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Battlefield 3 Clubhouse

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Ive got 6 boxes of Remington 7mm mag shells in my closet. I think they are the 170 grain though. I will have to look tonight

Here is a little of it's sniper history. Funny they talk about the 300 Winchester mag. I sold mine to buy the 7 mm. The 300 gave me a migraine every time I shot it. They kick like an angry mule. Probably wouldn't be as bad now I have gained about 25 lbs from when I owned it. I was like 140 lbs when I owned it.

http://www.snipercentral.com/7mm.htm
 

brandonwh64

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I would loose my disc anyways.

Also doesn't the physical copies require being activated on origin as well?
 
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I would loose my disc anyways.

Also doesn't the physical copies require being activated on origin as well?

I'm assuming it will be like BFBC2 where you activate it then you can
download it from any machine and use it. Of course that is just an assumption.
 
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Damn it i missed the amazon 40usd promo
 

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I would loose my disc anyways.

Also doesn't the physical copies require being activated on origin as well?

Yep. No real benefit except having something to display on your shelf.
 

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Wrigleyvillain

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$48 here. They sent me the 25% off Gun Club coupon which I missed before expiration but they were cool enough to give me another coupon code on Live Chat.

However, I just might end up paying full price as it is cause I can't be waiting and shit. I also just noticed that Origin physical do not get Physical Warfare pack (oh, the irony) which isn't huge but be nice to have that DAO and the Flechette out of the gate. Can get a pre-loadable download from Amazon for only $50 but again no Physical Warfare. Decisions, decisions.
 
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Battlefield 3 LIMITED EDITION CD Key for Origin
(Version:: WITH Back to Karkand (delivery 2 days before release date))
£25.99 GBP = $41

Included Items:

Battlefield 3 Limited Edition base game
Back to Karkand Expansion Pack (access to original battlefield 2 maps)
Physical Warfare Pack with early weapons
Skins pack
Dogtag Token Pack


Winning
 

brandonwh64

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damn shib, you got a killer deal. man can thiks week just fly by!
 

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Okaaay Shib more details please?
 
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You should see India. They have like $30 usd per game there including BF3 LE lol
 
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Battlefield 3 Open Beta Attack Helicopter Gameplay.
Looks like the chopper is pretty effective with a good team at the helm. Most armor seems to go down in one pass.

reddit - My (lengthy) impressions after lots of playtime on the latest BF3 build at Nvidia GeForce LAN 6. Now with mortars!

I just got back from the GeForce LAN that was held in Oakland and thought I would share some of my thoughts after getting to play lots and lots of BF3 on the latest build they had there. Hope this brain dump helps to ease the wait for 10/25, if only for a little bit.

General Gameplay/Interface

  • Let me start off by saying that the build we played at the GeForce LAN was light years ahead of the Beta. It's the theme that will probably run through the rest of this post; it was a great relief to see how much work DICE has put into polishing BF3 up for the final release. Off the top of my head, asides from few bugs (noted at the end), I didn't run into any of the glitches people were having in the Beta(such as rubbernecking or map glitches.)
  • Chat interface. FIXED. The chat text now blends in and matches the rest of the GUI. It is in the same location but that black background is no longer there; the chat is overlayed on the screen just like in previous Battlefield games.
  • Squad screen. FIXED. Pictures of the new squad screen have obviously already popped up on Reddit, and I can't really add anything asides from confirming that it looks exactly as it does in the pictures. However, there still isn't a "Join Squad" option that lets you populate an empty squad. You click "find Squad" and it automatically puts you in a squad just like Beta, although based off the new design it seems like they will have full squad join functionality in the final build (Crash7800, can you back a brother up?).
  • 3D spotting was quite a bit more refined in this build than it was in the Beta. If you spotted someone and then they got behind cover(buildings or vegitation/rocks), their on-screen 3D spot dissappears immediately. No more firing at doritos in the foliage.
  • Minimap. FIXED! The minimap has been vastly improved and is almost on par with the map found in BF2. It's a nice, full minimap now: you can see all the flags, your teammates, empty vehicles...etc. The only thing that seemed like a minor issue is that the zoom levels seemed funky on some maps (like Operation Firestorm) and there wasn't an option to set whether the map would rotate with the player or remain locked onto the compass.
  • Rocks can no longer be shot through. (LULZ)
  • The Options menu is now accessible while dead or alive.
  • The kill cam screen seems to have been shortened in duration, although this could have just been on TDM.
  • There are customizable camo options available for the picking now. From what I could see there were a few solid color uniforms (Black, Blue, Green, Tan, Grey), a few different types of camoflouge (desert/forest/urban), and a few special ones like the SPECACT uniforms and one named the "Dr. Pepper" camo which I can only assume will be tied into a marketing blitz just like the SPECACT stuff was tied in with them during BC2. Each camo "selection" had a corresponding Russian and US version so that you would never be able to put on the same uniform as the opposing team.
  • Hit detection seemed vastly improved. Granted, we were in a LAN environment, but I believe the BF3 servers were actually being hosted down in LA (7 hours away). TDM and 32-player Rush were silky smooth but there was still some weird lag on the 64-player conquest maps. It was fairly rare though, so maybe it was just actual internet traffic issues.
  • There was a notification now for you to press "Q" if you needed ammo/medic that appeared to pop up automatically if you needed either of those things.
  • The new in-game icons that show up over teammates, dead players, and dead players who need a revive have been completely overhauled. They are thicker and a bit brighter; the end effect is that they are much more noticeable.
  • They bumped up the points you receive for completing team objectives. Off the top of my head, neutralizing a flag nets you 200 points, and capping it gives you an additional 250 points. MCOM attacking/defending saw a similar boost.

