Battlefield 3 Clubhouse

[CDdude55]

Originally Posted by Raijian

Anyone getting BSOD while playing? I wasn't until I crossfired my 5870, and now I'm crashing after 10 minutes by BSOD.

Temps aren't bad, either. Probably just the beta / my drivers not communicating.

Never had any BSOD's with the BF3 Beta.

If it's only happening when you're using two cards, then it's more likely just the beta having a hard time interacting with more then one GPU. Try using different drivers, that could help.

[The Witcher]

Man, I'm extremely disappointed in some aspects of BF3, especially the fact that jets no longer have bombs.

Yesterday I spent the whole day playing just to unlock the bombs, in the end I unlocked everything and the closest thing I got to a bomb was a guided missile which took like two hits to destroy a buggy.

Obviously they "nerfed" the jets wayyyyyyyy too much just for the dumb casual players. How am I supposed to kill these annoying stinger-users when I can't even kill them using the jet gun, you have to be extreme precision just to kill one guy. Authenticity my ass.

Another thing is the dumb leveling/unlocking system, I really hope that this system won't be in the final product (knowing DICE very well, it's gonna be the same system). I reached the max level in 8 days and unlocked half the accessories for 3 kits and the whole sniper unlockable-tree. This is way too fast compared to BF2 where you had to play for like 1 or 2 years just to reach the max level, now that's what I call a rewarding system where you feel that you have really achieved the big thing.

EDIT: after watching this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmoPM6WssD8 I hope that the A10 would at least do more damage, if not then someone at DICE office needs serious bitch-slapping for mumbling about authenticity after every two words.

[erocker]

No bombs in the beta.

Beta's usually disappoint. Now please read through the five thousand six hundred and two posts so you can get up to date.

I kid.

[The Witcher]

Originally Posted by erocker

No bombs in the beta.

Beta's usually disappoint. Now please read through the five thousand six hundred and two posts so you can get up to date.

I kid.

I already asked a few "news-gurus", one guy said that DICE confirmed that there won't be any bombs in the final game, another guy said that they might add them later for other types of jets. Nevertheless, the issue here is not that the game current statues is a beta process or not, it's just the fact that they did stupid decisions. Beside, nowadays it's safe to say that a "beta" looks like a demo since most things stays the same in the final product (e.g bugs, balancing issues..etc).

[digibucc]

most people are pretty certain they sped up the leveling for beta, to check balance and all. it should take much longer to unlock stuff in retail.

[MT Alex]

Originally Posted by The Witcher

Beside, nowadays it's safe to say that a "beta" looks like a demo since most things stays the same in the final product (e.g bugs, balancing issues..etc).

Be that as it may, I think you are grossly mistaken in this instance.

[AphexDreamer]

The only thing Demo like about the Beta is that you get to play a part of the game before you buy it.

So think of it as a Beta Demo.

Demo's themselves aren't final representations of the game and Demo's actually make it habit of telling you that via some message before you play.

[horik]

Better get this game when it comes out if not it will cost you sweat and tears to level up,i see you have no chances in an airfight against a player that has unlocked all the upgrades.

[The Witcher]

Originally Posted by MT Alex

Be that as it may, I think you are grossly mistaken in this instance.

I knew that this might draw some attention....

sigh.....I'm talking from experience here, just look at some of the recent games that had open-beta's, most of them had the same issues in the final product which were later fixed a few months after the release, and some of them didn't get fixed at all. So yeah, I guess you can call it a beta-demo, in which the provider tests his ability to sustain the number of players and whatnot and the players get a demonstration of the game.

[The Witcher]

Originally Posted by horik

Better get this game when it comes out if not it will cost you sweat and tears to level up,i see you have no chances in an airfight against a player that has unlocked all the upgrades.

I guess that's why they made the jets so weak, to give the "low-skill" players a chance, now you have to shoot 2 missiles and a few burst of bullets to destroy a 100%HP jet. The most annoying thing is the damn stinger, it's hard to dodge and every single prick on the map keeps shooting me, the weird thing here is, when I try to aim at them with my stinger they have to be really close to me in order to lock on them, yet I keep getting locked on even when I'm above 800ft, I mean WTF

[Wrigleyvillain]

I figured out Support can put down the bipod on windowsills. Nice!

11.10 R2s seem to be a little better than at first yesterday. Less extraneous crap on the screen. This shit is really fun. Can't wait for it too run (and subsequently look) better!

[Frick]

Just had a frikkin' awesome caspian round. Top score for me (for some reason), and both teams were down at 1 point each when we won.

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

Originally Posted by Wrigleyvillain

I figured out Support can put down the bipod on windowsills. Nice!

