[ BF:Vietnam ] Updates and Interview

Winters

Well as we get closer to the expected release date in March we cant help but wait and see all the many many screenshots that are eing released of BF:Vietnam. I have below another interview with the Lead Designer of BF:Vietnam, AJ Marini. The interview sheads a lot of light on some useful information and is worth the read.

Here are some great ingame pictures from the German site Giga.de. They show off the layout of the hud [which isint fully finished at the time the pictures were taken]. The map in the top left I have to say is quite nice.

Winters

And the interview with Lead Designer AJ Marini.

PBF: What are the minimum requirements for a computer to run Battlefield: Vietnam?
AJ:: The minimum specs are Pentium III/933Mhz, 64meg Geforce 3 (or comparable), with 256 megs of RAM.

PBF: Do you plan on supporting the modding community with any tools or map editor?
AJ: From the early stages of development we spoke about the potential we had. We saw a vibrant mod community and knew that once they saw BFV, they be clamoring for tools. We hope to oblige them as much as possible and hopefully in a more timely manner than we did with the original game.

PBF :Will the game use the same .RFA & .CON style file types like Battlefield 1942?
AJ: Yes, definitely. Considering our development cycle and the familiarity we had with the BF1942 systems, using those systems again in BFV made the most sense.

PBF: Will Battlefield 1942 mods still work within Battlefield Vietnam? If not, what insight can you give about the conversion to the new game?
AJ: Unfortunately no current mod will work with BFV. The rendering engine precludes the use of any art create for the old system. The 3d meshes can still be used as a basis, but from their up it’s a different process. For most of our models, we created high poly versions in order to generate the normal maps, which are on almost every object in the game. For the terrain, the map builders will have to deal with the undergrowth (grasses, etc) and the overgrowth (trees, tables and chairs, etc). These three systems are the biggest changes. In addition to that, there have been numerous alterations to other systems in the game, such as the way parameters are defined, etc. The mod community will be able to figure it out easily enough.

PBF: Do you have a set date for release yet?
AJ: We don’t have an exact day set, but we are going to ship in March.

PBF: What sort of booby traps can we expect in Battlefield Vietnam?
AJ: We added pungi sticks and bouncing betty mines to the game. They’re really devious little things, especially since they can be so well concealed. The enjoyment level of using these traps is akin to pulling a practical joke on someone. You set the trap then sit back and watch the fun

PBF:Will the NVA have any boat transports or rafts of some sort?
AJ: Oh most definitely. We created sampans for the N.V.A. teams. With the ability to fire from passenger positions, you never really know what you’re going to expect when you see one.

PBF: Are there any AI improvements in Battlefield Vietnam?
AJ: We wanted two things from the A.I. The first was to give the player more control over his teammate’s actions, so now the bots will follow orders that you give them. You can command them to follow, or defend a position, etc. We also wanted to better blur the line between the human and A.I. players. As it stands now the name tags tend to give them away, since we’ve retained the idea of giving them real names. Players will definitely enjoy themselves a lot more when it comes to playing with the bots.

PBF: Will there be blood effects added for this game?
AJ: Yes, there is a blood effect in the game. It isn’t gory or anything like that but it is there. We felt it was good feedback fort he player when looking for indication of hitting a target.

PBF: What type of Server Admin tools can we expect in Battlefield Vietnam compared to Battlefield 1942?
AJ: We’ve got a server manager on the way that will provide the same functionality that exists for BF1942.

PBF: How many maps will be included in the shipping version of the game? Can you give our readers the full list?
AJ: The game is shipping with 14 maps. I was hoping to keep them as a surprise, but I guess I can give you guys the list.
We have them listed in chronological order because we tried to put more emphasis on the historical aspects of the game. All the maps, in some manner have been created using an aerial photograph or an authentic strategic map as a basis. Obviously we needed to take some liberties in order to make the game fun, but the authentic aspects of the maps add a lot to the immersion. Anyway, here’s the list.

• Operation Game Warden
• Operation Flaming Dart
• The Ia Drang Valley
• Landing Zone Albany
• Operation Hastings
• Operation Irving
• Hue-1968
• Quang Tri-1968
• Fall of Lang Vei
• Reclaiming Hue
• The Siege of Khe Sahn
• The Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Cambodian Incursion
• Quang Tri-1972

PBF: Are there any night levels included?
AJ: Yes, we have a couple of levels that can be considered night levels. We approached the look and feel of the level not so much as strictly day or night. We were really going for an emotional response. For instance we have levels that are hot and sticky, levels and are damp, levels that are dusty, and levels that are creepy and eerie. It may have been a more esoteric approach but the results speak for themselves.

