Battlefield 3: Close Quarters inspired by e-sports, features new Conquest Domination mode

A lot of criticism and scorn has been levied against the upcoming Battlefield 3: Close Quarters DLC, with players accusing developer DICE of going the Call of Duty route. On the contrary, in a new "Inside DICE" blog, lead designer Niklas Fegraeus aka Figge says it's actually inspired by e-sports, Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament, and in terms of destruction, that famous scene from The Matrix.

If you're unfamiliar with e-sports, typically matches feature eight or 16 players. This tighter, controlled environment is much more suited to competitive play, and makes it much easier to organize in official capacities, and for training. This doesn't mean it can't be thrilling for more casual players, however, as Fegraeus explains.

"There is something very unique about an indoor fire fight. You have to cover angles in new ways, use sound to track your enemies, navigate with much more careful precision and most importantly, you’re never safe. Danger is always no more than a few meters away. It’s a scenario that always makes me feel 100% in the fight. There is no dull moment, you’re always on your toes, on the edge."

"I had an approach for our new expansion pack. Now, I just needed to refine it. I needed to find those elements that make the adrenaline levels go through the roof and keep you constantly on that edge. I want the player to feel like Hudson in Aliens, as he is watching the motion scanner bleep faster and faster, realizing that the safety he thought he had isn’t there anymore, and that death is already in the room."

"Listen for the footsteps, spray the wall, throw your grenade, cover one angle each and constantly communicate. The experience grows with our tried and tested squad play mechanics, and the intensity and pure challenge of trying to dominate these close quarters is something I’m convinced will put even the best squads to the test."

Due to its inherent flow, Rush mode won't be supported in "Close Quarters", but a new variation on Conquest will. Titled Conquest Domination, it borrows from the Domination mode in Unreal Tournament and is optimized for smaller spaces. As such, the TDM spawn system will be used, which would be worrisome if it was in its currently broken state, but it's getting major fixes in the next patch (due out before the DLC).