11.10 R2s seem to be a little better than at first yesterday. Less extraneous crap on the screen. This shit is really fun. Can't wait for it too run (and subsequently look) better!

heh, yeah figured that out the hard way. I tried to crouch around a corner but instead the bipod was set up ON the corner chunk of wall. so when I tried to aim I could not and died.

[Raijian]

I get like 20-30 fps with my set up. This beta code is absolute garbage.

I was getting better performance with my one 5870 and now crossfire is killing it.

Gotta love amd.


How do I cancel my pre-order?

[ShiBDiB]

Originally Posted by Raijian

I get like 20-30 fps with my set up. This beta code is absolute garbage.

I was getting better performance with my one 5870 and now crossfire is killing it.

Gotta love amd.


How do I cancel my pre-order?

Its known that crossfire and sli setups dont work well as theirs no profiles released for this game... I heard COD is on sale tho and it sounds like you'll fit in better there

[MT Alex]

Originally Posted by Raijian

How do I cancel my pre-order?

You have to submit a picture to Origin of you dumping a cup of sugar in the gas tank of your Dad's car.

[Spaceman Spiff]

^

I hear that gives your car +50hp!

>_>

<_<

...

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

Originally Posted by Raijian

I get like 20-30 fps with my set up. This beta code is absolute garbage.

I was getting better performance with my one 5870 and now crossfire is killing it.

Gotta love amd.


How do I cancel my pre-order?

wow you must epically fail cuz i got a weaker rig according to our specs and i have no fps issues. Go get a mushroom tat on your forehead.

[GullyFoyle]

New Battlefield 3 Previews & Interviews

Spoiler

Friday, 7 October, 2011 at 13:47 PST | ^Scott^
A whole batch of new Battlefield 3 previews and interviews coming out today from the "Final Hours" event last night. We will be updating this list as we find more.

Singleplayer & Multiplayer Previews

• Planet Battlefield
• IGN
• GameSpy (Co-op)
• GameSpot
• Kotaku (MP)
• 1UP (SP)
• ShackNews (SP)
• G4TV (SP)
• Destructoid (SP) (New "Operation Sword Breaker" mission)
• NowGamer (SP)
• Sprong (SP)
• GotGame (MP)

Interviews

• Strategy Informer w/ Patrick Liu
• The Guardian w/ Patrick Liu

<see original article for links>

==================================================
Selected articles from above...
==================================================

Planet Battlefield - Battlefield 3 "Final Hours" Press Event

Spoiler

Written by: Scott Davis

Battlefield 3 “Final Hours” Press Event
San Francisco, CA @ 511 Terra
Oct 6th, 2011

EA & DICE pulled out all the stops, hosting the Final Hours event in San Francisco, CA at the posh Terra Event Center to show press never-before-seen footage of all 9 multiplayer maps to be shipped with Battlefield 3, as well as new co-op missions and new singleplayer missions. While PC was the main platform showing off the singleplayer portion, I was able to hop on both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the multiplayer, and let me tell you, if you were concerned about the game after experiencing often bug-ridden beta, you will sleep soundly knowing that this most recent build of the game played (and looked) like a game ready to be shipped. As DICE producer Patrick Bach reassured me, this most recent build that I experienced is STILL not the final build.

Though all 9 maps were present and playable, I was able to play through 3: Operation Firestorm – Conquest (Xbox 360), Caspian Border – Conquest (PS3) and Grand Bazaar – Rush (Xbox 360).

Here are a few of my thoughts from the maps and a list of improvements I noticed from the beta:

Operation Firestorm – Conquest (Xbox 360)

• A linear map with three flag captures, desert setting, like a cross between Arica Harbor of BFBC2 and Gulf of Oman of BF2.
• Each team has a plethora of vehicles including 2 jets, 2 choppers, tanks and jeeps.
• All flag captures are in the middle of a giant oil refinery spanning most of the map. The refinery contains a lot of tall structures, ladders, cranes, and construction buildings. Great for snipers.
• Though scaled for consoles, map still felt really large. I never once hit the boundaries while flying a jet. Map’s size slightly smaller than Heavy Metal.

Grand Bazaar – Rush (Xbox 360)

I’m not as big a fan of rush, but this map was really fun!

• Middle Eastern setting, lots of alleyways, quick corners, rooms and offshoots to get to the objectives. Found myself a little backwards at times which made it feel less linear.
• Impressive ambient lighting from porch lights and sun, great atmospherics made the city feel life-like.
• Map seem to turn directions as objectives were taken

Caspian Border – Conquest (PS3)

Though DICE has said the map has been scaled down to fit consoles still, felt very large. Environment looked the same as PC, objectives seem closer than the PC counterpart, that’s really the only difference.

