10th Mountain Division M777 Artillery emplacement firing.
Battlefield 1942
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Battlefield Vietnam
Battlefield 2
Artillery in Battlefield 2
Artillery is one of the 'commander resources' introduced in Battlefield 2. Instead of artillery being the responsibility of a player driving a slow and lightly armoured vehicle, it is called in by a team's commander using his overhead map. The actual artillery guns are stationary, usually within the team's main base, and if they are destroyed by a Special Forces' explosives or a well-aimed bombing run, the commander will be unable to call artillery until at least one of the guns have been repaired. Artillery strikes are very deadly to the enemy, especially infantry, as single shell will instantly kill an infantryman. These barrages are also lethal to vehicles as well, as vehicles such as a Tank or APC can be destroyed within seconds from a single barrage. The number of Artillery Guns present (and hence the number of rounds fired) is determined by the size of the map. On a 16-sized map, only 1 gun will be present. On a 32 or 64-sized map, there will be 2 artillery guns present, and will fire about twice as many shells when compared with a 1-gun Artillery strike. Previously, commanders could lose points for teamkilling with artillery, but did not gain points for killing the other team with artillery. This was changed by a patch that no longer made commanders be 'punished' for teamkills with artillery.
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Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Artillery firing in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.
Artillery in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is accessed through the use of the Command Computer. The Command Computer is generally only found on Head-On-type Conquest maps such as Backstab and Russian Border, but it is also found on Special Op, an assault-type map.
At the start of the match, the Command Computer has a three minute delay until it becomes active. As soon as a player uses it on a target, it will take four and a half minutes to reload, allowing it to be used up to a total of four times in a standard 20 minute match.
When using the Command Computer, the player will be shown an overhead image of the map and a cursor which they can move around with the left analog stick. The cursor will mark where the artillery strike will fire. Once the player finds the position they like, they just need to press the "fire weapon" button/trigger. The camera will then circle the chosen area while the artillery strike launches. At any point during the strike, the player may press the action button while the strike launches.
Any kills obtained count towards the players score, as do vehicle kills. However, teammates can be hit and killed by the strike as well, causing the player who used the Command Computer to lose points. Therefore, it is advised that any player using the Command Computer to warn their team where they are firing to avoid a loss of points and tickets for their team.
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Battlefield 2142
Artilery mostly remains a commander asset in Battlefield 2142, in the form of Orbital Strike and EMP Strike capabilities. The strikes are called down from satellites, though the commander needs the appropriate ground-based station in operational condition to issue the order. An orbital strike mission consists of up to 15 seconds of continuous saturation by high-velocity projectiles. An EMP strike mission consists of two massive pulses about two seconds apart, with much more range than any of the infantry EMP options.
The APCs available in Battlefield 2142 both feature mortar platforms that fire a salvo of three shells.
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Battlefield: Bad Company
Artillery Gun Firing
Artillery in Battlefield: Bad Company is now fired manually by players but it is much easier compared to the artillery guns in Battlefield Vietnam and in Battlefield 1942. Unlike the Artillery from previous games, the Artillery Gun loads significantly faster than the previous games, but fires only 5-8 Artillery Shells at the target. However, the shells form a considerably tight group in and around the target area.
Singleplayer
Artillery guns can be found on several missions, they usually have very limited range and are only used for a brief period.
Appearances
Multiplayer
Artillery is an important asset mainly for Gold Rush, as it only makes one appearance in Conquest, which its effectiveness is serverly limited by its short range and its location makes it an easy target for AH-64 Apaches and Mil Mi-28 Havocs.
The artillery strike fires five destructive rounds, and it usually destroys everything in its target area. The ground is deformed, objects are obliterated and buildings are stripped of their walls. Any vehicle caught in an artillery strike will be instantly destroyed, which is especially useful against heavy armour or emplacements.
The cannon has cooldown of around 45 seconds, and it can only target certain areas. If a player tries to aim out of range, the screen will display static.
If a friendly artillery strike is called upon the player's position, they will be warned to vacate the area.
Gold Rush
Conquest
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Battlefield: Bad Company 2
In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Artillery has become purely aesthetic as they only fire against enemy warships outside of the combat zone, such as in the map Isla Inocentes. It is instead replaced by the Mortar Strike.
Battlefield 3
Singleplayer
In the mission Operation Guillotine, the player can use an M224 Mortar with illumination rounds to light an area up.
Multiplayer
In Battlefield 3, Artillery comes in the form of the Support Kit's M224 Mortar.
The Battlefield 3 expansion, Armoured Kill, sees the introduction of Mobile Artillery. The Mobile Artillery vehicles available are the M142 HIMARS and the BM-21.