Battlefield 4 brings its trademark 64-player multiplayer to (next-gen) consoles for the first time this fall alongside the PC, and with it the return and revamping of Commander Mode and the new addition of spectator mode. It's all about multiplayer, organizing large amounts of players and helping pushing the franchise into the eSports arena.

To help detail Battlefield 4's new features and explore how the game is changing from Battlefield 3, DICE launched "The Road to Battlefield 4" blog with the first entry focusing on "dialing up the team play."

Lead Multiplayer Designer Thomas "Tompen" Andersson takes the reins for the multiplayer-focused write-up and vaguely touches on the highlights of Battlefield 4, focusing on team dynamics and rewards. Here are the highlights:

• Focus on getting players comfortable in using and exploring other kits and gadgets since the majority of players stuck with the default Assault kit in BF3. Gadgets and their functions will be clearly laid out for players to better understand and easily access when choosing a loadout.
• Field Upgrades - individual rewards for squad based team play.
  • Completing squad objectives, squad healing, squad resupplies, squad repairs, etc. allow players to unlock more specializations along different paths (as opposed to only having one like in BF3). There are four specializations in each.
  • What that means is players will be able to do more than just help their team have infinite sprint or just carry more explosives, etc..
• With commanders back in the formula, there's a stronger eco-system to help organize and encourage team-based play. Commander issues an order, squads relay to their squad members and if they execute, everyone in the chain gets rewarded and the commander now has additional resources to further help the team and turn the tide of the battle.
• Levolution - the odd word coined by DICE not only applies to large destructible objects in multiplayer, but the little details of alarms, lights, weather, etc. that can change how players will need to adjust. Even the big building we see collapse in the Siege of Shanghai map from E3 - when it falls, the map moves from being friendly to snipers and pilots to being friendly to close-quarters players with thermal and infrared scopes.

The next blog update will detail out how the Field Upgrades actually work in the game. Keep in mind, console gamers hoping to jump in at launch for BF4 will have a limited version of the game on the PS3 and Xbox 360 since the consoles cannot support the 64-player multiplayer (stuck at 24) or the second-screen features, let alone the 60 FPS frame rate.

Which platform will you and your friends play BF4 on?

Battlefield 4 releases October 29, 2013 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. PS4 and Xbox One release dates have not been announced.

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Source: EA