Tactical Review: BF3 Gameplay TrailerWe here at Off Duty Gamers know if we cant PLAY a game then breaking things down and seeing how well (or not) a game developer is doing with respect to military authenticity can be a fun exercise in itself. With this in mind and with great anticipation for Battlefield 3, we have taken some time to break out the latest video trailer and point out some of the details.
Note that some other sites are doing these breakdowns but as prior and some active duty military members we want hit the points that we are uniquely qualified to point out. The ODG team breaking down these elements includes 4 US Army members, 1 US Navy member, 1 US Marine Corps member and a British Army member who all put eyes onto this and collaborated on picking out the details. In some cases the content may be unfinished from the developer so we do our best to identify items based on direct knowledge and research.
The Breakdown
The Men?From all the previous information we just confirm that BF3 is centered on the United States Marine Corps.
Here we see US Marines on the street while the player character appears to exiting the LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) through its rear hatch. No clue really why the character seems to be out of uniform unlike the rest of the unit who are wearing shirts with long sleeves
US Marine exiting LAV (Light Armored Vehicle)Once our character is out on the street we get a look at the rest of the unit and it’s apparent vehicle assets
Marines on the street with vehicle backupTransportation & SupportAs previously stated the LAV 25 is a distinct vehicle used by the USMC and we see a second one pictured in the background of the previous shot. Here we also see a pair of High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles (Humvee) sporting turret mounted Mk19 which essentially throw M203 grenades downrange via a belt feed system. Very effective for clearing a lane during rush hour
LAV and HMMWV (Humvee) with turret mounted Mk19'sWhile wheels are great and tracks are better there is something to be said for overhead firepower that is not encumbered by terrain, building or IEDs. We’re happy to report that DICE seems to be indicating the inclusion of MH-6/AH-6 Little Bird helo’s. Fast and unfriendly to the sorry tango that gets caught in the path of a rocket pod or mini gun showdown, these are a welcome sight and something we here at ODG are looking forward to after many games opting for slower anti-aircraft magnet items. Sure, jets are fun and the zoomies (aka Air Force) in our crew will enjoy that ride, when you want to be fast and interact with the battlespace in detail, here’s a bird you want in your garage or on call.
Little Birds scouting ahead of the ground forcesThe MissionAs previously reported, the mission location identified in these shots is Basra, Iraq. A couple things to note here is that the signs and materials you see through the street shots are in Arabic but if this was Iran we’d be looking at Farsi. Uniforms look good, nice detail with the only real slip being missing rear sights on the Marine facing us in the center. We assume he’ll square himself away before heading to work
Al Basra, Iraq Mission BriefingWeapon PornTwo things top the list of military best practices, time off and bigger badder weapons with gadgets. Since it doesn’t look like BF3 will sport missions home lets look at the materials that make up an active ‘two way rifle range’.
Here’s one that is easy to mess up, incorrectly identified as the M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) is actually the M240 which replaced the M60 as the squad level machine gun. Longer and with a front sight post that is out on the end of the barrel once you know where to look for the differences, this one is easy to pick out. You see it a few times in the trailer but here’s a good look and now that you know, you’ll really see it in the prior images that went out for this title.
Correction: Staff at ODG as well as some sharp eye’d visitors noted that the variant of M240 shown in the video includes the heat guard over the top of the barrel which is actually not part of the USMC M240(G) version. This would in fact indicate a bit of a technical miss on DICE’s model and we’ll be sure to pass this alongM240 Machine GunThroughout the video the rest of the unit sports alternating views of the M4 Carbine and the M16A4, the quick identifier is the stock, where the carbine’s is collapsible and the A4 is rigid. In these scenes we noted that most of the ones that are apparently wrapped are of the M16A4 variant. Player point of view shots seem to hop back and forth between the two even though you see the the same scope each time.
That scope by the way appears to be the Trijicon ACOG 4×32 and either someone is in an awesome unit with a deep budget or someone has clearly been saving up his pennies for this item as currently it lists at around $1,200 retail
Trijicon ACOG 4x32Note: Contrary to a few reports, the ACOG doesnt designate any leadership or position in the unit, with an item like this its more likely to be the best shooter or Squad Designated Marksman who needs to reach out and touch a Tango with additional skill. In truth, during movement your leadership is going to be normally found parked in the center of the squad.Here we see a shot of an EOTech holographic sight mounted on the M240G machine gun, in this scene we get a good look at street view as well as the 240 lays down some fire and apparently either prompts the vehicle explosion or just happens to pin down the Tangos until it explodes due to the fire.
EOTech holographic sight on an M240 Machine GunLooks like everyone is setup to hit light vehicles, bunkers or as the story appears to go, a sniper nest in a hotel. The weapon of choice is the M136 AT4 which is a point and shoot (unguided) anti-tank weapon. 84mm of sweet ‘you shot WHAT at me?’ goodness. We see that most of the squad carries one slung on the back opposite an oddly frequently viewed set of bolt cutters (this squad must REALLY hate locks).
Someone's day is about to end badlyAdditional GearWe noticed a few times that the unit members seem to all be wired up with communication gear. We see in a few spots antenna and cords for headset/mic setups
Commo kits rather than commo guy and it looks like our rear sight issue didn't clear up after the briefingCommo wires evident along the backWorth a noteThe crew here at Off Duty Gamers is generally very impressed with what we’ve seen so far, with a release date not until fall, we are confident that some of the quirks we noticed will be ironed out. We all were impressed that during a scene where one Marine puts a shoulder into a door, his body moves appropriately. We’re not sure if this is a cut scene but if its not and this is how body movements occur then DICE.. you have our attention
Impressive body physics. Just keep that muzzle awareness in check.In closingKeeping with our military background… ‘WE LIKE IT, WE LOVE IT, WE WANT MORE OF IT. MAKE IT HURT DRILL SGT, MAKE IT HURT!’ Nice job DICE, we’re keeping an extra special scope trained on this title