Battlefield 1

Gameplay

Similar to previous entries in the series, Battlefield 1 is a first-person shooter that emphasizes teamwork. The game is set in the period of World War I, and is inspired by historic events. Players can make use of World War I weapons, including bolt-action rifles, automatic and semi-automatic rifles, artillery, flamethrowers, and mustard gas to combat opponents. Melee combat was reworked, with DICE introducing new melee weapons such as sabres, trench clubs, and shovels into the game. These melee weapons were divided into three groups: heavy, medium and light. Players can also take control of various armored vehicles, including lights and heavy tanks, armored trucks, cars, torpedo boats, biplane aircraft, an armored train, Reconnaissance vehicles, a Dreadnought and an LZ 30 Airship, as well as ride horses into battle. Destructible environments and weapon customization, features present in the previous games, returned in Battlefield 1 and are more dynamic.

The game's world designer, Daniel Berlin, said the campaign mode has larger and more open environments than those in previous installments in the franchise, with more options and choices in terms of paths to completing levels and how to approach combat. Players can control several characters in the campaign. If the player dies in the prologue, they will then take control of another soldier and role instead of reloading from a checkpoint. These roles can range from tank gunner to flametrooper to rifleman. When the player dies, a name appears on the screen of a real soldier, along with their birth year. Unlike its predecessors, the game features a collection of war stories, similar to an anthology.

The game's multiplayer supports up to 64 players. The new squad system allows a group of players to enter and leave game servers together. According to Berlin, playing without joining a squad would make gameplay significantly more difficult. Multiplayer maps are based on locations around the world, including Arabia, the Western Front, and the Alps. The game launched with nine maps and six modes, which include Conquest, Domination, Operations, Rush, Team Deathmatch, and War Pigeons, a mode in which players must secure war pigeons and use them to call for an artillery strike.

Multiplayer Modes

Battlefield 1's multiplayer consists of the modes previously known to battlefield players; including rush and conquest. New modes include war pigeons and operations. All game modes have a time limit, in some, if the time limit is up, the team with the most points wins.

Conquest: one of the standard game modes in the Battlefield series. This game mode involves controlling various points around the map. These points increase your teams ticket count up until 1,000, when the game is won by whoever reaches the point goal first. This mode encourages squad play to be effective in capturing the numerous points, sometimes as few as three, others as many as seven, from the enemy team and win the match.

Rush: Another standard game mode in the series. this mode involves two different play styles; Attack and defense.

Domination: Similar to conquest, but in a smaller area, with fewer control points. This game mode is fast paced and more akin to Team Deathmatch.

Team Deathmatch: A standard game mode for games in the shooter genre. Two opposing teams spawn in a small arena like location. There are no control points, the objective of the game is simply to be the first to reach the point limit or, if the timer runs out, to have the most kills.

War pigeons: A new game mode exclusive to Battlefield 1. This game mode involves two opposing teams attempting to capture a pigeon. Once a player has the pigeon, they must remain still to write a note upon the pigeon's leg (implied but never seen). Their team's goal is to defend them while they write the note. If they are forced to relocate to avoid detection or being killed, the note is written slower or the writing stops altogether. If the player with the pigeon does manage to write the full note, they release the pigeon to gain a point; three points are required to win a game. The opposing team is able to kill the pigeon by shooting it, thus denying the team with the pigeon the point.

Operations: The final game mode included in Battlefield 1. this game mode combines elements of rush and conquest to give players the feeling of being in a true war. Players are divided into two teams, like in rush; Attackers, and Defenders.

Once the attackers take all the objectives in a sector, they move up to the next sector. If the attacking team lost any of their tickets, they can kill defending players remaining in the previous sector to regain tickets for their team.

After all the sectors have been taken, the attacking team wins the first round. After this occurs, the teams move onto the second (or in some cases, third) round to take another map, complete with new sectors and control points, but the teams tickets are replenished. If the attacking team manages to fight through an entire map without losing a battalion, the defending team is given a behemoth to assist them in the next round.

