We’ve been seeing questions pouring in from fans who are excited for the launch of Battlefield 4 – now just months away!

In the spirit of keeping our fans informed and Prepared 4 Battle we’re continuing a new series called “Ask DICE,” featuring questions that we’ve received from Battlefield players with answers straight from the development team at DICE. Check back here at the Battlefield blog every other Friday for answers, exclusive info, and more.

Battlefield 4 Multiplayer Q&A
This week we’ll be answering your questions on Multiplayer. From the beginning, victory in Battlefield means working as a team to take down the enemy. Battlefield 4 continues this proud tradition with renewed focus on teamwork and squads.

So without further ado…

Manu_lanza97 asked, “Are there going to be jets in Battlefield 4? What types of jets?”

Battlefield 4 will definitely have jets! We’ll be giving you more information about jets soon, so stay tuned. For now, we’re happy to reveal the Chinese J-20 Stealth Jet – a totally new addition to jets in Battlefield.

R3NAI55ANCEMAN asked, “Is the tower in Siege of Shanghai destroyed by the players themselves or is it set off by the score of the match, like the red-and-white tower in Caspian Border, in BF3?”

Battlefield 4 will feature game-changing destruction on a whole new scale with a concept we call Levolution – this is what you’re seeing when the skyscraper in Siege of Shanghai is destroyed.

The skyscraper in Siege of Shanghai is brought down when players destroy the four main pillars of the building. This means that it can happen at any time in the match.

Levolution happens on all levels from the big like the skyscraper moment to the small like shooting fire extinguishers to distract your enemies so you can easily take them out or cutting the power of a building to blind your opponents so you have the advantage on the battlefield.

These game changing events not only affect the player’s tactics but also the visual identity of the map.  And what’s most important, it’s you triggering these things to happen.

R3NAI55ANCEMAN also asked, “How many players can one match have on the Xbox 360 and the PS3?”

Battlefield 4 will support 24 players on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with two additional commanders depending on the game mode. We will support 64 players on PC as well as Xbox One and PlayStation 4, a first for the Battlefield series on console. Battlefield 4 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will also run at 60fps, another first for the series on console. The Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC, with also support 2 additional players taking on the role of Commanders, depending on the game mode.

Additionally, squads now consist of five teammates.

Reconer asked, “Can we play as the Russian forces in multiplayer?”

The playable factions in multiplayer are Russia, China, and the U.S.

Gary D asked, “Will there be mortars in BF4?”

Yes, there will definitely be mortars in Battlefield 4! A redesigned, remote-controlled Mortar will allow Support players to give indirect fire support while staying with the squad.

PatchRowcester asked, “What changes are being made to BF4 to encourage teamplay over individual stats?”

One of the ways Battlefield 4 will encourage teamplay is Field Upgrades. The idea behind Field Upgrades is to give individual rewards for squad based team play performance. You earn them through squad scoring such as squad healing, completing objectives with your squad members, squad resupplies, squad repairs, and other squad actions.

Instead of one single specialization in Battlefield 3, you can now pick from different upgrades paths, each containing four specializations. Keep the squad alive, and you will move through the accumulative upgrade path. However, if your entire squad is eliminated, you will lose some of your progress.

We’ve also seen some questions floating around about suppression, so we’ve decided to shed some light on it.

Suppression has been refined in Battlefield 4. There will be no more suppression in close-quarters combat, and LMGs will have beefed-up suppressive fire abilities allowing you to pin down your enemies.

Suppression also causes visual impairment, while being suppressed no longer impacts the accuracy of your weapon. Instead, a sway effect makes aiming more difficult, but with some skill you will find it possible to counteract.

Until next time…

Check back here at the Battlefield blog every other Friday for answers, gameplay previews, and more.

You can also see the DICE developers and leads live on stage during the EA gamescom 2013 press conference, where they’ll be detailing even more Battlefield 4 multiplayer. Learn more about the conference here.

Next time we’ll be answering questions about Levolution and Commander Mode. What questions do you have? Let us know in the comments below.

Battlefield 4 begins its release on October 29, 2013 and will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Pre-order now and get the China Rising expansion at no additional cost.