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Battlefield Heroes launching with two maps
Buried somewhere in Gamasutra's interview with EA DICE producer Ben Cousins is the acknowledgment that Battlefield Heroes will only have two maps when the free MMO shooter launches. Cousins states that the studio is used to making 50 maps for other Battlefield games and finding out months later that people are only playing on two of them -- so, they just cut to the chase for this free game.Considering this is an EA product, the automatic impulse is to call microtransaction shenanigans. The only problem is that Battlefield Heroes is designed to have a business model like an Asian MMO where players join free and pay for content later. Cousins previously stated that players will only be charged for accessorizing their avatar and not for weapons, which could break balance in the game (a concept not shared by other Battlefield titles). At this point, we don't even know if players will be charged for new Battlefield Heroes maps when they become available.Update: Cousins left a little note in our comments saying, "We have no plans to charge for maps."[Via EvilAvatar] Gallery: Battlefield Heroes
New Battlefield Heroes trailer hits the beach
When last we heard, there was no other information about the upcoming casual MMO Battlefield Heroes other than 'It's in development'. Well, now we have more -- a lot more.According to the trailer, BH is completely free to download and play, features full leveling of your character, a matching service that ensures that you only play against others of your level, an overarching 'metagame' to measure your progress against, and it's still slated for a Summer release.It's worth checking out the website for the developer blog, as anyone who's interested in how a game like this comes together will find items of interest both now and going forward. Perhaps our earlier question about whether or not the WWII setting will feel limiting is mitigated by the fact that for all intents and purposes, you'll be playing an olive drab colored online version of Mario Kart. [Via Joystiq]
See the Battlefield Heroes debut trailer
We saw this trailer for Battlefield Heroes at an a EA/DICE party during GDC and it was enough to get us really, really excited for the game. Trust us on this one. As much fun as this looks in the video, it looks twice as good when you actually see it in action.After seeing the trailer (and the reaction from the hardened, cynical journalists at the shindig) it was pretty much understood amongst the Joystiq crew that Battlefield Heroes was going to be "a thing." Do you and your friends have a similar understanding yet? Is this trailer not enough to put you over the edge? Have you no soul?%Gallery-17121%
Battlefield Heroes brings WW2 action this Summer
While there isn't a lot of information on their website, Electronic Arts has announced Battlefield Heroes, an MMO featuring the popular World War 2 milieu. Created by Dice, the team that made Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2, this will be EA's first attempt at a microtransaction- and advertising-based revenue model. Judging by the look of what images do exist on their site, BH's graphics will likely appeal to certain players, but others might be put off by its cartoony style. Its being free-to-play, though, will no doubt make more willing to try it than not. However, after playing in all manner of fantastical, imaginative worlds, with characters of radically vast ranges of appearance and abilities, will people be interested in the thematically-limited (some might say 'pure') WWII genre?[Thanks, Boltar!]
EA to release free, online-only 'Battlefield Heroes'
That would be the modern definition of "free," mind you, the one that means you pay nothing unless you want to equip your avatar with a particularly snazzy hat. Or beret, as it is in the case of EA's newly revealed Battlefield Heroes, a continuation of the popular Battlefield franchise sans gritty atmosphere and retail package. BBC News reveals that the game will be distributed online only and supported through advertising (a la Quake Zero) and micro payments.Counting on the cheap cost of entry (reminder: nothing) and a new cartoon-like aesthetic to airdrop the masses into Battlefield, developer DICE reckons you'll "be able to play this game on Grandma's laptop." Said Ben Cousins, senior producer at DICE: "We're removing all barriers to entry and we hope there is broader audience for the title."Cousins noted that adverts will never appear in the game itself ("They wouldn't work inside the fictional world.") and that micro purchases would be limited to players' appearance and not their weaponry. In fact, EA expects 95% of players not to spend any money at all. So, why bother? "If you look at Korea and Asia this is a model that works," said Cousins. "Given the enormous explosion in web-based gaming products, this is going to be a real source of growth in the industry and Battlefield Heroes is the first step towards doing that in [the] West." Expect it to leave a footprint on your hard drive in Summer 2008.[Thanks, Rich]Read -- BBC NewsRead -- NY TimesRead -- Official Battlefield Heroes website