• Lighting effects were phenomenal on this map. Found myself blinded by the sun more than once in a dogfight.
• 24 players still felt really fun on this map. I didn’t find myself having to search for people to kill.

New improvements since the beta:

• First thing I noticed on the consoles were the graphics. They looked much better than the beta. Textures were smoother, character movements were much more fluid, and environments seemed to have more warmth to them. Also, the lighting was more dynamic, atmospherics more gritty and present, things just seem to run smoother on this build. All the frame rate issues, glitches, pops and sound drops of the beta were nowhere to be found. Bach reiterated that the beta was already a month and a half old before it was launched because of the time it takes to certify for release. It’s amazing how much polish they were able to put on the game since the beta.

Gameplay changes:

• When placing a spawn beacon or a enemy motion sensor as a sniper, the devices would appear red indicating that it could not be placed in that location.
• When the device could be placed, it would turn yellow. Very helpful visual cue as the beta gave no cue.
• Your player screen loses color saturation as a new visual indicator (besides the timer) when you go out of bounds.
• Same sort of visual indicator as the out of bounds screen appears but with blood surrounding it when you’re low on health.
• Hit boxes were dramatically improved. My bullets didn’t magically go through enemies’ torsos.
• When running as the assault/medic class, the visual indicator of an incapacitated teammate is more prominent with a circle surrounding the defrib symbol now.
• Jet stick controls on console are similar to BF1943 on console. If you don’t prefer those controls, they are completely customizable. Also, when your jet is low on health, it becomes a little more difficult to control until it is completely incapacitated and falls from the sky. Y (or triangle) switches between your heat-seeking missiles and your cannon. R-bumper (or R1) deploys smoke.
• Flying choppers felt almost exactly like BFBC2. Was able to fly right away.
• Changing views in the vehicles has been moved back to the R-stick much like BFBC1 unlike up on the D-pad on BFBC2.
• Parachutes take little longer to deploy than BFBC2, and while in the air they are a little harder to control to your destination.
• Death animations look more realistic. No more funky physics where their body flies 30 feet across the screen after being killed. Player’s eyes are closed when they die.
• Knifing animation looks a lot better, especially when knifing someone on the ground.
• Frostbite 2 was in full effect in terms of destruction. Buildings were tumbling down, everything was being destroyed around me in most every map I played.
• The amount of damage it takes to kill an enemy on regular mode seems a little less than the beta.
• I was able to equip the knife on the PS3 build. Not sure about the Xbox 360.
• You CAN spawn in to jets in both console builds, there is an option on the menu spawn screen to do so.

After walking away from the Final Hours event and spending a good 2-3 hours on this current build of the console Battlefield 3 multiplayer, I can honestly say my excitement for October 25th has grown exponentially. Though I never doubted DICE, I can compare the beta experience to a truck drivers windshield: It was hard to see what was in front of me with the constant barrage of bugs.

For the doubters, haters, and naysayers, you may want to think again come October 25th.

Single Player Screenshots

<see site for screen shots>

Co-Op Art Render

<see site for screen shots>

Strategy Informer - Battlefield 3 Interview (PC)

Spoiler

It's only three weeks away (two weeks if you're in the US), and anticipation is mounting as Battlefield 3 creeps closer, and closer. The war of words between EA and Activision has cranked the hype up to stupid levels, but Strategy Informer endeavours to cut through it all and to bring you something tangible. We spoke to Producer Patrick Liu about the game's final hours...


Strategy Informer: So, we'll start off nice and easy - you're a few weeks away from release now: How do you feel?

Patrick Liu: Both stressed and relieved - relieved that it's so close, we are pretty much done now, but stressed because it's not done yet. I mean launch is just the start, right? There'll be updating, balancing, patching... so a lot of work ahead of us.

Strategy Informer: Obviously you have the Open Beta running right now... what was your thinking there? You only have one map and one mode live on the consoles, and that seems restrictive even for a beta...

Patrick Liu: The plan we had once was, since the alpha, was to have that map as a benchmark for where we're heading. With the beta - it's a 'true' beta - we were wanting to use the same map and mode to benchmark how far we'd come, and the main purpose of the beta was to test the backend.

Strategy Informer: Do you consider this a true 'technical beta'? There's been a trend recently of companies, especially console companies, using betas more of a marketing tool because they didn't think they could risk doing a proper beta.

