Credit: EA/DICE
At Gamescom 2011, EA unveiled gameplay footage of jets on
the map Caspian Border. If you’ve not yet seen it, check it out below, and
crank it up to 1080p.
Jets, along with a wide range of land vehicles and
helicopters, set Battlefield apart from other military shooters. Those new to
Battlefield will find that aircraft controls take some practice to get used to,
but offer a gameplay experience that’s really unique and exciting.
Many of those who’ve played other Battlefield games and are
used to jets are excited to give them a try. The fast-paced air-to-air battles and
obstacle-dodging ground assaults are something rarely seen outside of flight
combat sims. Some joystick-wielding pros will pick up BF3 for the jets alone.
Gameplay balance and jets
Others know jets from Battlefield 2, but saw first-hand how
they could lead to a game imbalance. Many maps had limited mobile anti-aircraft
vehicles, and stationary AA guns were strategically taken out by experienced
pilots. This left other jets piloted by teammates as the only defense, which
was limited to the skill of one or two players.
Enter new countermeasures.
In BF3, it looks like we’ll see a much better balance. The
list of weapons for BF3 includes the FIM-92 Stinger and SA-18 IGLA. Both are
portable air defense systems that can be equipped by engineers. Like their
real-life counterparts, expect these weapons to offer homing systems to lock
onto enemy aircraft. Of course, jets will likely have their own countermeasures
such as flares and afterburners, but pilots will need to be even more on top of
their game to stay in the air.
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