If the defending team manages to defeat the attacking team before the final sector in the map is taken, the attacking team is reinforced with a behemoth and the defending team must now defend against both the attacking team and their behemoth. If the defending team loses the round, they are given a behemoth for assistance in the next round

Classes

Battlefield 1's multiplayer features four pick able classes, three spawn-based class, and three pick-up based classes:

Pickable:

Spawn-based:

Pickup-based:

Characters

During the single-player campaign, the player controls six different characters from a first-person perspective over six different chapters. Unlike previous campaigns in the series, Battlefield 1's single-player story mode is composed of six separate "War Stories", each shown through the eyes of separate soldiers from different nationalities, "Storm of Steel" – the prologue of the game which is set in France through the eyes of several Harlem Hellfighters, "Through Mud and Blood" – set in France though the eyes of a British tank driver, "Friends in High Places" – France and the UK as a Royal Flying Corps fighter pilot, "Avanti Savoia" – Italy as a mournful survivor and member of the Arditi, "The Runner" – the Gallipoli Peninsula (the European half of Turkey) through an ANZAC runner, and "Nothing is Written" – set in Mesopotamia through the eyes of a Bedouin warrior under the command of Lawrence of Arabia.

Storm of Steel

The prologue, set in 1918, sees players take control of different members of the Harlem Hellfighters (George Adams, John Amite, Chris Baker, Walter Lincoln) as they defend their positions against a German offensive in France. The player initially starts out near the frontline and must survive as long as possible against waves of German soldiers. If the player is killed, the game's perspective will shift to another soldier. During the course of the gameplay, an unnamed narrator (one of the Harlem Hellfighters) gives commentary on the nature of the war as the battle continues and player controlled soldiers are killed.

At the start of the battle, the Harlem Hellfighters initially lose ground to the Germans, but British tanks force the German troops into a retreat until the tanks are stalled by artillery. The Harlem Hellfighters mount a counteroffensive and push forward, sustaining casualties as the Germans hold their ground. When the player switches perspective to the final soldier in the gameplay, a German soldier attempts to kill the player character in melee, but is stopped short by an artillery barrage that wipes out all of the combatants on the battlefield and renders the player unconscious. When the player regains consciousness, he initially appears to be the lone survivor, but quickly encounters a German survivor. Although the two point their weapons at one another, exhaustion and fatigue set in as both realize the futility of their situation, forcing both combatants to lower their weapons. The game then proceeds to an introduction cinematic that opens up to the other War Stories.

Through Mud and Blood

Set in the Fall of 1918 during the Battle of Cambrai in the Hundred Days Offensive, players assume the role of Daniel Edwards, a former chauffeur who enlists in the war as a British tank driver. Edwards is assigned to a Mark V tank dubbed "Black Bess," and meets the rest of his crew: Townsend, the commander; McManus, a cynical gunner who doubts Edwards' abilities and the likelihood of the crew's success; and friendly mechanics/gunners, Pritchard and Finch.

The crew must penetrate German lines to reach the French town of Cambrai, and helps capture strategic positions and destroy artillery batteries. Finch is killed early on while trying to repair the tank, and later on, the tank becomes trapped in mud and surrounded by German infantry. Townsend decides to summon an artillery strike on their own position with the tank's messenger pigeon to save the tank, which McManus objects to vehemently. Pritchard is killed trying to release the pigeon, forcing Edwards to do so, which enables British artillery to save the tank. Encountering thick fog in a nearby forest, Edwards acts as a forward scout to guide the tank. Clearing the forest, the tank becomes beset with mechanical problems, and Townsend sends Edwards and McManus to salvage spark plugs from British tanks captured by the Germans. McManus expresses his disdain with their orders and abandons the mission. However, McManus has a change of heart later on and returns just in time to save Edwards from a German soldier.

