Creating a definitive large scale warfare experience was our top objective for Homefront. Along with infantry, vehicles, airstrikes, and drones on large maps using the Battle Points system, we are ready to reveal our next multiplayer innovation that we call - Battle Commander.
As you have seen in our videos and editorial updates, our objective for Homefront multiplayer was to create the definitive large scale warfare experience on console and PC.
Large scale warfare to us means all weapons of war – infantry, vehicles, airstrikes and drones – on large maps, with large player counts, supported by dedicated servers. Our Battle Points mechanic adds a layer of strategic depth to the action, and combined with Ground Control creates an evolving battlefield that escalates in intensity over the course of the match.
Today, we’re going to talk about another major innovation we’re bringing to Homefront’s multiplayer - We call it Battle Commander.
Battle Commander
Each team is lead by a Battle Commander – this is an AI General, watching over the entire match and directing his forces to victory.
When the Battle Commander spots a soldier, or groups of soldiers performing well – for example, a sniper on a kill streak, or a vehicle team causing havoc – he assigns a One-Star Battle Commander mission to that player or group of players. For example, the sniper will be challenged to get another three kills. If successful, the Battle Commander will assign a Two Star mission and so on, up to five stars.
Players who complete Battle Commander missions will receive buffs such as increased speed, a flak jacket, a personal UAV sweep each time they rank up, making them even more effective on the field.
The opposing Battle Commander will identify enemies on a mission as priority threats, and assign a seek and destroy mission to a player on his own team. The higher the star-level of the enemy player’s missions, the more team mates are assigned to take him down.
If you’re assigned a Battle Commander mission, the ultimate goal is to reach the 5-Star level – at which point the entire enemy team will be instructed to take you out!
The beauty of Battle Commander is that it makes large scale warfare personal. It rewards players for pursing vendettas – how many times in an FPS have you set yourself that personal challenge of taking out the one enemy who seems to be decimating you and your team? Battle Commander supports this basic revenge instinct with escalating rewards to create some amazing emergent scenarios in the match.
Battle Commander is a great mechanic for both highly skilled and more casual players - for those hardcore FPS players, getting that 5 star missions becomes a huge bragging right and earns you instant notoriety in the match. If you’re assigned a seek and destroy mission, you have your own shot at glory to take out that 5 star opponent, and if successful you’ll be rewarded with a huge stock of Battle Points allowing you to deploy drones or a killer vehicle and maybe earn a Battle Commander mission for yourself.
Battle Commander adds an additional layer of depth and emergent gameplay creating a unique experience every time you fire up a Homefront Multiplayer match. The BC Missions are listed below, have fun & happy hunting!
Killstreak
Triggers when an infantry gets 3 kills in a row without dying
1 Star: 3 kills in a row, 2 hunters assigned to target, target receives a bonus to his health
2 Stars: 5 kills in a row, 4 hunters assigned to target, target receives personal UAV bonus
3 Stars: 8 kills in a row, 6 hunters assigned to target, target receives a bonus to his maximum sprint speed
4 Stars: 11 kills in a row, 8 hunters assigned to target, target receives a bonus to his weapon’s damage
5 Stars: 15 kills in a row, 12 hunters assigned to target, target receives enhanced UAV (ability to see enemy position through walls as the UAV sweep is active. “WallHack”)
Vehicle Killstreak
Triggered when a vehicle get 3 kills in a row without getting destroyed. Kills from the secondary seat count towards the total.
1 Star: 3 kills in a row, 2 hunters assigned to target, vehicle gets a faster recovery from EMP ability
2 Stars: 7 kills in a row, 4 hunters assigned to target, vehicle receive personal UAV bonus
3 Stars: 11 kills in a row, 6 hunters assigned to target, vehicle receives a bonus to his weapons damage
4 Stars: 15 kills in a row, 8 hunters assigned to target, vehicle gains auto-repair ability
5 Stars: 20 kills in a row, 12 hunters assigned to target, vehicle receives enhanced UAV (ability to see enemy position through walls as the UAV sweep is active. “WallHack”)
Recon Drone Streak
Triggered when a recon drone marks 5 targets in a row without getting destroyed
1 Star: 5 marks in a row, 2 hunters assigned, drone receive personal UAV bonus
2 Stars: 15 marks in a row, 4 hunters assigned, drone receives bonus to its health
3 Stars: 25 marks in a row, 6 hunters assigned, drone receives bonus to its movement speed
4 Stars: 35 marks in a row, 8 hunters assigned, drone receives infinite battery ability
5 Stars: 45 marks in a row, 12 hunters assigned, drone receives enhanced UAV (ability to see enemy position through walls as the UAV sweep is active. “WallHack”)
Drone Killstreak
Triggers when a drone (any of the 3 combat drones) gets 2 kills in a row without getting destroyed
1 Star: 2 kills in a row, 2 hunters assigned to target, drone receive personal UAV bonus
2 Stars: 4 kills in a row, 4 hunters assigned to target, drone receives bonus to its health
3 Stars: 7 kills in a row, 6 hunters assigned to target, drone receives infinite battery ability
4 Stars: 10 kills in a row, 8 hunters assigned to target, bonus to its movement speed
5 Stars: 13 kills in a row, 12 hunters assigned to target, vehicle receives enhanced UAV (ability to see enemy position through walls as the UAV sweep is active. “WallHack”)
Nemesis Mission
Triggers when a player is killed twice in a row by the same player. This mission is for the player seeking revenge only, the nemesis is not notified. This mission doesn’t escalate or provide ability bonuses
Spawn Camper Mission
Triggers when a player gets several spawn kills in a short time frame (2 kills in 60 seconds). The mission doesn’t provide any bonuses or follows the star escalation level but does escalate in the number of hunters assigned to the spawn campers.
2 kills: 1 hunter
3 kills: 2 hunters
4 kills: 3 hunters
5 kills: 4 hunters
6 kills: 5 hunters |
england