One of the biggest new additions, as evidenced in the gameplay trailer released from the event which looked at the next generation engine, was the facial animation Infinity Ward had employed. Despite animation lead Zack Volker being rather dodgy on what exactly make a new engine “new”, the facial animation was of a standard never before seen in a Call of Duty game.

The new engine tried to take advantage of the fact that the curvature of an object would remain constant, even as it came closer or further to the player. A similar method was seen more than a decade ago with Shiny Entertainment’s Messiah, wherein character models and environments would increase or decrease in the number of polygons being showcased depending on how near or far you got from them. This was technically supposed to help increase the efficiency of the engine, as polygons that weren’t displayed were not rendered and resources could be spent on making what was being displayed look even better.

Not that it worked in Messiah’s case but we digress.

Nowadays, the market for facial animation in video games has diversified greatly. One look at Crysis 3’s facial animation will tell you that developers aren’t playing around, using a combination of both licensed and propriety technologies and workflows to achieve the most realistic animation possible. So how well does Activision’s new engine measure up to what was shown at this year’s Game Developers Conference 2013?

Skip to 2:27 on the Xbox Reveal trailer to compare the current look of the animation to what was seen at GDC.

As stated in the comments, the GDC character trailer involved a majority of resources being devoted to lighting and animating a single head. Similar to what David Cage showcased at the PS4 Reveal event, this isn’t too difficult. But when you factor in a complete character model, other characters, environments, AI, particle effects, weather effects and a hundred other factors, it’s a given that you won’t get the exact same quality.

So it is a definite tantamount to the technology at hand that even if Activision’s engine couldn’t approach nearly the same quality shown in the GDC trailer, it’s still pretty decent in the larger scheme of things.

Does it look better than the crème of the crop in Crysis 3? Not really. But considering Infinity Ward’s approach of only including elements to increase immersion when it fits their definition of the gameplay experience, it makes sense. Right? Also, keep in mind that Ghosts is still, by all intents and purposes, a first generation title for the PS4 and Xbox One. Future games could significantly improve on what’s seen here.

Then again, Activision did recycle the same engine for years on end for the last generation of Call of Duty, only making an enhancement here and there when necessary. This resulted in Call of Duty titles that remarkably similar to each other with little improvements, to say nothing of the gameplay.

But we digress again.

What do you think about the facial animation processes in Call of Duty: Ghosts? Let us know in the comments below.

The game received a widespread launch on both a global scale and in regards to platforms, being released on PS4, PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and Xbox One. On PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 the North American release date was October 29, 2013, Australian was October 31, 2013, New Zealand was November 1, 2013, UK was November 1, 2013. On Xbox One and PS4 the release dates were World Wide November 22, 2013, North American was November 15, 2013 and European November 29, 2013 respectively.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Limited Edition

Development

Battlefield 4 was rumoured to be in development as early as last year. The game was rumoured to use DICE’s new Frostbite 3 Engine. EA began releasing teasers for the game, each focusing on a different aspect of combat with the tagline “Prepare 4 Battle” with a gameplay reveal set for March 26th 2013 at the Game Developers Conference. DICE subsequently revealed a 17 minute gameplay trailer, showing off the campaign. [reference] In comparison to Battlefield 3, DICE wants to focus on the single-player campaign for Battlefield 4. Thus far, only the single-player aspect of the game has been showcased. In keeping with the series’ tradition however, levels have been designed keeping multiplayer in mind. DICE also confirmed that the demo showcased at GDC 2013 was pre-alpha and that the final game would look even better.

The game reportedly running on an AMD dual-GPU 7790 at a 3K resolution and at 60 frames per second at GDC 2013. In talking about using motion control in Battlefield 4, DICE executive Patrick Bach stated in an interview that, “We are not interested in things that don’t make the game better. There are a lot of gimmicks – people throwing money at us – ‘can you implement support for this quirky control thing’. No, it doesn’t make the game better. We are extremely open to innovation, but if it’s a gimmick, there’s no point unless it adds value to the player. “Touch screens used to be a gimmick, because no-one could get it to work until iPhone came out and used it right. It adds to the experience, and now everyone is doing it. To us it’s the same with motion control and perceptual gaming in general; if it adds, great. If it’s a gimmick, ignore it.” [reference] EA recently opened a new studio, DICE LA, formerly known as Danger Close (developer for the Medal of Honor series). The studio will be working with DICE Sweden on Battlefield 4. [reference] DICE also stated that Battlefield 4 – and other Frostbite 3 Engine games – won’t be coming to the Nintendo Wii U.

