(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Since the release of Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is the existence or nonexistence of a 5 flag layouts for both consoles on Wake Island is a very popular topic. Today you presented to the designer Gustav Halling, the story behind the 5 flag layout and how it arose.

Hello, I'm Gustav Halling, 26 years old and I certainly know from a few nicks "cmd" or "cmd85" in Battlelog.

Since 2006 I work as a gameplay designer at DICE and participated in the development of Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield 1943, Medal of Honor and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. My current project is Battlefield, where I spent much time in Back to Karkand. Furthermore, I also work on the upcoming expansion Close Quarter and was recently Lead Designer for Battlefield 3: Kill Armored, which will be released in the fall (which I am very happy).

In this post I'll explain how and why we have brought the 5 flag layout of Wake Island on the consoles. I hope you like the new layout and find the article interesting.

Why wasn't there the 5 flag layout from the start?

There is no simple answer because it was a mixture of design decisions and technical challenges. When we decided to launch the new classic maps, we wanted to implement Wake Island in its original size and not in the 30% smaller version, which was for Battlefield 1943 created. In Battlefield 1943 the vehicles and aircraft were in a smaller distances for this 5 flag layouts adjusted.

This time we wanted to depict the epic proportions of Wake Island on all platforms. However, we put in our tests very quickly and realized that this was a kind of carousel with 24 players, with whom one has ever captured in a circle around points, but was hardly an opponent to face. That did not really make fun.

Simultaneously the new design, in which the player start on either end; so was the island created. We first were focused on the 3 flag version. The gameplay with three flags and 24 players had much more action and great tank battles offered.

An excellent by-product of the current update is that we have found a new way to use more memory on the consoles and we could use it for vehicles. This in turn made it possible to take a fresh look at the 5 flag version. And that's what we did.

The redesign of the five flags

After the release of Back to Karkand we have received a lot of feedback from our community. Many players would have the 5 flag layout at Wake Island and insisted that the five flags are the true classic Wake Island and it worked great in Battlefield 1943. For me it was no big surprise, but I also got the impression that many players do not have the whole picture in their mind, why we can provide a strongly and a more immersive experience. So I made a great blog post on Reddit.com and got out a lot of good answers.

However, I could not tell that I was already going to find a solution. So I immediately went to work and looked at the possibilities and the view from the both gameplays, as well as from the perspective of technology.

I already knew, that a major Update for Battlefield will appear in March or April. This gave us the opportunity to design the new layout to test it intensively and to check whether it is equivalent to the other content. After all, it was supposed to come directly on the patch and had to be ready in time to be included in the certification process with you.

And so I started the project and the first step, the technical aspect considered to ensure that it is generally possible. The next step was extensive play testing the game experience accordingly. Because there was any basis including an appropriate value to give in order to motivate the opponent to conquer this as well.

After testing the game here in the house at DICE, the feedback was clear that the best layout is one that even the PC uses. And so I have used this as a base and made some small changes to it, both for PC and for consoles. Probably the biggest change is the shift of mobile anti-aircraft guns from the airport to the beach. So the state is now a strategic base to fill the needs you.

Two layout - two game experiences

I personally like both versions of the wake Island flags on the console. You can now decide which version you like better. And it certainly will decide the type of game experience, which you most comfortable with:

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3 flags wake Island offers a more action-oriented gameplay experience for players who want to quickly into combat, it is less about the traffic between the bases, it offers a good mix of infantry and vehicles.

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5 Flags wake Iceland is more strategic and the vehicles are critical, you have more choice between fighting to walk around the airport or fighting in the movement between the flags.With the spring update, all variants of the flags on all three platforms are available. The players of PS3 and Xbox 360 can now enjoy the experience and 5 flag variant.Gustav Halling
Designers


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Thanks for the insight. Personally I haven't really noticed a difference playing Wake Island with 5 flags as opposed to 3, but that is for the simple reason I am always in an aircraft on Wake Island, wether that be helicopter or jet.

I like the 5 flag layout of wake isalnd better. It allows for more vehicles and therefore more kills with a chopper. > Now if they only made the bridges destroyable again...

The Layout is very nice.
More strategy.

If they would raise the max. Players to 32 it would be a very unique game experience.