Battlefield: Bad Company remains one of the best multiplayer games for next generation consoles.
When it was first released people complained about only having one multiplayer mode to compete in (Gold Rush), despite it being one of the most fun and frantic modes in an online first person shooter to date. To appease gamers DICE released the classic Battlefield mode of Conquest released a few months after release. The coolest thing about the pack, besides the low low price of nothing, was that the levels were completely revamped. Things were moved around, the lighting was changed- the levels felt almost completely different than the Gold Rush versions.
And that’s just the start! I spoke with Producer Gordon Van Dyke early this morning about their plans for more downloadable content.
Next on the plate is a new Conquest map pack. To pick the new maps they extended a hand to the community via their website and asked them to vote for their favorite maps. “Acta Non Verba” and “Par for the Course” were the winners, and after the vote was finished DICE went back and chose another two from a design perspective, picking “Ghost Town” and “Crossing Over”. They are all based on sections of the single player campaign, so they might look familiar to anyone who’s played through the game.
The coolest looking by far (and winner of the community vote by a landslide) is “Par for the Course”, based on the single player level that steered you through a golf course. “It’s a really really fun map,” says Van Dyke. “In the playtests it’s been a big favorite, and I know a lot of people in the community were concerned that it would be a slaughterfest, but it’s not. There’s a lot of rolling hills with a lot of chances to get cover. You can’t just take a tank and devastate everybody on it. We tried to be really focused on vehicles on that map- you’re going to have helicopters, tanks, jeeps and golf carts.”
I couldn’t help laughing out loud at that bit. Could the golf carts seriously be used in the battle? “The golf carts- though very, very fragile, are very quick and nimble. So you can avoid a tank but it takes a bit of skill. Then when you do, though, you feel really good about yourself.”
Acta Non Verba is the other community picked level, and is much different- “It has a very covert-ops feeling,” says Van Dyke. “Very foggy, kind of darkish map and it’s a blast. I’m a huge vehicle nut, and this is one of the first infantry maps that I’ve just gone goo-goo over. I feel like a Navy Seal, just hiding in the water and trying to knife a guy.”
Looks like a sniper’s haven.
Ghost Town and Crossing Over are two more vehicle maps, set in a desert and eastern Europe, respectively.
Van Dyke knows you’re going to love them. “When people play these levels they’re going to see a strong influence of classic Battlefield play on this Conquest maps. I have to say I’m really pleased with the way they turned out, and really excited to get to play them with the community.”
Besides the new maps Van Dyke wouldn’t talk about much else, yet though! Nothing as far as future DLC, or future games (although it was hinted that there’s always some people looking to the next game…) And sorry, PC gamers, because there is still no plans to port Battlefield: Bad Company over.
But keep an eye out for this new (free!) DLC to hit in late October if all goes well.
It really is great to see companies supporting their products like this. It’s one thing to release a map pack every few months and try to charge 10 bucks for it, and another thing entirely to reach out to the community and see what they like before going ahead with it, making fundamental changes to the game to make it even more fun.
