Battlefield 1 players will have to work with the cards dealt to them by Mother Nature's unpredictable hand, as EA and DICE laid out in a new blog post. There's only one explanation for why the weather is so much more impressive in Battlefield 1 than in all of the Battlefield games that, historically speaking, follow it: the advent of secret government weather control programs between World War 1 and World War 2.
Back then a clear day with perfect visibility for snipers could quickly turn into a wet mess ideal for moving under the cover of rainfall. Then a fog could pick up, and only the most skilled (or foolhardy) pilots would remain in the air rather than land and grab a shotgun for close-up manhunts. But the light sprinkles and mists of a French morning are paltry next to a blinding sandstorm in the Sinai Desert, as Battlefield 1's Gamescom 2016 trailer proved.
According to DICE, you'll still technically be able to fly during a sandstorm, but the density of the whipping sands will make it very difficult. If you do manage to avoid parking face-first in a sand dune, ground troops will have a difficult time seeing you well enough to shoot you down. Back in Europe, you'll be able to escape the clinging fog of an Italian valley by climbing up onto the sloping Alps. Just make sure you're not escaping directly into a camping marksman's sights.
All of these weather conditions will occur (or not) randomly based on each map's unique characteristics. It should keep online battles interesting, though I hope for the competitive purist's sake that they be can disabled for custom matches. You'll be able to watch your machine gun get all rainy when the Battlefield 1 open beta begins on August 31.
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