Why counter-knifing was removed from Battlefield Hardline

Earlier this month, Electronic Arts held an open beta for Visceral Games' Battlefield Hardline. Available to everyone, regardless of platform, it probably came as a surprise to many that you were unable to counter-knife in the game. That's because the action was removed from the game. That's right, in Battlefield Hardline, there is no counter-knifing.

"We felt it discouraged from the melee play and you might have noticed we have more of an emphasis on melee weapons in Hardline," Battlefield Hardline lead multiplayer designer Thad Sasser told us during a round-table discussion.

"In Hardline, we've got all of the new blunt weapons like the sledgehammer, the police baton, the lead pipe, the crowbar, and we've got a bunch of new knife animations as well," he continued.

"This was a deliberate choice on our part to go back to a little bit more of a simplistic system that was less about necessarily timing something in response to something, but rather more about player action," Sasser explained. "It's more about you landing that hit before the other guy landing that hit."

Although counter-knifing has been removed from Hardline, Sasser did say that they kept the automatic kill from behind in the game as it's such a great "humiliation tool."

"A lot of players like to sneak up on that pesky sniper and use the hammer on him or take him down with the crowbar, or have some sort of spectacular takedown animation," he said. "So we know that's very popular. We like it as well. We kept that part in."

Personally, it's a move I'm glad to see made. If you have the skills, you shouldn't be punished because another guy can simply press a button quickly. You should be rewarded for your ability to simply be better. I like how Hardline will emphasize your skill as a player.

[Image via Primagames]