With the tank repaired, the crew proceeds to a railway station defended by German forces. Although Bess is the only British tank in the area, the crew attacks the railway station to deceive the Germans into thinking that a large British offensive is underway. Eliminating the German forces at the railway station, the tank proceeds to Cambrai, but is immobilized by artillery and attacked by German soldiers. Edwards and MacManus are wounded defending the tank, and an injured Townsend sacrifices himself by igniting a gas leak inside the tank, killing himself and the Germans. With Bess destroyed and Edwards and McManus the only survivors, the two proceed alone on foot to Cambrai. Closing subtitles indicate that with the participation of more than 300 tanks at the Battle of Cambrai, the war ended a month later.

Friends in High Places

In this story, set in the Spring of 1917, players control Clyde Blackburn, an American pilot and gambler with a habit of deceitful behavior. Early on, Blackburn cheats George Rackham, a pilot of British nobility, in a game of cards and steals the latter's plane. Posing as Rackham, Blackburn introduces himself to Rackham's gunner, Wilson, and the two set off on an aerial exercise. During the exercise, German aircraft ambush the duo, and the two pilots take photographs of a German munitions base they stumble upon after fighting off the enemy. Although Wilson is reluctant to show the photos to British Command out of fears of being accused of insubordination, Blackburn cajoles him into doing so with the prospect of winning medals. Wilson agrees on the condition that Blackburn return them safely from future missions.

Blackburn and Wilson escort British bombers in an assault on the photographed German munitions base. Although the base is destroyed, Blackburn and Wilson are caught in a bomb explosion and become separated. Blackburn sneaks through German lines and discovers an injured Wilson. Knowing that he will be unable to return to British lines safely while carrying Wilson, Blackburn contemplates putting his companion out of his misery, but changes his mind when Wilson reveals he knew Blackburn's true identity all along. Blackburn carries Wilson through the no-man's land to friendly lines, but is detained by British Provosts under the orders of Rackham for impersonating him.

On the way to the court-martial in London, the vessel carrying Blackburn, Rackham, and Wilson is attacked by a German aerial raid, killing Rackham. Blackburn and Wilson commandeer a plane and fight off the German raid. Blackburn and Wilson crash the plane into a German Zeppelin and use its anti-aircraft gun to destroy other German Zeppelins. The two pilots jump into the River Thames after their Zeppelin plummets to the ground. The story ends with Blackburn climbing out of the river unharmed, reflecting on his experiences. He notes that mixed accounts of his exploits may arise due to the confusing nature of the war, but suggests that his version of events is the truth. The story ends on an ambiguous note by leaving the question open as to whether the events of the story truly occurred as they did.

Avanti Savoia

Taking place during the Fall of 1918 in the Dolomites in Northern Italy, players assume the role of Luca Vincenzo Cocchiola, a member of the Italian Arditi unit. The story is conveyed by an aged Luca years after the war as he recounts his memories to his American daughter on his birthday. He and his twin brother, Matteo, take part in a major offensive to seize an Austro-Hungarian fortress. While Matteo takes part in the main thrust of the offensive, Luca's unit plays an auxiliary role, eliminating barriers to the main advance forces. Donning heavy body armor, Luca spearheads the assault on key Austro-Hungarian positions, capturing strongpoints, destroying an artillery gun, and thwarting an enemy aerial assault.

In desperation, the Austro-Hungarian bombers trigger a landslide to obstruct the Italian offensive. Desperate to save his brother, Luca sets off alone into the battlefield to find his brother's unit. Along the way, he assists trapped Italian units and pushes toward the direction of the enemy fort. After clearing the fortress, Luca finds the remains of his brother's unit and stumbles upon his deceased brother; much to his grief and dismay. A mourning Luca in the present-day bids his brother farewell and happy birthday, while a concluding subtitle states that the war affected both nation-states and empires, as well as families, with survivors and the deceased of the war named the "Lost Generation."

The Runner

Set during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915, the player takes on the role of Australian message runner, Frederick Bishop. The story starts with Bishop encountering young Jack Foster, who says he is Bishop's new charge. While initially cynical, Bishop reluctantly relents and takes Foster under his wing, but tells Foster to refrain from battle due to his inexperience. Bishop storms the beaches of Gallipoli and captures a strategic enemy position. Bishop fires a flare to signify the capture of the position, but is startled by a lone Foster, who disobeyed Bishop's command to only move up with the rest of the Allied forces. Bishop berates Foster for his naivety and view of war as a glorious activity, given that Foster had lied about his age to enlist. Foster becomes appalled at the sight of the carnage around him, but Bishop softens his rhetoric and reassures Foster that they will be alright.

