Battlefield Vietnam Preview

In my book there are just two FPS games in recent history that managed to take the online community by storm. Only two online shooters that truly outshined the rest by creating a vast and devoted community of fans able to diversify and expand the gameplay in such a way that it can now be regarded as science or even an art form. One is Counter-Strike and the other is, of course, DICE's Battlefield 1942. I still can't pinpoint why Counter-Strike became so popular, but I do believe I know why Battlefield 1942 did. No other game comes even close to conveying the massive sense of full-scale warfare the way that BF1942 does. Yes, it's the vehicles, but it's really an amalgamation of factors that make the gameplay so dynamic and ultimately so addictive.

Don't shoot at your own chopper, ya dumbass!

Just 'nap' 'em!

With the success of the original behind them, the team at DICE continued to work hard on new projects - expansion packs and ultimately a full-blown sequel - Battlefield: Vietnam. (Ed.- Thank Magog, a non-WWII game!!!!) Battlefield Vietnam will drop players into some of the Vietnam War's fiercest battles. Fighting in theatres from jungles surrounding the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the city streets of Hue, players will choose from two well-equipped forces, the United States or the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Vietcong. (Ed. - Mayday, I've got Charlie all over the area!) You could say that the premise is pretty simple and that nothing has changed in terms of the general gameplay concept, but that wouldn't exactly be the truth. Sure, there are two expansion packs out for the game already, so if you want more maps and weapons, you are pretty much set, but the goal of the team at DICE is to truly build upon the ideas introduced in the original. To create a game that will attract newcomers to the series and rekindle the interest of Battlefield 1942 veterans worldwide.

The first obvious distinction is that the sequel has a completely different setting than the original. Perhaps you know what the Vietnam conflict was all about, and you probably know the historical facts, and I hope you do. The intention of the developers goes beyond simply reflecting those historical facts in the game and dubbing it a sequel. A lot of effort will be put into creating a cinematic experience that will generate an air of 'movie reality' seen in masterpieces like Apocalypse Now and Platoon. The designers want you to feel the fraction of the thrilling atmosphere that was so overwhelming in movies by Stone, Kubrick and Coppola. (Ed. - What is your major malfunction, numbnuts!!) According to Reid Schneider, the game's producer, "Most people's familiarity with the Vietnam war comes from movies. And that's what we're doing in this game - bringing those movie moments to life." This by itself is a very interesting novelty that will surely have a strong impact on the Battlefield series. Obviously, the designers want to go beyond simply advancing the gameplay mechanics. They want to introduce something new to the franchise - a more tantalizing cinematic experience that will only heighten the drama that is created by the very fact that you're engaged in a ferocious battle against human or AI-controlled opponents.

The team at DICE is looking to strike a perfect balance between simulation and arcade shooter elements, while adding specific cinematic touches that are supposed to tie this eclectic mix of gameplay styles together. In a way, the maps in Battlefield: Vietnam reflect this new design approach. Surely, when we think of Vietnam, we think of dense foliage and a fairly restricted type of jungle warfare. This type of fighting will still be very much present in the game - using thick patches of jungle to ambush enemy patrols for example - even though the designers aren't currently planning on including the VC tunnel networks. However, the team at DICE doesn't want to strictly limit their design to maps with overly abundant vegetation and genuine Vietnamese environments. They will try to go beyond that by strategically placing the plant life so that it allows for a dynamic combat where the distances and combat styles vary. They will even go so far as to include knee-high grass swaying in the wind that will only be visible to the players, but not to their opponents. Sure, this sounds a bit risky, but the purpose of this is to actually create the type of free-flowing gameplay that made Battlefield 1942 so popular.

The second major difference in the game will be the vehicles. Battlefield: Vietnam introduces a whole new balance here. The main focus in terms of vehicles will shift from tanks to helicopters. Tanks like the M551 Sheridan and Russian-made T-54 will still be effective at certain areas of the maps, but in the end it's the helicopters that will be regarded as "key vehicles." To quote the game's producer Reid Schneider "What tanks were to 1942 - the main unit that accomplishes things - helicopters will be in Vietnam." The workhorse for the U.S. during the Vietnam conflict was the helicopter and it will serve the same purpose in Battlefield Vietnam. Making an appearance in the sequel is the legendary UH-1 Huey. You will recognize this chopper from movies like Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse now. It's usually the one that transports the troops from the battlefield and has those shark teeth decals painted on its front end. As it was the case in actual combat, players will be able to mount the side miniguns and lay down suppressive fire as the infantry troops are being taken away from the field. Up to three people can fit in the Huey (that is if we're not counting the pilot). Besides being able to mount miniguns, players can fire from their M16's out the open bay door. Passengers in other vehicles like jeeps will also have the ability to fire weapons while moving, which should make the gameplay even more interesting.

