Battlefield 1 Background

Description

Characters
During the single-player campaign, the player controls six different characters from a first-person perspective over six different chapters. Unlike previous campaigns in the series, Battlefield 1's single-player story mode is composed of six separate "War Stories", each shown through the eyes of separate allied soldiers from different nationalities, "Storm of Steel" – the prologue of the game which is set in France through the eyes of several Harlem Hellfighters, "Through Mud and Blood" – set in France though the eyes of a British tank driver, "Friends in High Places" – France and the UK as a Royal Flying Corps fighter pilot, "Avanti Savoia" – Italy as a mournful survivor and member of the Arditi, "The Runner" – the Gallipoli Peninsula through an ANZAC runner, and "Nothing is Written" – set in Kingdom of Hejaz through the eyes of a Bedouin warrior under the command of Lawrence of Arabia.


At the start of the battle, the Harlem Hellfighters initially lose ground to the Germans, but British tanks force the German troops into a retreat until the tanks are stalled by artillery. The Harlem Hellfighters mount a counteroffensive and push forward, sustaining casualties as the Germans hold their ground. When the player switches perspective to the final soldier in the gameplay, a German soldier attempts to kill the player character with a shovel but is stopped short by an artillery barrage that wipes out all of the combatants on the battlefield and renders the player unconscious. When the player regains consciousness, he initially appears to be the lone survivor, but quickly encounters a German survivor. Although the two point their weapons at one another, exhaustion and fatigue set in as both realize the futility of their situation, forcing both combatants to lower their weapons. The game then proceeds to an introduction cinematic that opens up to the other War Stories.


Through Mud and Blood
Set in the Fall of 1918 during the Battle of Cambrai in the Hundred Days Offensive, players assume the role of Daniel Edwards, a former chauffeur who enlists in the war as a British tank driver. Edwards is assigned to a Mark V tank dubbed "Black Bess," and meets the rest of his crew: Townsend, the tank crew's commander; McManus, a cynical gunner who doubts Edwards' abilities and the likelihood of the crew's success; Pritchard, another gunner; and Finch, the friendly mechanic.
With the tank repaired, the crew proceeds to a railway station defended by German forces. Although Bess is the only British tank in the area, the crew attacks the railway station to deceive the Germans into thinking that a large British offensive is underway. Eliminating the German forces at the railway station, the tank proceeds to Cambrai but is immobilized by artillery and attacked by German soldiers. Edwards and McManus are wounded defending the tank, and an injured Townsend sacrifices himself by igniting a gas leak inside the tank, killing himself and the Germans. With Bess destroyed and Edwards and McManus the only survivors, the two proceed alone on foot to Cambrai. Closing subtitles indicate that with the participation of more than 300 tanks at the Battle of Cambrai, the war ended a month later.


On the way to the court-martial in London, the vessel carrying Blackburn, Rackham, and Wilson is attacked by a German aerial raid, killing Rackham. Blackburn and Wilson commandeer a plane and fight off the German raid. Blackburn and Wilson first destroy a wave of German bombers and fighters before crashing into a German Zeppelin and using its anti-aircraft gun to destroy other German Zeppelins. The two pilots jump into the River Thames after the Zeppelin plummets to the ground. The story ends with Blackburn climbing out of the river unharmed, reflecting on his experiences. He notes that mixed accounts of his exploits may arise due to the confusing nature of the war, but suggests that his version of events is the truth. The story ends on an ambiguous note by leaving the question open as to whether the events of the story truly occurred as they did.


Avanti Savoia
Taking place during the Fall of 1918 in the Dolomites in Northern Italy, players assume the role of Luca Vincenzo Cocchiola, a member of the Italian Arditi unit. The story is conveyed by an aged Luca years after the war as he recounts his memories to his American daughter on his birthday. He and his twin brother, Matteo, take part in a major offensive to seize an Austro-Hungarian fortress, days after their 21st birthday. While Matteo takes part in the main thrust of the offensive, Luca's unit plays an auxiliary role, eliminating barriers to the main advance forces. Donning heavy body armor and using a MG08/15 Luca spearheads the assault on key Austro-Hungarian positions, capturing strongpoints, destroying an artillery gun, and thwarting an enemy aerial assault.
In desperation to stop the assault on the fort, the Austro-Hungarian bombers trigger a landslide to obstruct the Italian offensive. Desperate to save his brother, Luca sets off alone into the battlefield to find his brother's unit. Along the way, he assists trapped Italian units and pushes toward the direction of the enemy fort. After clearing the fortress, Luca finds the remains of his brother's unit and stumbles upon his deceased brother; much to his grief and dismay. A mourning Luca in the present-day bids his brother farewell and happy birthday, while a concluding subtitle states that the war affected both nation-states and empires, as well as families, with survivors and the deceased of the war named the "Lost Generation."


