DICE: Making PC Lead Platform for Battlefield 3 Improved Console Versions

Battlefield 3 executive producer Patrick Bach feels the shift to PC as a lead platform for Battlefield 3 has had a positive impact on the console equivalents. In fact, Bach believes using consoles as a starting base is the “biggest problem we have today.” DICE, as you may well be aware, is bucking this trend by developing first for PC then scaling down assets for console platforms.

[Joule]

Should have made the PS3 lead platform.

[SuperKing]

I wonder if all this effort on developing on the PC is going to pay off? I'm going to laugh like hell if the console versions sell more.

http://i377.photobucket.com...

[fluffydelusions]

I'm sure consoles will sell more as is often the case but in the long term the PC community will be larger just like BC2 now. I mean Counter Strike is still the most played game on Steam and look how old that game is.

[BeastlyRig]

you said-
"I wonder if all this effort on developing on the PC is going to pay off? I'm going to laugh like hell if the console versions sell more."

Do you think that's going against where the industry's going? The audience share is much larger on consoles and a lot of traditional PC-based franchises are leading on consoles. Do you think that there's some risk in not leading on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3?

"Yes, there is a risk, of course there's always a risk. I think the biggest risk is that people get scared is because it's not the sane choice when it comes to economy. We are game developers and we don't really care about that. If we make a good game we think that someone will be able to sell it. If we want to play it then other people want to play it. So us doing this is not based on a sane monetary decision, it's actually based on us being desperate to move gaming forward" - Dice
- http://www.jolt.co.uk/inter...

see the thing is they DON'T care about the money so console loses all power to influence the games development!! I will laugh at you now!!

treyarch caters to your kind so have fun with new call of poopy.. While I'll play a real war game!

This not a day 1 buy on PC it's a pre order 7 months before release buy on PC!!

I respect that statement if they stand by this!

Oh & PCFTW!!!

Edit: I still think the console version will turn out great though..

[I_find_it_funny]

Why, im ps3 gamer, but im glad they think PC first, I had a lotta fun with BF2 on PC, and want BF to continue its glory.

Console versions will be very good anyway, whats the problem

[Neko_Mega]

It won't be shock if that does happen, COD games seem to do better on console than PC.

I think they should make them all the same, if they can and if the game won't look as good as it could be with 64 players on console. So what, 360's highest FPS is 32 and that be a goal to beat.

As for it looking better then any other AAA titles on console, that isn't going to happen.

[kevnb]

bad company 2 sold best on pc, logical choice really. Some games are just going to sell better on pc, no matter what.

[kevnb]

@ Neko_Mega
almost everyone with a console has cod, its not so essential on pc. On pc world of warcraft is the biggest game, not cod. For the most part, console and pc have their own audiences and you cant make a comparison based on one multiplat game. Its hard to come accross the info sometimes, but games like bioshock, oblivion, super meat boy, bad company 2 etc... did really well on the pc side. Heck they wouldnt keep making pc versions for almost every game if it was so bad, plus pc gets the most exclusives without even having a first party.

Pc is actually getting more support now, games that were once only on consoles like street fighter are finding a home on pc.

[Pandamobile]

Actually, the 360 version sold the best, at least according to the amount of tracked players at BFBCS

http://bfbcs.com/

All versions of the game sold well. The 360 version is almost at 3 million, PC at 2.7 and PS3 at 2.4.

BF3 will most likely sell best on PC. I know a lot of hardcore Battlefield fans that skipped BC2 entirely.

[kevnb]

@ Pandamobile
used sales/rentals
Unless the player bought the game new, dice got nothing. Plus pirates can play online for console, not to mention multiple accounts per copy of game would be possible.

[BattleAxe]

Whats with the Socom: Confrontation pic for the article?

[DelbertGrady]

Any real arguments for that or is it just bias talking?

I like that they are showing the PC some love, and from what I've seen aren't gimping their PC version in favor of consoles like Crytek did with Crysis 2. Also, BF BC 2 ran great on both consoles so I wouldn't be too worried.

[Warprincess116]

Ok but they are gimping the console versions in favor of pcs. So is that ok? You're being a hypocrite right now.

[tdrules]

WTF do you mean by bias.
I think they know a little bit more about the game than you bud

[Agent-86]

@Warprincess116, you are an idiot and a troll. I always see you in these BF3 articles complaining about it being gimped or paying more for a lessor version. It is not being gimped; it is being scaled down for the console (it's not DICE's fault consoles are using 5-6 year old technology). It was the same with BFBC2 and that still turned out to be a great console game.

