Thanks to the Reality Mod, the aged online shooter is getting a makeover and is supposed to be much more demanding. Is there an alternative to Battlefield 2042 in the offing?
In recent months we have reported a lot about Battlefield. After all, DICE’s long-running shooter series got its latest entry with Battlefield 2042. But it has become anything but the big success we had hoped for, which is why many gamers are likely to be looking for alternatives.
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Of all things, Battlefield 3, which was released back in 2012, could now become one of these alternatives. With the so-called Reality Mod, the originally very fast and action-oriented multiplayer shooter is supposed to become a genuine tactical experience in which teamwork and coordinated action are indispensable in order to win the game.
This is what the Reality Mod is all about
Originally, the Reality Mod was supposed to be released by the end of 2020, but the pandemic and numerous technical problems have pushed the release further and further back. According to the developers, memory leaks and VoIP functionality were the main headaches.
But now there is finally first gameplay directly from a match that shows you how tactically you have to act as a team. But the best thing is to see for yourself:
What is the Reality Mod supposed to change in Battlefield 3? Here the (official website) is very informative. Because the mod is supposed to make the old shooter presentable again and, above all, significantly more demanding. That means: no more running around in the middle of a hail of bullets. Instead, you have to coordinate your actions as a team and, above all, proceed with a plan.
By the way, the mod uses the (Venice Unleashed Framework) as its technical foundation, which enables significantly more features for mods than the original game. Among other things, the Reality Mod will offer you the following features:
- New HUD: The entire user interface has been streamlined and adapted to the realistic touch of the game. Apart from chat overlays and a compass, you will not be shown any further information.
- Huge battles: Games with over 100 players should take place on the servers.
- More realistic pacing: Thanks to different weapon handling and adjusted movement speed, the Reality Mod is supposed to play much more leisurely.
- Ingame-VoIP: Since team coordination will be so important in matches, in-game communication via voice-over-IP is particularly useful. This also includes several channels with position-based output.
- New models and familiar destruction: In order to offer BF3 veterans enough new visuals, the team has created numerous assets, from game figures and vehicles to completely fresh maps. Of course, the destruction features known from BF3 will also be on board again, the older version of the Frostbyte engine makes it possible.
- Dynamic weather and 24h-cycle: Not only the mood on the maps changes depending on the weather and whether it is day or night. Your tactical approach is also influenced by this. After all, it’s easy to hide in the fog, but in broad daylight you’ll be an easy target more quickly.
But there are already plans for the time after the release: A (extensive roadmap) is to be gradually realised after the launch of the mod. Among the planned features are a map editor, further game modes and controllable vehicles
Release-Trailer with great atmosphere
By the way, an atmospheric release trailer was already released in September 2020 – in retrospect, a little too soon. But that doesn’t detract from the atmosphere, which is why we recommend it to you again at this point:
When can I play the mod myself? This question might be on your mind after reading all the info. Unfortunately, we can’t give you a concrete date, but the team is working flat out to finally make a playable Open Alpha available.
However, there is still one important requirement to be able to play the Reality Mod: You must be in legitimate possession of Battlefield 3 and own all released DLCs – no matter if via Steam or Origin, both versions are supposed to be supported.
If you want to connect directly with the developers and stay up to date, you can join the mod’s (official Discord server).
What do you think of the Reality Mod? Would you give Battlefield 3 another chance thanks to this conversion, or are you rather put off by the aged visuals and stick to more modern genre representatives? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments!