Weapons

  • The damage model for the weapons, on the whole, feels much more polished than the Beta. The damage glitch where people would take more damage due to sprinting is noticably gone and the gun play now feels much more balanced and even.
  • Firing an unsuppressed weapon marks you on the enemy's minimap for a few seconds; there is now a tangible benefit to rocking the silencer. Most of the teams in the 4v4 TDM tourney had silencers on everything because of this fact. (*see follow-up tweets)
  • The SUNFIRE TACTICAL LIGHT OF THE GODS has been toned down just a bit. I'd say the circle of light is maybe 20-30% smaller? I didn't run into too many people using it.
  • UMP45: Definitely toned down. I didn't play with it much but there weren't lots of people running around with it, even on some of the tight CQB maps that were played in TDM. It looks like it still packs a punch at close range but loses power quickly at range.
  • M39 EMR: Pretty sexy, didn't play with it a lot but it seemed like a slightly better version of the SKS.
  • SKS/MK11: Seemed like they were toned down from their god-like powers in the Beta, although it's very possible this is as a result of the fixes to the damage model that DICE made. (See above)
  • Bolt Action Snipers: Seems like the bolt action animation has been tweaked to make it harder to quickscope like you could in BC2 and the Beta.
  • T-UGS (Recon Emitter): Now works as advertised with people popping up on your mini-map who are moving within the range of the emitter.
  • SOFLAM: Didn't try it. Sorry :'(
  • Javelin: Worked like a ground version of the stinger missile, it didn't pack much of a punch against heavy armor. Only played with it a few times. Locks on, fire and forget.
  • Mortars: \o\ \o/ /o/. These things are a complete blast. You place them on the ground just like a T-UGS or the Mobile Spawn Point. Once placed, your minimap expands and a ret appears on the minimap that you can drag around for a set range. Click, fire, wash, rinse, repeat. At first they seemed like they would be OP but they have a lag time and a margin of error that prevented utter domination. I can see some really interesting tactics being developed for this in competition. It's perfect for bombarding a squad that is camping a certain area. More info down here.
  • M16A4: This 3-round burst varient of the classic workhorse was a ton of fun to play with. Combined with the "Heavy Barrel" attachment it seemed to be really solid at long range.
  • KH2002: This was the other assault rifle that wasn't in the Beta. It had a nice burst mode and seemed suited for medium-range engagements.
  • T88: Didn't play but one round with it: didn't even fire it. No info. Sorry :'(
  • M1911: Pretty sexy. Packs a punch. Has the most varients of all the pistols (Regular, Suppressed, Tac Light, Suppressed AND Tac Light). Good times.
  • M44 Scoped: Sniped a few dudes on Firestorm with this, seems like a great weapon to finish people off at medium range. However, the firing speed was slow.
  • SG552: Decent engineer weapon. Didn't play with it much. No info. Sorry :'(

Maps

  • Damavand Peak. (TDM). They only had this map playing during the TDM 4v4 tournament (unless I missed something?). It took place in a fun quarry area that had lots of industrial machinery and massive dump trucks (TONKA TRUCKS!) all over. Tight infantry action. I tried to peek around to see the rest of the map beyond where the TDM area was and it looks really big. Awesome vibe.
  • Grand Bazaar. (TDM). Again, I only played this one in the 4v4 tournament on TDM. There was a mosque, a market area, and then some streets and backalleys that were intertwined to make a really layered TDM map. It was obvious that DICE really put time in to give each of these maps character; Grand Bazaar had a unique sense of place. Can't wait to see 32p Conquest on it.
  • Operation Firestorm. (TDM, 64p Conquest, 32p Rush). First things first: this map is huge. Hell, each side starts off with something like SIX heavy armor vehicles on each side at their main spawns. Rush was just the 64p conquest map, but you fought from the US spawn across four stages to the RU spawn. TDM took place at one of the flags and involved three warehouses and a crate yard that had a lot of awesome terrain for tight TDM combat.
  • Caspian Border. (64p Conquest). Not much to say here. The fences were fixed so that jeeps no longer get stuck on them. I didn't manage to take down the massive antenna, although you are now able to take down the radio tower that sits at the "Hilltop" spawn; it falls over on to the rocky area behind the flag.
  • Operation Metro (TDM, 32p Rush). There were a few minor changes to the map in regards to shrubbery placement. Asides from that, it seemed just like it did in the Beta. TDM takes place all through the last stage of Rush: the "Apartments" area. It looked like fun, but they were having issues with it on TDM so they took it out of the tournament rotation.

Bugs/Complaints

  • The only two recurring bugs I noticed both involved the ret. The first one happened quite often when I switched back to my main assault rifle after being scoped in on the M320 grenade launcher. I would get the grenade launcher ret from BF2 overlayed on top of the normal ret from the rifle.
  • The second reticle bug was one that I noticed happening a few times in the Beta. I would unsight from my iron sights only to not have my normal white reticle pop back up. Switching to pistol and then back again usually fixed it. Hopefully this gets fixed.
  • The only design complaint I had with the new build is that for some reason they've change the medic pack icon on the minimap and in-game to this funky-looking band aid instead of the standard "Red Cross" in BF2 and BC2. It looks really dumb and isn't intuitive in the least bit.

TL;DR, DICE fixed most bugs and issues, game is super polished, the Beta woes are no more. The (almost) final build is looky QUITE SEXY. 10/25 can't come soon enough.

Tweets on unsuppressed weapons and spotting...
twitter.com/crash7800: "Official word: Firing a weapon without a suppressor in #BF3 will ---NOT--- mark you on the mini-map. Only spotting flags players"

twitter.com/Thylander: "It makes you light up on minimap for a split second. Add silencer to avoid it."

twitter.com/crash7800: "To clarify - You will appear on the map for a short time (https://twitter.com/#!/Thylander/status/125843080535486464), but you will not be flagged/spotted"

Clear as mud, eh?

Thylander = DICE "points" guy
crash7800 = new EA Battlefield Community Manager.

Modern Warfare 3 interview gone wrong

nowgamer - Battlefield 3’s Maps and modes rated (*as played on PS3)

Bttlefield 3 Multiplayer: Map By Map Guide
Dave Cook
Battlefield 3’s Maps and modes rated.

Published on Oct 10, 2011

Battlefield 3’s large-scale multiplayer battles offer a very different prospect to Modern Warfare 3’s lone wolf approach. We’ve now spent a considerable amount of time playing every map and mode onthe Battlefield 3 disc, and while the style of play is different to Call of Duty’s, the jury is still out on whether or not it’s necessarily better.

