Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Interview

Xbox Core: How long is the single-player portion and will it prepare gamers for the online experience?

Marcus Nilsson, Executive Producer of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat:
The single player campaign consists of 20 missions, and will take most gamers about 8 to 10 hours to complete when you factor in all of the Challenges. It will certainly get you familiar with all of the soldier classes, weapons, and vehicles so you can look good online. But there's no substitute for practice against humans.

XC: How is propaganda worked into the single-player campaign?

MN: At key points in the game, you'll receive news reports that will make you question some of the missions you just completed. You will fight on the side of NATO for half of the missions, and on the side of China for the other half. So you will see the conflict from both sides. At the end, you'll have to decide which army you believe, and lead them to victory.

XC: How many weapons will there be and what do you think will be a few of the favorites?

MN: There are 55 weapons in the game, and my favorite is the Artillery Strike, hands down. Nothing cleans out a group of enemies faster than that. However, the Stinger missiles and C4 are also very cool. You can have a lot of fun with C4…



XC: How many vehicles will there be and what do you think will be a few of the favorites?

MN: We have 30 vehicles and helicopters are very popular. They take a little practice to control them, but bringing the battle into the air makes our experience unique.

XC: Since the demo (OXM demo) release have you changed how any of the classes (Assault, Sniper, ect.) handle?

MN: We've used the demo and the public beta to fine tune the handling and balance the different classes. We didn't need to make drastic changes since we're happy with the gameplay, but we always take advantage of an opportunity to test and improve things.

XC: Will classes be customizable?

MN: You can't customize them, but with five different types to choose from, each with different weapons and skills, there should hopefully be a soldier that fits your playing style.

XC: Will players still be able to switch teams at any point during online play?

MN: Yes, you can commit suicide and then switch teams if you like, but if the teams are too imbalanced already this won't be allowed.

XC: How many different maps will be available and will there be downloadable content after the game is released?

MN: The game will ship with 13 completely new maps, and we are also working on downloadable content to release in the future.

XC: Will there be an online ranking system?

MN: Yes, we'll use a global stat tracking system that will let you measure your progress from Private to General. In general, we're doing things with our clan support, match analysis, and intelligence tools that have never been done before.

XC: How many players/characters in total can be on the play area online?

MN: You can have up to 24 players online.

XC: Online, how many vehicles in total can be in each play area?

MN: It depends on the map, but we have some larger maps with 7 vehicles per side, so 14 in total. That's a lot of vehicular carnage.

XC: Graphically, what will be different between the Xbox and the Xbox 360 versions?

MN: We'll be talking more about the Xbox 360 version very soon, but trust me, it will be the best looking Battlefield game ever, and in fact one of the best looking games period.

XC: What differences (besides graphical) can we expect to see between the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions?

MN: You'll have to wait a little to find out about those things, but we're always looking at how we can expand and improve the gameplay experience.

XC: What is your favorite part, feature, or gameplay type of the game?

MN: I love jumping into a helicopter, loading it up with a bunch of teammates, and flying around taking n00bs out left and right. It's an exhilarating experience that you just can't get with any other series.

Article By: VGcore Staff