While first-person shooters are, at their cores, action games that give you a gun or two and send you dashing about to blast away at your enemies from a first-person perspective, they're not what they used to be. Now they're huge online multiplayer games with real-world weapons, drivable vehicles, and multiple objectives. However, they can still be easy to pick up and play, and they can still have the fast pace of an arcade game--and EA Games and Digital Illusions' Battlefield series has seen to that. The original Battlefield 1942, from 2002, became tremendously popular thanks to its combination of fast action and World War II vehicles, and the series saw an improvement in its gameplay with this year's follow-up, Battlefield Vietnam, which is set during the controversial Vietnam War of the 1960s. The next game, Battlefield 2, will take place in a fictitious near-future conflict, and it will feature all-new weapons, all-new vehicles, some very impressive graphics, and even a video playback feature known as "Battlefield TV." For more information on this promising sequel, which is due out next year, we sat down with Digital Illusions producer Sean Decker.

The upcoming sequel, Battlefield 2, will be staged in a modern conflict in both the Middle East and China.

GS:We're told that Battlefield 2 will feature a conflict in a fictitious Middle Eastern country between US and Middle Eastern forces. Is there anything else that you can tell us about the setting? We imagine that there will be plenty of desert and urban-style battlefields, but are there any others you can tell us about?

SD: Actually, the Middle East is only half the battle. Battlefield 2 will also ship with conflicts taking place in Manchuria, pitting the US against China. The battles here will take place in settings very far removed from the desert settings of the Middle East. The Chinese Army has the most modern weapons, some of which are currently in a prototype phase.

The Middle Eastern Coalition (MEC) was formed out of a number of current-day Arab states that felt their futures were brighter together rather than apart. It would draw parallels with today's European Union. The MEC is anything but a terrorist state. It's well armed, [because it] used its oil reserves to purchase the best equipment on the market, including some European weapons. It is also highly trained and motivated.

As for the settings, the Middle East is a vast place, so we wanted to explore some of the areas that people might not consider when they think of the Middle East, such as the swamps around Al Basrah, the mountains of Northern Syria, as well as the beaches of Oman. Half the battles will also take place in Northern Manchuria, pitting the US against the Chinese.

GS: Battlefield Vietnam covered a controversial conflict in American history, but the game managed to present both sides well. Do you have any concerns that Battlefield 2 may be associated with the current US conflict in Iraq? Will the game attempt to portray the war on terror in any way?

SD: We will not portray terror in any way. All sides in this game are portrayed as professional armies.

The Battlefield franchise has never tried to take sides in any conflict, for one very simple reason: Our focus has always been large multiplayer games. So, if it isn't fun to play on all sides, then the game itself isn't fun. Battlefield creates the sandbox and the toys. You get to bring your friends and your imagination.

GS: What are some of the lessons learned from the feedback from Battlefield 1942 and Vietnam? On the flip side, what can a Battlefield veteran expect to be new in Battlefield 2?

SD: As I mentioned before, if any side isn't fun to play, then the game isn't fun. One of the lessons this translates into for us is balance...in weapons, vehicles, abilities, and maps. If players feel that there is an imbalance, it ruins the experience for them. "Rock-paper-scissors" is [an important concept] for us.

Another lesson learned was that people want to be free to try crazy things. They want to do parachute base jumping off of bridges or stand on the wings of a bomber in flight. They want to be able to stack a jeep full of explosives and use it to destroy an enemy tank.

You can expect to see all-new vehicles and weapons.

And Battlefield 2 will offer a lot more to the Battlefield veteran. Players will, of course, be able to play with modern weapons and vehicles, such as wire-guided antitank missiles, laser-guided bombs, and the joint strike fighter. They will also be able to play the game with squads and commanders. These give them some unique tools to help them play together more effectively. These tools include being able to track their teammates, use the built-in voice-over-IP real-time chat to talk to their squads, and even spawn in on their squad leaders' locations when they die. Another great feature is that the game will have built-in tracking of statistics and rankings of all the players worldwide who play on ranked servers. This allows you to build up a history with your player, unlock new weapons, and earn various rewards.

GS: What can you tell us about the two new character classes--the heavy weapons support class and the Special Forces class--and how will they differ from existing classes?

SD: The special operations kit is somewhat like your typical commando. He is armed with a short-range weapon, has light armor, and is able to move quickly. At the same time, he comes with a bag of tricks that lets him blow up enemy equipment and [lets him] paint enemy targets with a laser to guide in friendly missiles.

The heavy weapons kit is almost the complete opposite of the commando. He is armed with a machine gun with a lot of firepower and range. He moves slower but has heavier body armor. He also has the ability to hand out ammunition to his fellow players and [can] score points for doing so.