PBF: Are the maps any bigger then Battlefield 1942?
AJ: The Vietnam War was a much more close-combat war than WW2. The average distance to your enemy was 20 meters. Because of this, we didn’t se a lot of reason to make massive maps. We wanted the battles to be tighter and closer knit. There is still plenty of space to move around, but there is less likelihood of being off by yourself in a far corner of the map.

PBF: Are there any Navel aspects to Battlefield Vietnam?AJ:: There isn’t a naval aspect as in bf1942. The “naval” aspect is more confined to river systems and such with amphibious vehicles, sampans, and PBRs.

PBF: How long has Battlefield Vietnam been in development?
AJ: The game has been in development for quite some time now. We’re just happy its almost done.

PBF: How does the new game engine compare to the ReFractor2? Are there any substantial improvements to the graphics or physics?
AJ: The physics system was already very robust and capable of a lot so we didn’t see much gained by redoing it. The graphics engine on the other hand was completely yanked out in favor of a completely new one. As I mentioned earlier, we have normal mapping, bump mapping, specular lighting, basically all the bells and whistle expected from a DX9 game. This new engine also gave us the freedom to add the dense vegetation that we needed to convey a convincing representation of sixties era Vietnam. When I say dense, I mean dense. There are map where you’re in the middle of the jungle and there’s nothing but trees as far as the eye can see. Thick grasses help as well. Its quite spectacular.

PBF :Will you be able to use your weapons while in water or in vehicles??
AJ: Yes sir. It was a something that everyone wanted and one of our primary additions.

PBF :Will there be any improvements on the Netcode for smoother game play?
AJ: The network code is very good. As long as the game is being run on a capable server, there isn’t any lag. We can’t guarantee that all the servers out there will be capable; someone my try to run a dedicated server on a P90. We face different hurtles however. In BF1942, the likelihood of having a lot of people in the same place at the same time was much lower than with BFV. With the helicopters loaded up with guys, it’s not uncommon to have larger congregations of men and machines in one place. We’re focusing our attention on making sure there aren’t any issues when that happens.

PBF: Have you tweaked any of the weapon damage systems to be more accurate?
AJ: We tried to maintain integrity in the function of the various weapon systems, but you have to realize that real world weapons are designed to kill as efficiently as possible. They aren’t made for fun game play. When it came to damage, our focus has always been on balance. We want to the game to be a game of skill, not a game of who has the biggest weapon.

PBF: With Battlefield 1942 we are fortunate enough to get patched every few months, will this be the case with Battlefield Vietnam?
AJ: It hasn’t been completely confirmed that this will be the case, but I’m very optimistic that we will keep that program going. The free content team delivered, and continues to deliver very high quality content for BF1942. It keeps the game fresh and rewarding for the community. It’s a way we can show that we appreciate what they’ve done for us.

PBF: What is your favorite aspect of Battlefield Vietnam?
AJ: Throughout the course of development, I’ve been asked this question and my answer tends to change a little. Now that the game is nearing completion, I’d have to say that it’s the overall immersive aspect of the game. It’s almost a shock when a game ends because I get completely lost in the game play. I’m become completely immersed in all the aspects of battle. With BFV even to the last days of development; we all yearn to get in on a game play session.

From PlanetBattlefield

Happy reading

the_syco

Battlefield Vietnam Trailers
2 trailers offering some 40 seconds of gameplay footage.
Mirror 1
Mirror 2
Mirror 3
Mirror 4
Mirror 5
Mirror 6

Lotsa BF;Vietnam Pictures

Jim

Games Fusion's Adam Unsworth asks Armando "Aj" Marini of Digital Illusions what all the fuss is about.

• 1) What new features can we expect from Battlefield Vietnam?
  
  Well, you will not see "1942" in the title. The games with Battlefield 1942 in the title are all WW2 based. They also all use the same technology throughout.
  
  Battlefield Vietnam is a completely new experience. We kept the foundation of the engine, but the visuals and game play have been altered significantly. The new graphics engine gives the game an unmistakably updated look and the infantry experience has been massively revamped to help immerse the player even more.
  
  Expect to be completely immersed in the game. Expect to forget that it's the 21st century. When you play Battlefield Vietnam, you will think you're in Southeast Asia.
  
