Battlefield 2142

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Battlefield 2142
BF2142 logo black.svg
Studio SwedenSweden DICE Sweden
Publisher United StatesUnited States Electronic Arts
Erstveröffent-
lichung
October 19, 2006
platform Windows
macOS
Game engine Refractor 2
genre Tactical shooter
Game mode Single player , multiplayer (Internet & LAN)
control Mouse , keyboard
system advantages
preconditions
1.7 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 2.2 GB storage space, 8x DVD drive, DirectX 9.0c, 128 kbit / s Internet connection
medium DVD
language English , German
Current version 1.51
copy protection SafeDisc 4.70
Age rating
USK approved from 16
PEGI recommended for ages 16+

Battlefield 2142 is one of Digital Illusions CE developed computer game that the ego and tactical shooter is one genre of. It is the fifth game in the Battlefield franchise .

Based on an advanced Battlefield 2 engine, Battlefield 2142 continues the war series in a futuristic scenario in 2142 - the battle between the European Union (EU) and a Pan-Asian Coalition (PAC) for the last of the resources and habitable land in the Earth after a new ice age began.

Support for online multiplayer ended on June 30, 2014 due to GameSpy's bankruptcy . With the help of a version modified by the community, the game can still be played on multiplayer servers.

Class system

There are a total of four classes, each with two unlockable weapons and eight items (unlocks), which can be specialized in one area of ​​application. In order to unlock this equipment, the player must rise up a rank: every point, be it by capturing a flag or eliminating opponents, is registered by an EA master server. Once the required number of points has been achieved, the player is promoted. Through special actions in the game, e.g. B. the successful escape from an exploding titan, badges and awards are given, which in turn bring many points. As soon as the Northern Strike game add- on has been registered on the respective account, there is also the possibility of getting hold of an unlock by purchasing special medals and badges of honor.

A brief overview of the classes and their possible specializations:

Recon

He represents a mixture of sniper and special command. The standard armament includes a sniper rifle, a knife and a pistol.

Specializations:

  • Sniper - a stabilizer (weapon becomes completely silent), a quadruple zoom, an anti-personnel mine and an improved sniper rifle with more penetration
  • Spec Op - RDX explosives, a NetBat helmet for displaying opponents on the minimap for longer, a cloaking device (player becomes invisible) and a Lambert carbine (comparable to a G36C )

Assault

This class is an assault soldier and medic. As standard, he is armed with an assault rifle, knife and pistol and equipped with a medicit (MedHub) that can heal comrades.

Specializations:

  • Assault - an attachment for the rifle (similar to a grenade launcher for an M16 ), which acts as a shotgun or grenade launcher, a NetBat helmet that automatically identifies the class of an opponent and a heavy assault rifle (long range and damage)
  • Medic - improved MedHub, a defibrillator for resuscitating fallen teammates, a smoke grenade and a light assault rifle with a high rate of fire

Pioneer (engineer)

Vehicle maintenance or elimination specialist. He can use repair tools to repair all types of mechanics, from vehicles to gun emplacements. In addition to the tools, the standard equipment also includes a rocket launcher, a close-range submachine gun and a knife.

Specializations:

  • Anti-Tank - a defuser to defuse enemy mines, a NetBat helmet that automatically detects and displays vehicles, a radar that shows all vehicles in the area and the Pilum H-AVR anti-tank gun, which is similar to a sniper rifle but equipped with missiles is
  • Engineer - an improved tool for faster repair, an EMP mine, an anti-vehicle mine that automatically moves towards vehicles in the area, and a Mitchel SAAW (comparable to a FIM-92 Stinger )

Supply soldier (support)

This class supports other units by providing ammunition (through an ammo hub), fire support in the form of a machine gun or various equipment. As standard, he carries a knife, a pistol, a machine gun (heavier machine gun than normal infantry, specializing in long bursts of fire) and an ammo hub.

