Battlefield 3 had the worst unlocks ever – DICE

Speaking to VG247, DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson said that the steep unlock progression in Battlefield 3 was a poor design choice.

“We shipped Battlefield 3, which we should be slapped for, with probably the worst set ups ever,” said Gustavsson.

However, the developer has learnt from its mistakes and promises that Battlefield 4 will offer a smoother experience for beginners getting into the game.

“The full set-ups are supposed to be quite easy to learn and to master, and from there you can start unlocking things and seeing what your preferred setup is. So, a lot of learning from Battlefield 3 has gone into making the game,” said Gustavsson.

Addressing concerns that the traditional Battlefield fans might baulk at an idea of simplified Battlefield experience, Gustavsson said that DICE is proud of the game’s hardcore reputation and doesn’t want to sacrifice that to accessibility.

Gustavsson described the game as having many different modes to cater to different types of player, and within that framework players are also free to craft their own play style.

“The key thing I’m after here is that, even though we have score play and we now have Commander, it doesn’t mean that you have to play it that way. We have many modes where we don’t even have scores, or the focus on teamplay in that way. It’s you and only you, and only your kill-death ratio matters.”

“It’s totally up to you, but if you want to, even in the more complex mode, you can do your own lone wolf career. But if you want to there is a traditional layer – for those who want it.”

“That’s the big thing. It might sound like a marketing pitch: play your way. It’s sincerely what we believe in, that we shouldn’t dictate how to play Battlefield.”

EA announced the release date for the next-gen versions of Battlefield 4, with the Xbox One and PS4 editions arriving on 21 and 29 November 2013, respectively.

For current-gen, the game will release on 1 November 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.