Battlefield 3 will feature the maximalist combined arms battles that made the series popular across single-player, co-operative and multiplayer modes. It will reintroduce several elements absent from the Bad Company games, including fighter jets, the prone position and 64-player battles on PC.[4][5] To accommodate the lower player count on consoles, the ground area will be limited for Xbox 360 and PS3, though fly space will remain the same.[6]
During an interview with GameInformer Magazine, EA stated that Commander Mode is unlikely to be included,[7] which was met with some criticism on the EA forum.[8]
The game will feature maps set in Paris, Tehran, Sarajevo, Sulaymaniyah, New York, Wake Island and Oman. As a whole, combat will take place in urban streets, metropolitan downtown areas, and open landscapes suited to vehicle combat.[9]
Single-player
The campaign is set near the Iraq-Iran border, where the US army is fighting the PLR.[10]
Players will be able to use vehicles during the campaign, but their use will be limited.[11]
Multiplayer
Battlefield 3 features the return of class-based game play, with four classes: Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon. Similar to "Battlefield 2142", the Assault class will be able to equip defibrillators and medkits. The mechanics of the LMG have been changed to utilize the new engine. Bipods can be deployed anywhere when in the prone position or near suitable scenery, and provide a significant boost to accuracy and recoil reduction. Suppresive fire is an in-game mechanic which blurs the vision of those under fire from an LMG, and also reduces their accuracy. The Engineer will receive a flashlight that can be used to blind other players. [12][13]
Several game modes have been announced: Conquest, Rush, and a new mode, Team Deathmatch. [12]
Battlefield 3 will introduce the Battlelog, a free cross-platform social service with built-in text and voice communicator, game statistics and ability to join the game that friend is already playing (both players need to be on the same platform). [14][15]