It’s a personal choice really, as both games do things very differently. However, right now we’re here to talk purely about Battlefield 3, and the wealth of multiplayer goodness it offers.

Let’s just say that the Operation Metro and Caspian Border beta maps only offer a mere taster of what to expect come 28th October.

Please note, the only map we weren’t able to play was Kharg Island, which was unfortunately unavailable at the preview event we attended.


Caspian Border

Chances are if you’re a PC gamer, then you’ve already played this sprawling map to death. It’s quite simply one of the biggest multiplayer maps we’ve ever played in an FPS, or any genre for that matter. It also has jets, which instantly makes it awesome.

We played this map on Conquest mode, and it comes complete with four territorial points to capture. If you’re not very good at piloting Battlefield’s gallery of vehicles, then you will need to learn to get the best out of this map.

Walking on foot will take you an age, and you will more than likely be blown to pieces by long-distance tank artillery, snipers or jet bombing runs.

It’s a lush map too; complete with rolling fields, visibility-hampering tree lines and the odd farm or warehouse dotted around to break up the open areas.

When defending on Conquest, we really had to be cautious about attackers, as the wide-open areas meant the opposing team could rush us from any direction. More than ever, teamwork was essential here, as simply hanging back and defending the first few points wasn’t good enough.

Using jets to ferry our squad behind enemy lines, we attempted to kill the other team on their own turf and to disrupt their ranks. In the meantime, the rest of our squad held back to defend any points we had already captured.

It’s huge, and it really does feel like you’re fighting a war on two fronts, although Capsian Border definitely underlines the need for 64-player matches on consoles.

Our maximum lobby size on PS3 was 24-player, and this left the map feeling a tad barren and desolate, which is unfortunate as it’s a brilliant environment to play in.

Grand Bazaar

This Middle Eastern market is one of Battlefield 3’s smaller maps, and we played it in both Rush and Team Deathmatch modes. The tight streets, and surrounding apartment buildings smack of an attempt to emulate Call of Duty. When you think Battlefield, you definitely don’t think of environments like this.

Again, it was a well-crafted map, but it felt almost alien to the franchise. Team Deathmatch mode also baffled with erratic spawns and the occasional spawn death, with campers lying prone next to our team’s respawn point.

However, the rule of thumb for Battlefield 3 seems to be objective-based modes, and it’s here that Grand Bazaar becomes awesome. Playing in Rush mode, the map becomes a tense, claustrophobic killing floor, where you really need to coordinate and watch your environment carefully.

Every open window could house a sniper waiting to kill you in an instant, packs of foes could be around any corner, and there is a real sense of urgency when both teams are contesting an M-COM station. Our advice is to skip team deathmatch and head straight to Rush.

Grand Bazaar is interesting in that it’s a small, tight map that is favoured by snipers, thanks to the plethora of high vantage points and apartment buildings dotted around one side of the environment.

We also kept on getting a brief flash of red light when being targeted by laser-targeted sniper rifles. This is a neat addition to the mix, as it gives you a brief second to hit the deck or strafe to the side when being targeted by Recon class soldiers, and it balanced long-ranged play perfectly.

As a Team Deathmatch map, Grand Bazaar feels weak compared to almost any Call of Duty map, but in Rush mode it feels like a real step up for the Battlefield series. Just remember to be wary of snipers to avoid being picked off unexpectedly.

Operation Firestorm

Possibly a contender for best map in the game, Operation Firestorm takes place in the blazing heat of a burning desert oil field, leading up to a petroleum warehouse at the top of a sun bleached hill.

This is one of the few maps that boast jets too, but as we found as we nose-dived our plane into the ground after just a few seconds, becoming a good pilot will take some practice.

We played this map on Conquest, and it’s a match made in heaven. All three points can be found among the petroleum warehouses, and because both teams get to pilot tanks, jeeps and jets from each spawn point, the centre of the map quickly becomes a hotbed of activity.

You can approach each Conquest point as you see fit. You can roll tanks up the hill and dominate the road running through the complex, or you can climb a ladder up to the factory rooftops and provide sniper support from up high.

Operation Firestorm is one of those sweet maps that reward teamwork, and demands a strong mix of classes. The thrill of running between Conquest points as jets duke it out overhead is exhilarating, and delivers a consistent pace throughout each match.

Operation Metro

If you’ve played the Battlefield 3 beta, then you already know all about Operation Metro. It’s an odd map in that it starts out in a wide park area, which then bottlenecks into the Metro underground before opening up into the Paris streets at the end.

Changing up your tactics to suit each new area is vital, especially as you enter the tight, constricted corridors of the Metro itself. On Team Deathmatch mode, this is – once again – something of a lame duck, paling in comparison to the Call of Duty style of play. But on Rush, it’s excellent.

The ranged battles of the park are neat, as players are forced to use low wall and ridges as cover, while inching towards M-COM stations to avoid long-range fire. However, the lack of vehicles in this area, along with a restricted amount of players makes this area feel a touch underwhelming.

The interiors demand intelligent movement however, as you really need to be cautious when navigating around corners and avoid sprinting blindly where possible. Destruction-wise, it’s incredibly underwhelming, and is by far one of the least impressive maps on the disc.

Tehran Highway

This is thin urban map with two highways that stretch from north to south. There is the occasional overpass, back alley and apartment block thrown in for good measure as well.

This is one of those great Battlefield maps that reward whichever team manages to hold a tank longest, as it can be used to patrol the streets and blast any stray troops running around.

Running on foot, we had to use the backstreets to move forward, as running on the open roads will either get you killed by sniper fore or blown to smithereens under tank strikes. As a result, tight exchanges down thin alleys were common.

It’s also a night map, so using thermal scopes and spotting enemies regularly will help pick them out for long-ranged kills. It seemed that as soon as we started to capture an M-COM station, this alerted the other team, and in seconds, their tank was upon us.

Tehran Highway is a constant cat and mouse game between troops on the ground, snipers up high and that bloody tank. Just make sure you either get to the tank first, or use RPG rounds to see it packing as soon as possible. It’s simply another great tactical map.

Noshahr Canals

Similar to the third Rush stage of Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s Nelson Bay map, Noshahr Canals features a string of dockyards surrounded by stretches of water.

