Battlefield 4 developer diary discusses how Commander Mode works
In Battlefield 4, the return of Commander Mode is a rather big deal and DICE has provided more details on the inclusion.
In a blog post on the Battlefield Blog, the firm's Lars Gustavsson goes in-depth on the genesis of Commander Mode first introduced in Battlefield 2, how it's evolved yet stayed true to its roots, and then multiplayer designer Valerian Noghin steps in with a look at how Commander Mode works in Battlefield 4.
Battlefield 4 contains Commander vs. Commander gameplay in real-time 3D which provides a Commander live feedback on his actions in-game. The Commander can also see his teams’ actions so as to provide better support.
The role of Commander will also be a "full-time job," so there's no possibility of going between first-person and Commander Mode like players did in Battlefield 2.
"We wanted to ensure the Commander is dedicated to supporting the whole team, not just themselves," said Noghin . "We all remembered the BF2 “Commander supporting himself while in a tank ignoring his team” worst case scenario, and that’s something we wanted to avoid happening again.
"There are basically two ecosystems/loops running in parallel when you play as the Commander: the squad loop and the main Commander assets loop. On top of these you always have a basic palette of assets available to support your ground troops.
"This basic palette includes UAVs for scanning and EMPs (jamming), as well as the Cruise Missile Warning, which designates an area where the enemy missile will strike, allowing your friendly troops to move out of harm’s way before it’s too late.
"In addition to this, you’ll also be able to designate High Value Targets, useful for pointing out especially dangerous enemies on the battlefield. An enemy on a kill streak of six or more will appear on the Commander’s screen as a selectable unit. This player’s location can be relayed to the entire team for a period of time (45 seconds at the moment). The Commander can add this aspect to a game where most players will shift focus for a while and hunt/protect this HVT player, as both teams are alerted about this Commander “promotion” when it happens.
"The attackers will receive additional bonuses when taking out said target, while the target will receive bonuses when performing kills while being HVT – thus both parties have something to gain from this. GTA’s classic “wanted stars” system is what we used as an inspiration for this, we think the highly skilled players will accept this challenge as the ultimate proof of becoming a lethal threat on the battlefield.
"As far as personal favorites go, the High Value Target is probably mine for the rush you get when you know that potentially the entire team is after you."
Commander Mode will also be brought to mobile platforms which DICE promises will be "on par with console and PC versions," to ensure Commanders can effectively support their team even when they’re away from home.
Battlefield 4 will be available October 29 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and will also be made available for PS4 and Xbox One once the consoles launch.