Scaling down is not gimping. Gimping is what happens when a console game gets ported to PC and they don't take advantage of the better technology or use console controls on a PC game. Also, the game costs the same no matter what platform you are getting it for. Please stop with your whining or just shut up and play something else. We won't miss you; in fact, it will be alot nicer without you on the Battlefield.

[pr0digyZA]

I thought if you had one bubble your comment was automatically hidden.?

[kevnb]

for battlefield, pc is where the audience/money is. Heck the pc version of bad company 2 sold best... far more profits too on the pc version.

[BeastlyRig]

But they wanted to make the best game possible! Maybe next time if they lose self respect!

do this!!: http://zkonedog.mlblogs.com...

If it makes you feel better kz3 has better graphics than kz2 plus bigger levels than kz2 & it has a lower player count than kz2!! & aslo Resistance 3 has better graphics & 16 players now!! sooo.. lol I hope this cheers you up!

[Gamer_Z]

@El Jugador

It should go like this: PC > PS3 > Xbox360

but most likely it will be like this PC > Xbox360 = PS3

[ivant]

Yeah. Dice aren't fanboys but a business so the 360 and Ps3 versions will be the same.

Makes good business sense to keep them the same otherwise the fanboys will boycott your game because they got a crappier version.

[aia12]

lol have you seen crysis 2 on consoles ? best looking console game so far and runs just as good on 360 so the ps3 is not more powerful(it never was just has exclusives that pushed the platform while the 360 doesn't) if it was how the hell did cryek get crysis 2 on 360 to look better than any ps3 exclusive ? can you answer that question ?

[hoops]

"Should have made the PS3 lead platform."

A platform like the Xbox360 that does not support dx11...barley performs 720p, barely performs HDR, or any real time lighting...oh the list goes on.
The PS3 like the xbox360 is 5+ years old.
Thank god DICE made the PC the lead platform.

[Close_Second]

As a console owner I agree. However, what PC is considered the lead platform. My PC does not even come close to a current-day PC.

[RBLAZE1988]

First of all no...second of all i hope these guys back up what they have been saying. If it looks like the console versions of crysis 2 then i'll be pleased with battlefield 3 on consoles. Guess we'll have to wait for e3.

[Codeman420]

little off subject but i like how the picture used is from Socom not from Battlefield 3.

[Optical_Matrix]

I can imagine. God knows why a lot of devs port from 360 to PC and PS3. Makes no god damn sense to me.

[dead_eye]

Well duh. You create for the most powerful thing first. My only problem will be how well it runs on PS3.

[Agent_hitman]

Yeah I'm thinking about it too, I hope it will not be a crap port. Please DICE

[solar]

i do not believe what any developer says whose name isn't Valve or Blizzard when it comes to PC games. prove it to me first before i buy your game. looking at you "most recent example" Crytek....

[X_GAMER_X]

OMG, Another DICE article.

I think they are talking a little to much lately.

And just for that I aint gonna buy you'r game just like every

developer who talks to much.

[ivant]

It is a good move to lead on the most powerful platform.

The problem is trying to achieve on the Consoles everything on the PC at the expense of total player number .... and eventually gameplay.

Battlefield 2 wasn't successful due to HD graphics and intricate destructible environments. No.

Battlefield 2 was successful due to large maps, vehicles, large number of players, teamwork, ... and the freedom to use all these to wage war. This is the reasons, Warhawk is the closest to the true Battlefield experience you can get on the consoles....and it has no destructible environments.

DICE needs to gimp the Frostbite Engine so we console gamers can get 64 players, all the large PC maps, and all the vehicles....with only decent graphics and minimal destructibility. The true battlefield gameplay should be the focus for the consoles.

I will be very pi55ed if they gimp the maps, vehicles available, just so they can have really pretty graphics and detailed destructibility on the consoles. I mean, how important was HD graphics and destructible environments were to Modern Warfare 2? Not. And yet it rules supreme because it delivers the GAMEPLAY the players expect from it.

We want the true Battlefield gameplay experience.

So don't deny us all the jets/combat helos, at least, if you are going to keep the 24 player limit.

[Da_Evil_Monkey]

I agree, I would quite happily sacrifice visuals in order to get 64 players. As long as it doesn't look terrible then I'm not that bothered by graphics. However I wouldn't want them to sacrifice the destructibility, that was my favourite thing about BFBC2.

[blackhammer]

All games are designed on PCs.

PCs are currently the higher in quality than consoles.

It's seems quite just to develop on the highest quality, then scale back down to other, weaker technologies.

[Agent_hitman]

It will sell better on console I'm sure, because consoles has more active install base then PC these days and more cheaper compare to $2500 dollar high end PC.

But then again, sony and microsoft should start dsigning their future consoles.