• 2) Vietnam is a tricky war to handle when it comes to games from a graphics point-of-view... what have you done to make the jungle style game more realistic than previous attempts by other designers?
  
  We have some extremely talented programmers with very bright ideas. The vegetation was the most obvious hurtle that had to be overcome in order to really transport the player to Vietnam of the 1960's. The lead programmer came up with a method to generate vegetation at comparatively little cost. From there, the artists did their part. For the most part, the boundaries were set by the design team in determining which levels would have the densest vegetation and what types of vegetation there would be. If I could put a finger on any on single thing that separates BFV from BF1942, it's the vegetation. It's just so cool to run through thick patches of jungle, or to fly overhead in a helicopter and scan the forest for enemies.
  
  
• 3) Will we see any noticeable improvements in A.I?
  
  Yes, definitely. Because of the open nature of Battlefield, the A.I. is challenging to implement. By introducing all the tress and the more organic layouts of the maps, this challenge became even greater. We identified this early on and set out to make improvement to the A.I. At the same time, we saw behaviors that allowed player to easily differentiate between the bots and human players. We wanted the players to be indistinguishable from the bots, and I feel we've come a long way in achieving that. They are far more lifelike than they were.
  
• 4) Will there be new weapons/vehicles?
  
  Every weapon and vehicle in the game is new. We have over 20 vehicles and over 30 weapons, and each of them is new to the Battlefield franchise. We haven't carried over any of the content of the original game or expansion packs. Everything the player will experience is new.
  
• 5) Multiplayer?
  
  Battlefield's core aspect is the multiplayer component. The game is designed primarily for human competition unlike most other first person games. Most games place the human player in a world populated by A.I. and the multiplayer components need to make concessions for this. With Battlefield, we design the game in the opposite way. The multiplayer component comes first and the single player is adapted to it. It is a more challenging approach to take, but well worth it considering the quality of the final experience for the player.
  
• 6) Is Vietnam just more of the same or are we going to be truly amazed?
  
  BFV is definitely not more of the same. Amazed is a good word. We've been working on the project for the better part of a year and we still are eager to get involved in a game. We're all professionals, yet still we find it hard to remember that this is just a game. The illusion is very strong, very immersive.
  
• 7) Any plans for any more expansions packs?
  
  Battlefield is a very popular franchise and based on our own experience with the game play, we feel it's an enduring one. We plan to keep the interest in the game as high as we can and we are committed to maintaining our fan base. I can't speak much about the future since there are many options on what we could do. I can say that it is likely that if BFV is successful, we would consider doing more.
  
• 8) As is stands are you going to meet your Q1 2004 deadline?
  
  Everything is on track and there are no obstacles preventing us from shipping the game on time.

Taken from Games Fusion

Winters

German site Krawall Gaming Network havejust published their preview of Battlefield: Vietnam. The preview itself is totally in German however thanks to Google you can get it translated, (For the google translation click here. Though want dont need any translationare the "Bilder" or pictures to you and me. Take a look at them on thispage.I have also posted a few below. They show off some of the new hud and spawn menu.






Enjoy

Jim

/me weeps

Winters

Well, today two more reviews of Battlefield: Vietnam were released. One was in Dutch, and due to the fact my Dutch is a little rusty i'm not going to translate it for you. However, they did release some nice screenshots which show some of the new weapons ... or can I all them weapons?




The second preview is from UnderGroundOnline. Im not going to post the whole this as there is already a LOT of reading in this thread, but here are a few snippits anyway.

"Using two different techniques, EA is able render both knee-high grass and the larger trees and bushes within the entire landscape, as well as popping in the requisite rice patties. The effect completely changes the dynamic of the game, as now ambushes and traps can properly be set..."

"It's important to note that achieving victory in Battlefield Vietnam is different than its predecessor, especially since both sides can now deploy (and destroy) spawn points. All it takes is one wily soldier to infiltrate enemy lines, and it's all over. But that's why you'll need to stay on guard, dropping caltrops (spiked objects that hurt infantry) or Bouncing Betty mines (the ones that leap up into the air and then detonate) to thin the incoming assault force. Of course, when the enemy starts airlifting in tanks and other heavy vehicles, that's when you'll need to break out the real firepower."

"My demo showed a lot of this in action, as EA reps on both coasts led and defended an assault on a village. The US soldiers got cut up by caltrops, Bouncing Betties, and a liberal dose of demo charges, but once the choppers dropped in the tanks, it was pretty much over for the NVA. A heat-seeking rocket might trail and take down one helicopter, but there was always another chopper ready to come over the horizon…and more often than not, it wasn't empty. If anything, Battlefield Vietnam looks like a much faster action game with a lot of up-close and personal gunplay..."

