S&S News: Battlefield 4 next-gen controls significantly different

The controls for Battlefield 4 on next-gen consoles will be significantly different from those on current gen machines, Battlefield 4 executive producer Patrick Bach told Game Informer.

Bach explained that the major changes made to the control schemes were to allow ease of communication between the player and controller. These tweaks include moving teamplay functions off the face buttons and onto the bumpers and tying all vehicle movement to the left analogue stick, giving vehicles similar controls to soldiers.

"When we looked at controls in Battlefield 4, we placed the team play aspect of our controls as the highest priority," Bach said. "We wanted players to be familiar with using spotting and the communication rose in multiplayer as well as the engage and tactical visor in single player. To accomplish this we needed a button that allowed players quick access while also enabling the player to still perform all the necessary functions of Battlefield, like shooting, aiming, moving, and melee. We also know that players require consistency, especially players who will want to move from a PS3 to a PS4 or a Xbox 360 to a Xbox One.

"With this in mind, we moved our teamplay functions to a bumper button, which required us to make additional changes, all to highlight one of Battlefield's key strengths," he added. "It also enabled the use of the communication rose with a controller."

Players uncomfortable with the new input scheme can take advantage of a Veteran scheme that brings back the classic button map.

"For people who don't like these new controls you are offering a Veteran scheme that basically returns the controls to the Battlefield 3 standard, with one major difference — the comma rose is still married to the right bumper whether you are on foot or in a vehicle, which moves countermeasures and melee attacks," Bach said.

"We recognize that change is hard, and the veteran control schemes are our nod to players who wish to have a Battlefield 3 control style," he added. "We continue to see teamplay as a key area for Battlefield, and that meant that we could not purely duplicate the old setup."

Battlefield 4 launches tomorrow, Oct. 29, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will launch alongside their respective consoles on Nov. 15 and Nov. 22, respectively.