Speaking to The Guardian, Battlefield 3 producer Patrick Liu discussed the game's ongoing beta as well as other projects DICE may (or may not) have in the works. When asked about the disappointment expressed over the lack of vehicles in the beta, Liu put it down to the fact that it is indeed a beta test (we certainly hope so).

According to Liu, "We ran the alpha tests with a Rush map and we wanted to have some sort of reference so we could compare results - so we needed to have more-or-less the same map." Evidently this led to including Paris Metro - a linear Rush map with no vehicles - as the only map in the beta. For what it's worth, PC players will have a chance to try out Caspian Border, a much larger map with vehicles, throughout this weekend.

Liu also answered questions regarding the Battlefield: Bad Company series, saying that "we haven't killed Bad Company." He added that DICE doesn't plan on making Battlefield an annual title, largely because they don't want to hand development of any Battlefield game to another studio. "No studio can make an annual franchise by themselves," said Liu.

Other topics in the interview include the possibility of another downloadable Battlefield title and the learning curve involved in piloting (virtual) jets. Head over to The Guardian for the full interview.