A. Yes, it is set during WWII, mainly on pacific island maps.
About the Game
Q. Is Battlefield 1943 a WWII game?
Q. How many players is Battlefield 1943?
A. 24 players online.
Q. Is Battlefield 1943 strictly an online game?
A. Yes.
Q. I heard this is an arcade game, is this true?
A. Yes, it is a PSN and Xbox 360 Arcade game available via download only. Also it will be on the PC.
Q. How big will the file be when downloading Battlefield 1943?
A. About 565mb.
Q. Will there be downloadable content?
A. There is no plans for any, but things could change.
Q. Are 24 players enough? The size of most Battlefield 1942 maps are large and there could be too many areas where just not enough action happening.
A. You're right about the size of the classic BF-maps and 24 players on the original Wake Island would be a cascade of fail. But it's also important to keep in mind that the maps are built specifically for 1943 - we only used the old maps as reference and in many cases we have added or taken whole features out.
We did a lot of testing early on to get the right size. Me (GVD) and Gustav (our gameplay designer) used to sit with a stopwatch clocking each other and the time it took to...
Q. What game modes will there be?
A. Head-on Conquest! Both sides must capture flag points and hold them until a ticket system runs out to win.
Q. Is there a commander like previous bf games?
A. No.
Q. How long is the average game do you think?
A. A typical Head-On Conquest round time of 15-25 minutes.
Q. What sort of PS3 trophies 1943 will have?
A. For the 360 version it should be limited to 12 achievements that add up to 200 GS, as per Microsoft rules regarding all XBLA games. For the PS3 version, we have trophies and they are similar to the 360. But we also have our own awards: postcards and stamps.
Q. Will there be blood in the game?
A. No, BF1943 will not have blood.
Q. How does the health and ammo system work?
A. You have unlimited ammo and regenerating health. When ammo runs out, it has a replenish timer that will regenerate ammo and health regenerates when you aren’t taking damage.
Factions, Classes and Weapons
Q. What factions are there?
A. Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and United States Marines (USMC).
Q. Is there a class system? Q. What classes can I choose from?
A. Yes, each faction will have 3 classes. The classes are the same between factions, but their weapons are slightly different. Read about the USMC classes and the IJN classes.
Q. In 1943, what will the USMC Sniper have for a melee weapon?
A. The USMC sniper has a long bayonet, M1942, pretty similar to a short sword.
Q. What is the IJN sniper melee weapon?
A. The shin-gunto sword.
Q. What will the IJN and USMC rifleman melee weapon be?
A. Both riflemen have shorter bayonets mounted on their rifles.
Q. Do the IJN snipers carry an Arisaka or a German Kar 98?
A. The IJN are using a German K98 instead of an Arisaka. This choice was made not out of ignorance but rather because of budget constraints and we could not afford to build the correct rifle. We had a German rifle and had to go with it.
Maps
Q. How many maps are there?
A. Four maps total. ´Three of the maps, Wake Island, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal will be available right away.
The 4th map, Coral Sea, needs to be unlocked by achieving 43 million kills total for each console. Click here to read about the challenge. The homepage of the website will have a total kills counter so that you can see the progress.
Purchasing the Game
Q. How much will it cost?
A. It will cost 15 USD or 1200 MS points on the xbox 360.
Q. Will there be a demo of that game?
A. Yes. A free trial version will be available once the game comes out. PC status of the trial is unknown though as is what the trial version will feature, but both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the trial will be available when the game launches.
Q. How long until it comes out?
A. Summer 2009 for consoles and in early 2010 for PC. PC is available for pre-order now at the EA Store http://eastore.ea.com.
Squads
Q. Will a player be able to spawn on the squad leader like in BF2?
A. We have improved squad support in 1943. Four man squads, with the option to spawn on any squad member instead of flags. You can either join open squads or create your own squads by inviting friends.
Q. When people get kicked from the squad and if the game is full, will they be kicked from the match for someone else to play?
A. The way it's set up is that you can't kick people from squads and you'll have to remake the squad (which is fairly simple). For squads you create yourself you just put set them to Private so only people you invite can get in.
Q. Could you please clarify the team chat issue?
A. If you choose not to join a squad then you are in team chat. But if you are in a squad, Squads can either be in private squad chat or remain in team chat.
Q. How will spawning be handled?
A. Three different ways to spawn in BF1943: Auto (close to the action), Flag (of your choosing) or Squad (any member).
The Frostbite Engine
Q. What gaming Engine is it using?
A. Frostbite engine. Similar to the one used in Bad Company.
Q. What are we going to see in regards to what frostbite 2.0 can do in Battlefield 1943? Q. Will it still have destruction of buildings and environments (like battlefield bad company)?
A. Yes! I'd call it Frostbite 1.5 since we started before BFBC2 did, you'll get buildings destroyed to the foundation, but not like BFBC2 awesome Destruction 2.0! We have tried to make it better and with less of issues from BFBC1.
Vehicles
Q. Will there be vehicles?
A. Yes! Tanks, light vehicles and fighter planes.
Q. How many planes are spawning on the maps?
A. Five, two per carrier and one at a controlled base.
Q. Are there modern warfare vehicles in the game?
A. No, this game is historically correct in that sense at least.
Q. Say your tank gets hit with a rocket launcher, does the tank health regenerate?
A. There is no armor regeneration on vehicles. Infantry fix them with their wrench. There are also the classic repair stations in some places.
Q. How many people can be seated in landing craft and how much armor does it have (landing craft)?
A. One driver, two MG gunners and three people in the hold (these can use their weapons).There are four landing crafts on each carrier and on Wake there is one or two placed in the lagoon.
They're pretty heavily armored and can stand a tank shell. They're more vulnerable to planes so the two guys in the MG seats needs to stay sharp. View the landingcraft stats here. (hyperlink to the landing craft page.)
Q. For fighter planes, I was just wondering how well the Frostbite engine will do on the PS3/xbox360 as far as control, maneuverability, and targeting?
A. You use both analog sticks, one for pitch/jaw and one for rudder. The amount of throttle effects turning radius and there is a sweet spot where you get optimal turning, meaning it does require skill without being insanely hard to stay in the air. There is a tutorial level where you can play around with all the stuff on your own to hone your skills, which includes planes.
Q. Will you be able to spawn on somebody that's in a vehicle?
A. If there is a free seat in the vehicle, yes.