The next day, Bishop volunteers as a runner in place of Foster, whom Bishop considers inexperienced for the task. Bishop returns to HQ to deliver a message and is saved by Foster, who shoots a nearby Ottoman soldier. British officer Whitehall dispatches Bishop to rear command to inform it that the British intend to advance further. Bishop finds the rear command deserted, and discovers that the British plan to retreat and cover the withdrawal with artillery fire. Remembering that Foster is still on the frontlines, Bishop rushes back to retrieve him. Finding Whitehall, Bishop discovers that Foster has joined an assault on an Ottoman fortress. Bishop decides to pursue Foster, while a distressed Whitehall permits Bishop to disobey the fallback order to get Foster.

Bishop finds Foster and informs him of the imminent artillery strike, but the young Australian says that they cannot retreat due to their wounded. Bishop attacks the fort to cover the withdrawal, but tells Foster to fire a flare when the retreat is complete so that the former can make his own escape. Bishop single-handedly captures the fort and is critically wounded in the process, but sees Foster's flare and is relieved that the retreat succeeded. The story ends as British warships shell the fort, presumably killing Bishop. Closing subtitles state that the Ottomans eventually won the Battle at Gallipoli, and several notable survivors went on to lead a postwar Turkey. Australian and New Zealand troops fought at Gallipoli under their own flags, distinguishing themselves in combat.

Nothing is Written

Taking place in the Spring of 1918, players assume control of Zara Ghufran, a Bedouin rebel working directly alongside British intelligence officer T. E. Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) as they fight to undermine the Ottoman occupation of the Arabian Peninsula. Zara infiltrates a nearby derailed Ottoman train and retrieves a manual with Ottoman communication codes. Although caught by Tilkici, an Ottoman officer, Zara is rescued by Lawrence and several Bedouin insurgents. Zara and Lawrence decide to interrogate Tilkici on how to use the code manual to lure the Canavar, an Ottoman armoured train, into a trap, but the Tilkici scoffs that the rebels will not triumph.

Having interrogated Tilkici, the rebels discover that they must use message capsules held by three Ottoman officers to halt the train. Zara proceeds alone, successfully infiltrating Ottoman territory to release two message capsules by pigeon while eliminating the Ottoman commanders. However, as she prepares to release the third capsule, she is knocked unconscious by Tilkici, who managed to escape from Lawrence. Tilkici drags Zara out into the desert and taunts her, having already ordered the Canavar to strike Lawrence's location. However, Zara kills Tilkici before he can execute her.

Returning to Lawrence, who survived the attack by relocating following Tilkici's escape, Zara and Lawrence decide to attack the armored train while it stops for supplies. Zara infiltrates the village where the Canavar stops, and destroys segments of the railway to impede the train's movement. Zara and the rebels destroy the train in an intense battle, ending the threat to their forces. Having achieved her "revenge" against the Canavar, Zara joins Lawrence to strike at targets in the Suez Canal. The closing subtitles indicate that although the Ottomans lost the war, the British and French refused to grant the Arabs full autonomy, and that the war for oil continues on to the 21st century.