The Runner
Set during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915, the player takes on the role of Australian message runner, Frederick Bishop. The story starts with Bishop encountering young Jack Foster, who says he is Bishop's new charge. While initially cynical, Bishop reluctantly relents and takes Foster under his wing, but tells Foster to refrain from battle due to his inexperience and young age. Bishop storms the beaches of Gallipoli and captures a strategic enemy position. Bishop fires a flare to signify the capture of the position but is startled by a lone Foster, who disobeyed Bishop's command to only move up with the rest of the Allied forces. Bishop berates Foster for his naivety and view of war as a glorious activity, given that Foster had lied about his age to enlist. Foster becomes appalled at the sight of the carnage around him, but Bishop softens his rhetoric and reassures Foster that they will be alright.
The next day, Bishop volunteers as a runner in place of Foster, whom Bishop considers inexperienced for the task. Bishop returns to HQ to deliver a message and is saved by Foster, who shoots a nearby Ottoman soldier. British officer Whitehall dispatches Bishop to a rear command to inform it that the British intend to advance further. Bishop finds the rear command deserted, and discovers that the British plan to retreat and cover the withdrawal with artillery fire. Remembering that Foster is still on the frontlines, Bishop rushes back to retrieve him. Finding Whitehall, Bishop shockingly discovers that Foster has joined an assault on an Ottoman fortress. Bishop decides to pursue Foster, while a distressed Whitehall permits Bishop to disobey the fallback order to get Foster telling him he has not much time.
Bishop finds Foster and informs him of the imminent artillery strike, but the young Australian says that they cannot retreat due to their wounded. Bishop attacks the fort to cover the withdrawal but tells Foster to fire a flare when the retreat is complete so that the former can make his own escape. Bishop single-handedly captures the fort and is critically wounded in the process, but sees Foster's flare and is relieved that the retreat succeeded. The story ends as British warships shell the fort, killing Bishop. Closing subtitles state that the Ottomans eventually won the Battle at Gallipoli, and several notable survivors went on to lead a postwar Turkey. Australian and New Zealand troops fought at Gallipoli under their own flags, distinguishing themselves in combat.


Nothing is Written
Taking place in the Spring of 1918, players assume control of Zara Ghufran, a Bedouin rebel working directly alongside British intelligence officer T. E. Lawrence as they fight undermine the Ottoman occupation of the Arabian Peninsula. Zara infiltrates a nearby derailed Ottoman train and retrieves a manual with Ottoman communication codes. Although caught by Tilkici, an Ottoman officer in a trap, Zara is rescued by Lawrence and several Bedouin insurgents. Zara and Lawrence decide to interrogate Tilkici on how to use the code manually to lure the Canavar, an Ottoman armored train, into a trap, but Tilkici scoffs that the rebels will not triumph.
Having interrogated Tilkici, the rebels discover that they must use message capsules held by three Ottoman officers to ask the train to stand down. Zara proceeds alone, successfully infiltrating Ottoman camps to release two message capsules by a pigeon while eliminating the Ottoman commanders. However, as she prepares to release the third capsule, she is knocked unconscious by Tilkici, who managed to escape from Lawrence. Tilkici drags Zara out into the desert and taunts her, having already ordered the Canavar to strike Lawrence's camp. However, Zara kills Tilkici before he can execute her.
Returning to Lawrence, who survived the attack by relocating following Tilkici's escape, Zara and Lawrence decide to attack the armored train while it stops for supplies. Zara infiltrates the village where the Canavar stops and destroys segments of the train to impede the train's movement. Zara and the rebels destroy the train in an intense battle, ending the threat to their forces. Having achieved her "revenge" against the Canavar, Zara joins Lawrence to strike at targets in the Suez Canal. The closing subtitles indicate that although the Ottomans lost the war, the British and French refused to grant the Arabs full autonomy and that the war for oil continues on to the 21st century.


