Band Of Brothers
Now, the core of the Battlefield games has always been the teamplay aspect and in the whole team ‘thing’ has had a serious revamp and overhaul for BF2. In the past, some character classes such as medic or engineer tended only to be played by those benevolent players who rarely got any thanks for helping other out. Not so anymore. Now the ‘support’ classes score points towards the team’s total and further, the game tracks you’re individual score, regardless of which class you play, over all the games you ever play. This provides a serious incentive to take on the support roles more often as just being near other players and healing them as a medic, or being a near vehicles and repairing them as an engineer scores you points.
This time around, voice comms are built into the game itself and so brilliantly executed that you have to wonder why others haven’t done this before. Its not just that you can now talk to everyone else in game, but that depending on which side and which squad you’re in, the game automatically switches channels for you. This is great as when there’s 50 or so players on one map, the last thing you want is a load of gabble constantly in your ears as you struggle to talk to the guys who matter. As well as cutting out all the chatter, the comms system forces a hierarchy into the game which helps keeps things clear and concise and has a serious effect on your chances of success. Nowhere is the comms system more crucial and effective than with communication between the commander and his squad leaders… which I’ll try and explain now.
Yet another new addition is that of squads and commanders. I know this isn’t new to the genre as fans of Tribes 2 (amongst others) will agree, but I have to say that its put to the best use yet in BF 2. The commander of either side, when used properly, will become the absolute key to winning or losing a map. I played with one commander who seemed only interested in shelling everything in sight and we soon lost. Jumping to another server I played under a commander who used the role to it’s full capability and we stormed every map, racking up points like it was a pinball machine.
The interface itself is very simple and easy to use, putting the full focus on tactics and how well you use the tools at your disposal. Once players have created a few squads with up to six players in each squad, the commander can then use the built in voice comms to speak to each squad individually. The squads themselves will only be able to talk to other squad members and the squad leader is the only one who can talk to the commander. All of this keeps the channels nice and clear allowing the commander to make the best use of his abilities.
With an overhead view of the map, the commander can easily see where his units are, drop spy drones to see what the enemy is up to, drop medical and ammo supplies to his squads and even call in artillery strikes to lay down a barrage prior to an assault. A good commander can make the difference between winning a map from a poor tactical position or losing a map from an overwhelming advantage. The comms channel system works exceptionally well in forcing players to work together with their squad and adds a hint of realism in the way the chain of command works in a real army. Used well, it’s an absolute joy to play in any position and any class. A well balanced squad, properly supported by their commander is damn near invincible, and with the ability for a dead squad member to spawn wherever his squad leader is, they soon become almost like an independent, powerful unit capable of taking on anything on the map.
Of course, the downside to this is when you get a bad commander or squad leader. This is where the constant points tallying system comes in. You score better and more frequently as part of a squad, so working your way up the rankings gives you seniority over others and allows you to become a squad leader if you choose… or even commander if your ranking is high enough. This system pretty much ensures that only the serious players who aren’t into team killing or just mucking about become squad leaders. However, if you do find yourself stuck with a muppet, there is always to option to vote them off the server but you’ll soon find that most players take the game seriously enough to respect the positions they’re in.
There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as charging an enemy position straight after the commander has laid down a barrage and all of your squad leg it in all guns blazing. Your squad leader then tells you all to expect a friendly squad coming in from the left while there’s enemy soldiers running in from the right… it’s quite simply, superb!