The next game in the Battlefield series is almost upon us, and this time DICE has taken the multiplayer vehicular combat they are famous for over a century into the future. Earth is going through another ice age and the European Union is engaged in a war with the Pan-Asian Coalition over the remaining warm parts of the planet. Here are my first impressions of Battlefield 2142, based on participating in the tuning beta.
Despite a few nagging technical issues, Battlefield 2 has done very well, so it's not surprising that Battlefield 2142 has a great deal in common with its predecessor. The sci-fi aspects are toned way down by comparison to titles like Unreal Tournament and PlanetSide. Most of the weaponry has a familiar feel, and you'll be shooting bullets rather than laser beams. Popular features from BF2 like the command structure and persistent ranking system have been expanded on.
Rank and Stats
There are only 4 classes in Battlefield 2142: Recon, Assault, Engineer, and Support. Your equipment load-out is very limited at the lowest rank, but there are a lot more unlocks to work toward than BF2 has. They've added a considerable amount of depth to the system, which gives you ample ways to customize your soldier over time.
Vehicles
Aside from the two-seat Battle Walker and the Titan base ships, the vehicles are largly high-tech versions of their BF2 counterparts. There are hover tanks, for example, which can strafe from side to side and are controlled a little differently from tanks with tracks. APC's have a special ejection pod that sends you soaring through the air in order to board the enemy Titan. The aircraft I've seen so far are much easier to control with mouse and keyboard than those of previous Battlefield games.
Titan Mode
Perhaps the most compelling new feature in BF2142 is Titan Mode, which is a welcome change from the Conquest gameplay mode that has been the mainstay of the series. Titan's are large, flying aircraft carriers which serve as a base for your team. Each side has one Titan, and the objective of the game is to destroy the enemy's Titan. This huge ship has weapons that can be manned by players, and your team's commander has the ability to move it to more strategic positions.
The flags are gone, but command points of sorts still play a central role in the game. This is because players can spawn at them when they are captured, and, in Titan Mode, each has a missile silo that automatically starts firing at the enemy Titan. This depletes the shields of the Titan, which must go before the Titan can be boarded or destroyed.
While a Titan can be destroyed simply by inflicting enough damage from the outside, it's far more stylish to send in a team of infantry to do the job from the inside. There are opportunities for some fun shoot-outs on the Titan as you must eliminate four control panels and then blast the core, preferably with explosives. At this point you'll want to make a dash for the nearest exit, because your only chance is to jump off and hit your parachute before she blows, which is good for some bonus points.
The game still has Conquest mode, but I suspect that Titan Mode will be much more popular. It's been nicely thought out and it's exactly what this series needs to concentrate some of the action. While not entirely unlike the objective-based modes of other shooters, it's definitely a worthwhile addition to the game.
Odds and Ends
Although still in beta, the server browser performs reasonably well and even has a buddy list, which is unusual for games in this series. My biggest gripe with it is that numerical ping values have been replaced with a color-coded indicator, so your ping is now green, yellow, or red. I've noticed a couple other recent games have done this as well, and I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a trend.
I would have liked to spend a little more time with the beta, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. As is to be expected in beta tests, I had my share of crashes to the desktop and disconnects. Hopefully it will result in a more stable game on release. Thanks to those on the beta forums who suggested disabling the integrated VoIP, because this solved the most serious problems.
I didn't see any ads on the Verdun map, but the word is that in-game billboard advertising will find its way into the finished product. It won't be the first game to do something like this, but you do have to wonder how a contemporary ad will fit into the 2142 warscape.
One thing that might hold this game back is that, for the most part, it feels like BF2 with a different skin. That may suit some BF2 fans just fine, but I'm not sure there's enough here to justify an entirely new game, rather than a mod or an expansion pack. In any case, Battlefield 2142 is slated for launch on October 17th, and if previous games in the series are any indication, a demo will be available shortly afterward for those of you that want to try it yourselves.