Development
According to game designer Daniel Berlin, the team picked World War I as the game's setting as they believed that the weapons and gadgets featured in that period of time suit players with different playstyles. The game was named Battlefield 1, since the team considered World War I as "the dawn of all-out warfare". Melee weapons were reworked so as to introduce more depth to the system. According to creative director Lars Gustavsson, the setting was a concept for a very long time, and it had been the "dream" for the team to create a game based on that period. According to Berlin, gameplay was the most important aspect when they were developing the game, and he promised that it would not be slowed down due to the game's historical setting. The story of the game is told through multiple protagonists, and explores the stories of unknown war heroes. Patrick Söderlund, the executive at Electronic Arts responsible for overseeing DICE, originally rejected the idea of having a World War One shooter as he thought that it would not be fun to play. He later accepted the pitch after being convinced by a demo created by DICE. Aleksander Grøndal, Senior Producer at DICE, prepared his own research into the war by looking at visual references. He favored colored images of the war in an attempt to visualize what the soldiers lived through. “I wanted to see the pictures and I wanted to imagine how they’d look with a mobile lens,” Grøndal expressed when interviewed. “I wanted to start off with all the footage and imagine that footage in our game with a modern take.” He specifically favored Apocalypse: World War I, a 2014 colorized French documentary, and World War I in Colour by Charles Messenger, a 2004 book of colorized war time photographs. Grøndal favored colored material as he felt, "It's quite interesting and it sucks you in because it feels much closer when you see everything in color." Despite his personal penchant for colored visuals, his self ascribed "big inspiration" was Blueprint for Armageddon, a six-part audio documentary by Dan Carlin for the latter's Hardcore History podcast series.In June 2015, DICE revealed that they were working on an unannounced game. In January 2016, EA announced that Titanfall 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda and an unannounced video game set in the Battlefield universe would be released prior to the end of the company's fiscal year. Both the title, the game's release date, and the plot of the game were leaked prior to the official announcement on May 6, 2016. The game was officially unveiled on that day through a livestream on Twitch, showcasing a reveal trailer of the game featuring a remix of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" by The Glitch Mob. The game's Collector's Edition includes items such as a statue of a Harlem Hellfighter, a code for exclusive downloadable content of the Doughboy M1911 Pistol, and a Steelbook case. Pre-order bonuses include early access to a DLC map named Giant's Shadow which takes place in the Battle of the Selle, and the Harlem Hellfighter Pack. The Heroes Bundle includes the pre-order bonuses, as well as three days early access to the game, the Red Baron Pack, the Lawrence of Arabia Pack, and five Battlepacks. Battlefield 1 was released worldwide on October 21, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.Battlefield 1's open beta became available on August 31, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It ended on September 8, 2016. The open beta allowed the team to ensure that major technical bugs, glitches, and crashes can be patched prior to the game's official launch. 13.2 million players participated in the beta.


Downloadable content
DICE released four downloadable content expansions for Battlefield 1; They Shall Not Pass, In the Name of the Tsar, Turning Tides, and Apocalypse.


They Shall Not Pass
In December 2016, DICE announced the first major expansion for Battlefield 1, They Shall Not Pass, which was released on March 14, 2017 with a two-week exclusivity period for Premium holders. It focuses on the new playable faction, the French Army; the expansion features four new maps set in the Battle of Verdun and the Second Battle of the Marne; Fort de Vaux, Soissons, Rupture, and Verdun Heights. Best Fiends - Puzzle Adventure
. They Shall Not Pass brings new weapons including the Ribeyrolles 1918, RSC 1917, Lebel Model 1886, Chauchat, Sjögren Inertial, and Mle 1903 Extended. Six!
. The Saint-Chamond and the "behemoth-class super-heavy tank" Char 2C were added as new vehicles, as well as new melee-oriented "Trench Raider" elite class. Tiny Tower
. Two additional maps named Nivelle Nights and Prise de Tahure, both set during and after the Nivelle Offensive, are included as part of the expansion and were released in Summer 2017. Can You Escape
. As of May 5, 2018, "They Shall Not Pass" is free for all players via the Xbox, PC, and PlayStation websites, and will remain free until May 15. Word Cookies!™
.


In the Name of the Tsar
In April 2017, DICE released the first images of the In the Name of the Tsar DLC. This DLC was confirmed during EA Play 2017, where a short amount of footage of it was also shown. In the Name of the Tsar focuses on the Russian Empire during the Great War. The Scout class for the Russian faction features as a female soldier representing the Women's Battalion. Four maps in the expansion follows in the Eastern Front; Lupkow Pass, Galicia, Brusilov Keep, and Albion, while two other maps are set in the Russian Civil War between the White Guard and Red Army; Tsaritsyn and Volga River. It also introduced 11 new weapons to the game; Model 1900, Fedorov Avtomat, Parabellum MG14/17, Mosin-Nagant M91, Nagant Revolver, SMG 08/18, General Liu Rifle, Perino Mode