It all started with a demo. Battlefield 1942 was a multiplayer World War II first-person shooter--an action game that let you play as a soldier and also let you fight battles online. It sounded interesting, but once a playable demo of the game was released, PC game players everywhere took note. The fast-paced game not only let players engage in combat as various types of soldiers, but it also let them jump into a number of different World War II vehicles--including tanks, jeeps, fighter jets, and even aircraft carriers--so they could blast one another to smithereens. It wasn't just a run-and-gun game either, since both teams were limited by "tickets," which represented how many times fallen soldiers could respawn. By capturing enemy bases, you could not only ensure that your team had a new base of operations, but you could also cut into the other team's ticket supply. The team that ran out of tickets instantly lost the match. The game quickly became a smash hit and gave rise to two expansion packs, and it also inspired groups of devoted hobbyists to create popular modifications for the game. This is part of why Battlefield 1942 remains extremely popular to this day.

Battlefield Vietnam will ask you the age-old question: War, what is it good for?

It's now 2004, and the creators of the original game, EA Games and Digital Illusions, have their sights set on the next game, which is Battlefield Vietnam. The new game will take place during the Vietnam War, and it will let you play as US or US-allied troops (including the US Army, US Marines, US Special Forces, or the Army of the Republic of Vietnam) or the opposing Vietnamese forces (the North Vietnamese Army or the Viet Cong). In our last preview, we took a comprehensive look at the soldiers of Battlefield Vietnam. This time around, we'll take a look at where they're headed--namely, the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia. The new game will have a total of 14 different missions across 11 levels, three of which--Hue, Quang Tri, and the Ho Chi Minh Trail--will be featured twice, as they were all historically captured and later recaptured during the war effort. The new game will have four main mission types. These include nine assault maps in which one team assaults the opposing team's base. The game will also have two mission-mode maps where one team must accomplish a specific mission while the other must prevent it, much like in the Secret Weapons of WWII expansion pack. In addition, Battlefield Vietnam will feature a siege map in which one team must attack a single, static base. The game will also offer two hybrid conquest maps in which each team must attempt to deplete the other team's reinforcement tickets by picking off enemy soldiers and capturing control points.

Mission, Siege, and Conquest Maps

Operation Flaming Dart will feature plenty of air-to-air action.

Operation Flaming Dart
Map type: Mission, US

In retaliation against a mortar attack that caused eight American casualties, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued approval for Operation Flaming Dart, a two-part offensive led by US Navy Task Force 77, which began on February 7, 1965. The first part of Flaming Dart involved the bombing of a North Vietnamese army camp near Dong Hoi.

In this map, US forces launch from the island of Doa Con Co, which is equipped with two airfields and a dock from which vehicles spawn--though aggressive North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops can come in and destroy these areas. US players must reach the mainland, where the NVA has six installations. Though US players can take over three of these normally, the other three are equipped with air towers that must be destroyed in order to complete the mission successfully.

US troops must make it to Landing Zone Albany to have any hope of accomplishing their mission.

Landing Zone Albany
Map type: Mission, US

Just three days after the successful assault on Ia Drang (see Assault section, next page), a routine occupation mission of a designated landing zone went sour. On November 17, 1965, some 400 members of the US 7th Cavalry were ambushed by NVA reserve troops stationed near Ia Drang, suffering 155 deaths and 124 wounded.

In this challenging map, US troops must advance through NVA territory, and past enemy control points, to capture the landing zone. Since the mission itself was originally intended to be an infantry operation, US troops will begin the map with little to no vehicle support and must capture enemy vehicles as they go.

The siege of Khe Sanh was one of the bloodiest battles in the Vietnam War.

Siege of Khe Sanh
Map type: Siege, NVA

US Special Forces deployed to the Lang Vei region later moved to a base in the neighboring province of Khe Sanh. The contested area was eventually completely surrounded by NVA forces, thus cutting off Lang Vei and setting the base in that area up for a follow-up attack (see Assault section, next page). The grueling siege of Khe Sanh began on February 7, 1968, and lasted 77 days, making it one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in the war.

US troops must defend the Khe Sanh installment from invading NVA troops, but they must follow special rules of engagement in this map. US troops are based only out of Khe Sanh itself and must move outward to capture all surrounding NVA encampments. Until they capture these encampments, the US forces continually lose tickets, which will obviously cause them to lose if they run out of them. In addition, NVA forces can storm and capture the compound itself.

Operation Hastings represents one of the largest military operations in the war.

Operation Hastings
Map type: Hybrid Conquest

After a series of unsuccessful scouting missions around the Quang Tn province, the combined forces of the US Marines and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to take on a massive NVA force of 10,000 strong in Operation Hastings. The battle, which began on July 15, 1966, was the largest combined military operation in the war to date.

The actual map in Operation Hastings will consist of forests and jungles, connected by river, in regular intervals. US players and NVA players begin the map at bases on opposing sides, and each has access to land, sea, and air vehicles. Each base can be captured, though each base has two persistent spawn points that will allow its original owners to respawn there when defeated. The rest of the map also contains four neutral bases that can be captured and controlled by either side.

Now drop and give me 25! AAAAAHHHHHH!

Easter Offensive - Quang Tri
Map type: Hybrid Conquest

On September 16, 1972, South Vietnamese ARVN forces moved on the occupied city of Quang Tri--the same bombed-out city that appeared in the motion picture Full Metal Jacket, starring R. Lee Ermey. However, government spokesmen refused to concede that the city had been recaptured until the walled citadel at the center of town was captured. This was the same city that had been attacked by NVA forces four years prior to this mission (see Assault section, next page). The Easter Offensive in May would be part of a larger operation over the next several months that would involve more than 40,000 troops and thousands of casualties.

Since this map takes place within the confines of a city, Quang Tri is a small, close-quarters level that is best approached with coordinated infantry squads that use smart team tactics.