As multiplayer gaming becomes more sophisticated, it's often nearly as much fun to watch a great match as to take part in one. That's why DICE is bringing back Spectator Mode for Battlefield 4.
Using Battlelog to find a server, you'll be able to join the match as a player or take up one of four designated spectator spots. These don't count towards the server total, so those playing on PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will still be able to have 64 players in action, plus four spectators, and potentially two Commanders.
Once snuggled into your virtual seat, spectators will be able to watch the match unfold from a variety of viewpoints. You'll default to Tabletop View, which offers a top-down overview of the whole map. From there you'll be able to click on anything that has a camera attached basically all the players and any vehicles.
You can then switch between first and third-person views, which will appear as a preview in a picture-in-picture window. There's also a Freecam view, which offers five customised cameras that can be moved and placed wherever you like. DICE has arranged these so they default to the most likely useful spectating views on each map, but you're free to change them around however you like.
The obvious benefit of Spectator Mode, when combined with the video capture and upload features of the next gen consoles, is that it will make the creation of awesome gameplay videos even easier than before, as clans can nominate someone to essentially act as director, capturing their best battles and putting them online before the server has even cooled down.
Battlefield 4 thunders into action on October 29th for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Xbox One version arrives on November 21st, while the PlayStation 4 edition lands on November 29th.