GI drops large BF3 update: 24 players for console, more

And off we go. Someone's gone and put all over the internet Game Informer's massive cover piece on Battlefield 3, with additional details coming from US retailer Best Buy.

The main details from the new issue of the magazine (via GAF) is that the game will feature co-op, the story will be completely original and therefore unrelated to Bad Company 2, the lead platform is PC and that it's planning more immediate and better post-release content.

The other stuff included in the issue is that BF3's concept has been in the works for a good couple of years, but was waiting on the right tech to have it come together. DICE says that Frostbite 2 is the "culmination" of the tech with it entirely rewritten.

However, the PC version will not have mod tools at release. DICE said that Frostbite 2 was complex and that the tools would have to be dumbed down.

The game will also feature four classes, but will talk about squads "later." DICE is also looking into a theatre mode, but won't talk about it. It did confirm it will have a Killcam that can be turned off.

It's already been confirmed the game will take place in Tehran, Paris and New York, but DICE also confirms that Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan will be in the game.

DICE also said it is trying to find the sweet spot for character customisation and not having "pink rabbit hats". It'll also feature a lot more unlocks than what was in Bad Company 2.

"The more variation you have [in the characters], the less you can have in the rest of the world," producer Patrick Bach told the mag.

"I think it also has to do with the way you play more professionally. You don't want people to look completely different. It's team A versus team B. It's always a challenge - how do you personalise a uniform? Giving the pink rabbit hat to someone would make it fun, but if you're running around and you don't know what you're shooting at, you don't take the professional gaming seriously in my book."

Bach continues: "There's a challenge between personalising and keeping it uniform. We will do more in that area, making sure that you can get your character to be more personalised both in a visual way and more specifically in the way you gear up. We did a good job I would argue with Bad Company 2 with specialisations, different scopes and different weapons - you can kind of find your way of playing the game, which broadens the game for more people."

Other bits of info include:

• One probe in Battlefield 3 on lighting will contain more info than an entire Bad Company 2 level.
• Level destruction will be "believable", but everything is destructible.
• Character animation will be powered by a program used at EA Sports, ANT. AI and multiplayer characters will also different sets of animations and that there'll be no more "gliding" animations that look off.
• DICE captured its own war audios - tanks, helicopters, bullets, etc - at various distances to capture realism. There'll also be better audio cues for certain actions, with it more easily able to listen to incoming threats.
• Battlfield 3 dev team is nearly twice as big as the team was for Bad Company 2.
• DICE wants the single-player pacing to be balanced with highs and lows.
• "F**k" will be used a lot, so expect an M-rated game from the ESRB.
• A significant narrative that will go with the single-player.
• No complaints from console gamers is why the PC version will support 64-player multiplay on PC SKU.

24-player console-multiplay confirmed by US retailer.

According to Best Buy (via X360A), BF3 will feature 24-player multiplayer on consoles, down by 40 on PC. The number was previously speculated over the weekend.

It also says you can "drag your fallen comrades to safety and mount your weapon on almost any terrain to defend them."

Battlefield 3 releases this fall for PC, 360 and PS3.