After a visually pleasing Battlefront that suffered from overly permissive gameplay, the developers at DICE went all out on Battlefield 1 to become the FPS that will be on all PCs and consoles for the next holiday season. It was after a few days spent in Stockholm in the developer's studios where we were able to test the game on racing PCs that we were able to get some idea of the future of the series. Clearly, things are going in the right direction with a Frostbite 3 engine that sends big as long as your hardware is adequate. Particles galore, large swirls of smoke after a barrage, or layers of mustard are very nicely represented. Particles also come into play when ammunition depots are hit. We must also salute the impressive rendering of the engine of destruction, since the battlefield changes profoundly under the impact of artillery and explosives of all kinds. From the crater in the ground to the collapse of buildings, everything is dynamic, enhancing immersion and improving the tactical use of environments. It's especially on board tanks that this will be the most appreciable because a house will now only provide temporary protection, the time for the enemy to reduce it to a pile of rubble, which only takes a few shots.
HARD BOILED
Moreover, the impact of vehicles has been greatly revised upwards, since the game focuses on the work of infantry and their old-fashioned weapons. Consequence of these changes: weapons with much lower accuracy than what you saw in Battlefield 4, small magazines and lower rates of fire. You will now have to take risks to get your frag and very often a duel will end in hand-to-hand combat, settled with a shovel or a trench hammer. Let's not forget the gas grenades that drop mustard slicks on the battlefield, obscuring the vision of enemies and puncturing their lungs at the same time. To counter this, you will have to put on your gas mask, which will have the effect of drastically reducing the field of vision, as well as preventing the use of iron sight weapons. This visceral side, we also feel it against vehicles insofar as the average soldier is now very helpless, while the elimination of an armored vehicle will be a real victory in itself and not just a simple frag like any other . To prevent this drop in pace from becoming too easy, the classes have been subtly balanced. We think in particular of the Medic who has a really effective arsenal, as well as the snipers who will no longer be able to camp quietly. Indeed, the lens of all scoped weapons will shine brightly, which will inevitably spot campers.
You will now have to take risks to get your frag and very often a duel will end in hand-to-hand combat, settled with a shovel or a trench hammer.
Each class thus finds its usefulness, from the Medic who can get you back on your feet (a system also tells you where the nearest doctor is in order to know if it is better to respawn directly or wait for him) to the barded assault anti-tank equipment, or the support that takes advantage of its heavy weapons to stop the enemy advance, there is always something for everyone. Small novelty, pilots and other tank drivers now have their own specialized class. The latter will be much less well equipped than the others, generally with a pistol in carbine version (c96 carbine or P08 carbine), which prevents players from using the vehicles as taxis to get to the front. That said, just go and collect the equipment of any player who has fallen in the field of honor to get back in the saddle. You have surely seen in the beta the elite soldiers, the flamethrower, the sentry (armor and Vickers machine gun under the arm) and the anti-tank soldier with his huge anti-materiel rifle. The idea comes directly from Battlefront since all you have to do is find a crate with the equipment to become an elite soldier. Exactly like Battlefront heroes with tokens. The main difference, of course, is that these crates are much harder to spot than Vader Tokens in Star Wars Battlefront. Each elite will have its advantages and disadvantages. The flamethrower is resistant to attacks, but its gas tank is very fragile. The sentry has very strong armor that withstands maximum damage, but it prevents the use of the gas mask, leaving the soldier vulnerable to mustard gas. Finally, if the anti-tank sniper is of rare power and precision, it weighs tons and makes a racket of all the devils.
THE ART OF WAR
Artillery level, Battlefield 1 is finally a small disappointment compared to the old opuses since the variety of weapons is much lower. First of all, no difference exists between the different factions except for the design of the uniform. The arsenal available does not vary one iota depending on your choices. Concretely, each class has about five or six weapons each offered in different versions, mainly in terms of sighting optics. We can modify some aspects of the weapons, but only from an aesthetic point of view to ensure that the balance of forces is not impacted. Moreover, weapons with special liveries will be available through the Battlepacks system. These are crates you get as you play that contain weapon skins to decorate your guns. These skins can be recycled to craft the one you've always wanted. In this regard, know that you no longer need to go through Battlelog to modify your loadout since these functions are directly integrated into the game. It was time! Despite the War of 14 bias, the game has more of a World War II feel since the vast majority of weapons available are automatic or at least semi-automatic. A freedom taken with the story for the coronation of the gameplay. The Assault Class MP18 is thus a period weapon, but one that was extremely rare on the battlefield. An arsenal that you will be able to use on the 9 maps available. If Saint Quentin and Sinaï have already been seen in the beta, we loved Amiens and its urban environment which allows fierce fights. But also Monte Grappa which sends the soldiers to confront each other in a valley in the Alps. Also note that a tenth card should appear in December (Giant's Show).
Despite the War of 14 bias, the game has more of a World War II feel since the vast majority of weapons available are automatic or at least semi-automatic. A freedom taken with the story for the coronation of the gameplay.
The biggest part of the show is to be seen in the "Operations" mode which is in fact an extended part of Domination. Attackers have a number of tries to push defenders back to their last refuge. Laid out like mini-campaigns, these games often take place on several maps, with a small narration that explains the ins and outs of the battle on the course of the conflict. To balance and prolong the confrontation, the losers will often receive behemoths, these huge units that will then have to be destroyed. If the Zeppelin is the most spectacular (especially when it is shot down and crashes), the armored train and the cruiser are just as deadly. On the new side, we discover the "War Pigeons" mode where players must keep an objective (the pigeon) for a certain time, then let it fly away to score. At this time, the opposing team will have the opportunity to lower the volatile and thus prevent a point from being scored. With a fairly classic multiplayer, it's the single player mode that holds all our attention. Exit the super-soldier that you play throughout the campaign, and welcome to the "war stories" system.
FINALLY REAL SOLO!
The solo is divided into 6 mini-campaigns, each of which makes you embody a distinct character, on a different front, at a different time and above all with a new narrative each time. For example, the character of the "Through mud and blood" campaign is a tank driver, formerly a private driver, who tells us about his war. Few narrative elements are therefore distilled apart from the cut-scenes. Conversely, in Avanti Tavoilla, the campaign in Italy, the hero tells his story to his daughter. There are fewer videos, while some actions are commented on by a big voice coming out of nowhere. This single-player mode is clearly the big surprise of this Battlefield 1, offering an approach quite far from the usual glorification of war mixed with American patriotism usual for this kind of production. With believable stories, centered on heroes who mostly want to go home, the immersion is only better. Even if we are still far from questioning a Spec OPS The Line or a This War of Mine for example.
