DICE Says No to Mod Tools For Battlefield 3

[Logan Westbrook]

DICE Says No to Mod Tools For Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 engine is too complex for mods, says developer.

DICE might be trumpeting [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109304-DICE-Battlefield-3-Looks-Better-on-Consoles-Because-Were-Making-it-for-PC] Battlefield 3's [http://www.amazon.com/Battlefield-3-Limited-Xbox-360/dp/B003O6G5TW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310042322&sr=8-1] PC heritage, but it's not including every mainstay of PC gaming. Speaking to German gaming site GameStar [http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/battlefield-3/artikel/battlefield_3,45612,2323505.html], DICE exec Patrick Söderlund delivered a blow to the modding community with the news that the studio was not planning to release any mod tools for the game.

According to Söderlund, DICE took the decision to leave out mod tools because Battlefield 3's Frostbite 2 engine was just too complicated for modders to use. "It's going to be very difficult for people to mod the game," he said. "Because of the nature of the set up of levels, of the destruction and all those things ... it's quite tricky. So we think it's going to be too big of a challenge for people to make a mod."

Söderlund's comments probably weren't intended as a snub to the mod community, but it's not hard to see why they might take it as such. They're especially surprising however, when you consider that DICE is a developer that knows how skilled modders can be: DICE hired mod team/developer Trauma Studios to help create Battlefield 2 on the back of the team's Desert Combat mod for Battlefield 1942.

But while it will undoubtedly be a hindrance, the lack of official tools is unlikely to stop the mod community; if they want to mod the game, they will. If anything, Söderlund's comments might actually spur them on to make more content, just to prove him wrong.

Battlefield 3 comes out for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on October 25th.

Source: via PC Gamer [http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/05/battlefield-3-dev-we-are-not-going-to-make-any-modding-tools/]


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[Kizi]

I'm getting it on PS3 anyway. Though this probably sucks for dedicated modders, I respect DICE, they know what they're doing.

 

[Weaver]

It's a shame they've took this direction, especially for the honestly pretentious reasoning of "you're just not good enough". However, I've personally never modded a battlefield game so I suppose this doesn't affect me.

If, on the other hand, Bethesda ever dropped Elder Scrolls modding I would be furious!

 

[Skops]

I was never into BF Mods, the games themselves were near perfect imo. Well, maybe not perfect in a class balance, Since BF2 Patch 1.3 they've forever made LMG's overpowered in every appearance.

 

[Jonny49]

Battlefield 3 engine is too complex for mods, says developer.

Shouldn't that be for the modders to decide?

 

[Arehexes]

I was going to get it on the ps3 since I CAN'T STAND PUNK BUSTER, I don't want that useless software on my machine at all.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well we were over this in another thread, it's a simple way to limit user generated content so you get to sell your own, remember they are owned by EA.

The only question is do they have the steel nuts to charge 15$ for 5 maps yet, like some other companies do...

 

[Imper1um]

RIP Dedicated Servers
RIP PC Support Equality
RIP Mods

What more is just going away, "because it is too complex"?

 

[CommanderKirov]

Ouch... That's not a smart move DICE. Not a smart move at all...

 

[Agent Larkin]

Yeah...

I give it a week before the first BF3 mod comes out after day of release. That Mod community is dedicated and crazy skilled.

Forgotten Hope 2 and Project Reality being the best.

 

[AlternatePFG]

Let me run this through the bullshit translator.

"We're planning on ripping people off with map packs."

Hmm.

Pretty much.

Doesn't matter, probably wasn't going to buy the game in the first place, but now I'm especially not buying it.

 

[Nooners]

You really think that's going to stop people who want to mod? Never, ever underestimate dedicated computer enthusiasts.

 

[Gaderael]

That's just stupid. Bad move DICE. From my experience modders have just as much expertise working with game engines as the actual developers do, more in some cases. Just release the damn SDK and if modders find it too hard thy wont use it, it's no real loss to DICE.

 

[Wuggy]

I don't really care about Battlefield and wasn't planning on getting it anyway but saying "Oh you couldn't possibly understand this intricate engine of ours!" is incredibly arrogant from their part.

 

[SinisterGehe]

A reason for me not to buy the other than I am cheap.
They are taking the wrong path and must be corrected or we will end up with a collection of bad games that are not getting sold and sitting on the shelves of the local Gamestop.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Battlefield 3 engine is too complex for mods, says developer.

Shouldn't that be for the modders decide?

Yeah, I mean if they can't mod it then they can't mod it, might as well let 'em try.

The cynic in me thinks it's so that they can later charge exorbitant fees for map packs. Problem with that is it's going to piss off the already fickle PC audience, and consoles are where you're like to make a killing on maps anyway.

 

[JochemDude]

We're not that dumb DICE, that is in 2 ways.
One, where there's a will, there's a way. Ofcourse we can mod your engine, people will always find ways for that.
Two, we can all see that you are not saying we can't handle it. I know that your only making this decision because you want to sell map packs.

 

[Gralian]

Ouch... That's not a smart move DICE. Not a smart move at all...

I get the feeling it was primarily EA's decision and them who pressured DICE into denying modding tools, since DICE have supported modders in the past.

Incidentally, i... really do not care. I do play on PC, and yet, i absolutely loathe mods. I guess i have a very purist view when it comes to games. I don't like people fucking with things that should be as they are and as they were intended to be. It's why i will never mod STALKER or Fallout, despite them being notoriously moddable games. I know, i know. It's silly, i can get more content and fixes out of mods. I just... don't like the concept of modding.

The only two things i've modded extensively are Oblivion with the Nehrim mod (a German mod that completely overhauled the world, the game, the story, the levelling system and included professional-quality voice acting for this entirely new and lengthy experience) and Minecraft with the PhotoRealism mod for up to 128x128 pixels (I tried to patch in the 258x258 HD mod, but that caused the game to keep crashing) as opposed to the normal 16x16.