BATTLEFIELD, BATTLEFRONT OR GEARS OF WAR?

Any action video game player who is the least bit invested in his or her entertainment downtime will want to know some of the basics on Battlefield 2042. Released by Electronic Arts, conceived and designed by DICE (a Stockholm, Sweden group), Battlefield 2042 is the twelfth edition in the Battlefield franchise which started out in 2002 with Battlefield 1942.

Battlefield series video games have consistently been first person shooter action setups that have principally been enjoyed by multiple players in an online connected format (multiplayer mode) although single player options have been available for owners of the game.  Now that you are planning on testing your battle skills on the newest gameset, here is what you need to be aware of from the previous editions of Battlefield.

DISTINCT DIFFERENCES – PLATFORMS AND MODE

Battlefield 2042 is a first in the franchise, a cross-platform game that allows players from PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S allows up to 128 players to go at it simultaneously using different game systems/consoles. Battlefield 2042 is also the first edition that does not offer single player mode.

BATTLEGEAR

No, we are not alluding to another highly popular war game title, Battlefield 2042 gives players the options of using new battlefield weaponry such as a healing pistol, a wingsuit by means of a mission specialist, and can also use a grappling hook (Batman style), or a recon drone that can set off an EMP blast.

PLAYING FIELD

Battlefield 2042 is set in a world on the brink of Armageddon, the USA versus Russia, where citizens of each country, in huge numbers are also warring against their own governments, or have become alienated from their own governments and known as No-Pats (as opposed to ex-pats). A series of crises, including rising sea levels, Germany’s economic collapse and a large number of satellites mysteriously crashing to Earth resulting in huge blackouts, pushes both rivals of East and West to war.

MAPS AND MODES – PLAY TERRITORIES

Maps in video games represent the world or the terrain where players roam and play. It can be the surface of Saturn or planet Earth. Aside from setting the scenery, maps provide vital information such as terrain factor, distance, location, gravity factor, telemetry, topography and weather information to the gameplay. In war games, this means mountains and valleys you have to get your team, equipment and platoon through to face off opponents.

At product launch, Battlefield 2042 included seven maps, with Breakaway considered the biggest map in the entire franchise’s history.

The game offers participants three game modes; All Out Warfare, Battlefield Portal, and Hazard Zone.  Game MODE All Out Warfare includes a staple mode of the franchise known as Conquest, where two teams combat each other for the control points of a terrain or sector. In Breakthrough mode, also a staple of the franchise, one team must attack another to secure the opponent’s own control points to win the sector.

In Battlefield Portal mode, players can customize the gameplay program with a web-based program modifying application that allows them to redefine health parameters, weapons loading times, and the ability to upload maps from previous games in the franchise including the original Battlefield 1942.

In Hazard Zone mode, combatants are grouped into teams with a search and retrieve missions of the data cores from the crashed satellites where each retrieved core will earn the team special credits that could be used to purchase new weapons, supplies and important gear upgrades.

All of these modes feature computer generated “AI” combatants, soldiers run by the game engine as an extra hurdle, which all players have to face off against, besides teams playing against each other.

FAST WEAPONS RELOAD FEATURE

A new convenient feature allows a player to quickly change their gear if they need new weapons to confront a changing situation, say of example long range snipers. With a touch of a button, without having to change into a menu change pause, the gear can be replaced from automatic short range assault rifles to power rifles for long range kills with power scopes and night vision.

WEATHER ELEMENTS AND STORMS

One of the biggest new features of Battlefield 2042 are storms, tornadoes and sandstorms the players and AI combatants have to struggle through adding an element of unpredictability to the strategy of teams taking out the enemy’s territory and supply routes.

OVERALL PUBLIC REACTION

While video game reviewers gave Battlefield 2042 mixed reviews that ranged from 5 stars out of 5, others gave it 3 out of 5 and The Guardian’s reviewer gave it 2 stars out of 5. At issue were glitches in the software and bugs, especially in the Hazard Zone mode. But the professional reviewers were very kind compared to players and customers vested in the franchise. The number of players on Steam, where it launched on November 19, 2021 dropped by half from a peak of 105,397 to 52,000 players a week later, registering around 30,000 negative complaints.

By December 2021, Steam concurrent players had dropped to an estimated count of 19,000 and by April 2022, there were only 1,000 players on Steam still playing the game. In April 2022, DICE had released a new version with almost 400 bug fixes. By then almost 200,000 customers had signed a petition requesting a full refund from the manufacturer.

For a game series that launched on such a high note in 2002 with Battlefield 1942 grabbing numerous awards and honors from industry and was one of the best-selling video games with more than 2.7 million copies sold by 2006 in the USA alone, Battlefield 2042 (2021) became an extreme disappointment for the fans and its creators.

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