Battlefield 4 continues to take shape under the Battleblog's unrelenting, drill sergeant-esque scrutiny. Next up for inspection is Commander Mode, the strategy subgame which allows one player to boss the rest around from on high, dropping supplies, scanning areas and calling in missile strikes. You can even do it via a tablet on the bus, if you're too cool for a sofa. And you're playing the Xbox One, PS4 or PC version. And the bus has wifi. Unlike Battlefield 2's Commander Mode, the new version doesn't allow you to assume the role of a footsoldier and a Commander in the same match (well, not without quitting out and rejoining the server, anyway). This is to avoid situations where the Commander would put their own safety first, apparently. Also, it's now possible to view live gameplay via a picture-in-picture cam, and engage in tussles with Enemy Commanders by EMPing their UAV scans.
"There are basically two ecosystems/loops running in parallel when you play as the Commander: the squad loop and the main Commander assets loop," the post (co-authored by DICE's Lars Gustavsson and Valerian Noghin) explains. "On top of these you always have a basic palette of assets available to support your ground troops.
"This basic palette includes UAVs for scanning and EMPs (jamming), as well as the Cruise Missile Warning, which designates an area where the enemy missile will strike, allowing your friendly troops to move out of harm's way before it's too late.
"In addition to this, you'll also be able to designate High Value Targets, useful for pointing out especially dangerous enemies on the battlefield. An enemy on a kill streak of six or more will appear on the Commander's screen as a selectable unit. This player's location can be relayed to the entire team for a period of time (45 seconds at the moment).
"The Commander can add this aspect to a game where most players will shift focus for a while and hunt/protect this HVT player, as both teams are alerted about this Commander "promotion" when it happens. The attackers will receive additional bonuses when taking out said target, while the target will receive bonuses when performing kills while being HVT - thus both parties have something to gain from this.
"GTA's classic "wanted stars" system is what we used as an inspiration for this, we think the highly skilled players will accept this challenge as the ultimate proof of becoming a lethal threat on the battlefield. As far as personal favorites go, the High Value Target is probably mine for the rush you get when you know that potentially the entire team is after you!"
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Here's a rundown of the aforesaid Main Assets, availability of which may vary depending on the mode.
-The Cruise Missile - launched from fixed positions on the map, they will fly at cruising altitude before dropping in an arc at the designated point, wiping out anything in the vicinity. Their power is substantial, and this is why a good Commander will use the Cruise Missile Warning asset whenever possible.
-Two types of Map Scans - Vehicle and Infantry Scan, used for long-term highlighting of enemy units on the map for your team.
-Finally, the AC-130 Gunship - as seen in the Commander Mode videos and in BF3's Armored Kill, this powerful plane provides ground support from multiple weapons, as well as a mobile spawn point covering a large section of the map.
And here's a rundown of Squad Assets, which are earned much like the game's Field Upgrades, with exact details to come. The most potent costs the full four chunks of an associated Squad Assets bar, while the cheapest only costs one chunk.
-Squad Promotion - boost the squad members' individual field upgrade bars towards the next unlock.
-Vehicle Drop - deploy a Quad Bike or a light Boat (depending on terrain) via parachute.
-Rapid Deploy - cut the squad's spawn time in half for a fixed period of time.
-Supply Drop: deploy a large crate that will heal, resupply and repair friendly units. In addition, friendly units will be able to change kits on the field which we think is an interesting tactical addition to the game.
Source: OXM
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Thanks to: Rheena.com
"There are basically two ecosystems/loops running in parallel when you play as the Commander: the squad loop and the main Commander assets loop," the post (co-authored by DICE's Lars Gustavsson and Valerian Noghin) explains. "On top of these you always have a basic palette of assets available to support your ground troops.
"This basic palette includes UAVs for scanning and EMPs (jamming), as well as the Cruise Missile Warning, which designates an area where the enemy missile will strike, allowing your friendly troops to move out of harm's way before it's too late.
"In addition to this, you'll also be able to designate High Value Targets, useful for pointing out especially dangerous enemies on the battlefield. An enemy on a kill streak of six or more will appear on the Commander's screen as a selectable unit. This player's location can be relayed to the entire team for a period of time (45 seconds at the moment).
"The Commander can add this aspect to a game where most players will shift focus for a while and hunt/protect this HVT player, as both teams are alerted about this Commander "promotion" when it happens. The attackers will receive additional bonuses when taking out said target, while the target will receive bonuses when performing kills while being HVT - thus both parties have something to gain from this.
"GTA's classic "wanted stars" system is what we used as an inspiration for this, we think the highly skilled players will accept this challenge as the ultimate proof of becoming a lethal threat on the battlefield. As far as personal favorites go, the High Value Target is probably mine for the rush you get when you know that potentially the entire team is after you!"
[embedded content]
Here's a rundown of the aforesaid Main Assets, availability of which may vary depending on the mode.
-The Cruise Missile - launched from fixed positions on the map, they will fly at cruising altitude before dropping in an arc at the designated point, wiping out anything in the vicinity. Their power is substantial, and this is why a good Commander will use the Cruise Missile Warning asset whenever possible.
-Two types of Map Scans - Vehicle and Infantry Scan, used for long-term highlighting of enemy units on the map for your team.
-Finally, the AC-130 Gunship - as seen in the Commander Mode videos and in BF3's Armored Kill, this powerful plane provides ground support from multiple weapons, as well as a mobile spawn point covering a large section of the map.
And here's a rundown of Squad Assets, which are earned much like the game's Field Upgrades, with exact details to come. The most potent costs the full four chunks of an associated Squad Assets bar, while the cheapest only costs one chunk.
-Squad Promotion - boost the squad members' individual field upgrade bars towards the next unlock.
-Vehicle Drop - deploy a Quad Bike or a light Boat (depending on terrain) via parachute.
-Rapid Deploy - cut the squad's spawn time in half for a fixed period of time.
-Supply Drop: deploy a large crate that will heal, resupply and repair friendly units. In addition, friendly units will be able to change kits on the field which we think is an interesting tactical addition to the game.
Source: OXM
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[h=3]References[/h]
- [SUP]^[/SUP] Source: OXM (www.oxm.co.uk)
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Thanks to: Rheena.com