Battlefield 2

I pride myself on having some sort of newsbot integrity. I post news that has facts and details available to back up my claims. I don't like rumours or unsubstantiated comments that have appeared out of nowhere and may well dissolve into nothingness.

That said, the alleged leak of Battlefield 3 information was too good to pass up. Apparently, a three-page document has been prepared for a December mailout to investors, and someone has gotten their hands on it early. The internet being what it is, we've now acquired some of the information allegedly contained within, and we're sharing it with you.

The three page document is apparently prepared for investors which should get it by December of this year. It details basic features of BF3, and are as listed:

Leaked 'facts' about BF3

* Release in late 2008
* Powered by "Frostbite DX"
* Set in year modern day
* Will ship with 8 maps, each supporting up to 40-players per team
* Two playable factions, NATO and MEC (Middle Eastern Coalition)
* Same "ticket-based" gameplay style as before
* Maps are mostly urban, based in Middle East
* Squads and Commanders are present, introduced are "Battalions" which consist of three to four squads.
* Five playable classes; Sniper, Assault, Engineer, Medic and Support
* Will feature 48 different vehicles (24 for each faction)
* Will feature 34 different weapons (17 for each faction) and another 22 unlocks (for both factions), in total 56 different weapons.
* Other unlocks include different types of ammunition, body armor, helmets, camouflage and accessories.
* Possible public beta in "Summer 2008?
* Online stats tracking, awards and "real world ranks"
* "Soldier" feature, looks like MMO-styled characters and avatars
* Ranked servers will be available for resellers weeks before the game ships
* In-game replay and recording feature
* VoIP, friends list, in-game IM-client and "extensive clan support"
* Built-in auto software updater
* Windows Vista and OS X
* Announcement and teaser trailer in January 2008.

It's worth noting a few things in that list - no XP support for one, , there's some alleged MMO influences sneaking in - and they're claiming a "built-in software updater". Can this mean the end of Battlefield patches?!

BF3 claims to be set in a modern-day environment (I'm interested to see how that'll compare to BF2) with a Middle-Eastern feel (see also: Call of Duty 4), and the document includes references to one of the maps - "Baghdad Burning", which is rumoured to be similar to BF2's "Strike at Karkand", a massive urban setting.

While I'm not suggesting you start saving your pennies now, it's not a completely far-fetched concept, either. Nothing in the feature list seems implausible or terribly unlikely - EA promised more Mac support earlier this year (explaining the OSX release), and XP will be on the way out by the end of 2008. The proposed release date will also put it two years after the release of Battlefield 2142 and three years after the release of the last big title in the franchise, BF2.

It's interesting news. Of course, EA and DICE have been contacted, but no comments on the leak as yet. We'll keep you posted as soon as we get any confirmed information on the game, the original timeframe of a January announcement may well be changed now "everyone knows" it's coming.

Thanks to DigitalBattle and their band of merry men for the story!