Patrick Liu: I think the term 'beta' has been misused actually, in other games where they are more demos, but they are calling it a beta. In our case it really is a beta, and because it's such a huge game we can't really fail, we need to make sure it works, we need to make sure the backend is tested, and yes there is that perception because this is seen to be so close to the final product. But now I'm telling you so you can tell the rest of the world!

Strategy Informer: What's the feedback been like so far? Anything in particular stand out?

Patrick Liu: I think a lot of people have been caught up with Battlelog and how it really works. Not a lot of people really grasped the concept earlier, but now they do. We've been getting both good and bad feedback, but it's just a matter of time before people get used to it. For us though we can service it much better than we can an in-game menu, especially on PC where in a blink we can update the server browser, and respond much quicker to feedback.

Strategy Informer: You've mentioned that you'll probably have to do Day One patch - do you have an idea as to what that will include?

Patrick Liu: I don't have the details, but it will include feedback from the beta.

Strategy Informer: Talking about single-player briefly, some companies like to convey a specific point or a message with their narrative - are you guys doing the same here?

Patrick Liu: We try to push the narration and the emotional engagement with the player, it's a much different experience than the multiplayer, obviously, it's a much more directed experience. The story itself is fiction, but inspired by real events, and the big question we want to ask is "How far would you go for your country?".

Strategy Informer: The PC screens of the game look phenomenal... but you would need a high-end rig to get it looking like that. How far are you guys going to ensure that consumers are aware that the game won't necessarily look like that for them? Especially on the console.

Patrick Liu: We need to be honest about the game, that's for sure, but we are pushing the technologies, pushing what we can do with Frostbite 2, but if you want to play the game and have it looking good you will need a high-spec machine. We're not covering it up in anyway. Again we just try to communicate as well as we can.

Strategy Informer: There's been a bit of a 'War of Words' between EA and Activision, is that putting any undue pressure on you guys to perform do you think?

Patrick Liu: Yeah, it can get kind of tiring - well, it DOES get tiring at some point. The only thing we can do to handle it is to focus on our own game, focus on making the best game we possibly can. We put pretty high bars for ourselves, and the main pressure comes from within the team.

Strategy Informer: Do you think the game is ready? If EA turned around and said you could have another couple of months dev time, would you take it?

Patrick Liu: We could always do with more time, that's for sure. I don't think any game developer thinks that their game is done - if we could have more time we'd certainly take it, we could continue working on this for a year or two, maybe more, but that wouldn't make any sense. I think we will in the coming months rebalance the game, tweak, etc...

Strategy Informer: Obviously for the past few years you've been developing the Bad Company games, do you ever think we'll see those loveable foursome again?

Patrick Liu: Well I don't know definitely, we don't have any plans right now, but they are very loveable characters, a lot of the guys at DICE love them so we will probably see them again.

Strategy Informer: What was your thinking when you made those games? In many ways the BC titles were a different and more focused experience than the previous games...

Patrick Liu: It was the first time we made a proper single-player campaign really, it needed some strong characters that people could relate to. Battlefield otherwise is quite anonymous, there aren't any specific characters that you identify or relate too. We always had tongue and cheek humour - the Battlefield games aren't super serious most of the time, it's more of a cowboys and Indians thing... we learnt a lot from making the single-player campaigns in Bad Company.

The current Open Beta may not be the greatest Beta in history, but so long as it served the purpose that DICE intended for it then that's all that matter. To any of you worried about the game because of the beta - fear not. The final product is going to be much, much better.

TheGuardian - Battlefield 3 interview: the beta, the future...

Spoiler

On the verge of Battlefield 3's release, we put a selection of reader questions and other queries to producer Patrick Liu. Just don't ask about projected sales figures...

The launch date is approaching, the online multiplayer beta is attracting thousands of gamers and the expectations are sky high: Battlefield 3 is coming. And while many have pointed to glitches and bugs still present in the beta code (there remains a baffling inability among gamers to differentiate between the words 'beta' and 'demo'), EA Dice is confident it can have everything ironed out for launch at the end of the month.

Yesterday, EA ran a preview event in London, showing off four single-player missions and a bunch of new multiplayer maps. We'll have more on that later. We also grabbed a few minutes with the game's producer Patrick Liu, who answered a selection of reader questions, as well as some points about that controversial beta.

Here's what he had to say...

How do you feel about the beta so far?
It's taught us a lot. Our primary intentions have been to test the backend. As we said at the beginning, we have six times the number of players we had with Bad Company 2, we have record high concurrent users compared to anything we've done before. And we know it works. In previous games, like Bad Company and 1943, we've had serious problems with the backend, it's just been overloaded – this time it hasn't been a problem.

