Battlefield: 3 ~ Return of the Dog Tag, Now even Better!

Dog tags have always been a part of Battlefield, acting as a personal calling card for every soldier on the field, and these little emblems will be making a return this fall in Battlefield 3. After the launch of Battlefield 1942, the development team received physical dog tags from DICE as a token of appreciation. The team was so tickled by the gesture, they made sure dog tags have been a part of the in-game experience, becoming a part of the franchise since Battlefield 2142.

Your dog tag is your personal business card in Battlefield 3 – it’s what you dangle in front of an enemy you’ve taken down, and you can also collect the dog tags from your enemies as trophies, adding an extra bit of bragging rights to the festivities. “When we introduced dog tags in Battlefield 2142, we immediately knew we’d turned the knife duel into something new and very personal,” says Alan Kertz, Senior Multiplayer Designer at DICE. “Now players could have a record of their humiliation takedowns, and players were striving to protect their neck.”

With that in mind, DICE wanted to make sure dog tags in Battlefield 3 were even more personal, bringing an extra weight to them. You’ll be able to choose a design that goes with an in-game stat that gets tracked dynamically. “Dog tags in Battlefield 3 go beyond just having your name on them,” explains Kertz. “We have hundreds of dog tags that can be your personal calling card. Every time you kill an enemy, they see your tags. It’s your calling card – it’s your place to brag, and dynamic tags can show off how great you are with a knife, a jet, or even show off your personal play style.”

The only way to get a dog tag from your adversary is by performing one of the new, brutal knife takedowns. That not all – you’ll have to take out your target from behind. That’s right – you’ll have to employ some stealth and sneak up on your enemy and put them out of their misery before they realize you were even there, making for some well-deserved bragging rights. Now that these dog tags are highly customized for your own play style, it helps make things that much more personal, so the only way to gain one is to get the jump on your opponent. Yes, these dog tags may demand a bit more than usual to collect them, but that just makes it a greater insult when you take one from your foe.

These knife kills look amazing and provide a great new way to prove your prowess on the Battlefield, and thanks to the new ANT animation system, these takedowns add a dynamic visual flair. “ANT technology allows us to make the knife takedown a truly immersive part of the physical Battlefield,” Kertz adds. “Takedowns encourage players to get in there for stealth kills, and makes bringing a knife to a gun fight the risky but rewarding experience it was always meant to be.”