Maps and Classes

The maps

BattleField 1942’s maps are huge – possibly as large as anything in Tribes 2, only you don’t get jetpacks to zoom across them like you do in that game. Each map is based on a real World War II battle, ranging from the deserts of El Alamein, to the plains of Kursk, to the jungle island of Guadalcanal, to the beaches at Normandy. 16 maps in these four theaters (North Africa, Eastern Europe, the Pacific, and Europe) will be included. Each is populated with ample foliage, buildings, and in some cases, fixed emplacements like mortar holes, artillery guns, anti aircraft cannons, and more. Some large vehicles, like the battleships, may feature several stations that mimic these functions (anti aircraft, and 16 inch guns as artillery).

American vehicles

Five classes

BF 1942 features five primary classes – assault, medic, anti-tank, engineer, and scout. The assault guy is your basic foot soldier, but he carries a slightly heavier default weapon than the others. The medic totes a submachine gun appropriate to his nationality (German – MP40, British – Sten, etc.), and has the ability to heal players on the battlefield. There is no mobile respawning though, as in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The anti-tank soldier carries a bazooka/panzershreck/RPG weapon but runs slower than his other mates. The engineer has the ability to repair damaged tanks and other vehicles on the field of battle, and the scout carries a sniper rifle.

Another Mustang sho

The scout’s role extends beyond being a sniper though. He also has the ability to use binoculars and “spot” for soldiers who are manning the artillery guns or battleship 16” guns. Whereas the artillery men can normally only lob and fire shells within their range of sight, having a forward scout spotter gives the artillery men the ability to fire their shots all the way across the map, using a bird’s eye view to aim. It’s similar to the mortar/laser man relationship in Tribes 2, only adapted to real life weapons and tactics. The engineer also has some special abilities. He can lay land mines on the field to disable oncoming vehicles, and even detonation packs, which he can remotely set off at his command.

With so much to offer, we’re really looking forward to playing more BattleField 1942. A press event in the near future will give us a chance to play on a large LAN with many other players. We’ll be giving a full report on that when it happens.