Frostbite 3 focus on being a better toolset, not just prettier graphics

EA wasn't just showing off Battlefield 4 at GDC last week. No, they were also showcasing the power of its new Frostbite 3 engine.

9

EA wasn't just showing off Battlefield 4 at GDC last week. No, they were also showcasing the power of its new Frostbite 3 engine. And while the visuals are pretty, some believe that the visuals aren't a significant enough jump to warrant a brand new number. But, pretty visuals aren't exactly what Frostbite 3 is all about, DICE argues.

"So the Frostbite 3 engine is...of course it has the latest and greatest when it comes to how you create good looking graphics (as you can see in the demo)," executive producer Patrick Bach said. "But it's also about creating a better toolset for the developers, so we can stop talking about how to build stuff, and focus more on what we want to build."

According to Bach, the big takeaway from developing Frostbite 2 was that "we need better tools." With numerous EA studios working on new games using Frostbite--including the next Dragon Age from BioWare, for example--DICE was tasked with creating a better engine. They needed to "take a big step forward," he told AusGamers. "We have to rethink the way we build games, and rethink the focus on everything we build."

Oddly, although Frostbite 3 was designed with other developers in mind, there are no plans to release the engine for fans to tinker with--unlike CryEngine and Unreal Engine. Bach explains that "just because other people can use the Frostbite engine, doesn't mean that it's a neat package that anyone can just download, and start an executable, and then you’re on your way."

"I'm not saying that people wouldn't pick that up," Bach added. "But it would be a very limited crowd that would be able to use this. Of course you could spend more time on doing that, instead of building a better game, and to us, that is way more important."

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    April 3, 2013 9:30 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Frostbite 3 focus on being a better toolset, not just prettier graphics.

    EA wasn't just showing off Battlefield 4 at GDC last week. No, they were also showcasing the power of its new Frostbite 3 engine.

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 9:42 AM

      Battlefield 4 will finally be the genuine Call of Duty experience I've always wanted to make! - P. Bach

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 10:44 AM

      "But it would be a very limited crowd that would be able to use this."

      In other words, developers are paid to deal with crappy toolsets and have no choice in the matter. While moders can change to an easier engine to deal with.

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 11:33 AM

        That isn't what he is saying at all.

      • reply
        April 4, 2013 12:00 PM

        History has shown it only takes a "limited" few people to make awesome mods.

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 11:00 AM

      for fucks sake i hate ea so much

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 11:31 AM

      That screenshot pretty much sums up Battlefield. That's not the sun though, that's how the Frostbite engine represents a 40W light bulb. Had it been a 60W bulb the screen would be entirely white...

      I really don't know how anyone could have liked Battlefied 3. The gameplay was completely ruined by the lighting and I don't think I've ever been so irritated by a game.

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 12:18 PM

        You don't know how millions like BF3? Maybe you should look at yourself and how you critique games. Sure the lighting can be blinding at times, but it's so rare that it doesn't bother me at all.

        • reply
          April 3, 2013 6:05 PM

          Yes, its particularly hard to see the sun on conquest metro.

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 12:29 PM

        "I really don't know how anyone could have liked Battlefied 3." - I'm pretty sure a lot of people are still liking it quite alot ?

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 12:33 PM

        Bf3 was a terrible Battlefield game, and in no way a logical sequel to Battlefield 2. It was some nightmare spinoff that tried to emulate CoD while still using some Bf throwbacks. It was embarrassing.

        • reply
          April 3, 2013 8:54 PM

          Your posts on Battlefield 3 are consistently out of touch with reality. Battlefield 3 plays nothing like Call of Duty.

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 8:50 PM

        Just, stop talking.

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 11:41 AM

      Gotta love DICE and their modding comments

      BFBC2: We will talk about mods post release, honest!
      BF3: The tools are difficult to use so nobody would be able to create mods
      BF4: The tools are easy to use for developers but too hard to use to create mods

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 12:32 PM

        Making a game editor run on a regular users pc might not be super simple, our tools barely work without access to the perforce server / caching servers / resource packing servers. I would be quite alot of effort making it a neat standalone package that could be distributed easily.

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 12:25 PM

      this is a non article imo, seeing as nobody except ea uses frostbite, why should anyone else even need to know this?

    • reply
      April 3, 2013 6:02 PM

      "Look how bright our sun is, it is the brightest fucking sun in all of video games. You will get to enjoy our extremely bright sun in MP. The Battlefield 4 sun will be even brighter than the Battlefield 3 sun!"

      • reply
        April 3, 2013 7:10 PM

        Oh god yes. This is what I fucking hated about BF3. BC2 had it right as far as gameplay is concerned.

    • reply
      April 4, 2013 6:21 PM

      What a load. Lack of mod support is because of DLC, not because it'd be too hard for most. Can't sell a handful of maps and some new guns when modders are doing it for free every day.

Hello, Meet Lola