Running around the maze of freight containers was tense, thanks to the threat of sniper shots from cranes above, and the lack of vehicles meant that both sides were evenly matched.

To get to Rush or Conquest objectives quickly, we had two choices. We could either take the long way to each point, by navigating the dockyards, or we could simply swim between points at speed. The problem with taking to the water is that you’re a sitting duck should anyone spot you.

Noshahr Canal is another Battlefield 3 map that has underwhelming destruction, and looks really bland compared to the lush veneer of Caspian Border. We’ve actually lost count of how many FPS games feature maps littered with freight containers and bland, grey concrete structures.

It’s not a bad map as such, but it’s far removed from the wide-open spaces and grand scale encounters the Battlefield series is known for. Just be careful not to swim around for too long, or you’ll sink like a rock and look really foolish. Not that we did that at any point of course.


Damavand Peak

Oh yes, this map is an absolute beauty. Damavand Peak is massive, and while it doesn’t have any jets, the chopper gameplay here is outstanding. We played this map on Rush mode, and while defending, found it to be a manic and never-ending barrage of action.

The map is full of mountainous facilities, sheer drops and tunnels carved through the peak, and it’s also one of few maps that fully shows off the Frostbite 2 engine. You can blow holes in the side of facilities, level defensive walls and nosedive choppers into the environment to your advantage.

The first point is stunning, as the defenders must protect the first mountain facility from attackers coming over the ridge. This means plenty of sniper fire and sneak attacks through the thick tree line around the area. Sitting there, waiting for enemies to come is tense and exciting.

Even better is the second point, as attackers must base jump off the mountain facility – or take a chopper, which is less fun – and descend down onto the second facility below. The defenders have to really keep their eyes skyward here, in order to catch any sneaky buggers trying to infiltrate the base undetected.

Point three is even better, forcing the defenders into the bottleneck of a dank tunnel that leads through the rock face. There are plenty of corridors in there, as well as low cover and dump trucks to hide behind. This is also when attackers get a tank too, so the defence really has to be careful no to lose out at the final stretch.

Damavand Peak is a masterclass in map design, so it’s a bloody shame that too few of Battlefield 3’s environments can match the scope, enjoyment and intensity of what’s on offer here. We can already see this becoming a true fan favourite once the game launches.

Seine Crossing

Finally, we played a few rounds of Seine Crossing on both Rush and Team Deathmatch. It’s another small urban map that recalls Call of Duty in terms of scope and design. We found quite quickly that the spawn points were constantly being camped, and that we were being killed right out of the gate without warning.

There are also far too many tight streets that make for uninspired exchanges from one end to the other. Again, Rush mode makes things more tactical, but there is a real sense of déjà vu here, as you fight down the Parisian streets, using cars and the occasional freight container as cover.

With a lack of vehicles, this feels like another wasted chance from DICE. The scope and true ‘warfare’ vibe of the series feels lost on this map, and you really do pine for something bigger and more inspiring. That’s not to say the developer won’t be expanded for other modes by way of DLC, but for now, it feels all too familiar.

Summary

The lesson here is that Team Deathmatch modes feel foreign to the Battlefield series, as each match falls closer to Call of Duty than previous instalments. Playing objective-based modes is infinitely more enjoyable than simply running around trying to farm kills, and it also stays true to the series’ legacy.

When Battlefield 3 delivers large maps with tons of vehicles and increased player count, it radiates quality. Caspian Border, Damavand Peak and Operation Firestorm are absolutely brilliant locations, and are easily three of the best Battlefield maps ever created.

It’s just a shame that the other offerings feel small and restricted by comparison. It will be interesting to see if DICE delivers more large maps after launch, or create expanded versions of the smaller locales, as this would seriously help flesh out the map selection.

For now though, we feel slightly deflated by what’s on offer, and concerned that DICE has tried to hard to coax the Call of Duty crowd away by trying to copy its smaller, urban maps. Battlefield 3’s multiplayer still plays well, but it’s not the grand your of duty we were anticipating.
 
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PVTCaboose1337

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I got to play around with the Chopper on Caspian. Pretty much with little effort I was able to wipe out multiple armored vehicles. Think they might be a TAD OP. This was my first time flying it FYI.
 
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Planet Battlefield - Battlefield 3 Beta Stats, Midnight Releases, Raptr Promotion & More

Monday, 17 October, 2011 at 15:46 PST | ^Scott^ | Print News

The Battlefield Blog posted a graphic with some stats on the Battlefield 3 open beta. Over 8 million people played in the multi-platform beta, which ran September 29th through October 10th.



The Battlefield 3 Open Beta has come and gone. We wanted to thank you all for participating by sharing a few interesting stats.

Did you know that if we had an empty 9mm casing for every shot fired in the Open Beta, we would have enough brass to melt and build almost 3,900 SU-27 Flanker jets? Okay, Flankers are not made out of brass, but still. For more stats and figures, check out the pic below. And thanks again for playing and helping make Battlefield 3 a better game at launch!


Raptr is holding a Battlefield vs Call of Duty promotion where they will be building a giving away a custom built PC along with other prizes.

Raptr LAUNCHES Battlefield vs. Call of duty SHOWDOWN PROMOTION TO DETERMINE WHICH FRANCHISE REIGNS SUPREME

Raptr to Compile Data Based on Community Activity and Provide the Ultimate Incentive
to Participate – A Custom PC Gaming Rig Based on the Winning Franchise




MOUNTAIN VIEW, California – Oct. 17, 2011 - Raptr, the leading social network for gamers, today announced the “Battlefield vs. Call of Duty Showdown” to determine which leading videogame franchise dominates the first-person shooter category. Based on community voting, playtime hours and achievements, Raptr will compile the definitive breakdown of consumer opinion and gameplay activity. In addition, Raptr has partnered with an award-winning PC modder, Brian Carter, to build and give away the ultimate PC gaming rig (estimated value of nearly $5,000), based on which franchise reigns supreme. Raptr users can earn additional prizes for logging gameplay hours and unlocking achievements.

