Battleblog #7: Battlefield 3 introduces themed co-op campaign

Battlefield 3 will be our biggest Battlefield game yet. Besides the expansive multiplayer mode and single player campaign, it will also ship with a co-op campaign out of the box. Read on for the full details straight from our Lead Co-op Designer.

Co-op in Battlefield 3 is designed to be the perfect blend between the strong narrative from single player and the open-ended action from multiplayer. Lead Co-op Designer David Spinnier and his team are fusing the replayability of multiplayer with a pick up and play mentality to create a totally new flavor of Battlefield.

-- Every mission in co-op is a new experience. We wanted to create the ultimate mix of play styles for you and a friend, said David Spinnier.

The co-op missions in Battlefield 3 take place in the same world as the single player campaign, and follows a unique series of events that lead up to an explosive finish. Players in co-op will take the role of soldiers that are not tied to any one particular branch of the Armed Forces. This is an intentional  design decision to allow for a vast variety in gameplay in the different co-op missions.

Lend a helping handTo survive through the co-op missions, you’ll need to stay close to your buddy. If he goes down, lend a helping hand with the new co-op “Man down!” mechanic, that lets you revive him in the heat of battle. While being down, you can still use your secondary weapon to defend yourself, while slowly crawling to a safer spot where your friend can help you without getting shot. If both of you go down, it’s game over.

You fight together. You die together. And you score together. After having cleared a co-op mission with your friend, your total combined score will be displayed via Battlelog, our suite of free social features that connect all Battlefield 3 players. Missions are designed to be shorter than single player missions, so you can easily do multiple rounds in an evening to try and beat your friends’ high score. The best score of your Friend will be displayed for each mission, so you know what to aim for.

Difficulty is high. Spinner and his colleagues are going for a tough challenge in all missions. Also, since competitive players will likely try each mission several times, all of the co-op missions contain randomized elements to keep every playthrough fresh. Clearing the co-op missions not only gives you scores and bragging rights – it also has benefits for your multiplayer career. There are a number of weapons that you can unlock in co-op and take with you to the regular multiplayer modes. These unlocks are based on your combined scores ackumulated throughout the co-op campaign.

Exfiltration under way.

Exfiltrate Hamid El Zakir

At GamesCom 2011, we are running Battlefield 3 in co-op for the first time, with the mission Exfiltration. It revolves around a defecting informant, El Zakir, that you and your co-op friend needs to escort to safety. The mission starts outside the building where El Zakir resides. You need to move in, remove any opposition, and extract the target. If you can make it that far without raising a single alarm, there’s a little bonus in it for you. Here’s a little playing tip for you: If you need to take out multiple targets simultaneously (which is the case in Exfiltration), do a countdown over the voice chat. That way you can open fire at the same time, which gives the enemy less time to react.

Part two of Exfiltration has you clearing a path for your convoy so you can reach the outskirts of the city, before entering two of the vehicles and assisting by manning the top-mounted machine guns. Exfiltration is not over there, and there are more elements to it, but by now you should have a good idea what awaits in one of our diverse co-op missions. More will be revealed later.

Stay tuned for Battlefield 3 Battleblog #8 soon
Did you miss the previous stories in the Battleblog series?

Battleblog #1: Lars Gustavsson on DICE's new multiplayer philosophy in Battlefield 3

Battleblog #2: With a bit of class

Battleblog #3: With an army by your side

Battleblog #4: Up close and personal

Battleblog #5: Years' worth of unlocks and rewards in Battlefield 3

Battleblog #6: Building Battlefield 3 from the gun out

For more information on Battlefield 3, visit the Official Site.
To learn about the Frostbite 2 game engine, visit the Frostbite 2 section on the Battlefield 3 site.
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