From UGO - Battlefield: Vietnam Preview

bizmark

im looking forword to this game

Winters

Interview the Battlefield Vietnam Team

Here’s a unique opportunity for you to
send in questions for an upcoming Battlefield Vietnam interview. This interview will get posted in a couple of weeks and questions sent in from the community will be used.

Sound fun? Great, then send in your questions now and in a couple of weeks we’ll post the full interview right here on the official Battlefield Vietnam web site.

EAComMike

From Official Battlefield Vietnam website

I cant get the subject thing properly in vBulletin but they want you to send your question to battlefield1942@ea.com with the subject "BF Vietnam Interview Questions". So my friends, ask away!

Impurity

At first i thought that BFV would be a bad idea cause i thought it could never be as good as DC....but then in a screenshot, as if god himelf had projected it onto my screen...i saw the napolm! and oh yes, i am watering at the mouth! looks class! can't wait to play BFV in that deep dense vegetation!

Winters

Well .... we are blessed with more.

These screenshots are from gengamers.com and do look very nice . Hopefully we will get a demo for BF: V soon enough.

Winters

Well another bit of BF:V news now. BFmaps.nl have released a nice video of Battlefield: Vietnam. Its only 22mb for the high quality version and 6mb for the low. I have yet to see it but from these screenshots its looking nice.



BFmaps.nl Battlefield: Vietnam Video
» http://www.bfmaps.nl/~lighteye/Vietnam_video/BF_Vietnam_divx_412_Dutch_language.rar [ bfmaps.nl (High) ]
» http://www.bfmaps.nl/~lighteye/Vietnam_video/BF_Vietnam_divx_412_Dutch_language_low.rar [ bfmaps.nl (Low) ]

Jim

Looks like they're really trying to hype it up. Here's a little extract and some new screenshots.

Playing the game it’s obvious that we’ve now moved twenty years ahead from the events in BF1942. All the weaponry is much more modern and the maps in which the action takes place are quite different from the ones in BF1942. Lush vegetation covers a lot of the areas and even though this is static imagery, the tactical possibilities these surroundings allow are quite substantial. It can be very difficult to spot a soldier hidden in the tall grass.

Among the new vehicles the helicopter plays a vital part in the game, which is quite understandable. To be successful in several of the more than fifteen maps we played, it’s completely necessary that you fly tanks and jeeps into enemy territory. Taking the same trip on ground would eat up most of the round time. Maps are very big and many of them consist of islands that aren’t connected by bridges.

Some will perhaps fear that the helicopters are mind-bogglingly hard to manoeuvre, as is the case in Desert Combat for instance. Don’t worry; they aren’t, although you still need a good deal of practice to master the controls of the helicopter. The controls are somewhat similar to Desert Combat but the physics are more “user friendly”, balancing the game just right.

Full article and a-loads-a-more-a pics here.

Jim

Here some overhead views of maps i found over at GameSpot





Clicky for larger images.

Winters

This will be my one of my last updates for you lot tonight for a week or so as I am off to Scotland to enjoy the snow and sample the local drink and girls, and not to mention leaving you in the capable hands of Jimeatsmenu.
These pictures are from a boomtown.net article. They show some things that we have yet to see too.

Let’s start out a little unconventionally by talking about the music in BFV. EA have spent some considerable amount of money on sixteen familiar protest songs from the 60s and the 70s. The time of silence while maps are loading is no more as EA thought it would be better to spend this time listening to some classics and did they ever think right!

Playing the game it’s obvious that we’ve now moved twenty years ahead from the events in BF1942. All the weaponry is much more modern and the maps in which the action takes place are quite different from the ones in BF1942. Lush vegetation covers a lot of the areas and even though this is static imagery, the tactical possibilities these surroundings allow are quite substantial. It can be very difficult to spot a soldier hidden in the tall grass.

From Boomtown.net BF: V article

I would advise to take a read of the article too. Its quite good and has many more screenshots in it too.

Irish_Kamikaze

All i can say is BLING!!

Do u know what the blowtorch does yet?

And got me some videos of BFV one is just BLING the other is YUMMY!


If only littlefighter2 was as good as BFV ah wudn't that b sweet?!!

