Battlefield 3 to be "inviting to everyone"

DICE has deliberately put aside Battlefield 2's arguably elitist design theories in favour of ramping up accessibility for Battlefield 3.

"The mindset at DICE during the development of Battlefield 2 was pretty much: 'Play the game our way, or play something else,'" lead multiplayer designer Lars Gustavsson said in a Q&A on the Battlefield Blog.

"Now, we have made a conscious effort to reverse that mentality. The goal with Battlefield 3 is to offer a vast variety of gameplay experiences and to be inviting to everyone. We’re not telling you how to play the game. You choose."

Gustavsson said DICE's pride in unique modes like Conquest and Rush motivated Battlefield 2's refusal to build for accessibility.

"We’re still super proud of them, but going into Battlefield 3 we had a frank discussion about our mindset. We discussed the strengths of Battlefield and ended up with a lot of interesting questions.

"Does teamplay have to be squad based, or can it be in a more general sense of playing together? Am I less of a gamer if I don’t want to play in squads? If I want Team Deathmatch? If I want infantry only gameplay?

"That discussion really was an eye-opener and has changed how we view ourselves and what we set out to do with Battlefield 3."

The designer commented that Conquest and Rush "embody much of what Battlefield stands for: vast scale and all-out vehicle warfare with an emphasis on teamplay", but said Team Deathmatch has a pick up and play instant action experience". Battlefield 3 will contain both sides of the coin.

"Conquest and Rush game modes are back, bolder and more beautiful than ever. Complementing these with Team Deathmatch means there are now even more ways to play Battlefield. From all-out vehicle warfare to tight infantry combat, it’s all about your current mood and your preferred play style," he said.

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Battlefield 3 releases on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late October.

Thanks, CVG.