GT: Please introduce yourself...
MD: My name is Mike Doran and I am an associate producer on the Battlefield
Franchise.
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| Special Forces troops in action. |
GT: What inspired you to select special forces combat as the focus of the first
Battlefield 2 expansion?
MD: Traditionally the focus for all Battlefield games has been on the vehicle
combat. With Battlefield 2: Special Forces, we wanted to design something that
put new features in the hands of infantry (beyond a new rifle.)
GT: What are some of the new features that Special Forces brings to Battlefied 2?
MD: Battlefield 2: Special Forces adds a lot of new content – 8 maps (5 set in day
time and 3 set in night time), 6 new armies, as well as additional weapons and
vehicles. The big new features are the zip line and grappling hook. These new
tools give infantry players a degree of mobility never before seen in a
Battlefield game.
GT: How will the game’s focus on special forces affect the flow of the gameplay?
MD: Battlefield 2 is a game about all out war. Battlefield 2: Special Forces
definitely follows this theme. The game is still very much about rock vs. paper
vs. scissors gameplay in a wide open environment with a mix of vehicle and
infantry combat.
The flow of the gameplay is somewhat changed by the zip line and grappling hook
– imagine if you will a situation where a member of your squad is on the roof of
a nearby building, and there are enemies on the street between you. You can fire
the zipline towards your buddy and he can ride the line down to you. It’s the
sheer number of possibilities for moments like this one that make Battlefield 2:
Special Forces so fun to play.
GT: What will Battlefield 2 players like most about the new night combat?
MD: We attempted to build night levels in previous Battlefield games (most notably
Secret Weapons.) At the end of the day those levels played out like very dark
day time levels. With Battlefield 2: Special Forces we’ve added rendering
features to support true night time levels – players can use shadows and dark
areas of maps as cover. There is a great balance between using your night vision
(it works great in dark areas) and turning it off (the ambient pools of light
throughout the levels make night vision a disadvantage.) Players will appreciate
the way night time maps and night vision have been put in the game with an
emphasis placed on rock vs. paper vs. scissors gameplay.
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