Specializations:

  • Offensive - an EMP grenade, a NetBat helmet that spots camouflaged scouts and reports them to squad members, a self-firing system and a heavy machine-gun with high damage and rate of fire
  • Defensive - an improved ammo hub, a transportable (knee-high) energy shield as cover that absorbs all bullets and grenades, a pulse meter to locate nearby enemies and a shotgun

In addition, all classes can choose between heavy or light armor, which affects the endurance and of course the resilience of the soldier. There are also three special squad leader unlocks available to the squad leader, including a portable spawn point, a reconnaissance drone and a combat drone armed with machine guns. You can carry a maximum of two of the class-specific extras with you in battle. In addition, two alternative primary weapons can be unlocked for each class, which also extend the duration of a sprint due to their lower weight. Finally, there are also five general upgrades such as: B. hand grenades or sprint extensions, which are always active after activation regardless of the selected class and equipment.

Important innovations

Titan mode

In addition to the previous Conquest mode, Battlefield 2142 includes the new Titan mode . A giant attack aircraft is referred to as a titan. Both teams must defend their own ship, but at the same time try to destroy the opposing ship in order to win. It can be destroyed either by missiles from missile silos or by "boarding" and destroying the reactor. Like the control points in other game modes, the missile silos must be captured and fire missiles at certain intervals (every two minutes), which first destroy the titan's shield and then the hull. Enemy units cannot enter the ship until the shield is destroyed.

New features compared to Battlefield 2 in detail

Measure against so-called "prone spamming"

In Battlefield 2, the logical reaction in a firefight was to immediately throw yourself to the ground, whether melee or ranged. This was due to the fact that you not only offered a reduced hit area, but could also shoot immediately with increased precision. In order to combat this behavior, in BF2142 one is punished for a short time with a heavy deduction in terms of accuracy when lying down. It is therefore usually wiser to open fire while standing or kneeling, and throw yourself on the ground just to seek cover. This change also drastically reduces a machine gunner's chances of winning in close combat.

Changed mode of operation of ammunition and medipacks

In Battlefield 2 you could pick up ammunition and medipacks lying on the ground by touching them in order to have full ammunition or full health immediately. This not only favored the massive use of hand grenades, but also gave the paramedics a massive advantage in combat, as they could completely heal themselves in the same way in the shortest possible time. Therefore, thrown ammunition and medipacks in Battlefield 2142 can no longer be picked up, but instead appear as if they are being held in your hand. Those who are in the vicinity are gradually healed or supplied with ammunition. However, the more paramedics or providers heal or add ammunition or leave packs behind, the greater the effect. A quasi-invulnerability, as it was possible in BF2 by collecting the packs, no longer exists here.

Camera shake

To make the game in Battlefield 2142 more realistic and intense, the camera shakes back and forth while sprinting. The animation of throwing grenades creates a similar effect. If you stand close to a walking walker, the ground starts to shake. However, the camera shake has no real effects in combat and can therefore also be deactivated, especially to protect players who get sick easily.

Revised arsenal and weapon behavior

General

Since many players in Battlefield 2 were annoyed by the often sheer randomness of hits, the developers in Battlefield 2142 take a different path. The weapons in BF2142 are generally extremely precise in single shot sighting mode, which gives the game a certain degree of realism in combat despite the science fiction scenario. The visor is no longer static either, but fluctuates up and down to simulate the soldier's breathing and to make the correct timing of shots an important component, especially for snipers. In addition, most of the handguns in BF2142 lose more and more of their effectiveness over a greater distance in order to counteract the increased precision and thus reduce the pace of the game somewhat.

Light machine guns

This type of weapon in particular has undergone a major change in concept. In contrast to other weapons, the MG gains precision with every shot until the range is reduced to a minimum. This enables very precise support and suppression fire, which provides another tactical component in infantry combat. In addition, the prone position is no longer absolutely necessary for precise fire, but it is still the best choice in most cases. However, the rapid onset of overheating prevents excessive use of continuous fire so as not to endanger the balance.

Hand grenades

Although the infantry combat in Battlefield 2 certainly offers the potential for tactical action, the excessive use of hand grenades predominates there at close range. To avoid this development in Battlefield 2142, some changes have been made. Throwing now takes much longer and the throwing distance has been reduced. The smoke trail is new, which visualizes the trajectory of grenades and thus makes it easier to identify and avoid. In addition, the standard number of hand grenades has been reduced from four to two (the maximum can be increased to three with a player upgrade), and it takes noticeably longer to refill the grenade supply.

