Unlike previous Battlefield games, Battlefield V will allow players to cosmetically customize their multiplayer soldiers to a great degree, and now developer DICE has confirmed that it doesn’t plan to implement any sort of kill switch for other players to invalidate those unique customizations.
Speaking in a recent Reddit AMA, Battlefield V producer Ryan McArthur specifically addressed one potential concern that fans had in terms of cosmetics. Since it might be hard to distinguish an opponent’s class or weapon loadout if they were decked out in customized cosmetics, fans wondered whether DICE plans to implement a sort of “kill switch” that would effectively disable all visual customizations for the player who activated it.
Fortunately, while McArthur acknowledged that it might help slightly from a competitive standpoint, DICE doesn’t want to invalidate all the hard work players will undoubtedly put into visually customizing their soldiers, so there are no plans to implement any sort of kill switch. The customized visuals that some players sport may very well fly in the face of what some perceive as historical accuracy, but DICE feels it’s better to let players express themselves rather than stick to a rigid by-the-book representation of WWII.
Elsewhere in the AMA, McArthur also addressed Battlefield V’s ambitious Tides of War meta-system that will provide a dynamic ongoing narrative for players to follow. Since Tides of War will follow a similar historic path as the actual Second World War, DICE plans to include limited-time events that will be tied to major historical battles, and those limited-time events will offer exclusive cosmetic items such as face paints, weapon skins, and dog tags. However, McArthur also said DICE is working on solutions for players who have to miss out on a limited-time event since the studio doesn’t want players to feel punished for not being able to play at certain times.
Battlefield V will launch on October 19 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. In the meantime, you can unlock a series of exclusive Battlefield V rewards by playing Battlefield 1, and fans who want to experience some intense WWII action early can participate in the Battlefield V open beta that DICE plans to host in September.