Battlefield Vietnam Updated Impressions

We had the opportunity to take an updated look at Battlefield Vietnam, the upcoming follow-up to the extremely popular World War II-themed multiplayer shooter Battlefield 1942 from developer Digital Illusions and publisher EA Games. Battlefield Vietnam is well into development, and many of its new features, such as helicopters, airlifts, and the game's music system, are already in place.

We started the demonstration on foot with both American and NVA soldiers, which are more detailed than the soldiers in Battlefield 1942, since the new game uses normal mapping for your characters' skin and clothing (and specular lighting for vehicles), and it also lets you choose a custom appearance for your character, in addition to a specialized character profession kit. As you might expect, Battlefield Vietnam features an all-new arsenal of weapons from the Vietnam War, including the M-60 heavy machine gun, which practically roars when it fires. According to EA producer Reid Schneider, the sound on all infantry weapons in the new game will be much louder and more robust, and infantry operations themselves will be more prevalent and more important than they were in Battlefield 1942. This is because the game's new "overgrowth" graphical system lets the game render bushes and high grass that lets prone players hide from enemy fire and inch forward behind enemy lines.

Schneider went on to explain that Battlefield Vietnam also puts more emphasis on team tactics, especially since the game's new Huey helicopters let its pilots airlift friendly vehicles. The pilot simply clicks the right mouse button to drop a winch down to the friendly land vehicle to get linked up, then the pilot can take off with its new cargo and passengers. Burdened helicopters fly more slowly and lower to the ground, while airlifted vehicles sway back and forth. However, airlifted vehicles can still use their onboard weapons, so airlifting a tank isn't just a good way to cross a river, but it's also a good way to have a flying, mobile turret.

We had a chance to experience some of Battlefield Vietnam's other improvements, including more-detailed environments that feature lots of jungle vegetation, shimmering river deltas, and villages consisting of rickety huts. Ducking into these huts not only provides you with cover, but also lets you find the game's health and ammo supply cabinets, which are much larger and more clearly marked than those in Battlefield 1942. The new game's radio music system is also implemented and working. The system lets you hop into a vehicle, like a Huey attack chopper or an F-4 Phantom jet, and blast an audio track. Players on the American side can choose from a menu of classic American rock-and-roll songs, while NVA players can use their vehicles to blast propaganda messages.

Battlefield Vietnam seems to be coming along extremely well. The game is scheduled for release next year. We'll have more updates on this promising multiplayer follow-up as they become available.