So the purpose of the beta has been entirely about testing the infrastructure?
Yeah, we just wanted to know it wouldn't crash and burn at launch. It was horrible with Battlefield 1943 – it sold ten times the numbers we thought it would, and it was down for three or four days which is really bad. We don't want to go through that again.

Has anything surprised you about the way people are playing?
We've seen a couple of things with the gadgets, but not as much as we expect – but that's mainly down to the map we're showing – the Paris map – it doesn't have any vehicles, it's much more linear; I think we'll see a lot more emergent gameplay with the big, open conquest maps.

What made you decide to run the beta with that map? Some people have said that it's a shame you chose a level without vehicles…
Yeah, I think there's been a misunderstanding of the term 'beta test'! 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. But we do understand the concerns that we didn't show a conquest map, but we have demoed Caspian Border, and we did run a conquest map as a limited PC-only test.

Our readers have asked about knifing in BF3 – is it correct that it takes two stabs to kill someone with the quick knife?
That's true in a sense. We've put another layer into the knife mechanic. Knifing in Battlefield has never been a one hit kill, but if you manage to sneak behind someone it's now a one hit kill – and you then get the dog tags. It's a lot harder!

Have you ever thought of including a flight tutorial in the game to help people get to grips with the aircraft?
We've considered it! There will be tips to show you what buttons to use, but it's really about trial and error, and leaning by failing! You will crash a few times before you learn how to fly the jets. I have to admit, there is a steep learning curve. Once you know how to use a jet, it's very, very dangerous. It's been a long balancing process and we always need to provide tools to counter the aircraft. The philosophy is similar to rock, paper, scissors – everything needs to be countered. With jets, it's very har, but I know we've managed it with some of the gadgets and with the anti-aircraft missiles.

Will there be a strong clan infrastructure, complete with clan vs clan matches?
Yes. Right now we have the platoons in there, and one of the benefits of having Battlelog is that we can develop and update that element – and we will. We'll change it according to feedback and we can react much faster to what people want.

You've kept the story under wraps so far, do you feel it's doing different things that other military shooters?
Yes, I do think we're doing things slightly differently. It's another balancing act, you've got to think of the messaging you want to get across. It's an American game in a sense, but we're based in Sweden – that in itself is a challenge. But we do want to do something different with the narrative.

A lot of our readers are huge fans of Bad Company – has that series been put to bed for a while so you can concentrate on Battlefield?
Well, we haven't killed Bad Company! But we can only make so many games. Be patient – there might be something else coming up…

So you are actively working on other things?
We always have a couple of projects going on – some of them die, but some are more fruitful. We don't have any plans to make Battlefield an annual title – we want to make it ourselves we don't want anyone else doing it! And no studio can make an annual franchise by themselves – well, the sports titles can but they're a very different breed.

And how about Battlefield 1943, which I loved. Is there a chance of Dice bringing out another digital download title?
Certainly, that kind of downloadable game is something we're very keen on. Battelefield 1943 was kind of a disruptive game when it came out; there weren't really any other shooters – XBLA games were very different then. Nowadays there are a lot of big triple A games on Arcade – I'd like to believe we started that trend. I like the whole idea of transforming something as complex as Battlefield into something much more accessible with only very small tweaks to the gameplay mechanics… I could talk about Battlefield 1943 all day, that was my baby!

So what's going on in the office right now? Are you still in the midst of crunch?
I think we're over the peak, that's for sure. There's a still a lot of work to do. And the launch is just the start really. We'll then be releasing more content, tweaking and balancing the game – we have a team dedicated to servicing the game after launch.

Have any Battlefield 3 multiplayer maps emerged as team favourites?
There are a bunch of them, but what's funny is that we're making the Back to Karkand map pack with all the old BF2 maps and even Wake Island – again! – and people are gravitating towards those once more. It's nostalgia, they're just so familiar. And I love Wake Island! There are a couple of basic map layouts, basic structures that usually work. There are maps that live on, that we just keep re-making over and over again – we do that for a reason: because they're so good. Just looking at Strike at Karkand, thinking of how many hours have been spent on that map – we've seen the statistics, we know it's popular. We've had to analyse //why// it's so good… so we can make it all over again!

The modding community played quite an important role in the early popularity of Battelfield, creating several high-profile offshoots, including Desert Combat, of course. Have you looked into supporting that community with BF3?
We've investigated it, but we don't currently have any plans for it – we have no tools that'll be ready for launch. We do recognise the modding community, it's just that it's such a huge undertaking to make a toolset like that – it's like making another game. But we'll see.

