Bullet penetration is one of many gameplay features which DICE are in the process of honing for the release of Battlefield 5. With the game’s combat more immersive than ever, bullet penetration is set to play a greater role than ever before. Recently, the game’s Senior Game Designer, Rickard Antroia, explained why Battlefield 5 bullet penetration is so important.
Battlefield 5 Bullet Penetration and Why It’s Important
The Battlefield series has long made a point to craft destructible environments. Indeed, the maps in Battlefield 5 will be more destructible than ever. Of course, players won’t need explosives or tanks to cause damage to structures; bullets can actually achieve plenty on their own; “Destruction – big and small – is a Battlefield specialty,” says DICE; “and this goes for cover, too, be it wooden doors, concrete walls, fences, vegetation, or the new Fortifications. But how much should a certain piece of cover be damaged when hit by a certain piece of ammunition? Designing all this relates to what we call Bullet Penetration.”
According to Rickard Antroia, the team at DICE’s aim after Battlefield 1 was to; “increase the interaction between the player and the environment while reducing the sheer number of parts in our assets”; in essence, that means toughening up the environment assets, which they felt were too easy to destroy in the last game. Something which the team also did which they had not done before was to have different calibres of bullet work differently for penetration; “In previous titles,” explains Antroia; “Bullet Penetration was a binary experience. A bullet either passed through or it didn’t, and the same behaviour existed for almost all calibres.”
Bullet Penetration Visuals and Uses In-Game
Machine guns of all kinds will cause significant damage to most forms of cover, though bullets which pass through do have their damage reduced. Antroia points to them as valuable counters to enemy snipers, as they can force players out of hiding spots. The visuals of Bullet Penetration are even more impressive in Battlefield 5 as well; “Visually,” continues Antroia; “bullets that penetrate will create a chunky, debris-themed effect for the player on the receiving end, and a smaller bullet hole with a more low-key visual effect facing the shooter. Non-penetrating bullets will dent hard materials or crack open and rip parts of the surface facing the shooter. Naturally, Bullet Penetration is an ongoing endeavour. We are shipping with a certain setup but are willing to tune and upgrade it in the future.”