Sharing is set to be a big part of gaming for next-gen consoles, with both Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One primed to let players relish in an opponent's defeat by recording and sharing lengthy combos, brutal KO's, and the most pristine of cranium exploding headshots with friends, family, or anyone with a penchant for watching gameplay videos.
On that note, there's a new post over at EA's Battlefield blog discussing the anticipated Spectator Mode that's returning in Battlefield 4. DICE is hoping the new mode will be a Godsend for everyone from curious fans to competitive gamers, not to mention the mind-boggling amount of FPS fans with their own YouTube channels:
"With the crazy moments that happen only in Battlefield, the impressive skills of top players, and the amazing Frostbite 3 visuals, we really wanted to give everyone a chance to view Battlefield 4 matches - not just those participating in the battles themselves. That is why Spectator Mode was created, to give everyone front row seats to the all-out war of Battlefield 4′s multiplayer."
The developer's own Associate Producer Daniel Matros and Junior Gameplay Designer Dennis Brännvall detailed their brainchild in the blog, and showed a brief peek at how it works.
Upon finding a server, players are given the option to join as a spectator, provided it's allowed. If that's the case, a total of four spots are allowed per server. As the blog states, "on PC and next-gen consoles, you could have 64 players + 2 Commanders + 4 Spectators." Ah, the joy of numbers...
From there, spectators are allowed four different views, each with its own benefits for whatever situation: Tabletop, Freecam, First Person, and Third Person. Don't like one view? Switch seamlessly to another.
* Tabletop - Provides an aerial, bird's eye view, coupled with a PIP screen, which shows whatever view of whatever object is selected that has a camera - players, vehicles, etc. Best for overviews.
* First Person - Self-explanatory, but just in case...you see exactly what whatever player you select is seeing, as if you were playing the game yourself
* Third Person - Similar to First-Person, but you see the selected player from an overhead perspective, allowing for a greater field of view. Also a bit more cinematic
* Freecam - Swtich back and forth between five different cameras, which can be placed on the map from the beginning, and moved during the match. Hectic, but offers the best choices, especially for moviemakers.
Moving between players and switching camera modes is easy enough with controls at the top of the screen. Information like the players in the squad you're watching, camera locations, scores, remaining time, objectives are all being fed to you. Likewise, "squad bars on the two sides of the screen to keep track of the squad member's health and classes. In addition to that, the Player Card shows the player's current weapons, attachments, gadgets and vehicle customizations (if you are spectating a vehicle)." It could be a lot to handle at first, but it's enough to help you get the best angles and shots of where the action is, and who's behind it.
In case it's a bit overwhelming, everything can be turned off or on at your preference. Said the blog, "We want to give you as much information as possible in the Spectator Mode interface, like squad bars, ticket count, objectives and team names. But you should also be to toggle the different layers on and off, because let's face it: Battlefield 4 is a beautiful game, and sometimes you want to view it without distractions.
It also promises to be easy to control, with freecam navigation done with the same controls used to move a solider in-game.
It's hoped by DICE that the Spectator Mode will be a big part of competetive gaming, especially given the increasing amount of...um, spectators to the sport. "The broadcasting-friendly features of Spectator mode, along with the depth of gameplay and improved teamplay mechanics, will allow BF4 to take a big step into the competitive gaming scene."
Spectator Mode will be available on PC and next-gen console versions of the game, and can be sampled in the on-going Battlefield 4 Beta. The game is coming on October 29 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and will be available on next-gen platforms at the systems' respective launches this November.
