Battlefield 4 Spectator mode details emerge from EA

Written by Brandon Hofer on October 11, 2013

Battlefield 4 News: EA reveals some new details regarding their new spectator mode that will be in Battlefield 4.

With Battlefield 4 coming out soon for both current and next gen consoles, EA has revealed some new information about spectator mode. Spectator mode in Battlefield 4 starts with Battlelog. If spectating is enabled, there are four Spectator slots per server, and those four slots are excluded from the number of players the game mode allows. So, for example, on PC and next gen consoles you could have 64 players along with two commanders and for spectators.

Once someone is inside Spectator Mode, they can observe the matches in four different views: First Person, Third Person, Tabletop and Freecam View. Each view will obviously have its own advantages and the goal here is to find the perfect view for the current situation and to be able to change views easily. If you select first person view it is obviously like if you were actually participating in the battle instead of spectating. If you select the third person viewpoint it will follow one specific player but from an overhead perspective. This gives the Spectator a wider view of the surroundings and gives the overall look a more cinematic feel. Then there is the freecam view where you have five different cameras that you can switch between. Initially the cameras are placed on the map by the game but you can move them anywhere you want which could be great for those who want to try and make Battlefield 4 movies. It should be noted that the team at DICE uses the Spectator Mode themselves to capture the cinematic camera angles seen in the Battlefield 4 trailers so it should be exciting to see what Battlefield 4 fans can come up with.

As a Spectator you will have different display options. The top of your screen will have controls for moving between players and switching between the four camera modes. You can see every player in the squad you are currently spectating. You can also see where the five cameras are, the score for the two teams, the remaining time and the objectives (like flags in Conquest mode). There will be two squad bars on the two sides of the screen to keep track of the squad member’s health and classes. In addition to all of that, the Player’s Card shows the player’s current weapons, attachments, gadgets and vehicle customizations (if you spectating a vehicle). EA has also said that the team over at DICE has worked really hard to make sure that you never clip through buildings and walls if you choose to spectate with the third person view. They claim it looks great, even in narrow situations like crawling through a tunnel.

What do you think about the Spectator mode in Battlefield 4? Is this a mode that you would use or would you rather just play the game? Tell us what you think.