Finally, do you have any idea what EA's expectations are for Battlefield, in terms of sales figures?
(Pause) I know the figures…

[At this point a PR person politely informs me that EA aren't discussing expectations for the title.]

But, okay, is there a blackboard on a wall somewhere at Dice HQ with a figure on it representing the number of units you want to sell?
(Laughs) No, it's not something we talk about!

Kotaktu - Battlefield 3’s PC Multiplayer Is Fun—When It Works

Spoiler

Battlefield 3’s PC Multiplayer Is Fun—When It Works
I'm rolling in the back of an armored jeep, manning the .50 cal doing 40 MPH over a wide swath of grassland, heading straight for a contested jumble of buildings in the middle of a huge map. A jet roars overhead, inbound to the same location. It's all very exciting, and… bam. I'm dropped from the server, back out to the desktop.

I load up another game, hop into my customization screen and begin to go through my support gunner's kit. I click through a ridiculous number of scopes, thoroughly enjoying contemplating how they'll all work in-game. I have everything selected, and… bam. I'm dropped from the server, back out to the desktop.

This is a tricky preview to write, because I had a very good time playing BF3's PC multiplayer—when it worked. I went through a whole bunch of different maps and modes (many of which are, unfortunately, still under media embargo, so I can't talk about them yet.) However, my time playing the game was marred by hugely disruptive technical issues, from in-game freezes to constant server drops to conflicts with the Origin account that EA had set up for me. I believe that some (though not all) of the bugs and crashes I experienced were unique to the media event I attended and to the PC that EA gave me to use, but all the same it was hard to shake the suspicion that three weeks from launch, Battlefield 3 might not be quite ready for prime-time.
As Fahey already noted while playing the PC Beta, Battlefield 3 is accessed through a web browser, not through a Steam-like standalone program. It feels peculiar. Everything is hosted on EA's Battlelog website, with Origin running in the background. Finding a game server happens in-browser—there appears to be no way to change servers in the game itself, which feels like an odd step backwards.

This awkwardness was hugely exacerbated by the fact that I was dropped from the server at least ten times over the course of three hours of multiplayer. It occurred in number of different ways, and in different places in the game—right at the start, mid-match, even after freezing and requiring me to Ctrl+Alt+Del my way out of the game. Every time I'd get dropped, I would be kicked from the game back to the desktop, which was jarring. Particularly because I had such rampant connectivity issues.

Once I got up and running in the game, things became significantly more fun. One of the first maps and modes I played was Rush mode on Grand Bazaar, which has been covered in the past (you can see a developer walkthrough of it here). It's a narrow, non-vehicle map set in a middle-eastern city bazaar—all corridors and alcoves. The goal of rush mode either to plant or disarm M-Com explosives at a variety of points on the map.

Rush on Bazaar is a chattery, fast-moving good time, though not particularly new-feeling or remarkable. This kind of map is a lot closer to Modern Warfare than other larger, vehicle-based Battlefield maps, but all the same there were a few things that set it apart. In particular, I was impressed with how significantly lighting and smoke affect gameplay.

Attaching a flashlight or a laser sight to your gun barrel is a highly tactical decision. Many times I would come around a corner only to be blinded by a bright red-flare—someone's laser sight catching in my face just before they gunned me down. Smoke and explosions are similar—the volume of the smoke combined with light-flares and particle accumulation on the "camera" makes visibility a constantly fluxuating, functionally important factor.

Gunplay feels punchier than Bad Company 2 (though not as directly impactful as Modern Warfare) and despite all the rock walls and explosions in Grand Bazaar, the emphasis on environmental destructibility felt significantly downgraded, from a level-design standpoint. Most of the walls seemed indestructible, though I wasn't able to really put them to the test—for the most part, combat played out the same over the same chokepoints, with none of the ever-shifting, ever-shrinking cover of Bad Company 2. That's neither a plus nor a minus, but it did leave the match feeling much more like Modern Warfare.

The second level we played was a 50-player Conquest match on the map Operation Firestorm. There were about twenty other journalists in the PC section of the event, so I'm guessing that the other 30 or so QA players were set up offsite by EA. Conquest revolves around taking and defending checkpoints—on the map, each team begins at a large air base populated with tanks, jets, helicopters, and jeeps. We only got to play each map once, which was simply not enough time to get an in-depth sense of things.