In the first phase of the “Battlefield vs. Call of Duty Showdown” promotion, fans of both game franchises will have the chance to vote on which influential first-person shooter franchise is superior, based on multiple categories.

To enter, players must sign up or log onto their Raptr accounts and visit the event page at http://raptr.com/topic/bfvscod/. Beginning Oct. 17, 2011, Raptr will post a series of questions several times a week for fans to debate franchise supremacy in different categories. Votes will determine the winning franchise and ultimately which custom PC rig will be built.

The custom PC rig will feature the industry-leading AMD FX 8150 processor, dual Radeon HD 6970 graphics cards and premium components from Origin PC, including a liquid cooling system, solid state hard drive and a Blu-Ray drive. Renowned modder Brian Carter (aka Boddaker), who has won a number of awards for his stunning designs, will build the rig -- see samples of his work and follow his progress on the project here

“Raptr is known for its comprehensive data tracking of gameplay behavior, and we wanted to tap into the community of 10 million users to help answer once and for all which AAA first-person shooter franchise dominates the gaming industry,” said John Lee, Raptr’s VP of Marketing. “What better way to kick off a series of showdowns than to compare the two biggest games of 2011? Whether you play on the PC, Xbox 360, or PS3, Raptr loves bringing the gaming community together around such events, because it showcases the unbridled enthusiasm fans have for their favorite games.”

“This project with Raptr is a dream for me since I’m such a fan of both game franchises,” said Carter. “It’s exciting for me to take my love of these games and create an amazing PC rig. Mini-guns, rocket launchers…well, you’re just going to have to wait and see because it’s going to be crazy.”

In addition to the first phase of voting, Raptr will compile additional data based on gameplay activity automatically tracked via Raptr’s client, as well as achievements and trophies unlocked. A comprehensive Raptr Report on the “Battlefield vs. Call of Duty Showdown” will be revealed in the next few months.
 

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Battlefield 3 Open Beta Attack Helicopter Gameplay.
Looks like the chopper is pretty effective with a good team at the helm. Most armor seems to go down in one pass.

reddit - My (lengthy) impressions after lots of playtime on the latest BF3 build at Nvidia GeForce LAN 6. Now with mortars!

I just got back from the GeForce LAN that was held in Oakland and thought I would share some of my thoughts after getting to play lots and lots of BF3 on the latest build they had there. Hope this brain dump helps to ease the wait for 10/25, if only for a little bit.

General Gameplay/Interface

  • Let me start off by saying that the build we played at the GeForce LAN was light years ahead of the Beta. It's the theme that will probably run through the rest of this post; it was a great relief to see how much work DICE has put into polishing BF3 up for the final release. Off the top of my head, asides from few bugs (noted at the end), I didn't run into any of the glitches people were having in the Beta(such as rubbernecking or map glitches.)
  • Chat interface. FIXED. The chat text now blends in and matches the rest of the GUI. It is in the same location but that black background is no longer there; the chat is overlayed on the screen just like in previous Battlefield games.
  • Squad screen. FIXED. Pictures of the new squad screen have obviously already popped up on Reddit, and I can't really add anything asides from confirming that it looks exactly as it does in the pictures. However, there still isn't a "Join Squad" option that lets you populate an empty squad. You click "find Squad" and it automatically puts you in a squad just like Beta, although based off the new design it seems like they will have full squad join functionality in the final build (Crash7800, can you back a brother up?).
  • 3D spotting was quite a bit more refined in this build than it was in the Beta. If you spotted someone and then they got behind cover(buildings or vegitation/rocks), their on-screen 3D spot dissappears immediately. No more firing at doritos in the foliage.
  • Minimap. FIXED! The minimap has been vastly improved and is almost on par with the map found in BF2. It's a nice, full minimap now: you can see all the flags, your teammates, empty vehicles...etc. The only thing that seemed like a minor issue is that the zoom levels seemed funky on some maps (like Operation Firestorm) and there wasn't an option to set whether the map would rotate with the player or remain locked onto the compass.
  • Rocks can no longer be shot through. (LULZ)
  • The Options menu is now accessible while dead or alive.
  • The kill cam screen seems to have been shortened in duration, although this could have just been on TDM.
  • There are customizable camo options available for the picking now. From what I could see there were a few solid color uniforms (Black, Blue, Green, Tan, Grey), a few different types of camoflouge (desert/forest/urban), and a few special ones like the SPECACT uniforms and one named the "Dr. Pepper" camo which I can only assume will be tied into a marketing blitz just like the SPECACT stuff was tied in with them during BC2. Each camo "selection" had a corresponding Russian and US version so that you would never be able to put on the same uniform as the opposing team.
  • Hit detection seemed vastly improved. Granted, we were in a LAN environment, but I believe the BF3 servers were actually being hosted down in LA (7 hours away). TDM and 32-player Rush were silky smooth but there was still some weird lag on the 64-player conquest maps. It was fairly rare though, so maybe it was just actual internet traffic issues.
  • There was a notification now for you to press "Q" if you needed ammo/medic that appeared to pop up automatically if you needed either of those things.
  • The new in-game icons that show up over teammates, dead players, and dead players who need a revive have been completely overhauled. They are thicker and a bit brighter; the end effect is that they are much more noticeable.
  • They bumped up the points you receive for completing team objectives. Off the top of my head, neutralizing a flag nets you 200 points, and capping it gives you an additional 250 points. MCOM attacking/defending saw a similar boost.

