Battlefield 2

Battlefield 2 is the most recent game in the PC series. It was released in 2004, and has had one full expansion pack (Special Forces) and two 'booster packs' (Euro Force and Armored Fury) since its release.

Commander mode
Commander mode is the most significant of the new features in Battlefield 2. The commander can use artillery, radar scans and UAVs from his overhead map view. Instead of gaining points in the normal ways - killing, taking control points etc. - a commander gains points based on how successful his team is.

Persistent stats
Battlefield 2 includes a 'stat tracking' system (run by Gamespy) which records a player's achievements - such as kills, weapon accuracy, vehicle usage and so on - and awards points on this basis. The gameplay benefits of a high stats score have given rise to problems such as stat padding.

Unlockable weapons
Unlockable weapons (commonly known as 'unlocks') are the main gameplay benefit of a high stats score. Each level at Lance Corporal and above allows the player to unlock a more powerful weapon for a class of their choice.

Squads
The squad system organises players into groups, headed by a squad leader who has a direct voice and radio link to the commander. So long as the squad leader is alive, the squad members can use him as a mobile spawn point. This was intended to encourage squad leaders to 'hang back' from the action, however in practise what happens is that when the squad leader dies he leaves and re-joins the squad so that a player who is alive becomes the new squad leader.

Dalian Plant
This coastal map has more air units than any other map - on the larger versions, there can be as many as four helicopters available along with two planes.

Daqing Oilfields
This open map centres around the oil plant itself - it is very easy to defend, because although vehicles can get within the capture radius without the driver dismounting, they cannot target any defenders inside the building itself.

Dragon Valley
This map centres around small fords between control points - the small number of bridges are often destroyed by defending spec ops. Effective use of helicopters is often the difference between the sides.

FuShe Pass
The main feature of this map is the river running through it - several bridges are destroyable, however there are other bridges and fords which cannot be. Smaller versions of the map include an attack helicopter for each side, wheras the 64-player version has a full airfield.

Gulf of Oman
This is the map that was included with the demo. The river running through it allows for the MEC's commander assets to be destroyed fairly easily if they are not paying attention. The three sandbagged control points on the coast tend to be the most contested.

Kubra Dam
This is the largest map in Battlefield 2, however the dam area also offers some opportunities for close combat.

Operation Clean Sweep
This map is very open, however it is unbalanced due to the amount of time it takes to travel from the USA mainbase to the capturable control points - all the MEC need to do is man their air defences properly, and the USA will find it very difficult to get any sort of foothold.

Sharqi Peninsula
This map is city-based, and the USA have a slight advantage due to their helicopter spawnpoint being closer to the main action areas than the MEC, whose helicopter spawnpoint is on the other side of a bay.

Songhua Stalemate
This swamp map offers multiple routes to the other team's starting base, and the large stretches of deep water separated by small islands make APCs the most effective units

Strike at Karkand
This map is entirely city based, and unlike the other two city maps in the game (Sharqi and Mashtuur) it does not include any helicopters. Due to the restricted number of vehicles on the 16- and 32-player versions, the team which makes best use of its tank and APC will generally win.

Wake Island 2007
This map was introduced as part of the 1.12 patch as publicity for Gamespy (who run the Battlefield 2 login system). It has become one of the most popular maps for online play - second only to Karkand - due to offering opportunities for every class to do well. One important note is that the Chinese have no uncapturable base, so if they do not organise quickly they often lose their airfield minutes into the game.