EMP

New to the Battlefield series is the use of EMP . EMP weapons generate a field which temporarily paralyzes all electronics in it. Vehicles hit by EMP weapons take no damage, but since they cannot drive or defend themselves, they become easy targets. There are five ways to create an EMP:

  • The supply soldier can carry EMP grenades that generate an EMP on impact.
  • The commander (leader of a team) can order an EMP strike. This is comparable to an artillery strike, except that two short, very precise shots are fired.
  • With the appropriate specialization, the pioneer can lay out several EMP mines, which are ignited when they come into contact with a vehicle.
  • A troop transport (MTW) ​​is equipped with an EMP grenade launcher.
  • The stationary air defense has EMP missiles that can paralyze aircraft in flight.

The EMP can also be used against infantry: All soldiers have an electronic visor or helmet on, which can also be influenced by the EMP. The field of view is briefly distorted and flickers and at the same time the difference between friend and foe is no longer visible, which makes effective defense against the attacker as good as impossible. In addition, the crosshairs are temporarily hidden.

Support team play

Bonus points

In order to further emphasize the team play aspect of Battlefield 2142, good teamwork within squads is consistently rewarded. For example, you get double the usual number of points if you provide your squadmates with ammunition, treat them or repair their vehicle. In addition, an additional incentive was created to obey the orders of the squad leader: every kill within the command radius earns twice the number of points. The Squad Leader benefits from Squad Leader Success Points based on the bonus points received by his subordinates. In the end, this means that good squads effectively get twice as many points as lone fighters.

Field upgrades

The field upgrades are another reward for effectively playing squads. If points are scored for team play and commands are followed, a bar at the top left of the screen fills up. If it is full, each member of the squad can choose an unlockable piece of equipment or a weapon and use it as long as you stay on the server. This is a great help in deciding what to unlock for your next promotion. However, only the next higher items in the activation branch can be activated.

Booster pack

Northern Strike logo

The Northern Strike booster pack was released on March 8, 2007 . It contains three new maps, a new game mode "Attack", ten new unlocks, awards and two new vehicles. The first new vehicle is the “Goliath” (EU), a type of personnel carrier that offers space for up to five soldiers. A mine launcher, which shoots the well-known "motion mines", machine guns and a shotgun serve as armament, and the Goliath repairs itself and other vehicles in its vicinity independently. The "Speedster" (PAC) is a fast attack vehicle that, like the PAC tank, does not have conventional drives such as chains or wheels, but rather floats. A machine gun serves as armament for the driver and a fast-reloading grenade launcher and a gun that fires steerable missiles for vehicle defense for the passengers.

As usual with Battlefield 2, the booster pack is only available as a download via the EA Link software. The serial number required for this can also be purchased in stores.

With patch 1.51, which was released in February 2011, the booster pack was integrated into the main game free of charge and is therefore available to all players.

criticism

Meta-ratings
Database Rating
Metacritic 80/100

With Battlefield 2142, so-called dynamic in-game advertising was introduced for the first time in the series . A program is installed that sends data to an IGA Worldwide Inc. server when playing in online mode. According to statements from Electronic Arts, the data is the anonymized IP address as well as the viewing angle and viewing time on the advertising space, which should be used to precisely bill advertising costs. However, the exact content and purpose of this data is not known.

Quote from the leaflet: “This software may contain technology developed by IGA Worldwide Inc. The purpose of this advertising technology is to present you with in-game advertising while you are using the software and connected to the Internet. If you use the software while connected to the internet, the advertising technology can record your IP address and other anonymous information. The advertising data will be used temporarily by IGA to enable the presentation and size of in-game advertising and other in-game objects [...] "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. EA homepage: Update on EA Titles Hosted on GameSpy (English)
  2. [2142 Complete guide to play BF2142 post GameSpy shutdown]
  3. Battlefield 2142 - Patch 1.51 * Update * , 4players.de from February 14, 2011; Accessed February 15, 2011
  4. Meta ranking Battlefield 2142 (Windows). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed April 21, 2015 .