You've probably seen the Battlefield 3 Episode "Fault Line" by now, but in case you haven't, it's embedded right here for ease of viewing. We reached out to a group of actual military experts and consultants (who actually play games) to get their feedback on the video, and to see what they think. A group of actual veterans known as Off Duty Gamers from the United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy took a look at this video and read over our review.
After the break, you can read their initial feedback on the episode and find out exactly how much attention to detail DICE packs into their games. We'd also like to take this time to salute the men and women of the Armed Forces, both past and current, to thank them for their service and for the sacrifices they have made for our country.
Read on to find out exactly what the military thinks about Battlefield 3.
00:00:22 - While in a vehicle weapon barrels should be pointed towards floor.
00:00:23 - The S15 under the flag on that soldier's uniform patch are entirely unknown/ missing rear sight issue previously noted.
00:00:45 – No rear sights on some weapons (as previously noted) / Kardaland Provence appears to be the Chemical Weapons Site. And that Al Mazlaq is the "bad part of town."
00:00:49 - What appears to be a hardened laptop is seen and we see MAGPUL on magazines for a nice detail touch.
00:00:54 - Great game demonstration of minimizing body exposure to the door. It's an NPC of course, so it is unclear if peek/lean will be part of the playable character performance.
00:01:00 - Alley movement. Point man moved ahead and took a knee, then the other members filed past showing tactical movement techniques being employed.
00:01:20 – Earthquake, noted that Iraq/Iran border sits on top of two meeting tectonic plates.
00:01:51 - Appears to be a camelback hydration tube and bite valve (nice attention to detail).
00:01:52 - Repeadly press 'S' to drag fallen Marine shows us that these are PC controls.
00:02:01 - Change magazine animation, pull harging handle. Ammo count consistant with 30 round standard magazine
00:02:05 - it appears the OPFOR is UNIFORMED (previously mentioned PLR organized militia or Iranian troops)
00:02:18 - Tactical Communication. "I'm Up" is the proper term, and universal. A little color in the "I'm f*cked up but up" is consistent and light, not the overdone heavy language we've heard from other franchises.
00:02:19 - Change of magazine with ammunition still in it. No charging handle pulled is consistent (round still in the chamber). Ammo count correctly set at 31 (30 round magazine and 1 in the chamber)
00:02:26 - No exhaust from the RPG shot, and noise from RPG-7 (assumed) which seems odd based on experienced Off Duty Gamers staff. The downed OPFOR seems to be folded in half (possible ragdoll issue).
General Notes:
Lack of grenadier (203 etc) in the player's squad for those 'hard to reach areas'
Ambient sounds are consistent and detailed including car horns, choppers, local speech etc.
Sounds 'feel' more realisitc and the impact of location clearly distinguished (inside vs outside with echo etc.)
Weapon movement off target during firing requiring user adjustment is a great sign, not enough distance to
determine if bullet physics (bullet drop) is in/out yet.
Poll