Innovation and Tradition: Multiplayer in Battlefield Hardline

Battlefield is a huge and complex game, with a fantastic community of players – some of whom have been playing since the very first entry over a decade ago. With such an historic legacy, we want to make sure that we are truly offering a “Battlefield Experience” with Battlefield Hardline, but also that we’re offering something new, unique, and special.

We know some of you aren’t convinced. You think that the only true Battlefield is a military one. While we can respect that, it is one of our goals to convince you otherwise. So here’s a quick overview of a couple of the new things that Visceral are adding to Battlefield multiplayer with Hardline.

Iterating New Modes to Perfection

It can be tricky to create new game modes – many multiplayer games have settled on “classic” modes for some time now, but we wanted to bring some new excitement and theme-specific play to Battlefield Hardline. The best way to create and balance a new mode is to create it, play it, change it, play it, and repeat – this is called iteration, and is the core of Hardline’s MP modes. The more times we can iterate on a multiplayer mode, the better it becomes. Of course this gets tricky to manage when there are 7 modes - some of which support 64 players - and 9 maps. That’s a ton of playtime and iteration. We’ve worked hard to ensure that we’ve got the best fit for each mode on each map, though.

Two All-New Modes

We have two all-new modes for you to explore and have fun in. Hotwire and Heist offer you a new take on the Battlefield experience, and you’ll be able to experience BOTH of these modes in the upcoming Beta.

Hotwire is all about high speed pursuit – in new vehicles that are faster than ever. With its unique twist on the classic Conquest mode, the Hotwire cars are like mobile capture points that continually create exciting situations and a more dynamic game mode than you might be used to. The sheer number of “Only in Battlefield” moments in this mode is really remarkable.

Looking at Heist, this mode is designed to play out like an action movie. In the Beta, we have Heist featured on the Bank Job map – which is probably the quintessential cops and robbers experience you’d expect. We’ve modified the way this mode plays to make it more replayable and the matches more contentious.

Map Size Matters

Overall map size is somewhat more towards the medium and short range than your typical Battlefield title. This is intentional – it reduces travel time, it’s easier to iterate on, and it’s a good way to focus the conflict and provide more focus for the firefights. We have also reduced the presence and impact of armored, tank-like vehicles in direct response to player feedback – this helps solidify the theme, and makes the space requirement for the maps slightly lower.

In general, we’re focused on making a fun sandbox style experience for you and your friends to come play in. With our theme, we can plant our tongues slightly more firmly in our cheeks – and it fits the theme and setting. So go try out the beta for some wicked stunts with our fast vehicles, or zipline from rooftop to rooftop – Hardline is all about action-packed excitement, and we hope you love the game.

Thad Sasser
@dirtydeathdog
Lead Multiplayer Designer, Battlefield Hardline