From Battlefield 3 to Battlefield 4 the game hasn't seen the most advanced form of evolution and if you aren't really paying attention it's easy to think that you're looking at the same game . A new video featurette for the Frostbite 3.0 has been released to break down some of the more technical aspects of the engine, including the advancements in physics, global weather and levolution.
Most of the stuff is the typical marketing jargon of trying to sell Frostbite 3 tech as the next greatest thing since slice bread (odd considering that EA doesn't allow DICE to license the engine out to other studios) and the team talks about how the engine really helps bring internal projects to life with ease and convenience.
The thing is, as a technical design showcase I'm more interested in the heart and soul that powers Battlefield 4 than I am the game itself. The action and gameplay looks all right, with some pretty impressive set pieces on display and tons of shooting and explosions to boot. However, that's not really what makes Battlefield 4 look impressive... it's the engine specs that keeps the series, at this point, fascinating.
Having DICE talk about the new global weather system is a real selling point (for the engine) in my humble opinion. The fact that clouds, water, trees, foliage and physical objects affected by rain, water, wind and force is a really cool thing and outside of Frostbite I can't think of an engine that has such a feature integrated into its core. As some of you know, the Unreal Engine requires IDV's Speedtree and Nvidia's PhysX to achieve similar results. Most gamers will never even know that such a feature rests at the core of the game's mechanics, but I guess that's what these promo videos are for?
I still can't help but think that this would be a much better showcase if they were licensing the engine out. I could easily see big, medium and small companies alike jumping on board to grab a license for the Frostbite Engine after watching a video like this.
Nevertheless, as a selling point against Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 wins without much of a fight. There's zero comparison between both games at this point, on a technical level, and they really are two entire generations apart from each other in terms of features, interactivity and atmospheric immersion.
For people who aren't sold on Battlefield 4's technical prowess, I doubt there will be much incentive from any videos moving forward to convince them that another modern day military simulator is a $60 purchase worth the occupied space in their wallet. However, for gamers who missed out on Battlefield 3 or were long-time Call of Duty fans looking to switch it up, I think the video above is a perfectly calibrated marketing tool to sway newcomers and CoD defectors alike.
You can learn more about Battlefield 4 for PC, Xbox One, PS4 and current gen consoles by paying a visit to the game's official website
