Battlefield 3 Clubhouse

[1Kurgan1]

Trailer looks great, guns sound even better than BC2, and I like the new Red Dot, I might actually use it this time.

[GullyFoyle]

Battlefield 3 Second DLC announced - Tortuga Pirates

90% chance this is an April Fools joke...

Battlefield 3 - EA Pressemitteilung - Tortuga Pirates:
"BATTLEFIELD 3 - TORTUGA PIRATES BRINGS THE OLD DAYS OF PIRACY BACK AND ON SCREEN
DICE Announces Second DLC For The Most Anticipated Game Of 2011

Guildford, UK - April 4, 2011 - DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS), the makers of the multi-platinum Battlefield: Bad Company" series today announced the second DLC for Battlefield 3", the long-awaited successor to the epic, internationally acclaimed 2005 game, Battlefield 2". Available about two months after release, the second Battlefield 3 expansion offers a whole new chapter in online-warfare , bringing back the old legends and allowing players to compete on the most famous areas of pirate’s history and legends. This groundbreaking multiplayer expansion pack includes eight all-new maps, ranking from small islands and forts to the legendary Tortuga or Port Royal. All maps are powered by Frostbite" 2, allowing a never-before-seen use of physics, destruction and offer the best visuals in the industry. Completing the package are classic weapons, new gamepplay-opportunities, vehicles, outfits, unique rewards, new achievements/trophies and more. Players anxious to start the fight will be able to pre-order Tortuga Pirates digitally very soon at www.battlefield.com/uk and receive a beta-invitation.

In Battlefield 3 - Tortuga Pirates, players step into the role of the most famous and legendary pirates, or will be fighting for the Royal Navy. Steer and command heavy battle-ships and take part in the biggest online sea-battles of all times. Adding a brand-new objective-driven game-mode, Tortuga Pirates is aiming to expand the Battlefield-universe to an all-new challenging time-frame and provide an experience deeper than ever. Rank up, unlock new gear and customize your character to the highest level ever possible in online-gaming. Battlefield 3 - Tortuga Pirates is going to be the most real, astonishing and intense pirates-action spectacle - feel the sheer immersive power of the cannons, see ships been blown to pieces and finally sink down to the ground of the ocean. Use horses, wagons and create ambushes - or try and board a battle-ship from a tiny dinghy. See people fighting until death with daggers and pistols - or drink a good rum to get healthy. Everything is possible in Battlefield 3 - Tortuga Pirates.

Battlefield 3 leaps ahead of its time with the power of Frostbite 2, DICE’s new cutting-edge game engine. This state-of-the-art technology is the foundation on which Battlefield 3 is built, delivering enhanced visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and character animation utilizing ANT technology from the latest EA SPORTS" games. The experience doesn’t stop with the engine - it just starts there. Battlefield 3 - Tortuga Pirates is an expension, showing the brutal battles between pirates and navy spanning land, sea and air. Players are dropped into the heart of the combat whether it occurs on small island and forts that require long range tactics or outside on the sea: Tactics and gameplay-possibilities are brought to an all-new level, pushing the boundaries of what anyone already knows from Battlefield.

We are gearing up for a fight and we’re here to win," said Karl Magnus Troedsson, General Manager, DICE. Where other shooters are treading water Battlefield 3 innovates. Frostbite 2 is a game-changer for shooter fans - and this expansion is finally bringing completely new ideas and an incredible new scenario to the genre. This in combination with our insane technology will make sure, that finally we will be the leading shooter-franchise."

We wanted to create something, which has never been done before ," said Patrick Bach, Executive Producer. Battlefield 3 preserves the franchise’s signature sandbox style, Tortuga Pirates adds many things, we always wanted to have: A fresh scenario, new game-modes and incredible movie-inspired battles."

Battlefield 3 - Tortuga Pirates will be available this winter for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PC. People Tortuga Pirates will receive a beta-invitation for the highly-acclaimed Battlefield 3. For more information on Battlefield 3 please visit www.battlefield.com/uk, and for the latest news on Battlefield 3 follow us on Twitter: @battlefield.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS", EA", EA Mobile" and POGO". In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.co.uk. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.eagames.co.uk/press.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 3 and Frostbite are trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. "

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

Battlefield 3 Second DLC announced - Tortuga Pirates

90% chance this is an April Fools joke...

