Today Battlefield 4 spread to mobile devices. If you own an iOS tablet, you can download the Commander Mode app and help your fellow soldiers in multiplayer matches.
The Commander has several powerful abilities at their disposal. Having a Commander for your team is like having a Call of Duty team member who does nothing but use killstreak bonuses. For example, they can airlift supply crates or vehicles to squads, scan the battlefield with a UAV, or use an EMP to jam enemies' radar. Cruise missile strikes can clear out deeply entrenched enemies in a hurry. Commanders can even call in an AC130 Gunship to bombard enemies and give players a mobile spawn point high above the action.
As Commander, you're also in charge of directing your team. You can talk to soldiers with VOIP on supported platforms. If an enemy player is racking up a serious killstreak, you can designate them as a High Value Target. High Value Targets' location will be visible for 45 seconds and any teammate who kills them will receive a bonus.
The power of a Commander is directly tied to the performance of his team. If a squad successfully carries out orders issued by the Commander, the Commander will earn resources that he can use to lower their spawn time, boost their specializations or provide them with supplies. If the team takes and holds important objectives in the match, the Commander will get resources for scans, gunships and cruise missiles.
You can be Commander on any platform that you own Battlefield 4. The only other prerequisite is that you have at least a rank of 10. This is meant to ensure that you have some base level competency with BF4. I'm sure we'll see plenty of clueless Commanders out there, though. Fortunately teammates can remove them with a Mutiny vote.
The app works in conjunction with the other Battlefield mobile offering Battlelog. You browse available servers through Battlelog and then connect to one using the "Commander" button. The Commander app will then automatically start up. You can join Conquest, Rush, and Obliteration mode matches.
The iOS version of the app works on iPad 2 and up as well as the iPad Mini. You'll need iOS 6.1 or later on the device. DICE is planning an Android tablet release as well but that won't happen until later in the month.