Something about it felt unpopulated, however—I kept hitting Tab to see the roster and seeing 25 or 26 people on each team, but it just didn't feel like that many were actually in the game. It was that standard large-map Battlefield thing where you spawn, then run over to a vehicle, wait to see if someone else is nearby to hop on and assist, and then drive off to battle. Agonizingly, I was unable to fly a jet, but whenever I looked to the sky, I saw curiously slow-moving aircraft doing battle. They didn't seem too connected to events on the ground, but again, that was likely due to the event attendees' unfamiliarity with some of the more advanced Air-to-ground weaponry. I could easily imagine how 64 players who really knew the map, vehicles, and tactics could make this a riotously good time.

I asked Battlefield 3's executive producer Patrick Bach about the technical difficulties we were having, and he was very straight with me. He acknowledged that there was something "very flakey" going on with the PC game at this event, and that if that kind of thing was the norm, that they would not have shown the game at all. "It's super embarrassing," he said. "We have not seen this before. So we need to figure out what it is. We had a QA connecting problem in Romania for instance, we don't know if that has anything to do with it, or if it's driver versions, or the connection in the building."

"We had a similar event in the UK and we had zero issues with stability," he told me. "We have no idea what happens to be the issue. It could be the drivers, I think we're using a newer driver version but that's only for one of the computer types."

Part of the problem, Bach said, might have been including so many different connections in a single space (there were around forty consoles in the other room running the game, as well as roughly 20 PCs. "PCs can take as much bandwidth as they want, whereas the consoles, they are much better at being conservative. Because the console version works fine, so there is something funky with the PC version. We have been leading with PC, we have had zero problems with PC compared to console."

There appeared to be stability and connectivity issues throughout the PC room, though I did get the sense that mine were some of the worst. But it's worth mentioning that while an Origin account bug kept me from logging into any games, most everyone else was plugged in and happily shooting away. So, take these impressions for what they are—possibly unique, but still worrying.

I can't make any broad statements about the technical sturdiness of Battlefield 3, other than to express the doubts raised by my experiences at yesterday's demo. I sat down and spent an entire day playing a game that consistently froze and crashed, booting me to the desktop, where I had to reconnect using its odd browser interface. Several times I would start a match, get an enemy in my sights and kill him… only to have his body do a lag-freeze and refuse to go down before being dropped back to the desktop. It was beyond aggravating, and it wasted a huge amount of time.

Battlefield 3 will almost surely work better on launch day than it did for me yesterday. Whether or not it will work as well as it should is another question entirely, and despite all of the extenuating and possibly unique circumstances of yesterday's hands-on, I now can't help but have doubts.

GotGame - My Dinner with Battlefield 3 Hands-on New Multiplayer Maps and New Screens

Spoiler

By Blake_Morse on 07 October 2011

Hair combed: check. Beard freshly trimmed: check. Wearing clean pants: check. After going over my pre-date checklist I was ready for my evening of hands-on time with not one, but two brand-spanking new multiplayer maps for the highly anticipated Battlefield 3. I was so nervous my palms were sweating. I mean sure, I’d played around with a beta or two before in my time, but this was a special, intimate event. Would I like the game? Would it like me or would I end up getting pwned like so many a noob over and over again? Fortunately for me we got along like peas in a pod.

BF3 assured me that if I’d had a chance to check out the beta on a PS3 or XBox 360 and was familiar with how combat works in the game that I’d be fine. You’re a soldier, you have guns, you shoot people with those guns. When not shooting people with guns you can drive tanks, humvees, helicopters and jets and blow them up with rockets. In exchange you earn xp, fancy medals, dog tags and ribbons. So after some casual getting to know each other conversation, it was time to get down to main event.

Our first tryst was in an intimate Rush mode map called “Grand Bazaar” that resembled a downtown Tehran marketplace. A sprawling urban environment filled with long corridors that could easily be turned into murder alleys, rooftops perfect for sniping and a lovely selection of fruits and nuts painted the background to wanton bloodlust and violence. Abandoned cars lined the streets and made for decent cover during shoot outs. The level set-up and objective placements are extremely well balanced and offer up an experience that is challenging without getting too frustrating.

To end our romantic evening we capped it off with some classic Conquest mode in the new “Operation Firestorm” map. An isolated oil factory in the middle of the desert is the perfect place to get away from it all with that special someone. Unless of course there’s two opposing forces fighting for control of tactical spots located within the factory. Initially you start in the desolate outlands, but fortunately this map contains just about any vehicle you could desire. Whether you want to reign down a maelstrom of bullets from a fighter jet, or plow through piles of crates while blowing insurgents up with a tank or try your like at flying a heli the Operation Firestorm is the perfect opportunity. If you’d rather go the traditional route and go in on foot, there are plenty of spots to hide yourself and get the jump on your friends.

