Battlefield 3

THE BUZZ: Battlefield 3 core gameplay designer Alan Kertz—aka Demize99—has been a fountain of information when it comes to news, details, and updates on Battlefield 3. After a short break, that fountain is flowing again, so here’s some of his most recent revelations.

• When asked if there are plans to display actual numerical damage values of guns either in-game or on Battlelog: “No plans.”
• When asked if there will be a tracer dart gun in Battlefield 3: “No Tracer Dart Gun I think you might like some of our other toys though.”
• When asked if there’s a server-side option to disable main base protection: “Fraid not.”
• When asked if the random white screen flashes are fixed on the PS3 version: “Fixed”
• When asked at what range snipers will be able to do one-hit kills: “In hardcore? About 50m, depends on the rifle, and only with bolts.”
• When asked if there are performance optimizations in the final version versus the beta: “Plently.”
• When asked if helicopter gunners can have different weapons, or if only the pilot’s loadout matters: “Gunners get their own loadouts.”
• When asked if fences will be fully destructible in the final version (where as the beta has issues with this): “Fixed”
• When asked if there will be improvements made to the mini map: “Yes, the clarity has been greatly enhanced.”
• When asked to confirm that Hardcore has reduced health: “60% of normal”
• When asked about the headshot multiplier: “About 2x for most guns, slightly higher for higher calibers.”
• When asked if bushes will still “catch” grenades like they did in the beta: “Fixed”