Joke or not that sounds fun.

[caleb]

Joke or not that sounds fun.

Yep
I instantly imagined crazy pirate music and mass destruction all around me. fun fun fun!

[GullyFoyle]

Battlfield 3 Released date: Nov 2, 2011?

[MT Alex]

If it really is November 2nd, they should wait until the 11th - Armistice Day (Veteran's Day) - especially since this year it would be 11/11/11

[brandonwh64]

Yes veterans day will be nice!.

I want to go to Arlington cemetery one year on veterans day!

[Black Haru]

Originally Posted by MT Alex

If it really is November 2nd, they should wait until the 11th - Armistice Day (Veteran's Day) - especially since this year it would be 11/11/11

bad Idea to coincide the release date with one of a similarly large title (Skyrim) even if they are in different genres.

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Yes veterans day will be nice!.

I want to go to Arlington cemetery one year on veterans day!

Don't step on any of my family please.

[whitrzac]

Originally Posted by Black Haru

bad Idea to coincide the release date with one of a similarly large title (Skyrim) even if they are in different genres.

meh, only 1 midnight trip to walmart then...

[GullyFoyle]

Most sandbox games are 'boring, hard to get into' says Battlefield 3 dev

DICE: “Most Sandbox Games Are Boring”
By Nathan Brown - April 4, 2011

Battlefield 3’s campaign to be more tightly scripted than DICE's open Bad Company titles, says Patrick Bach.

Swedish developer DICE has revealed that combat in its upcoming shooter Battlefield 3’s campaign more closely resembles the tightly-scripted likes of the Call Of Duty series, rather than the open, sandbox style of its previous Battlefield 2: Bad Company games.

Executive producer Patrick Bach told us: “I don’t see it as an absolute goal for all games to be sandbox games. We’ve been building sandbox games for quite some time and we’ve got pretty good at it, but I don’t see that as the only way of building games, because then we wouldn’t build campaigns at all.

“In some cases they aren’t, but in most cases sandbox games are hardcore, boring, hard to get into and they are not very popular.”

Battlefield 3 is powered by DICE’s new Frostbite 2 engine, meaning that the series’ trademark destructible environments will be even more impressive than before. Bach, however, points out that the technology is posing its fair share of problems during development.

“Just the fact that the environment can change dynamically creates a huge challenge for us when it comes to AI,” he explains. “[It] puts a lot of challenges to our AI code when it comes to finding new cover, reacting to the fact that it has disappeared, moving and flanking based on the new situation.”

We spoke to Bach as part of our first preview of Battlefield 3 in our next issue, E227, which will be with subscribers any day now and at newsagents on April 12.

EA deploys Battlefield 3 box art -- PlayStation Universe or Battlefield 3: This is what the box looks like

[The Witcher]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

Two sources for each story. Good luck accessing these from your work site...

Most sandbox games are 'boring, hard to get into' says Battlefield 3 dev or Most sandbox games are 'boring, hard to get into' says Battlefield 3 dev

EA deploys Battlefield 3 box art -- PlayStation Universe or Battlefield 3: This is what the box looks like

Who gives a sh!t about Singleplayer anyway

As far as I see it, it's just a bonus, I suspect that more than half the players won't even play it until the MP starts to get boring. It's been a very long time since I player CoD singleplayer, I used to buy CoD games just for the MP.

[catnipkiller]

just pre-order from work. COME AT ME BRO it better have jets and a bigger friends list or I'm a be raged.

[Wrigleyvillain]

Originally Posted by The Witcher

Who gives a sh!t about Singleplayer anyway

As far as I see it, it's just a bonus, I suspect that more than half the players won't even play it until the MP starts to get boring. It's been a very long time since I player CoD singleplayer, I used to buy CoD games just for the MP.

Up until now I'd agree. This SP campaign looks pretty sweet, though.