Story

Battlefield 4’s story reportedly follows the evacuation of American VIPs from Shanghai and an American force besieged by enemy forces struggle to make their way back home. Russia is also confirmed to be returning as a faction, as could be seen in the 17 minute demo at GDC 2013. Although not confirmed, China too will be a faction and Shanghai will be one of the key settings of the game. The prologue of the game, revealed at GDC 2013, has the player assuming the role of “Recker” of the US Special Forces squad “Tombstone”. The prologue mission has Tombstone squad carrying sensitive information. The general manager of the development team Karl Magnus Troedsson stated in an interview, that the story would be really emotional and while it would sound cliché, it would really hit home about what the team would go through in a more human and dramatic way.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Battlefield 4 has seen a major overhaul with the campaign. The option of giving out commands to instruct friendly AI to lay down covering fire while you flank enemies has been showcased. The commands you give also range to Apache choppers as well for support fire. In addition players will be have the option to be able to seize modern day aerial, land and aquatic vehicles, which will reportedly play a big role in the story.

Battlefield 4 will also implement the use of weather as a symbolic way to reflect some of the dire moments of the game. The locations that are confirmed so far are China and Baku, Azerbaijan which could be seen in the prologue mission. DICE also has plans to make the game more social-oriented and players would be given an option to compare the scores they rack up in the single player campaign, and compare it with other players around the world. The weapons that are so far confirmed for the game include the Serbu Super Shorty, a shotgun based off the Remington 870 Shotgun; the M320 grenade launcher; the M32 MGL (Multiple Grenade Launcher); the AEK-971 or Avtomat Experimental Koksharov-971, an assault rifle designed by Sergey I; and the M16 assault rifle. The use of the dual-scope for long-range and mid-range firing was also showcased in the GDC 2013 demo. In the GDC 2013 demo, DICE showcased female soldiers within the campaign.

The developer confirmed that female soldiers will not be playable in Battlefield 4. [reference] Battlefield 4’s multiplayer will have three playable factions: Russia, USA and China. Other details have not been revealed though DICE has confirmed that Commander Mode, which delivers an RTS perspective from which they can issue orders to team-mates (last seen in Battlefield 2142). EA also recently ran a survey for features fans want to see in the multiplayer aspect of the game. Some of the features include a Dino Survival mode, battle packs, mitigating characters, dynamic environments, naval battles and more. As of now, there is no confirmation on whether these features will make it into the multiplayer, though the survey has been confirmed to be official. It has also been revealed that a Battlefield 4 beta might on the way in the future, with the beta’s appearance showing up under DLC for Battlefield 3. [reference]

Limited Edition

Owners of Battlefield 4 Premium will get free access to all Battlefield 4 DLC, which includes the Battlefield 4 Drone Strike expansion. DICE has also announced a PC-exclusive Digital Deluxe Edition through Origin. Pre-ordering the Digital Deluxe Edition will provide bonus in-game items, Drone Strike and beta access, and some details that were seen on a poster included. – Armchair General: Commander Mode. – Battlelog 2.0: DICE’s custom gaming portal, which allows gamers to track every shot, every opponent, every detail of your online Battlefield career. – Go Premium: Exclusive uniforms, weapons, and more along exclusive expansions, starting with Drone Strike. [reference]

This wiki was last updated on 5th January, 2015.

According to Gollop, when Spectrum Holobyte bought Microprose in 1993, it decided to officially cancel X-COM: UFO Defense because it felt like the game wasn’t impressive enough. Microprose continued development however.

As Gollop statds, “What happened was, that in Christmas 1993 Spectrum Holobyte wanted a product from Microprose UK for the end of their financial quarter, which was in March 1994. And [Microprose head] Pete Moreland said, ‘Well, you know this project you told us to cancel? Well, we still got it.”

And the rest, as they say, is history. Holobye, impressed by X-COM’s success, wanted a sequel to the game after its original launch.