I had a great time hanging out with Battlefield 3 and it’s been on my mind a lot since our time together and I’m sure that we’ll be having more good times with more maps when the game launches later this year on October 25th 2011 for PS3, 360 and PC. Now, just to prove it to all you “pics or it didn’t happen” people out there, enjoy these screen shots.

[EastCoasthandle]

Originally Posted by Wrigleyvillain

IDK man my early assessment is that the brand new 11.10s are still worse than the 11.9s at least on my 6850s. Notice white lines again now occasionally and the perf seems worse too but can't be sure.

It has been posted before that when you install make sure you are NOT installing over top a previous install.

Originally Posted by FreedomEclipse

Because you have 'autoaim' it makes the game easier as trying to get your crosshair directly over something can be difficult. so all you really need to do is point the cross hair in the direction of your target and autoaim will be activated.

this is usually exploited in CoD games where players use the autoaim functionality to 'quickscope' their targets.
-----

Console versions of BF3 are also limited to 32players on MP compared to 64 on the pc. graphics look shitter and the maps could be made smaller.

If you want to play with people with some real skill that will give you a challenge - buy the PC version.

Hey, I suggest that you download notepad++ then find a file called Prof_Save_Body. Which is found in ...My Documents/battlefield 3 Open Beta/ Settings. When you look down the list you will find a command called AimAssist. It does look like it has a 1 next to it. Which to me means it's enabled.

Originally Posted by Delta6326

Im still debating when i pre order this if i should get it for PC or xbox 360? I get way more kills and less deaths on 360 and its a lot easier to play.

IMO you should wait until release day. Then read the posts of how well the retail is. If it's good enough for you then buy it. Unless there is some specific pre-order bonus you are looking for. The Karkand map should still be free as it's on the box.

Originally Posted by H82LUZ73

And seeing how this game uses PB guess what is coming or BF3 the PB in it is the one they used in APB to guess what get Catyalist Hacks, Artificial Aiming,And it looks like the FPScheats root kit sniffer .....read this http://apbreloaded.gamersfirst.com/2...mnesty_30.html Nailed 8,000 cheaters and from the top 3 above sites with pics on their forums from the PB spy lol Hahahahahaha and this is what is testing now for BF3 and why it lags it is sniffing the rootkit out.

I read something about PB suppose to having access to your EA account for BF3 and future games or something like that (not sure). I don't recall all of it or how it works. I can't find the link either. If I do I will post it for clarity.

Edit:
Here is one link but not the one I read. Read the pic...

[Wrigleyvillain]

Originally Posted by EastCoasthandle

It has been posted before that when you install make sure you are NOT installing over top a previous install.

I didn't. They seem better than they did at first as I said earlier.

Anyone know what AA Post Processing does exactly? I have it down on 2X AA now and thinner lines like fences and such are pretty awful looking and wondering if Post Proc could affect that. Maybe I should try going back to 4X now that I have most other settings on High instead of Ultra. CER claimed Ultra didn't work in the beta but I'm not sure; though the FPS gains and lack of tanking could be primarily due to AA being turned down.

Interested in any other graphics settings tips and info that anyone may have...

BTW Mailman you chastise us for not thanking Gully enough then you fail to do so yourself.

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by Wrigleyvillain

I figured out Support can put down the bipod on windowsills. Nice!

You can set your bipod up while standing, crouching, or prone, just with standing and prone oyu need something to set it on. And thats the problem in the beta. Crouch next to a rock, lets you setup bipod, but it sets it way down in the rock like you are prone, so you can't see anything except a big rock in your face.

[Wrigleyvillain]

^ Cool also noticed firing from the hip is pretty accurate. Has saved me from more than one stabbing. I don't have any beef with the hit boxes as yet, personally...

[EastCoasthandle]

Originally Posted by Wrigleyvillain

I didn't. They seem better than they did at first as I said earlier.

Anyone know what AA Post Processing does exactly? I have it down on 2X AA now and thinner lines like fences and such are pretty awful looking and wondering if Post Proc could affect that. Maybe I should try going back to 4X now that I have most other settings on High instead of Ultra. CER claimed Ultra didn't work in the beta but I'm not sure; though the FPS gains and lack of tanking could be primarily due to AA being turned down.

This game is suppose to use post processing AA like FXAA, SRAA and MLAA. However, it's not clearly marked in the option menu. Hmm, post that up on their battlelog forum. It's a good question to ask of them.

[Wrigleyvillain]

Cool. And speaking of stabbing it's not very accurate by comparison to other weapons and how BC2 is (though the "lock on" in that can be kinda ridiculous at times; but I am totally used to it). It's just really slow and clunky feeling, at least right now. Though the animations are kickass.