DICE Lead Multiplayer designer Tompen Andersson went on the Battlefield Blog for the first in a blog series the developer is calling "The Road to Battlefield." Regarding multiplayer, Tompen explains they wanted Battlefield 4 to continue the strong teamwork-based gameplay of the previous game, but rather than force people into it, the game's own mechanics will encourage players towards it. Tompen claims this iteration offers the deepest and most rewarding and fun multiplayer experience the series has ever had.
To start, DICE retained the four core playable kits, Engineer, Recon, Support, and Assault. They enhanced each kit to encourage and allow a diversity of playstyles, as well as increase specializations. Tompen hopes players will try out more than the Assault kit so that fans can experience the variety of gadgets and vehicles available.
Field Upgrades are also coming back, and they have been enhanced. For those not in the know, Field Upgrades are squad based objectives, such as healing squad members, or doing actions together as a team. They will help you level up your specializations, but if your entire squad dies, you lose some of that progress. DICE has designed the Field Upgrades and upgrade paths in such a way that they form positive feedback loops that will make you want to play consistently well.
Finally, the game introduces Levolution, a new design concept added into the game. Levolution does not strictly refer simply to destructibl environments. What DICE has done is provide consequences and outcomes for changing the game environment, so that you would have incentives to destroy or protect structures.
The example they used here is in the Siege of Shanghai. Leveling down the building's four pillars will kill a lot of NPCs, but even if you don't care about that, the rubble will fall in such a way that it will create clouds of dust. This will eliminate visibility and force your hand to shift towards close quarters combat. Of course, if you had a pilot squadron, you will want the buildings to stay intact.
We will continue to update you on future posts on the Road to Battlefield in the future.
Source: The Road to Battlefield