[GullyFoyle]

Originally Posted by The Witcher

Who gives a sh!t about Singleplayer anyway

As far as I see it, it's just a bonus, I suspect that more than half the players won't even play it until the MP starts to get boring. It's been a very long time since I player CoD singleplayer, I used to buy CoD games just for the MP.

twitter.com/TanteEmma: "German gamestar magazine with poll about #bf3 singleplayer: Over 40 % won't buy the game without SP campaign. Umfragen - Gamestar.de



40.6% - I think very well. Without a single player campaign, I would not buy it.
39.8% - A solo mode is good, but not important for my purchase decision.
7.7 % - I think not so good. Hopefully it will not save at the Play mode.
6.4% -- Bad decision. The multiplayer mode is the core of Battlefield. Everything else is useless.
5.4% --The Battlefield series does not interest me - whether with or without solo campaign.

[garyinhere]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

twitter.com/TanteEmma: "German gamestar magazine with poll about #bf3 singleplayer: Over 40 % won't buy the game without SP campaign. Umfragen - Gamestar.de

i'd prob agree with that I would be hesitant to buy without a sp jst in case the nets are down

[BondExtreme]

Is anyone updating the front page of the club? I still don't see my name and many others who wanted to join. ^_^

[GullyFoyle]

Battlefield 3 to get Dr. Pepper DLC

PRIZES:

Unique Downloadable Content (DLC) for applicable EA games (games subject to change):

Fight Night 5 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Dead Space 2 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Need for Speed Shift 2 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Playfish ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Battlefield: Bad Company 3 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Dr Pepper Football game ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
SSX Snowboarding ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Mass Effect 3 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
NFS 12 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Mass Effect 2 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Battlefield Heroes ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
The Sims 3 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Spore ARV: $0.99 - $9.99
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ARV: $0.99 - $9.99

Additional games may be available based on EA game release dates. Once all DLC content has been redeemed various options of other electronic downloads will be available as prizes.

[GullyFoyle]

Bach Says Battlefield 3 is Short but Sweet; Multiplayer to Drive us 'Crazy'

EA and DICE know they've got an opportunity to do something special with Battlefield 3 -- perhaps even unseat the monolithic and genre-defining Call of Duty franchise. As such, information about the game's various modes of play and what we can expect have been tightly controlled.

It seems the developer and publisher are content to let in-game footage do most of the talking, giving gamers just a glimpse into what appears to be another level of graphical quality, bringing extreme realism to FPS gaming. But, are amazing graphics enough? According to Executive Producer at DICE Patrick Bach's interview with Meristation, the answer is no.

"Our major priority is to create a game that’s fun to play", emphasized Bach; continuing to say that "Realism by itself is not our goal, but rather to make Battlefield 3 look realistic without compromising other aspects of gameplay".

To that end, DICE has put a huge emphasis on adapting EA technologies, primarily those utilized by EA SPORTS for games such as FIFA, and incorporating them into the Frostbite 2 engine in order to give Battlefield 3 the kind of jaw-dropping animations that will immerse the player into the game world and allow DICE to relate a meaningful narrative.

However, Bach admits that the multiplayer side of the game is where most players will derive the vast majority of value out of the experience. Simply, "the number of hours that many players spend in multiplayer" can’t be matched. Bach clarified that "Our objective is not to create the longest campaign anyone’s ever known, but rather one that’s interesting, full of challenges and that’s as tough at the beginning as it is at the end". In other words, to use one of my favorite colloquialisms: It’s not the size of the wand but the magic it possesses.

While Meristation was unable to squeeze any truly relevant information out of Patrick Bach in terms of multiplayer modes, scale, setting, weapons, maps, etc. they did get yet another tease out of the game’s Executive Producer. "We haven’t released much information about multiplayer because we want to ensure that when we do it the public will go crazy".

Furthermore, Bach confirmed to Meristation that the "bar has been raised" and that everything in multiplayer will be "more surprising and fascinating" in this third installment of Battlefield.

It sounds like DICE and Electronic Arts are holding out until E3 2011 to drop the "Wow!" hammer. Until then, we will have to sit tight and enjoy the gameplay trailers as they’re released.

Source: Meristation (Spanish).

[Wrigleyvillain]

Crazy's good! Crazy's good!

[GullyFoyle]

Riccitiello: Battlefield 3, Call of Duty To Spend Hundreds Of Millions On Ad Battle

by Kyle Orland

April 6, 2011

EA CEO John Riccitiello says the marketing spends for both EA's Battlefield 3 and Activision's next Call of Duty release could easily surpass $100 million each.