:ninja:

regeneration

I think the blowtorch just repairs vehicles and removes car-bombs ... check out the linked previews winters has put up - one of them lists the functions of each class

Woden

whats the system specs?

bizmark

p 933 256megs of ram min...you be fine

Jim

The lads over at Computer and Video Games have released a ton of screenshots of BF: Vietnam.

Heres a sample.




Full article and screenshots can be found here.
Even more screenshots available on that page for you member types.

Winters

With a little around a month togo before we finally get out hands on Battlefield: Vietnam, various websites gave out previews and information. First off here is a final preview by IGN of BF:V

February 09, 2004 - With just a little over a month left before the game ships, the kind folks at EA invited us down today to see the last few features that are being included in Battlefield Vietnam. We've already talked at length about the game's features and given you our own hands-on impressions but there's still more to be said. The team took time out from polishing code and stamping out bugs to show us the new development and server tools that will be included once the game ships.

Though we're sure the great game design accounts for at least some of the popularity of the original Battlefield, the mod community has given the title even more vitality by exploring possibilities that the developers themselves could not have imagined. The good news is that Battlefield Vietnam will ship with a few editing tools that allow players to create their own maps and modify the rest of the game's content. Though the tools will be in beta format, the developers hope to continue patching more and more functionality into the tools. There's no plan right now for massive support for these tools, but that's the kind of thing that's likely to be provided by the community as it is.

Battlecraft is the name of the game's map editor and, judging from the demo we saw today, will allow amateur map designers to not only create the geography of a given conflict, but also place objects and spawn points for soldiers and vehicles. You can see a couple of the levels in progress in our screenshot section. There's also a nice shot of the Mod Development Tool kit which lets players take the existing vehicles and twist them into something entirely new.

There's also a new server manager that makes kicking those stupid smacktards a little easier. As the server, you can set up a wide variety of hotkey combinations to take care of most tasks. Need to autobalance the teams? There's a hotkey. Need to ban or kick players? There's a hotkey. Need to switch or restart maps? There's a hotkey. You can also customize chat keys to instantly ask for all players not on a given clan to go to one team or the other.

We also had a chance to see a really great illustration of what the new foliage model adds to the game. Creating this feeling of dense vegetation is a multiple pass project for the team, which the screenshot above really shows. In the top left we have the regular environment, with just the sky and a relatively basic ground texture. Just to the right of this image, we see the new undergrowth that's been added. This consists of things like grass and allows players to get a little more concealment as they move across the map. In the lower left, we had the overgrowth pass, showing what the shot looks like when the trees and large bushes are added. Finally, in the lower right we have the composite of both undergrowth and overgrowth passes. Combining the grass and trees together, we get a really convincing environment that allows for some interesting possibilities for hiding.

This same technique is being used for building interiors as well, with boxes and barrels taking the place of grass and trees. Where most of the interiors in the original Battlefield were pretty plain, those of the new game will contain a jumble of objects that make them seem more lived in. We saw a few large rooms rendered using this new Crate and Barrel technology and, sure enough, they were full of crates and barrels.

The soundtrack for the game has given many of us even more reasons to get excited about the game. Though we're all hot to fly around in our choppers, blasting Wagner or Jefferson Airplane as loud as the laws of physics will allow, you can also drop in your own playlist of up to 16 songs. So if, for instance, you really like DMX, you can add that to the game at your convenience. It won't stream to other players so they'll still be stuck listening to Credence but it's still a nice addition.

There's even a map where you can capture a radio tower. Once the Vietnamese take control of the radio tower, it starts broadcasting propaganda to nearby units. A Vietnamese Mata Hari keeps throwing out demoralizing phrases. Hearing her say, "Your government will give you a medal...after you are dead!" could definitely dampen your fighting spirit. The range of broadcast allows players to hear it within a certain radius while a Doppler effect lessens the volume as you get further and further away from it. Short of walking out of its broadcast range, the only way to stop the broadcasts as the Americans is to take control of the tower yourself.

There are a few more additions since last we saw the game. For one thing, there are now new and distinct loading screens and music for each level. While Quang Ti 1968 was loading we were treated to little "Surfin' Bird" and got the chance to read a little historical information about the battle. This kind of character was definitely missing from the original game where the battles seemed to take place in a kind of limbo. Here they're given a brief but effective context courtesy of a little summary. The graphics for each loading screen are composed of a number of period materials, both pictures and pamphlets, that really add a lot of character to the game.

NVA voiceovers are also in now and they definitely add to the realism of the game. Still, I'm not sure if I'll be able to distinguish between the ao bai and the ba moi ba in the heat of battle.