Development

According to game designer Daniel Berlin, the team picked World War I as the game's setting as they believed that the weapons and gadgets featured in that period of time suit players with different playstyles. The game was named Battlefield 1, since the team considered World War I "the dawn of all-out warfare". Melee weapons were reworked so as to introduce more depth to the system. According to creative director Lars Gustavsson, the setting was a concept for a very long time, and it had been the "dream" for the team to create a game based on that period. According to Berlin, gameplay was the most important aspect when they were developing the game, and he promised that it would not be slowed down due to the game's historical setting. The story of the game is told through multiple protagonists, and explores the stories of unknown war heroes. Patrick Söderlund, an executive of Electronic Arts, originally rejected the idea of having a World War One shooter as he thought that it would not be fun to play. He later accepted the pitch after being convinced by a demo created by DICE. Aleksander Grøndal, Senior Producer at DICE, prepared his own research into the war by looking at visual references. He favored colored images of the war in an attempt to visualize what the soldiers lived through. “I wanted to see the pictures and I wanted to imagine how they’d look with a mobile lens,” Grøndal expressed when interviewed. “I wanted to start off with all the footage and imagine that footage in our game with a modern take.” He specifically favored Apocalypse: World War I, a 2014 colorized French documentary, and World War I in Colour by Charles Messenger, a 2004 book of colorized war time photographs. Grøndal favored colored material as he felt, "It's quite interesting and it sucks you in because it feels much closer when you see everything in color." Despite his personal penchant for colored visuals, his self ascribed "big inspiration" was Blueprint for Armageddon, a six-part audio documentary by Dan Carlin for the latter's Hardcore History podcast series.

In June 2015, DICE revealed that they were working on an unannounced game. In January 2016, EA announced that Titanfall 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda and an unannounced video game set in the Battlefield universe would be released prior to the end of the company's fiscal year. Both the title, the game's release date, and the plot of the game were leaked prior to the official announcement on May 6, 2016. The game was officially unveiled on that day through a livestream on Twitch, showcasing a reveal trailer of the game featuring a remix of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" by The Glitch Mob. The game's Collector's Edition includes items such as a statue of a Harlem Hell Fighter, a code for exclusive downloadable content (DLC) of the Doughboy M1911 Pistol, and a Steelbook case. Pre-order bonuses include early access to a DLC map named Giant's Shadow which takes place in the Battle of the Selle, and the Harlem Hellfighter Pack. The Deluxe Edition includes the pre-order bonuses, as well as three days early access to the game, the Red Baron Pack, the Lawrence of Arabia Pack, and five Battlepacks. Battlefield 1 was released worldwide on October 21, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Battlefield 1's open beta became available on August 31, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It ended on September 8, 2016. The open beta allowed the team to ensure that major technical bugs, glitches, and crashes can be patched prior to the game's official launch. 13.2 million players participated in the beta.

Post-release content

In December 2016, DICE announced the first major downloadable content expansion for Battlefield 1, They Shall Not Pass, which is expected to be released in March 2017; it will have a two-week exclusivity period for season pass holders. The expansion will feature four new maps set in the Battle of Verdun and the Second Battle of the Marne; "Fort Vaux", "Soissons", "Rupture", and "Verdun Heights". The French Army will become a playable faction. The Saint-Chamond and the "behemoth-class" Char 2C will be added as new vehicles, and a new melee-oriented "Trench Raider" elite class.

Pre-release

The game received positive response from the community after its official announcement. As of July 2, 2016, the Battlefield 1 reveal trailer is the most liked trailer on YouTube, with over 2 million likes. Electronic Arts expected the game to sell at least 14 million units in its first year of release. Writing for Wired, Jake Muncy felt worried that the game may not be able to reflect the complex situations in World War I, and thought that the war may not be an ideal setting for a video game. In contrast, Zam's Robert Rath reflected on the same themes, and noted that World War I was largely forgotten in popular culture due to its inability to inspire passion or interest; Rath suggested Battlefield 1 could rejuvenate popular interest in the war.

Post-release

Battlefield 1 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers praised the game's unique, refreshing setting, as well as the risk DICE took when developing a WW1-themed game. The multiplayer component was praised for its solid mechanics, the new game mode Operations, the soundtrack, and the maps, amongst many other things. Although praise was given to the single-player campaign for its story and level design, it was nonetheless criticized for being too short. PC World also criticized that all six campaigns take place from the viewpoint of the Allied Powers and the viewpoint from the Central Powers is absent.

Sales

Battlefield 1 was the best-selling retail game in the UK in its week of release. Its launch week sales surpassed the combined sales of both Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline. The PlayStation 4 version topped sales charts in Japan, selling 113,083 copies in its first week. As of January 18, 2017, the PlayStation 4 version has sold 249,053 copies in Japan.