The Battlefield series is more known for its multiplayer offerings over its single-player campaign, but DICE has now claimed that it needs to change that and “grow up a bit” by improving the narrative in Battlefield 4. Part of doing so will be to create a strong bond between player and squadmate.
“People talk to me about the characters, for a game like Battlefield, you could argue that it’s just a shooter, so who cares?” said Patrick Bach, executive producer for DICE. “For us it’s important to grow up a bit and create a great story, a character you care about, where you feel involved in their actions and that’s based on the core idea of the whole game, that we want to move elements of multiplayer into single-player.”
Of those elements includes the attachment one gains when playing with other people online for long periods of time. This leads to learning their names, quirks, and finding out that they have their own distinct personalities.
“If you’re playing multiplayer, you actually care about the guys in your squad, those are often your friends, they have their personalities, you help them, they help you, and they have their own mindset,” Bach continued. “Now we need to create a single-player that mimics that feeling.”
As this editor has previously written, one of the crutches in Battlefield 3 was its attempt and failure to grab players with its narrative thanks in part to a cast that was never fully fleshed out. If DICE can fix that, it could bring military shooters one step closer to the level that movies have already reached thanks to films like “Saving Private Ryan.”
What are your thoughts on this new approach with Battlefield 4? Do you want a better single-player experience, or do you think it’ll effect the multiplayer in a negative way? Let your opinions be heard in our comments section below!
[Edge]