Weapons

  • The damage model for the weapons, on the whole, feels much more polished than the Beta. The damage glitch where people would take more damage due to sprinting is noticably gone and the gun play now feels much more balanced and even.
  • Firing an unsuppressed weapon marks you on the enemy's minimap for a few seconds; there is now a tangible benefit to rocking the silencer. Most of the teams in the 4v4 TDM tourney had silencers on everything because of this fact. (*see follow-up tweets)
  • The SUNFIRE TACTICAL LIGHT OF THE GODS has been toned down just a bit. I'd say the circle of light is maybe 20-30% smaller? I didn't run into too many people using it.
  • UMP45: Definitely toned down. I didn't play with it much but there weren't lots of people running around with it, even on some of the tight CQB maps that were played in TDM. It looks like it still packs a punch at close range but loses power quickly at range.
  • M39 EMR: Pretty sexy, didn't play with it a lot but it seemed like a slightly better version of the SKS.
  • SKS/MK11: Seemed like they were toned down from their god-like powers in the Beta, although it's very possible this is as a result of the fixes to the damage model that DICE made. (See above)
  • Bolt Action Snipers: Seems like the bolt action animation has been tweaked to make it harder to quickscope like you could in BC2 and the Beta.
  • T-UGS (Recon Emitter): Now works as advertised with people popping up on your mini-map who are moving within the range of the emitter.
  • SOFLAM: Didn't try it. Sorry :'(
  • Javelin: Worked like a ground version of the stinger missile, it didn't pack much of a punch against heavy armor. Only played with it a few times. Locks on, fire and forget.
  • Mortars: \o\ \o/ /o/. These things are a complete blast. You place them on the ground just like a T-UGS or the Mobile Spawn Point. Once placed, your minimap expands and a ret appears on the minimap that you can drag around for a set range. Click, fire, wash, rinse, repeat. At first they seemed like they would be OP but they have a lag time and a margin of error that prevented utter domination. I can see some really interesting tactics being developed for this in competition. It's perfect for bombarding a squad that is camping a certain area. More info down here.
  • M16A4: This 3-round burst varient of the classic workhorse was a ton of fun to play with. Combined with the "Heavy Barrel" attachment it seemed to be really solid at long range.
  • KH2002: This was the other assault rifle that wasn't in the Beta. It had a nice burst mode and seemed suited for medium-range engagements.
  • T88: Didn't play but one round with it: didn't even fire it. No info. Sorry :'(
  • M1911: Pretty sexy. Packs a punch. Has the most varients of all the pistols (Regular, Suppressed, Tac Light, Suppressed AND Tac Light). Good times.
  • M44 Scoped: Sniped a few dudes on Firestorm with this, seems like a great weapon to finish people off at medium range. However, the firing speed was slow.
  • SG552: Decent engineer weapon. Didn't play with it much. No info. Sorry :'(

Maps

  • Damavand Peak. (TDM). They only had this map playing during the TDM 4v4 tournament (unless I missed something?). It took place in a fun quarry area that had lots of industrial machinery and massive dump trucks (TONKA TRUCKS!) all over. Tight infantry action. I tried to peek around to see the rest of the map beyond where the TDM area was and it looks really big. Awesome vibe.
  • Grand Bazaar. (TDM). Again, I only played this one in the 4v4 tournament on TDM. There was a mosque, a market area, and then some streets and backalleys that were intertwined to make a really layered TDM map. It was obvious that DICE really put time in to give each of these maps character; Grand Bazaar had a unique sense of place. Can't wait to see 32p Conquest on it.
  • Operation Firestorm. (TDM, 64p Conquest, 32p Rush). First things first: this map is huge. Hell, each side starts off with something like SIX heavy armor vehicles on each side at their main spawns. Rush was just the 64p conquest map, but you fought from the US spawn across four stages to the RU spawn. TDM took place at one of the flags and involved three warehouses and a crate yard that had a lot of awesome terrain for tight TDM combat.
  • Caspian Border. (64p Conquest). Not much to say here. The fences were fixed so that jeeps no longer get stuck on them. I didn't manage to take down the massive antenna, although you are now able to take down the radio tower that sits at the "Hilltop" spawn; it falls over on to the rocky area behind the flag.
  • Operation Metro (TDM, 32p Rush). There were a few minor changes to the map in regards to shrubbery placement. Asides from that, it seemed just like it did in the Beta. TDM takes place all through the last stage of Rush: the "Apartments" area. It looked like fun, but they were having issues with it on TDM so they took it out of the tournament rotation.

Bugs/Complaints

  • The only two recurring bugs I noticed both involved the ret. The first one happened quite often when I switched back to my main assault rifle after being scoped in on the M320 grenade launcher. I would get the grenade launcher ret from BF2 overlayed on top of the normal ret from the rifle.
  • The second reticle bug was one that I noticed happening a few times in the Beta. I would unsight from my iron sights only to not have my normal white reticle pop back up. Switching to pistol and then back again usually fixed it. Hopefully this gets fixed.
  • The only design complaint I had with the new build is that for some reason they've change the medic pack icon on the minimap and in-game to this funky-looking band aid instead of the standard "Red Cross" in BF2 and BC2. It looks really dumb and isn't intuitive in the least bit.

TL;DR, DICE fixed most bugs and issues, game is super polished, the Beta woes are no more. The (almost) final build is looky QUITE SEXY. 10/25 can't come soon enough.

Tweets on unsuppressed weapons and spotting...
twitter.com/crash7800: "Official word: Firing a weapon without a suppressor in #BF3 will ---NOT--- mark you on the mini-map. Only spotting flags players"

twitter.com/Thylander: "It makes you light up on minimap for a split second. Add silencer to avoid it."

twitter.com/crash7800: "To clarify - You will appear on the map for a short time (https://twitter.com/#!/Thylander/status/125843080535486464), but you will not be flagged/spotted"

Clear as mud, eh?

Thylander = DICE "points" guy
crash7800 = new EA Battlefield Community Manager.

Modern Warfare 3 interview gone wrong

nowgamer - Battlefield 3’s Maps and modes rated (*as played on PS3)

Bttlefield 3 Multiplayer: Map By Map Guide
Dave Cook
Battlefield 3’s Maps and modes rated.

Published on Oct 10, 2011

Battlefield 3’s large-scale multiplayer battles offer a very different prospect to Modern Warfare 3’s lone wolf approach. We’ve now spent a considerable amount of time playing every map and mode onthe Battlefield 3 disc, and while the style of play is different to Call of Duty’s, the jury is still out on whether or not it’s necessarily better.

It’s a personal choice really, as both games do things very differently. However, right now we’re here to talk purely about Battlefield 3, and the wealth of multiplayer goodness it offers.

Let’s just say that the Operation Metro and Caspian Border beta maps only offer a mere taster of what to expect come 28th October.

Please note, the only map we weren’t able to play was Kharg Island, which was unfortunately unavailable at the preview event we attended.


