BF2S Forums this would be AWESOME!

A friend of mine mentioned an idea to me. He said, “Imagine what Battlefield would be like if it was a Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter; MMOFPS.” I thought to myself, “This idea is crazy.” Yet, as days, weeks - months passed, I thought about this idea and asked myself if it could work. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that someday this could happen.

Well, to begin with, what is a Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter?
“Unlike a traditional online or multiplayer FPS, an MMOFPS can use interconnected zones, or areas, to create a larger world in which thousands of players can interact.” – Wikipedia

Now, imagine creating a world in which a battle takes place that involves armor, aircraft, naval vessels, and land vehicles. This battle would be played 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; two teams conquering bases, land, perhaps even continents.

Battlefield 2 currently averages somewhere between 30,000 to 50,000 players every night. Now, consider how many players would be involved in this game. Ten to Fifteen percent would be knocked out, as Mommy and Daddy aren’t likely to offer their credit card so the little kiddies can play. Most MMO games have a monthly fee of around 15 dollars. Why a monthly fee? The servers hosting this couldn’t be ordinary servers. Each team would probably consist of roughly 10,000 players. It would certainly cost in the hundreds of thousands to expect a lag-free environment.

An obvious question would arise, “Wouldn’t certain classes become overpopulated – flooded?” This is where training would come in. Before entering the Battlefield with a particular class, appropriate training must be completed and qualifications met. Once a certain number of spots are filled-up that class would no longer be accessible. For example, from a pool of 15,000 players, a pilot class would only allow about 5,000, while an assault class would allow 10,000 players. Certain elements could also be added to this scheme to ensure that if a spot is available candidates would be notified; the creation of a waiting list. How would people be removed from this class limitation? Well, certain rules would be put in place. Take the pilot class as an example. Say there is a jackass pilot who is really terrible and commits frequent teamkills. If a rule is in place, after a certain number of teamkills, the certification for that class would be revoked and that person wouldn’t be allowed to reapply for a specific number of days.

Once training is completed, it’s time to visit the Battlefield and fight for a team. The MMOFPS Battlefield would obviously consist of very large maps. In Battlefield 1942 the maximum size is 4 kilometers (2.5 miles for our American friends.) So, imagine maps that are anywhere from three to ten times bigger. Squads - clans could be created within this type of game for obvious reasons. (Ten-thousand people on one team without any organization might get a bit hectic.) Now, it’s time for a scenario.

In Battlefield 2 there is a fictitious army called the Middle East Coalition (MEC). Well, in this type of MMOFPS, the MEC and the US go at it again. One of the battlegrounds could be a country similar to Iraq. Within this country would be several cities. Twenty cities is a good, round figure. The US team has established a base camp, which would be their uncaptureable point at one end of the country. The MEC team has their base camp at the other end of the country. Along with these base camps might be several mini-camps throughout, such as a harbor where a naval battle could occur, an aircraft carrier, and so on. The battle begins.

A concern that is most likely running through the minds of several players is the lack of vehicles. This is where helicopters and planes could play a huge role. Imagine seeing a C-17 or C-130 overhead with 100 players parachuting onto the battlefield. Mini-camps would contain an armory spawning tanks, light-armor vehicles, etc. There would be some sort of system in place so everyone can have a vehicle that is either near, or in the base. If not a tank, perhaps a light-armor vehicle, or a jeep. Of course, if a player screws-up with a tank (such as teamkilling or dying,) a timer might be placed on that character who then couldn’t just keep taking tanks before other players who may have been waiting for a long while.

All the classes could play key roles if this type of game was to be built. Engineers could build repair pads so a tank doesn’t have to travel for about ten minutes to be repaired. Medics could build a medic/revival station. (A battle happens about 5km away from a mini-camp and troops end-up dying. Getting back into the battle, of course, might easily become a pain on such a huge map. A good idea would be to allow medics to build a small medic station that could even be a spawn point.) These are only a few of the possibilities. Imagine what could be done with the other classes.

The Rank System could also play an important role. Instead of having the usual “Level X” in a MMORPG, there could be a “Private First-Class.” The higher the rank, the more duties could be taken on, the more weapons unlocked, etc.

Integration of all the elements, such as armor, naval, aircraft, and land units, would go very deep to make this a fun game for everyone to enjoy. Take a simple radio call as an example. A player makes a radio call for an air strike. This would, in turn, notify nearby pilots (on your team) that help is required. Notification of the distance and estimated time of arrival of the pilot who accepted this air strike would be sent to the caller. Other elements could be added to this mission, as well, such as awarding the pilot points toward his/her next badge if he/she completes the mission. That specific radio call could only be issued by those who have reached a certain rank. After that certain rank has been reached, the higher one rises, the more pilots could be assigned to this air strike. Instead of one pilot being able to respond, five could go along with helicopters, and other air assets if required.

So, how can players succeed in this style of Battlefield? As was mentioned earlier, there will be roughly 20 cities. The US would have to invade these cities attempting to capture them. Having successfully captured a city, it becomes a spawn point for that team where then can be created more armories, maybe an airfield, and other elements. Of course, this means the MEC team would be able to recapture the city. As this battle would be on-going, 24 hours a day, it would be quite some time before one team can capture all the cities, were that at all possible. While all this is going on for about a year, or so, an expansion pack could then be released. This pack either providing a new army, such as China, or a new territory into a new country.

This is all a design idea. Players must imagine how the Battlefield series could be expanded into a MMOFPS. I would, personally, enjoy playing this type of game with its constantly changing environment. Merely picturing an armor-rush, along with an infantry-rush of about one-thousand players, is cool; with more than twenty helicopters supported by thirty jets, or more, flying ahead. On the other side of this rush, an opponent with another thousand players would be waiting for battle.