Frostbite 2.0 Will Deliver the Full Battlefield 3 Experience

Battlefield 3’s senior producer Patrick Bach spoke at length about DICE’s Frostbite 2.0 at the Game Developers Conference. In his talk he discussed the new animation system adopted from EA’s FIFA franchise, plans for better destructible environments and what Frostbite 2.0 really accomplishes for Battlefield 3.

Thanks to the fine folks at CVG took the effort to transcribe Bach’s comments at GDC.

“The first thing that’s important to mention is the Animation system. We are using a technology that has been developed within EA by EA Tech,” said Bach. “This animation technology has been used by the FIFA games – you can see it in the actions of the players there – and it’s called ANT. It really takes the first person shooter genre a big step forward and this is what we needed to build Battlefield 3.”

Because of the improved animation system, transitions between one animation into the next appear smoother and more life-like compared to previous Battlefield games. Rather than develop an entirely new component into their engine, DICE was able to take EA’s existing ANT and build the code directly into Frostbite 2.0. Watching the in-game makes it obvious that the animation has gone through a tremendous level of improvement.

Battlefield games are known for their sense of scale and Bach assures everyone that maps will remain vast. He also added that improvements are being made to destructible environments.

“Destruction is also a big part of Battlefield games nowadays. We’re expanding it both on a macro level by being able to take down full buildings but also in the micro-destruction where you can chip away small pieces from cover, which will come into play throughout BF3,” said Bach.

Frostbite 2.0 also includes an improved rendering engine over Bad Company 2 to help bring together the desperate pieces of Battlefield 3 together. Think of it as a wrapper containing all the various elements of the game itself. The rendering engine includes dynamic radiosity and particle lighting. Battlefield 3 looks absolutely stunning.

Bach also reminds everyone that Frostbite 2.0 is just the framework for Battlefield 3 itself, “This is not the game – not want we want you to play. These are just the tools we are using to build the full experience of Battlefield 3.”

Well said, Bach recognizes that technology alone doesn’t build a game, but it comes down to the developer taking the technology and creating compelling assets and gameplay. We’re hoping Battlefield 3 is as hot as the technology powering it. DICE’s Bad Company 2 not only looked great, it also played great too.

Maybe “topping” Call of Duty means a bit more than selling a bunch of games, it might mean making the better game.