Beyond that, if it ain't in the game already, it ain't making it at this point. The team is committed to a March 16 release for the game. Between now and then they'll be working hard to polish the game and squash every bug they find. We'll be sure to bring you even more updates once we get a build in the office.

From IGN.com Battlefield: Vietnam Preview

G4AMERS have also today released some new screenshots showing off more parts of Battlefield: Vietnam we have yet to see. Yake a look for yourselves, or see all of them over here

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[/align]

Also, even more, Austrailian site, GameBiz released their preview today too. The preview also lists the weapons and vehicles that will be included when the game is released for both sides. Its wort a read, not too bad. You can read the preview over there or even over here

Jim

They look kinda cartoony.

regeneration

Oh god those shots look bad :S Everything looks ... "bubbly"?

Winters

I believe it to be just the crappy quality of the pictures and not the game.... Pictures show the Cobra ingame which we have yet to see... looking good two. The G4AMERS site need to be tought something about the quality setting on jepg pictures, and also be given some basic photoshop skills

I am afraid I have even more screenshots on Battlefield: Vietnam for you. These will be the last i'll post for a while, I primise. These are from Computer and Videogames. You can see a full 12 new screenshots over on their site here but here are 6 of them below.

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[/align]

Winters

Well, just to keep you posted on a recent update.

The Official EA Battlefield: Vietnam homepage has been updated with two items. One is a nice count down clock to the release date [Play now have it set at the 19th March]. The 25 days [at time of this post] puts it somewhere around the 16th of March. I will be expecting it to hit the shelves that week.

Now, they have also released a nice "SURFIN' BIRD VIDEO". You can grab it from the front page on the Official Battlefield: Vietnam website. Its in QuickTime format and can only be viewed on the webpage, its not downloadable [as of yet]. Ill take a look in collage tomorrow. Lovely fast internet there

the_syco

you can also drop in your own playlist of up to 16 songs

Yippee. GTA3 job:) I can kill teh commies, whilst listening to some Rammenstain! :cool:

=====

Just saw the vid; dam sweet!

Instant Karma

I know I havent read all the interviews etc..but do you know if the guys whi are in the chopper with you will be able to hear the music if your drop in your own playlist?

Jim

Originally posted by Instant Karma
I know I havent read all the interviews etc..but do you know if the guys whi are in the chopper with you will be able to hear the music if your drop in your own playlist?

If your asking will other people in your plane/chopper/jeep etc be able to hear your playlist, this is very very doubtful.

It would mean that your music would have to be streamed onto their pc which would lag the place up like noones business, expically if theres 4 or 5 other people in the same vechicle as you.

Winters

Thought I'd be so good as to add this fantastic preview from GameSpy on Battlefield: Vietnam. It has some nice new screenshots too. Before you ask, The EU release for BF:V is still 19th March and it looks as though Dice might just be on time too. Ah Fantastic

"Right away, it's hard not to notice how the gameplay differs from Battlefield 1942; set within a jungle loaded with trees, brush and rolling hills, there not much room for jeeps to go zipping along, and it's totally possible to overlook an enemy standing right in front of you. We quickly learned to stay off open dirt roads, or else we might as well be wearing a big glowing jumpsuit with "SHOOT ME" written on it."

"As in Desert Combat, Vietnam's choppers take a bit of training to get used to, but in the hands of a skilled pilot (many of EA's testers definitely qualify), they're an awesome weapon, capable of quickly ferrying soldiers from one point to another. And although we never got to perform the maneuver ourselves, we did get to see the chain drop in action on one occasion: it's pretty startling to see a tank dangling in mid-air from the bottom of a helicopter"

"Technically, Battlefield Vietnam appears to be greatly improved over its predecessor in both look and performance. On our test machine (a P4 2.4GHz machine with 1GB RAM and a GeForce 4), performance was never an issue, nor was lag. Even with all the extra trees and assorted foliage, our framerate never stuttered once, a good sign at this stage of development. The graphics, while more of an evolutionary leap than revolutionary, are also clearly improved over BF1942 -- both player and vehicle models contain lots more detail, player animations are more complex, and the maps themselves are simply prettier to look a"

From Gamespy.com February Battlefield Vietnam Preview

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See more screenshots from the Gamespy preview here[/align]

Winters

Well, i case you arnt signed up to the newsletter, an interview with the lead designer and also some new screenshots have been released.

Battlefield Vietnam™ Newsletter: FEBRUARY 2004

Community Interview With Battlefield Vietnam's Lead Designer AJ Marini - Iinterview questions sent in by various Battlefield community members.