Source: 1MoreCastle

Then again, one could create an entire gallery based on moments from the 17 minute gameplay trailer, analyzing Battlefield 4’s crazy attention to detail. And to think this is still pre-alpha footage – the final game could look even better than this.

As of now Battlefield 4 is set to release in Fall 2013. It’s unknown which platforms – next gen, current gen or both – that it will be coming to but it is confirmed for PC and will be EA’s first game to utilize DICE’s Frostbite 3.

Thanks to all of the hype, GDC 2013 drew 23,000 industry professionals over the week – a record number and the show’s largest in its 26 year history according to UBM Tech Game Network. The show floor featured 350 exhibitors and tons of panels, workshops and discussions from industry professionals such as Activision, Bungie, DICE and Ubisoft.

The show will return to the Moscone Center in San Francisco next year for GDC 2014, to be held from March 17th to 21st. It’d be interesting to see how they can top the success of this year’s conference. Stay tuned till then because the new generation will be in full swing by 2013 end.

As EA’s Patrick Soderlund said to VentureBeat, “Obviously Battlefield is a multiplayer game. We’ll talk about that later. The focus for us is to create a single-player experience that is more like that — a narrative multiplayer game. We want you to experience something that feels more open, more variable.

“You can play the game on your terms, rather than the game playing itself in front of you. Patrick said it very well on stage. We go back to our heritage, where we come from, which is multiplayer.

“As I said in my presentation, the DICE team has continued to improve. They’re now state-of-the-art storytellers as well as awesome multiplayer designers. To me, that’s the mix there, and it can become something unique and exciting.”

Did the single-player of BF4 look variable enough to you or just more of the same?

Well, after Siliconera got in touch Konami’s Director of Public Relations Jay Boor, he stated that they were two separate games. “Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are two separate games. GZ will be a prologue to The Phantom Pain.”

Naturally, this would be a little conspicuous given how none other than Kojima himself said they would be the same game. Later, when pressed for a response, Boor stated that, “Can’t comment on the SKUs unfortuantely [sic]. TPP is definitely 360 and PS3 though.”

Finally he was asked if both games were part of the same package or even the same disc. Boor replied, “Can’t confirm at this time”.

So there you go – Kojima’s trolling includes Konami employees as well. Stay tuned for more info, especially on whether the game(s) will arrive on next-gen consoles.

On their so-called “silence”, Epic Games co-founder Mark Rein has a different take. “I think that’s more perception than reality.

“Microsoft has always been very developer centric with all of their platforms and that Sony is embracing that approach is wonderful. But I don’t think it diminishes what Microsoft is doing.

“I don’t think with developer relations anyone is trying to be public, it’s just you’re at GDC and Sony has the hardware to talk about, and Microsoft hasn’t talked about it publicly yet.

“So I think it’s just the difference between someone who can say the name of their console and someone who can’t.”

When the time comes and Microsoft can talk about the next Xbox is when we’ll most definitely hear of it. And that time, as of now, appears to be at E3 2013. Till then, everything in the shadows.

Source: CVG

And pretty. Pretty terrifying. Get it?

As of now, there isn’t a lot of information available on Primal Carnage: Genesis, other than the fact that it’s got dinosaurs and shows off the power of the PlayStation 4 (thought it’s also heading to PC. The first game was a class based multiplayer shooter that had players squaring off against each other in teams, as one side chose to play as heavily armed humans while the other could choose flesh eating dinosaurs.

Given all the dinosaurs, probably a step in that direction? We do know that the game will have a single-player campaign. We’ll learn more in the coming months – maybe even at E3 2013.

Kojima Productions showcases how the FOX Engine matches up to real world environments and settings, revealing a process wherein a complex scan renders the image or person in excruciatingly realistic detail. Yes, on a close inspection and with a reference, you can tell it’s a game. But passing by or from far-off? Not quite.

The FOX Engine is Kojima Productions’ next generation graphics engine that will power the next Metal Gear Solid. Oddly enough, many assumed it would be meant for consoles like the PS4 and Xbox 720. However, so far, Hideo Kojima has only announced the Xbox 360 and PS3 as platforms for the game(s).

And then he said they’re actually two games instead of one. Never change, Kojima. Never change.