Speaking at an Ad Age Conference keynote presentation, Riccitiello said we can expect to see "a couple hundred million dollars [worth of] marketing against these two products," emphasizing that Battlefield 3 is "designed to take [Call of Duty] down."

The remarks were part of a wide-ranging presentation where Riccitiello talked up the game industry in general, and EA in particular, as a new up-and-coming mass audience for advertisers.

Noting that the game industry has risen to include 1.5 billion players worldwide over the past few years, Riccitiello predicted that audience could grow to encompass 3 billion players in three or four years -- eclipsing worldwide TV ownership -- thanks largely to the growing ubiquity of game-playing smartphones.

What's more, Riccitiello stressed that these game players are a more captive audience than those using other media. "People don't really do anything else when they're playing games, they're focused on it," he said. "When people watch TV or use the internet, they're usually doing something else."

EA has the ability to serve dynamic content to 233 million unique users today, Riccitiello said, up from 40 million users in 1995 who mainly received static content in the form of unconnected retail games. The company's servers run over 15 million hours of online gameplay to 5 million of those unique users every day, he said.

He noted that Barack Obama purchased display ads in many EA games to reach out to youth voters at a point in his campaign when he was in a distant second or third place. "I guess it worked," he quipped.

But getting ads to players doesn't have to mean inserting intrusive billboards or products into the game experience, Riccitiello said. He estimated that about half of online play time was spent in pre- or post-match lobbies or setup, where "today's consumer is very much expecting advertising ... we didn't have that understanding a few years ago."

He encouraged advertisers to get into the game market now, while the market is still settling, to avoid a "bidding war" that could happen over prime game-based ad space in three to five years.

[GullyFoyle]

EA CEO: Battlefield 3 Coming In November, Designed to Take Down Call of Duty

By Mike Sharkey | Apr 6, 2011

Making like Lee Marvin in Delta Force ("It's a go, take 'em down!), Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said today that Battlefield 3 has been designed with a clear goal in mind: to go toe-to-toe with Activision's FPS juggernaut and take down Call of Duty.

Kicking off the Ad Age Digital Conference in New York today, Riccitiello delivered a keynote speech in which he described gaming as the "new mass media." Providing examples on just how big the market for video games has become, the EA chief executive said his company will spend roughly $100 million marketing DICE's upcoming shooter, Battlefield 3, when it launches this fall. And EA fully expects Activision will be doing the same with the latest, as yet unannounced Call of Duty game, putting the two titles face-to-face in a $200 million marketing deathmatch.

"This November, we're launching Battlefield 3. It's going up against the next Call of Duty, which is presently the number one game in the game industry," he said. "A game that last year did $400 million dollars in revenue on day one. [Battlefield 3] is designed to take that game down."

Battlefield 3 is being designed for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game previously had a fall release window. Riccitiello narrowed things down a bit with his November announcement.

[The Witcher]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

twitter.com/TanteEmma: "German gamestar magazine with poll about #bf3 singleplayer: Over 40 % won't buy the game without SP campaign. Umfragen - Gamestar.de

http://www.gamestar.de/railo-context...e7c&type=x-png

40.6% - I think very well. Without a single player campaign, I would not buy it.
39.8% - A solo mode is good, but not important for my purchase decision.
7.7 % - I think not so good. Hopefully it will not save at the Play mode.
6.4% -- Bad decision. The multiplayer mode is the core of Battlefield. Everything else is useless.
5.4% --The Battlefield series does not interest me - whether with or without solo campaign.

I call BS on that poll. I mean wtf, only 6.4% out of 9700 voters said that they would buy the game even if it didn't have singleplayer. I bet on my life that most of these 40.6% voters would buy the even it it didn't have a singleplayer. Like I said before, the SP is just a bonus in Battlefield games, it won't be THAT nice to exclude the SP out of the game but that's still not a valid reason to skip a will-be the best FPS MP to date.

[tigger]

Add me to the club TMM please, i WILL be getting this.

Tigger

[GullyFoyle]

Upcoming Podcast Guest: Daniel “zh1nt0? Matros!

See the link to submit your questions, and see a bunch of early responses already posted by Zh1nt0.

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Apparently there was a PR event in London and someone who was there says there's more BF3 news tomorrow?