Where the hell are you going with that Jeep, man?!

They won't know what hit 'em!

Is that a bird?! Is that a plane?! No, it's SUPER-VC!

In addition to the Huey, the game will also feature Chinook's - larger transport choppers that will be able to actually lift vehicles and transport them to different locations on the map. You can imagine just how much a gameplay innovation like that will change the dynamics of the battlefield. The VC won't be without their helicopter support either. The game will feature the Russian Mi-8 multipurpose helicopter that will counter the superior U.S. choppers. The trick with the VC forces is that they'll have a considerable advantage in situations where Huey's and Chinook's are flying very low and are exposed to hostile gunfire, so if you're thinking that simply overusing the helicopters will win the day for you, you better think again. Even so, the helicopter will indeed be the key vehicle in the game, and as proof of that, we have information that the team at DICE has modified the physics engine so that the choppers can slide, hover and descend in a believable fashion.

Even though the helicopters will play a major role in combat, the U.S. air supremacy will be outlined even further with the introduction of the Phantom F-4 jet fighter. Most players already know what it feels like to pilot a jet in Battlefield, courtesy of the Secret Weapons of WWII expansion or the Desert Combat mod. Besides probably tweaking the physics some more, the designers will let us use the infamous napalm bombs. In other words, you'll be able to 'nap' the VC. Again, the Vietcong will have their own jets to counter the Americans - like the Russian MiG-21 - but it's the prospect of lighting up the battlefield with napalm that garners the most interest amongst Battlefield aficionados. Actually, napping an area, and not burning half of your troops in the process, will be quite a challenging task. The pilot will need to calculate the bomb's trajectory and effectively use ground spotters (a new class similar to scouts in BF1942) so as to avoid friendly casualties and deal maximum damage to the enemy. Naturally, the VC won't be defenseless against such devastating attacks. They will have at their disposal the ZSU-23 anti-aircraft cannons and RPG's. The Battlefield franchise is all about balance, so the last thing you should expect is for one devastating weapon to dominate all others. The U.S. forces may have air supremacy, but the VC will often have a clear terrain advantage, thereby neutralizing the impact of the jets and choppers. Certain scenarios will see U.S. forces being pinned down and surrounded by the VC with just the 'Air Cav' to come to their rescue. Being able to land that Huey in the hot zone and get out alive will take plenty of skill, not to mention a good deal of luck. Among other things skilful pilots will be leading a squadron of Huey helicopters in an all-out attack on an enemy compound, or piloting a Phantom F4 jet fighter to unleash napalm on a beachfront fortress. Other missions that won't require fancy piloting will let players do stuff like capture a PT boat through a dangerous jungle river passage and more.

Of course, as is the case in any armed conflict, the air force is only good if you have troops on the ground to finish the work for you. Player classes in Battlefield: Vietnam will include assault, medic, scout, anti-tank, and engineer - pretty much your standard stuff, although we should certainly expect some changes and even new classes before the game is done. What's new here, and known to us at this moment, is the ability to select from a variety of characters within the different soldier classes. It will be really cool to finally have your own specific look in the game - maybe an ace card stuck in the helmet band, or a T-shirt for the heavy gunner instead of the regular army clothes. One other interesting novelty regarding the classes will be the ability for the VC troops to lay down booby traps like the punji sticks - sharp bamboo poles hidden in the ground with their pointy ends sticking up. God knows how devastatingly effective those were in the jungles.

As far as the infantry armament is concerned, soldiers will get to operate several hand weapons of war that were available to the US and NVA including the M-16, M-60 (heavy gunner's favorite), M-79 grenade launcher, RPG and AK-47. What this implies is that the infantry combat will certainly be much more devastating than in BF1942, especially when those mortars start flying.

Finally, I should add a thing or two about the graphics and sound. As far as the musical score is concerned you should know that Huey's will be equipped with speakers and will most certainly play tunes from Creedence, Hendrix and Steppenwolf to name a few. (Ed. - It's all about the Skynard baby, Sweet Home Alabama!) I'm not sure about Wagner though, but that would certainly be a nice touch! Visually and in terms of the in-game physics, Battlefield: Vietnam will see many effective modifications, such as new secondary explosions triggered if in the vicinity of other combustible objects, and other interesting additions. Judging by the screenshots the basic look of the game hasn't changed that much. Still, the designers will certainly improve the animation, the number of polygons per each scene, texturing, as well as stuff like locational damage, which can be critical in a game like this.

Battlefield Vietnam, like its brethren Battlefield games, allows players to join forces on teams in games up to 64 players over the Internet, or jump into single player action. The game is due out in early 2004, and personally I can't wait to get my hands on the beta. DICE has shown to everyone that they're capable of producing extraordinary games that set new trends in the gaming industry. I don't see why it should be any different with Battlefield Vietnam.