More often than not we don't see the progression of games as they go from the colorless, smooth surfaces of environments to the finished product we only see.
Courtesy of BF4Central, these Battlefield 4 alpha screenshots show the early stages of the multiplayer environments and the view when looking at the overhead map. Developers jump into the maps to observe the placement of buildings and to test the vehicles when placed on roads. These pre-alpha stages help to better performance before the development team adds the textures and effects.
The screenshots show the alpha stage of the map Siege of Shanghai used to premiere the Battlefield 4 multiplayer during E3. If remember, the Siege of Shanghai gameplay showed an entire skyscraper collapse after the player just skydived from it.
Battlefield 4 will release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 29th and will release alongside the PS4 and Xbox One launch.
