Bringing old maps to Battlefield 6 requires more work than many players realize. DICE producer Phil explains in an interview with MeinMMO why this is the case.
This is the current status of Battlefield 6: Season 2 started in Battlefield 6 a week ago. The update brought some new weapons and the Little Bird, as well as a new map set in Germany. A second new map is set to follow during the season.
The new map “Contaminated” is well received by the community. In an interview with MeinMMO, Philipp Girette, a producer at DICE, mentioned that the developers have taken your feedback into account and discussed the decision-making process behind the map.
Philipp also explained how the return of old maps will progress and why they cannot implement the old maps into Battlefield 6 as quickly as many players would like.
A map for “All out Warfare” and one for CQB fans
MeinMMO: Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers first?
Philipp Girett: “I’m Phil, I’ve been working for DICE for, I believe, almost 4 years. I’ve been in the industry for about 13 years now, studied game design in Germany, then moved to Sweden after a few years and have been working there for quite some time now.
At DICE, I’m responsible for the seasons, so I am the seasons producer. That means I work with all the teams. For example, we have teams that create the vehicles, teams that create the weapons, the maps, core combat, etc. I talk to all of them, but my job is much more to determine what we need in each patch or each beat in a season, how long a season is, to really ensure that everything speaks the same language.
That means I get to see everything we do in our game, but I’m not an expert in everything. But that makes it a lot of fun because it’s nice not to be just deeply involved in the detail of, for example, every screw of a new jeep, but actually everything that comes into the game, including marketing or trailer production or battle pass, and so on. That’s pretty cool.“
MeinMMO: We’re getting two German maps in Season 2 now. How was the decision-making process behind going to a military facility in a mountainous area instead of, for example, a large city like Berlin?
Philipp Girett: “Yes, the main decision-making process here was, of course, to include Europe more. It’s also a big part of the game’s narrative with NATO, and the main motivation is to present players with a new biome. This means a new landscape, more European in nature, where you can also see a bit of what you mentioned, the mountainous landscapes, the forests, and so on, so that you see: ‘Ah yes, okay, this is now somewhere else than Gibraltar or New York.’
I believe the first German map that Battlefield had was Berlin in 1942, a long, long time ago. And here, what we wanted to do with the first map Contaminated, which appears in the first phase, is that it is larger. This means there are both indoor battles as well as outdoor battles for infantry, but of course also access to several vehicles and helicopters.
This means the Contaminated map is more for people who really enjoy playing Conquest, Breakthrough, or Escalation. The people who really like “All Out Warfare” infantry and vehicles, that’s what the map is for. The second map, Hagenthal Base, is set underground, basically underground Contaminated, and is inspired by maps like Locker and Metro. So it is very much focused on having these close-quarters infantry fights.“
The return of old maps is not as easy as you think
MeinMMO: Since we were already talking about Metro and Locker and such, and Battlefield has a huge selection of maps, many of which are very popular: Can we expect even more returning maps?
Philipp Girett: “Yes, in Labs we have already started playing Golmud. So we see the feedback that players want to see larger maps again, and as you already mentioned, there are several in Battlefield history that could be referenced.
It is not as simple as saying: ‘Okay, here is an old map, we’ll just put it into the new game.’ There is a lot of work behind it. But we hear the feedback. We are starting now very early to test for new maps, like Golmud, and that is sort of the first step we can talk about. But of course, there is much more going on behind the scenes.
MeinMMO: I once read that working on a remaster/rework is like replacing a card in a house of cards – you can quickly break a lot in the process. Is that comparable to reworking a Battlefield map?
Philipp Girett: “Yes, definitely, because you have systems like lighting or the assets in the map. If we simply take any old map, the textures are, well, at a much lower resolution than we are used to now. This means if we take maps from 5 years ago, 10 years ago, or even older, everything basically has to be redone, and we have to make sure it works with the speed we do things now.
For example, we also have vaulting in the game, which allows you to jump over certain objects. And there are many systems and mechanics that are quickly forgotten when one says: ‘Hey guys, let’s just make a map we already had and bring it into the new game.’ There’s really a lot of work behind it, both visually, to ensure that it looks good with the new graphics, and also systems like vaulting or where bots run along, navigation systems, and all those things.“
Personal assessment by Dariusz: Phil’s words give me hope as a Battlefield fan that the shooter will have a really strong selection of maps in the future – with strong new maps and the return of some classics. My favorite time in the BF4 era was years after the release when I returned to a huge selection of various maps after a long break. I really hope Battlefield 6 can offer me a similar era one day.
If you are still unsure whether returning to Battlefield 6 is worth it for you right now, feel free to check out my preview report on MeinMMO. There I have summarized my impressions of the season: Battlefield 6: I played Season 2 for you – Is the return worth it?
