Battlefield 4 executive producer says controls on next-gen will be very different

Different movement schemes and button functions serve a purpose.

Speaking to Game Informer, Battlefield 4 executive producer Patrick Bach said that next-gen controls will be much different than current-gen offerings. From driving to spotting, the controls are not the same, and there’s a reason why.

“When we looked at controls in Battlefield 4, we placed the team play aspect of our controls as the highest priority. We wanted players to be familiar with using spotting and the communication rose in multiplayer as well as the engage and tactical visor in single player. To accomplish this we needed a button that allowed players quick access while also enabling the player to still perform all the necessary functions of Battlefield, like shooting, aiming, moving, and melee. We also know that players require consistency, especially players who will want to move from a PS3 to a PS4 or a Xbox 360 to a Xbox One.

With this in mind, we moved our teamplay functions to a bumper button, which required us to make additional changes, all to highlight one of Battlefield’s key strengths. It also enabled the use of the communication rose with a controller.”

A Veteran scheme will be present, for players who prefer Battlefield 3 controls instead of the new ones.

“For people who don’t like these new controls you are offering a Veteran scheme that basically returns the controls to the Battlefield 3 standard, with one major difference —  the comma rose is still married to the right bumper whether you are on foot or in a vehicle, which moves countermeasures and melee attacks.

We recognize that change is hard, and the veteran control schemes are our nod to players who wish to have a Battlefield 3 control style,” he added. “We continue to see teamplay as a key area for Battlefield, and that meant that we could not purely duplicate the old setup.”

If the beta is anything to go by, I preferred the new controls. Battlefield 4 releases tomorrow for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions available at their launch.