Despite the bugs John and I were big fans of Battlefield 2 from Electronic Arts so
when we got the chance to talk about the port of the game to the console we jumped
at the chance. We were lucky enough to
talk to Marcus Nilsson, the Executive Producer of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat about what we can expect from the
console version of one of our favorite games.
GamingNexus: Are the
classes the same as the ones in Battlefield 2 or did you have to tweak them for
the console version? How is the
character persistence (points) compared to Battlefield 2 on the PC? Will it be
the same in terms of point scale and unlocking extras at certain levels? Is there still only one unlock per class?
Marcus Nilsson: The
classes are the same in principle but we did balance them differently and give
them a few new weapons for console. You will not unlock upgrades like you do on
PC, but you will rise in rank from Private to General, and achieve medals along
the way for your accomplishments.
GamingNexus: What are
the major differences between the Xbox and PlayStation 2 version? How did you have to modify the controls for a
console audience? How did this impact
the controls for the vehicles?
Marcus Nilsson: Actually,
both consoles have the same content and gameplay. We’re very proud of the fact
that we’ve been able to get 24 players on both platforms, in addition to over a
dozen vehicles, and on huge maps. We made the game a little more accessible
than it is on PC, and this meant tweaking the controls a little in most cases.
We did some drastic things like adding a beginner control setting for
helicopters, so people have that option. However, because this was built from
the ground up for console, we always focused on making the controls perfect for
the system the game is on.
GamingNexus: Are
there any plans to release new content for the game after it’s launched such as
maps, vehicles or weapons?
Marcus Nilsson: We
are working on downloadable content right now, and
we’ll be announcing more details about this soon.
GamingNexus: Will you
be able to use the keyboard and mouse on the PlayStation 2 like Unreal
Tournament on that platform?
Marcus Nilsson: No,
we will not support the keyboard and mouse, but after you play a match and see
how the game was specifically designed with a controller in mind, I don’t think
you’ll miss this.
GamingNexus: The
Battlefield series is not known for having a strong single player experience
nor having any story driven elements. What have you done for Modern Combat to
deliver a good single player experience? Has the AI been improved as the AI in
the franchise has never been a strong point on the PC side?
Marcus Nilsson: Hotswapping
is a key new feature, and it gives you control of any soldier in your squad as
long as you have line of sight. The campaign forces you to fight on both sides
of the war, and you are constantly receiving conflicting news reports and
mission objectives. There are 20 missions to complete, and then you must decide
which army you believe and lead that army to victory.
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