Caspian Border

Chances are if you’re a PC gamer, then you’ve already played this sprawling map to death. It’s quite simply one of the biggest multiplayer maps we’ve ever played in an FPS, or any genre for that matter. It also has jets, which instantly makes it awesome.

We played this map on Conquest mode, and it comes complete with four territorial points to capture. If you’re not very good at piloting Battlefield’s gallery of vehicles, then you will need to learn to get the best out of this map.

Walking on foot will take you an age, and you will more than likely be blown to pieces by long-distance tank artillery, snipers or jet bombing runs.

It’s a lush map too; complete with rolling fields, visibility-hampering tree lines and the odd farm or warehouse dotted around to break up the open areas.

When defending on Conquest, we really had to be cautious about attackers, as the wide-open areas meant the opposing team could rush us from any direction. More than ever, teamwork was essential here, as simply hanging back and defending the first few points wasn’t good enough.

Using jets to ferry our squad behind enemy lines, we attempted to kill the other team on their own turf and to disrupt their ranks. In the meantime, the rest of our squad held back to defend any points we had already captured.

It’s huge, and it really does feel like you’re fighting a war on two fronts, although Capsian Border definitely underlines the need for 64-player matches on consoles.

Our maximum lobby size on PS3 was 24-player, and this left the map feeling a tad barren and desolate, which is unfortunate as it’s a brilliant environment to play in.

Grand Bazaar

This Middle Eastern market is one of Battlefield 3’s smaller maps, and we played it in both Rush and Team Deathmatch modes. The tight streets, and surrounding apartment buildings smack of an attempt to emulate Call of Duty. When you think Battlefield, you definitely don’t think of environments like this.

Again, it was a well-crafted map, but it felt almost alien to the franchise. Team Deathmatch mode also baffled with erratic spawns and the occasional spawn death, with campers lying prone next to our team’s respawn point.

However, the rule of thumb for Battlefield 3 seems to be objective-based modes, and it’s here that Grand Bazaar becomes awesome. Playing in Rush mode, the map becomes a tense, claustrophobic killing floor, where you really need to coordinate and watch your environment carefully.

Every open window could house a sniper waiting to kill you in an instant, packs of foes could be around any corner, and there is a real sense of urgency when both teams are contesting an M-COM station. Our advice is to skip team deathmatch and head straight to Rush.

Grand Bazaar is interesting in that it’s a small, tight map that is favoured by snipers, thanks to the plethora of high vantage points and apartment buildings dotted around one side of the environment.

We also kept on getting a brief flash of red light when being targeted by laser-targeted sniper rifles. This is a neat addition to the mix, as it gives you a brief second to hit the deck or strafe to the side when being targeted by Recon class soldiers, and it balanced long-ranged play perfectly.

As a Team Deathmatch map, Grand Bazaar feels weak compared to almost any Call of Duty map, but in Rush mode it feels like a real step up for the Battlefield series. Just remember to be wary of snipers to avoid being picked off unexpectedly.

Operation Firestorm

Possibly a contender for best map in the game, Operation Firestorm takes place in the blazing heat of a burning desert oil field, leading up to a petroleum warehouse at the top of a sun bleached hill.

This is one of the few maps that boast jets too, but as we found as we nose-dived our plane into the ground after just a few seconds, becoming a good pilot will take some practice.

We played this map on Conquest, and it’s a match made in heaven. All three points can be found among the petroleum warehouses, and because both teams get to pilot tanks, jeeps and jets from each spawn point, the centre of the map quickly becomes a hotbed of activity.

You can approach each Conquest point as you see fit. You can roll tanks up the hill and dominate the road running through the complex, or you can climb a ladder up to the factory rooftops and provide sniper support from up high.

Operation Firestorm is one of those sweet maps that reward teamwork, and demands a strong mix of classes. The thrill of running between Conquest points as jets duke it out overhead is exhilarating, and delivers a consistent pace throughout each match.

Operation Metro

If you’ve played the Battlefield 3 beta, then you already know all about Operation Metro. It’s an odd map in that it starts out in a wide park area, which then bottlenecks into the Metro underground before opening up into the Paris streets at the end.

Changing up your tactics to suit each new area is vital, especially as you enter the tight, constricted corridors of the Metro itself. On Team Deathmatch mode, this is – once again – something of a lame duck, paling in comparison to the Call of Duty style of play. But on Rush, it’s excellent.

The ranged battles of the park are neat, as players are forced to use low wall and ridges as cover, while inching towards M-COM stations to avoid long-range fire. However, the lack of vehicles in this area, along with a restricted amount of players makes this area feel a touch underwhelming.

The interiors demand intelligent movement however, as you really need to be cautious when navigating around corners and avoid sprinting blindly where possible. Destruction-wise, it’s incredibly underwhelming, and is by far one of the least impressive maps on the disc.

Tehran Highway

This is thin urban map with two highways that stretch from north to south. There is the occasional overpass, back alley and apartment block thrown in for good measure as well.

This is one of those great Battlefield maps that reward whichever team manages to hold a tank longest, as it can be used to patrol the streets and blast any stray troops running around.

Running on foot, we had to use the backstreets to move forward, as running on the open roads will either get you killed by sniper fore or blown to smithereens under tank strikes. As a result, tight exchanges down thin alleys were common.

It’s also a night map, so using thermal scopes and spotting enemies regularly will help pick them out for long-ranged kills. It seemed that as soon as we started to capture an M-COM station, this alerted the other team, and in seconds, their tank was upon us.

Tehran Highway is a constant cat and mouse game between troops on the ground, snipers up high and that bloody tank. Just make sure you either get to the tank first, or use RPG rounds to see it packing as soon as possible. It’s simply another great tactical map.

Noshahr Canals

Similar to the third Rush stage of Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s Nelson Bay map, Noshahr Canals features a string of dockyards surrounded by stretches of water.

Running around the maze of freight containers was tense, thanks to the threat of sniper shots from cranes above, and the lack of vehicles meant that both sides were evenly matched.

To get to Rush or Conquest objectives quickly, we had two choices. We could either take the long way to each point, by navigating the dockyards, or we could simply swim between points at speed. The problem with taking to the water is that you’re a sitting duck should anyone spot you.

