DICE has tasked its junior product manager,Tommy Rydling, to partially detail the first map pack that will come available for Battlefield 3, including a small Q&A on the game’s blog with lead designer Niklas Fegraeus and co-op lead designer, David Spinnier.
Back To Kirkland includes four of the “Best Battlefield Maps Ever Created”, according to DICE, and will be free for anyone who preorders the game. They include Wake Island, Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, and the Sharqi Peninsula.
“These are evidently some of the very best maps we have ever built,” lead designer Niklas Fegraeus said.
“We have unquestionable data and feedback from the community saying so. You would be crazy turning down the chance to boost your game with these classic multiplayer maps.
From a gameplay perspective, destruction is the biggest addition compared to the original map in Battlefield 2 back in 2005. I remember this particular building by the square in the original where players could defend very effectively. Now, with the destructive power of Frostbite 2, someone can just RPG that building and expose the defenders within. At the same time, we need to be careful not to add destruction that breaks the tried and tested game flow of the map.”
There’ll be another post on the Battlefield blog about Kirkland, so look out for that. DICE also said the maps will include Battlefield 2 weapons and vehicles as well as new unlocks and persistence, with more content to be disclosed on a later date.
