Battlefield 3: Armored Kill DLC
The Defence
The Prosecution
AMD equivalent
AMD Radeon HD 6950
The Case
Unlike the up close and personal experience of Close Quarters, Armored Kill throws you into some of the biggest and most brutal battles you have ever been drafted into. Armored Kill contains 4 of the biggest maps Battlefield has ever seen, brand new vehicles and new assignments, rewards and weapons.
The Trial
Armored Kill focuses heavily on all out vehicle warfare and includes a new game mode which tries to compliment this magnified focus on vehicles - Tank Superiority.
In this mode a single capture point is placed in the center of the map and the teams vie for control over it. Tank Superiority soon becomes a ballet of destruction as multiple tanks from each team roll up, hoping to gain control of the capture point. If you tend to stray away from vehicles and prefer infantry combat then this mode is probably not for you, the clue is in the title. Being on foot for too long WILL result in near instant death. The problem I found with this mode was the amount of tanks available per team. I found myself waiting around a lot after each spawn, as there were simply not enough tanks to go around. This proved quite frustrating and put me off this particular mode.
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Mayday!!! Mayday!!!
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Now, you can't have massive tank battles without massive maps to play them on. Armored Kill's maps are absolutely huge. When I say "huge", I don't mean huge, I mean "huuuggeeeee". Sprawling deserts, lush green fields and a snowy mountain scene are included in this latest expansion.
Bandar Desert is the biggest map in Battlefield history. Bandar Desert is located near Bandar Abbas; a seaport in southern Iran. Surrounded by a huge desert, this map is perfect for Tank Superiority. Roughly 2 and a half times the size of Caspian Border, Bandar is one gigantic map.
Alborz Mountains snowy mountain range, situated near Northern Iran, is, for this reviewer at least, one of the best maps to be released to date. The layout of this particular map really makes it feel and play like no other multiplayer map, which really helps it stand out from the crowd.
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Oooooo so pretty!
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Most of the Death Valley map is set on a plateau, with ravines to either side. A large railway crosses from east-west through a rail yard, with several lanes of north-south roadway passing underneath. The terrain is quite uneven throughout, allowing ground vehicles to occasionally travel through undetected. Death Valley is a night time map, which really comes to life with glowing rockets and firework-like explosions lighting up the under-construction office building.
Armored Shield - farming has never felt so deadly. Located in Russia, this rural farm map is best suited for Tank Superiority, with its wide open spaces, which can be deadly for anyone spotted by the circling AC130.
Also included in this expansion are a number of new vehicles, including mobile artillery, a new helicopter, a quad/ATV and of course, the AC130 Gunship (deploying flares creates a beautiful display in the sky). New assignments, rewards (all vehicle related) etc are also part of the DLC.
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Who killed my snowman?!
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The sheer scale of the maps definitely make them feel very different and fresh. Also, the powerful, new, artillery vehicle, thumping rockets into the air and seeing them crash down onto the enemy not only looks spectacular, but feels very rewarding. Not to mention the new tank destroyers which can really bring the fight to the mighty tank.
However, I did notice the lack of any new weapons. I know, I know, we got a decent amount in previous DLC, but some new forms of personal anti tank/anti air weaponry would have been greatly appreciated.
The Verdict
Armored Kill is a must for any Battlefield fan. Massive maps, a new game mode and new vehicles definitely bring even more intensity to the battlefield. Alborz Mountains is the stand out map for me, with it’s unusual layout (for a multiplayer map), it makes for some interesting matches. DICE/EA really are improving with each expansion pack. Here’s looking to the future...
Case Review
- Size Does Matter: Absolutely massive maps up the intensity of each battle
- Check out my new ride: A nice selection of new vehicles
- I Am Superior!!: New game mode may not be for everyone
- No new 'pewpew': Some new anti-tank weapons would have been nice
Appeal
When DICE announced Armored Kill DLC for Battlefield 3, they promised 4 new big maps, fit for vehicle combat, as well as some new vehicles to try on those maps. The new maps are really big, and play well in Conquest or Rush with 64 people, as there is a lot of space for manoeuvring, leading to very dynamic battles. In Conquest mode one point on each map gives the team controlling it access to the new AC-130 Gunship, while in Rush mode it’s always attackers who get it. The Gunship itself flies in circles around the map, with one player getting machine gun, and the other a cannon with night vision, both get access to AA guns on the top. The AC-130 can be very helpful providing fire to clear contested points, but it isn’t an unstoppable fortress; while it’s hard to hit with heat-seeking missiles, when a crew coordinates flares, its simple trajectory and big size make an easy target for enemy jets.
In Conquest, there is some role for infantry to play during battle for some points, but outside of that, large distances are a chore if you don’t get a ride. In Rush there are less vehicles and infantry plays a big role, numbers are especially important for defenders, as the Gunship gives overwhelming advantage to attackers, when there are few players. Tank Superiority, unfortunately, doesn’t scale well with player count, as the number of tanks remains fixed, leading to constant waiting on spawns on larger servers. Tank Destroyers are a mixed bag, while their main cannon together with unlocks, can make them effective against armoured units, the abilities of passengers are more restricted than in IFVs, making them less flexible than Tanks. Mobile artillery, which has two seats (but can only allow one player to use it), is really helpful for a team in skilled hands, as it can provide long range ground support with its rockets and also can use AA with certain unlocks.
Appeal
Armored Kill was supposed to be a back to roots approach compared to the Call of Duty-esq Close Quarters. With new vehicles, a new play mode and grand new maps we are supposed to feel the real heat of battle. And in a way it’s true, it’s just it comes with its own set of problems. One of the most obvious ones is amount of tanks in Tank Superiority. The best way to play that mode is on 24-32 player server that defies the purpose of Battlefield games. In Rush, being a defender just means that you will die A LOT. Attackers get the AC-130 Gunship that is very balanced (low health and limited firing angle) but is very powerful and detracts a lot of attention. Now add that to the helicopters and tanks and you have one tough job to protect the objective.
Also it seems that tanks got either nerfed or got their health increased so the tank battles take much longer than they should. In general the DLC is really good. As long as you don’t have to spawn in your base or can get a ride you will have lots of fun. The vistas are really pretty and you will die more than once just admiring the views. Oh and when you see the AC-130 Gunship firing its flares for the first time you will be frozen in awe.
Gallery
Posted 17-09-2012, 17:36
There aren't that many snipers but in a lot of cases there are on one side some clan people and on the other random guys. Also usually on one side there are a lot of ace pilots and on the other newbies who cant even lift off and air harassment is rally straining and can win you a battle.
Posted 17-09-2012, 16:55
"Having a hard time on BF3" usually equates to your team being utter shit, which is why I hardly play it anymore. If it weren't for how low the teamwork has sunk compared to older titles in the series I'd easily call it the best of the whole series as it is vastly superior in terms of gameplay on Frostbite 2. Alas when I play this game I find myself using the chat function to encourage the team to actually capture the objectives since none of them fucking bother, something you rarely saw in older titles of the series. This looks really amazing but I honestly just haven't been arsed to install it yet because I can't imagine how painful teamwork is on some "classic-sized" Battlefield maps. Not to mention the image in my head that I have of proned snipers on some of these...
Posted 17-09-2012, 14:08
Its getting more and more hardcore every day. I consider myself a very competent player but sometimes I have a really hard time on BF3.
Posted 15-09-2012, 20:28
I need to pick up this game again. I really enjoyed it, but me being bad at using M&K made it less fun.