Question sent in by Patrick Ernest
Will the NVA be able to use tunnels and/or booby traps such as punjii stakes or toe poppers -- kind of like mines but instead are bullets placed in the ground in the chute of a bamboo stick and fire when stepped on? If not, could they or will they be added in future versions of Battlefield Vietnam?
A: Yes – The NVA and VC have “bouncing Betty” mines, pungi sticks, and caltrops. Each of these devices is easily concealed and potentially lethal to anyone stumbling upon them. We recently had a Custom Combat game where these two forces squared off and it was awesome. Each team was wary of the other team’s traps. We got pretty inventive with them and when someone got caught out by a trap, everyone laughed and had a great time.

Question sent in by Tommy Williams
Many of the conflicts that we did not hear about during the Vietnam war are those that took place on the water. The elaborate water ways and the unique water crafts used. Will this also be depicted in the game?
A: This is what Operation Game Warden is really about. It pays homage to the guys that patrolled the river ways, both on the U.S. and V.C. side of the conflict. We found there were many encounters in this area so we really felt the game would be incomplete if we didn’t represent it.

Question sent in by Francisco Lastra
Would you have the ability to parachute from a chopper while in flight? Or, would the parachute only be applied to jet planes in a form of ejection seat?
A: You will be able to parachute in the same way as the original Battlefield. It was a key element in the way the game played out and now with the capabilities of our helicopters, it’s even more important that this is allowed to happen.

Question sent in by Rojan Modir
Will there be a single player mode? If so, how will it work?
A: The instant battle is carried over from the original game, and with the improvements we’ve made to the AI players, this mode if significantly more interesting and fun than its predecessor. You can give commands to Bots and they will follow your orders.

Question sent in by Chris Yardely
How do the bots compare to the bots of BF1942? Will they be able to get into any vehicle, including choppers and jets? Does the bot AI surpase those of BF 1942?
A: The improvement in the bots is really dramatic. It’s a lot of fun playing the game with them and hearing them taunt you and stuff. They definitely aren’t pushovers any more either. They are formidable opponents and yes, they will be able to use all the vehicles.

Question sent in by Casimir Kouwenberg
What platforms will the game ship on?
A: BFV is only on the PC. One of the focuses we had was maintaining a connection with the community. If we had focused on making BFV for a console, it’s likely we would not have been able to look into any kind of mod support.

Question sent in by Sam Cooper
What Kind of tools will ship with the game? Will we get a map editor, mod tools, etc… In other words, will the game support MODS?
A: The game will support Mods and there will be tools available. As far as whether the tools actually ship with the game on a CD or whether they are available for download, etc, I’m not 100% sure if that has been decided yet.

Question sent in by Robert Bennett Jr.
Are there plans for a multiplayer demo? If so, when can we expect to download it?
A: We would have liked to do a demo for the release of the game, but there just was not time. We may do a demo in the future, stay tuned.

Question sent in by Gerbrand Lub
What will the system requirements be for the game?
A: The minimum requirements are a Pentium III 933 with a Geforce 3 (or comparable). Obviously, the better machine you have, the better your experience will be. It’s safe to say that if you have a mid range machine now and don’t have any trouble running BF1942, you won’t have much trouble running BFV.

Question sent in by John Short
How exactly does the napalm work once dropped from a jet or other airborne vehicle?
A: Pretty much how you would expect. It hits the ground and the initial explosion spreads forwards into smaller explosions. Each explosion burns for a set amount of time killing any living thing in its wake.

Question sent in by FGAMES1
How many maps will ship with the game and which ones are your favorites?
A: We have 14 maps. It’s tough for me to choose a favorite because each has its unique flavor. Each map has something that I love in it. I’m sure everyone will find a few that they will proclaim as the best maps in the game, but I’m a fan of all of them.

Question sent in by D.J Forte
Will there be rain or will the weather change going from sunny to cloudy or day to night?
A: There will be different settings for each map, but the weather patterns won’t change during the course of battle. We had looked into it but found it to be a little too problematic for us at this time. This may be something we add to the game in the future once we’ve had more time to really understand all the ramifications.

