BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE ON PC
Hi, my name is Mike Glosecki and I am the gameplay systems producer for Battlefield Hardline. I’m also a hard core PC gamer that builds his own systems and subscribes to the theory that the PC is by far the best gaming platform around. I wanted to take a few moments to give you my perspective on Battlefield Hardline and what makes it a great PC game.
What Makes Hardline a Great Battlefield PC Game?
Battlefield Hardline is being built on PC alongside the other platforms. We’re doing what we can to take advantage of people’s different system with the graphics, framerate, controls, etc. We’re not just porting it over. Battlefield started on the PC with 1942 and we know we have a passionate fan base on this platform. Fans can expect the huge 64-player battles with that rock, paper, scissor gameplay that they have come to love in Hardline as well.
Is This a Battlefield Game?
We’ve seen comments that some people think Hardline is a re-skin of Battlefield or at the opposite end of the spectrum and should not be called a Battlefield game. Let me give you my take. Battlefield is about all-out-war, teamplay, and strategy which Hardline delivers in a cops and criminals setting. Classic Battlefield fun is available in Conquest with 64 players on some of our bigger maps like Dustbowl, Riptide, Derailed, and Everglades. In addition, there are new gameplay modes like Hotwire and Heist. In Hotwire you can experience the thrill of a car chase in a Battlefield setting. Heist places you in the middle of an action movie experience as you bust into vaults and fight your way back to the drop-off where a helicopter comes in to pick up the loot. Hardline also brings its own flavor to the Battlefield mix with new mechanics like takedowns that allow you to interrogate the enemy to locate their teammates and quick healing/ammo replenishment by clicking on a player equipped with a first aid pack or ammo box. There is also new equipment in Hardline like the T62 CEW (stun gun) and blunt melee weapons. On top of that are some returning gadgets that old school Battlefield players will be familiar with like the Zipline, Grappling hook, and Tracking Dart.
We’ve also seen some comments that the game feels too fast which means that it is less tactical and less team-based. I want to point out that tactics are about action. They’re about responding to a specific situation and achieving the desired results. Hardline has this in spades, you use your positioning and situational awareness to get the drop on someone. It’s a different type and measure of skill than just aim precision, and it’s more challenging because there’s more thought involved than just aiming. Teamplay is a big part of our experience, take a mode like Heist. You will be far more likely to survive and make it to the drop-off point if you have someone covering your back or clearing enemies out of the way. In Crosshair, you have to work as a team to protect your high value target if you want to win. In Hotwire, you’re going to do much better driving your car around if someone is repairing the vehicle as you go and if you have a few buddies making sure that your car is not being shot up by a helicopter. Blood Money and Crosshair are similar, the best players will work as a team in order to ensure victory.
All in all, this is definitely a Battlefield game with its own unique twist on theme and gameplay.
Cover
What About the Power of PCs?
The PC allows you to customize the experience to your liking. You can play at much higher resolutions, 1920x1080 and beyond up to the capabilities of your video card. You can also use much higher graphic settings on PC – which you gives you the best texture filtering, texture quality, and anti-aliasing in addition to other benefits. You can adjust your field of view or run higher than 60 FPS if you choose. You can even play with a three monitor setup for an immersive experience. Lastly, you get to use a mouse and keyboard which gives you the best control setup for a first person shooter.
How Stable Will the Game Be on PC?
Stability has been one of the largest areas we’re focusing our attention at Visceral while developing Hardline. I think we can all agree that Battlefield 4’s stability at launch was less than stellar. In order to address stability for our game at launch, we’ve had the game up and running in the multiplayer environment for the last two years with both the development and quality assurance teams playing in daily matches. We’ve run two betas for the game as well, one at E3 and the pre-launch beta which just completed on Feb 9th. Both of these have not only helped us solidify the stability of our servers, but have also provided great feedback for us to address in the game. As a side note, we are also making changes to Battlelog to include a new pop-up on how to activate the plugin in your browser since this was an issue for some of our players.
We are also working on having the CTE (community test environment) that was introduced for Battlefield 4 available to our PC players. This will allow us to gain valuable feedback from our players before changes migrate out to the world. Look for more details on the CTE in the coming months.
The best way for you to understand how great Hardline is, is for you to check it out yourself. I think you’ll agree – this is a great PC Battlefield game!
Mike Glosecki
Gameplay Systems Producer