Here is a presentation of four map concepts with a unique gameplay that I thought. This time, I am intersting myself in a forest/jungle atmosphere we saw in Bad Company 2 with Laguna Presa and Valparaiso. Unfortunalty, those maps have too tight paths for a 64 players gameplay like Battlefield 3.
TITLE > Poronay River
WORKING TITLE > Along the river
SUPPORTED GAME MODES > All
BRIEF > Advancing by boat along the river or through the forest and assault on different outposts and villages
ATTACKER (RUSH MODE) > USA
FICTION > The Americans landed on Sakhaline island, east from Russia. They borrow Poronay river to arrive at a Russian research base on a mountainside.
DESIGN THOUGHTS > This is an idea I had for Battlefield Bad Company 2, thinking about the movie Apocalypse Now. Why not creating a map where we would advance on a road along a river ? We can move forward more slowly by foot, moving through the forest on each river sides. Be careful ! On the last deux objectives, defenders have an helicopter !
ARCHITECTURE > This is interesting to use again the autumn forest we saw at the beginning of the campaign mission « Kaffarov ». The russian complex could looks like the Kaffarov villa, or be a mix between a military base and the house of a rich general with a dark name lol. We need to create the patrol boat. Wy not add jetskis and quads (small part of the map will have dirt roads) ?
TITLE > Opération Black Sea
WORKING TITLE > Swamp
SUPPORTED GAME MODES > All
BRIEF > Infantry fighting in the forest and by night
ATTACKER (RUSH MODE) > RUS
FICTION > The Russians have to retake Nosenko shipyard in Nikolaîev, Ukraine (north of the Black Sea). But the soldiers are blocked at Nova Kakhovka. The bridge is heavily defended by the US army. An infantry squad will go around the enemy through the swamps on the west, then cross the river, and sabotage the enemy camp.
DESIGN THOUGHTS > The aim of this map is to propose a map without any vehicle, in a wooden environment and by night. At statup, the players have to swim in order to reach the first objectives. Fortunately for them areas of high grass and huts on piloti will cover them.
ARCHITECTURE > Take the spring vegetation seen in « Caspian Border » or in the campaign mission « Rock and a Hard Place ». Use as well the wodden buildings from Battlefield Bad Company 2. A sawmill could be a key building in the middle of the map (see the Bad Company 2 campaign).
TITLE > Battle of Minsk
WORKING TITLE > Big forest
SUPPORTED GAME MODES > All
BRIEF > Ground battle only, with armored vehicles, on a very heavily wooded forest with a river in the center.
ATTACKER (RUSH MODE) > RUS
FICTION > US Marines advance forward in the region of Minsk. They are actually in stand by in a camp hidden in the woods. A Russian armored division will attempt to stop them.
DESIGN THOUGHTS > It is a nod in the direction of Battlefield 2142 that has a map of the same name (Battle of Minsk).The interest of this map is to allow a gameplay mixing infantry and tanks, without any air support.
ARCHITECTURE > Here again, the aim is to take the spring vegetation seen in « Caspian Border » or in the campaign mission « Rock and a Hard Place ». The map must be designed for infantry and tanks, and no air support, so a lot of vegetation. Ascendant and descendant paths, small hills and ravines must be provided. A river and a small waterfall for a nice view... The middle of the map could be a large pond that poeple should avoid.
TITLE > Marshall Islands
WORKING TITLE > Naval battle
SUPPORTED GAME MODES > All
BRIEF > Sea battle and air battle
ATTACKER (RUSH MODE) > USA
FICTION > The Americans are taking back the Marshall Islands from the Russians. The most devastating sea battle takes place in the south of Majuro Island.
DESIGN THOUGHTS > The map aim is to play a lot of air vehicles (2 assault helicopters per team?) and aquatic vehicles, sets in a battleships fight. The objectives are along a narrow strip of land between two wooded beaches. The field is expanding to the west to where the last targets are (Russian camp). Compared to Wake, each side has an aircraft carrier and the island is flatter and has lots of trees. The map is bigger as well, so the playable part is just a part of it.
ARCHITECTURE > Use the elements from Wake Island. Include colonial style houses. Create the Russian aircraft carrier and why not jetskis.
BONUS 1 : 2 CO/OP MISSIONS
- An inflitration mission based on the coop missions number 3 and 4, this time in a jungle, by night and starting in the water (watch Act of Valor movie trailer).
- A mission where we play two aircrafts, or in the same aircraft, one player is the pilot and the other is the gunner.
BONUS 2 : NEW SKIN CUSTOMISATIONS
Adding one or two new faces in each class for more customisations : because seeing 10 identical engineers showing up with you isn't a great thing ! (As a player said in my thread on the french Battlelog forum : We are not in Clone Wars !).
The solo campaign has got many characters with different faces, I think it is doable.
This shift would be available in the Appearance menu, where we can change the camouflage.
Here are examples just for fun, but be sure to vary a bit the US ethnic level. A latin engineer, a black support, etc... to be truly representative of the US Army.
OTHER EXPANSION PACKS :
The images are created with video game screenshots, movie captures, pictures from Google Maps and Google Earth, and photos found on Internet. Those creations are for private use and nonprofit.
Beside, their quality is variable, depending on the sources used and the graphic effects I applied on them. The only goal is to illustrate my ideas : I do not pretend to be a graphist !
Estheral