Question sent in by Davidddaaa
Will there be dense foliage as like in Joint Operations. I know you guys have said there will be dense foliage but from the looks of the screenshots I have seen I don’t see a jungle warfare type scenario. Vietnam is a war with a lot of jungle warfare so I hope and pray you do your best to re-enact this.
A: Will there be dense jungle maps? Yes. Will every square inch of every map be covered in palm trees? No. The Vietnam battles didn’t all take place in the jungle. They took place in the central low lands, in the jungles, in the mountain valleys, along the rivers, and along the shorelines. Battlefield isn’t a game about a concentrated little section of the planet. If the Vietnam War had been all jungle, all the time, we would have chosen a different conflict. It would have been too repetitive and boring. As it stands, our maps represent a good cross section of all the different types of fighting that occurred during the war.

Question sent in by Steve Smith
Will there be any built-in voice command?
A: Unfortunately, it will not be something that we release with the game. We wanted to include it but we just couldn’t do that and deliver on everything else at the same time. It is something that we feel is very important and something we want to add. Hopefully we can find a why to make it happen after release.

Question sent in by Orion
How would you describe the improved helicopter physics for the game? And what kinds of new control features will be included (excluding the tow cable)?
A: If you’ve played any of the Mods with helicopters, those helicopters are essentially using airplane physics. You’ll find that they are ok, but not really what you would have expected from flying a helicopter. The new helicopter physics model is just that, all new. It is not based on the old airplane physics at all. This allows the player to fly the helicopters in ways that are more natural and expected. You can sit in a hover as long as you like or you can rotate in place. You can strafe sideways and back again if you like. You can fly backwards, etc. Whatever you’ve seen or heard can be done with a helicopter; you can do that with ours. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

From Official Battlefield Vietnam Newsletter\Website

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Also, for any of you who want MORE. IGN.com have released a Battlefield Vietnam hands on preview. You can find it here. The preview has a load of new movies and images worth a look.

Jim

Just thought I'd post up these Screen Shots of Operation: Hastings I found over at Planet Battlefield




More pics and info here.

Less than a month to go!

Winters

Just to tell you the following:

Vietnam Goes Gold

EA is pleased to announce that Battlefield Vietnam has officially gone gold for the PC. The game is set to ship nationwide to retailers under the EA GAMES brand on Monday, March 15.

The Battlefield franchise is entering a new era with more firepower and beautiful yet ferocious new combat settings. Offering an arsenal of weapons and vehicles authentic to the Vietnam conflict, players will battle in first-person perspective. Staying true to the over-the-top, action-packed multiplayer style that gave Battlefield 1942 its critical and commercial success, Battlefield Vietnam will drop players into some of the Vietnam War's fiercest battles. Fighting in theatres from jungles surrounding the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the city streets of Hue, players will choose from two well-equipped forces, the United States or the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Vietcong. All of this action will be accompanied by the sounds of an authentic Vietnam era soundtrack to immerse the player into an experience similar to that of a Hollywood film.

From Official Battlefield Vietnam website

Expect it in less then 2 weeks then. It will be released in Europe on Friday 19th [i believe]. So hurrah! Must start providing sexual favours to get money to buy it now

bizmark

So hurrah! Must start providing sexual favours to get money to buy it now

Me to

so keep the fudge away from the cork docks ! thats my area

regeneration

wonder how that will affect mod teams. Im making a shrewd guess that modders will find very little change in the game structure, and BF mods may be backwards compatible with BF:V with just some simple change to the code.

Winters

Dice have said that mods shouldnt have too much of a problem moving their mod from the Battlefield 1942 engine to Battlefield Vietnam. Mod of the core elements are the same and also their should be mod tools released [either on the BF:V CD's or from the web] with BF:V too.

A good few mods are already changing over to BF:V when its out. Not just because it will probably sell more copies then the combined 2million+ of the BF1942 series but it also features heat seeking missiles, proper heli physics [not just plane physics that are being used at the moment], and also better graphics etc.

So back to the question and wipe the drul away, its going to be easy enough for mods to convert to the BF:V engine from the BF1942 engine. Now for me to get some chocolate and skips.

regeneration

the ONLY ting Im interested from a moddign point of view is whether they will have fixed the colllision code and allow for large urban areas. So many decent maps are ruined by DICE's horrible code.

Winters

I assume they have fixed it. Some of the levels do include a lot of urban fighting, such as the map baised upon the assault on the city of Hue. Due to the differant fighting and battle styles in Vietnam you cant really have many wide open spaces. BF1942 was baised mostly upon the large open warfare of World War 2 and BF:V seems to be a lot baised upon the close combat of Vietnam. If you look at the surfing bird video on the Official BF Vietnam website it shows the Hue may which is basicly just city.

/me giggles

Cant wait