Battlefield Portal Preview

Two game modes have been revealed for Battlefield 2042, All-Out Warfare and Hazard Zone, and today we learned that there will be an additional mode. No, that mode is not Battle Royale, but a customizable game mode dubbed Battlefield Portal.

Battlefield Portal is being developed by Ripple Effect Studios, and they describe it as a “love letter to Battlefield fans” for reasons that will soon become abundantly apparent. First of all, this mode not only supports the new Battlefield 2042 maps, but six additional maps from previous games in the franchise: Battle of the Bulge and El Alamein from Battlefield 1942, Arica Harbor and Valparaiso from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Caspian Border and Noshar Canals from Battlefield 3. All of these maps have been remade to take full advantage of modern hardware, so they will look better than they ever have before and will include new details that were left out in the past because the old systems couldn’t handle them (destructible 1942 maps!). Furthermore, if you play Battlefield 2042 on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series XS, you’ll be able to take part in 128-player matches on all of these maps.

Battle of the Bulge

But those three Battlefield games past will be contributing more than their maps to the game – you’ll have access to the armies, weapons, and vehicles from them as well. And if that wasn’t good enough news on its own, Battlefield Portal will support matches with teams drawn from all four games. If you’ve ever wondered how the World War II US Army would fare against 2042’s future Russian-supplied combatants or how a Spitfire would perform against an attack chopper, now’s your chance to find out. The factions from prior games will be able to take advantage of some of Battlefield 2042’s innovations, though, such as the ability to call-in vehicles anywhere on the map.

1942 vs. 2042

The cross-era gameplay is only a part of what Battlefield Portal will offer. Battlefield Portal also includes the Builder which will provide you with the tools to create your own custom game experiences. At the base level, the mode provides a wizard that will walk you through the various settings and options that you’ll need to set to create a basic experience. These options include the obvious – map, game mode, number of players, and teams – but there are several layers of customization beneath that. Toggle and slider controls will allow you to select which weapons, weapon classes, player classes, gear, and vehicles are available. They will also give you control over a number of gameplay settings. For example, you can remove the capability to go prone, adjust sprint speed, or prevent players from aiming down sights. You can also control the interface by deciding whether or not you want a mini map, compass, or a HUD in your mode. For those who want to finetune things further, you can even adjust settings like headshot damage or friendly fire.

For those who want to take things further and have even more control of their mode, the Builder includes a full-function Logic Editor. This editor allows you to use building blocks to create a truly custom experience by defining game rules, victory conditions, in-game events, and more. Don’t worry if you’re not a programmer, though, Ripple Effect Studios promises plenty of help tools such as tutorial videos and a wiki. You can also export your logic rules, so you can look to the community for help if you can’t quite get something right. For testing, you can fill out the teams with AI and take things for a test drive yourself, or share an invite code to bring in some friends to give you feedback. All of these tools will be available through a web interface, so you can work on your mode from the in-game browser, your computer, or even your phone while you’re riding on a bus.

Logic Editor

Once you are satisfied with your creation, you can share it with the community to allow anyone to play. You’ll name your experience, add a description, and add tags to help gamers find it. You can also share a code for your mode, so you can promote it on social media in an attempt to get it to go viral. The devs plan on creating some of their own modes for everyone to experience, spotlighting popular player modes, and providing search tools to let you find the kind of game you’re looking for. Of course, anyone has access to all of this, so you don’t have to create a thing yourself to enjoy the creativity of others. And, yes, you can earn XP and rank-up while playing Battlefield Portal.

That’s all I have on Battlefield Portal for now, but the devs have promised more revelations on it and Battlefield 2042 in general as we get closer to the game’s open beta in September. I think it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one who already has a number of ideas and can’t wait to try and build them in October!