Over at the Electronic Arts UK forum, a representative from Swedish developers DICE has posted an insight into the developmental process behind the upcoming Battlefield 3, specifically how the studio plans to differentiate between the console and PC releases.

User "Demize99" has stated;

"Early on BFBC2 our PC playtest feedback showed that weapon feeling was lacking. It just wasn't as much fun to shoot the guns on PC as on console. With controls being the big gameplay difference (mouse vs pad) it quickly became clear that simply put the original weapon tweaks, which were done on the PS3, weren't working on PC. The guns all had a bit of base inaccuracy, that with a gamepad wasn't really noteworthy, but on PC it really prevented players from taking advantage of the mouse input."

"In response to the feedback on PC, I completely retweaked the accuracy. The next playtest it was immediately obvious that it was a change for the better, and surprisingly it also made gamepads feel much better as well."

Daring to take up the controversial issue surrounding PC vs. console, and in particular the long-loathed practise of direct console-to-PC ports, the DICE representative continues;

"PC players have their own set of requirements. They tend to play only on PC, and they know their PCs have capabilities beyond that of a console. The gap is narrowing, but PCs still have a clear advantage in memory. PC players also demand a PC interface, a server browser, and anything that feels like it might have been "ported" from a console is going to get flamed hard. They are more forgiving of complex systems and will tear any design down into its parts to really figure out how it works. It's a damn sight harder to please a PC player, they have higher expectations."

"Fundamentally I think it is an error to have different core gameplay on console vs PCs. PC gives a player more input control and if a gun feels good on PC it feels good on console. I won't "dumb it down" by lowering the recoil or changing the damage model or other such silliness."

And for those concerned at maintaining an appreciable difference between the platforms;

"It's too early to talk BF3 specifics. But it's never too early for me to acknowledge that PC players have a fear that BF3 will be 'consolized.' PC gaming is alive and well, BFBC2 has proven that and no one at DICE or EA can argue with the numbers. Battlefield 3 needs an extra bit of special attention on the PC. I intend to give it that attention, tradition and our community demand it."

You can read the full post and community reaction here. (Thanks Blues).