links
- Official Battlefield Heroes website
- Wikia has a wiki on this subject: Battlepedia
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