Noshahr Canal is another Battlefield 3 map that has underwhelming destruction, and looks really bland compared to the lush veneer of Caspian Border. We’ve actually lost count of how many FPS games feature maps littered with freight containers and bland, grey concrete structures.

It’s not a bad map as such, but it’s far removed from the wide-open spaces and grand scale encounters the Battlefield series is known for. Just be careful not to swim around for too long, or you’ll sink like a rock and look really foolish. Not that we did that at any point of course.


Damavand Peak

Oh yes, this map is an absolute beauty. Damavand Peak is massive, and while it doesn’t have any jets, the chopper gameplay here is outstanding. We played this map on Rush mode, and while defending, found it to be a manic and never-ending barrage of action.

The map is full of mountainous facilities, sheer drops and tunnels carved through the peak, and it’s also one of few maps that fully shows off the Frostbite 2 engine. You can blow holes in the side of facilities, level defensive walls and nosedive choppers into the environment to your advantage.

The first point is stunning, as the defenders must protect the first mountain facility from attackers coming over the ridge. This means plenty of sniper fire and sneak attacks through the thick tree line around the area. Sitting there, waiting for enemies to come is tense and exciting.

Even better is the second point, as attackers must base jump off the mountain facility – or take a chopper, which is less fun – and descend down onto the second facility below. The defenders have to really keep their eyes skyward here, in order to catch any sneaky buggers trying to infiltrate the base undetected.

Point three is even better, forcing the defenders into the bottleneck of a dank tunnel that leads through the rock face. There are plenty of corridors in there, as well as low cover and dump trucks to hide behind. This is also when attackers get a tank too, so the defence really has to be careful no to lose out at the final stretch.

Damavand Peak is a masterclass in map design, so it’s a bloody shame that too few of Battlefield 3’s environments can match the scope, enjoyment and intensity of what’s on offer here. We can already see this becoming a true fan favourite once the game launches.

Seine Crossing

Finally, we played a few rounds of Seine Crossing on both Rush and Team Deathmatch. It’s another small urban map that recalls Call of Duty in terms of scope and design. We found quite quickly that the spawn points were constantly being camped, and that we were being killed right out of the gate without warning.

There are also far too many tight streets that make for uninspired exchanges from one end to the other. Again, Rush mode makes things more tactical, but there is a real sense of déjà vu here, as you fight down the Parisian streets, using cars and the occasional freight container as cover.

With a lack of vehicles, this feels like another wasted chance from DICE. The scope and true ‘warfare’ vibe of the series feels lost on this map, and you really do pine for something bigger and more inspiring. That’s not to say the developer won’t be expanded for other modes by way of DLC, but for now, it feels all too familiar.

Summary

The lesson here is that Team Deathmatch modes feel foreign to the Battlefield series, as each match falls closer to Call of Duty than previous instalments. Playing objective-based modes is infinitely more enjoyable than simply running around trying to farm kills, and it also stays true to the series’ legacy.

When Battlefield 3 delivers large maps with tons of vehicles and increased player count, it radiates quality. Caspian Border, Damavand Peak and Operation Firestorm are absolutely brilliant locations, and are easily three of the best Battlefield maps ever created.

It’s just a shame that the other offerings feel small and restricted by comparison. It will be interesting to see if DICE delivers more large maps after launch, or create expanded versions of the smaller locales, as this would seriously help flesh out the map selection.

For now though, we feel slightly deflated by what’s on offer, and concerned that DICE has tried to hard to coax the Call of Duty crowd away by trying to copy its smaller, urban maps. Battlefield 3’s multiplayer still plays well, but it’s not the grand your of duty we were anticipating.

I got to play around with the Chopper on Caspian. Pretty much with little effort I was able to wipe out multiple armored vehicles. Think they might be a TAD OP. This was my first time flying it FYI.

not OP... when I flew, it did not handle like that video. like I have said, I don't want to come to a conclusion without spending a few hours in an empty server. but if you did well, it is because the other team was retarded. without flairs, stingers are king.
 
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For now though, we feel slightly deflated by what’s on offer, and concerned that DICE has tried to hard to coax the Call of Duty crowd away by trying to copy its smaller, urban maps. Battlefield 3’s multiplayer still plays well, but it’s not the grand your of duty we were anticipating.

Thats no good.. I was worried about this since the first game I played on metro in the alpha.. I remember saying "This map isnt battlefield, this is COD" and if theirs a majority of maps that follow this approach im gonna be disappointed.
 
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Thats no good.. I was worried about this since the first game I played on metro in the alpha.. I remember saying "This map isnt battlefield, this is COD" and if theirs a majority of maps that follow this approach im gonna be disappointed.

Metro has already been stated as "the smallest multiplayer map". The only other one that is CoD like is Grand Bazaar which is something like that apt. complex on MW1.
 
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Metro has already been stated as "the smallest multiplayer map". The only other one that is CoD like is Grand Bazaar which is something like that apt. complex on MW1.

I'm going by the review of maps done in the link above. According to him a few maps lost the battlefield esque gameplay.. He also sounds like a COD fan tho, constantly referencing TDM and not Conquest.
 

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I got to play around with the Chopper on Caspian. Pretty much with little effort I was able to wipe out multiple armored vehicles. Think they might be a TAD OP. This was my first time flying it FYI.

Then you must not have had people locking onto you with rockets, it's extremely easy to drop a chopper. The only reason they didn't drop is they used a great strategy, they flew under the treeline and hauled ass. By the time you had a chance to lock on they would have killed you or been gone. Notice how rarely they fly up over the treeline, with jets, rockets with lock on, and AA tanks, I think a strategy like theirs will be required to be a successful chopper pilot.

I'm going by the review of maps done in the link above. According to him a few maps lost the battlefield esque gameplay.. He also sounds like a COD fan tho, constantly referencing TDM and not Conquest.

TDM is meant to be like that. It's a mode that BF hasn't had for a long time, since most BF fans enjoy Conquest. It was a smart move bringing it back to gank COD players, but at the sametime it doesn't hose us Vets since we still have Conquest.
 
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