BF4... Should I bother?!?

[deadken]

I'm 47 and I still PC game. I don't run and gun, dolphin dive, and all of that. I don't camp (much) and I liked the game play in BF2 and BF2BC and I tolerate a lot of BS in BF3. I actually enjoy playing a good single player campaign (BF2BC, etc..).

So, now I'm wondering if I should bother getting BF4. Here are some pros and cons as I see it:

Cons:

I'd be giving EA more money.
Frankly I think that EA sucks. They release garbage before it is ready and they charge you for content that should be included.

Origin.
Steam it ain't. If only it worked. I'd like to be able to sort by number of players or by ping and have it actually sorted correctly. Why not be able to double click to enter a server?

Pros:

Price.
It's $35 for the base game and 1 expansion pack. Considering I still play BF3 without any expansion packs, this *might* be a bit better. I guess I'm twice as likely to find it acceptable @ $35 compared to $70.

Servers.
I've been finding less servers and less people online for BF3 lately. I'm guessing I'd find more players, maps, diversity, etc.. with the newest release.

Commander.
It had the potential to get more people to cooperate. It didn't work flawlessly, but it helped especially when playing with a group of buddies.


So, if you owned / play(ed) BF3 and now own / play(ed) BF4, please tell me how the two stack up. Is BF4 worth $30 / $35?

Have they balanced out the air-power dominance? It seems that in BF3 a few skilled pilots can make the game unwinnable for the other team. If only the fixed AA was significantly improved. Mobile AA more common and slightly improved. And the shoulder mounted AA much improved (or much faster to deploy a second shot). That would likely greatly reduce the air dominance. Don't get me wrong, air-power should be able to make a big difference, but it shouldn't make the game unwinnable.

F--king Solo seating a-holes.... BF3 is the worst. I don't remember players being able to solo seat the helicopters when BF3 first came out (Yes, I remember people doing that in BF2). But now, people do. And, they do it often. The worst thing is, when I play Anti Air and get a tone on a helo as soon as the guy switches to the gunners seat, I lose tone. So, the helo is impervious to shoulder mounted and Mobile AA missles. How stupid is that?!?

How is the single player campaign? Just a tutorial like in BF3? Or a well scripted slick production like in BF2BC?

Any suggestions / opinions?

EDIT: BTW: The Guaranteed Good Game thing is a f--king joke. Seriously?!? I get 24 hours from the time I start playing to decide if it is worth keeping?!? I won't be able to test each class, a few maps, most vehicles, the commander position, or even get a good feel for the game if I launched it and played for 16 hours straight. For those who don't know, EA says you can return the game if you don't LOVE it. The thing is, you have to submit a request within 24 hours of starting to play the game. God I HATE EA. Give me 24 or 48 hours of GAMEPLAY to get a real idea of whether this polished piece of crap is worth keeping. What if I want to start playing on a Weekday? I'd have to wait until the weekend and play an entire day just to get an idea of how the gameplay is. If they are just offering 24 hours from the first time I play it, it shows me that EA is still business as usual and just trying to give someone who doesn't read the fine print a reason to think this game won't suck as bad as their last few releases.

 

[BrightCandle]

BF4 is a better game than BF3 of that there is no doubt. But its not dramatically better, its nearly the same game. The single player is every bit as bad as BF3 was, the story is terrible, the events are insane and its got even more rails and more cutscenes than before. SP awesome this is not.

The game itself still isn't in great shape. There are some serious netcode issues and other things that make aiming and shooting a bit more random than it ought to be. But the crashes are gone for me and performance is at least steady. Its not a bad time to buy it anyway.

 

[Nintendesert]

EDIT: BTW: The Guaranteed Good Game thing is a f--king joke. Seriously?!? I get 24 hours from the time I start playing to decide if it is worth keeping?!? I won't be able to test each class, a few maps, most vehicles, the commander position, or even get a good feel for the game if I launched it and played for 16 hours straight. For those who don't know, EA says you can return the game if you don't LOVE it. The thing is, you have to submit a request within 24 hours of starting to play the game. God I HATE EA. Give me 24 or 48 hours of GAMEPLAY to get a real idea of whether this polished piece of crap is worth keeping. What if I want to start playing on a Weekday? I'd have to wait until the weekend and play an entire day just to get an idea of how the gameplay is. If they are just offering 24 hours from the first time I play it, it shows me that EA is still business as usual and just trying to give someone who doesn't read the fine print a reason to think this game won't suck as bad as their last few releases.

Come on, you can't suck off Steam and then complain about a rival product that offers a superior return policy. Steam doesn't even offer one.

That being said, I can't play BF4 right now due to the sound loop bug being brought back in last patch. I paid $20 for it, unless you can find it for cheaper than that, don't bother. It's a POS stability wise. Dice blows more than EA does. At least they got their AMD money.

 

[CuriousMike]

Dude.
;TLDR

I suck at the game... but I have fun sitting in a tank or a truck and spotting enemies and occasionally killing someone.

This isn't complicated.

 

[futurefields]

TItanfall bro!

 

[Nintendesert]

Titanfall is where it's at!

 

[videogames101]

bf4 sucks

 

[deadken]

Thanks for most of the replies. Some were helpful.

FWIW: I was reading in the BF4 thread today and someone was saying how they just uninstalled the game today. He couldn't deal with some issues the game has. I was reading the thread thinking that it'd be a bunch of people who play the game and love it talking about it. Seeing a guy uninstall because of issues made me start this thread.

I've had my fill of this game, uninstalled it today. The worst thing about the game, is not the game itself...

I guess $35 for this game (including one exp. pack) is still too much...

 

[CuriousMike]

Does any other video game company offer this, as limited as it is?
You hate them because they offer a "1 day money back guarantee" that's not as long as you like?

EA does lots and lots and lots of stupid things, but bitching about a money back guarantee... if only for 24 hours... seems pretty low on the list.

EDIT: BTW: The Guaranteed Good Game thing is a f--king joke. Seriously?!? I get 24 hours from the time I start playing to decide if it is worth keeping?!? I won't be able to test each class, a few maps, most vehicles, the commander position, or even get a good feel for the game if I launched it and played for 16 hours straight. For those who don't know, EA says you can return the game if you don't LOVE it. The thing is, you have to submit a request within 24 hours of starting to play the game. God I HATE EA. Give me 24 or 48 hours of GAMEPLAY to get a real idea of whether this polished piece of crap is worth keeping. What if I want to start playing on a Weekday? I'd have to wait until the weekend and play an entire day just to get an idea of how the gameplay is. If they are just offering 24 hours from the first time I play it, it shows me that EA is still business as usual and just trying to give someone who doesn't read the fine print a reason to think this game won't suck as bad as their last few releases.

 

[CuriousMike]

Titanfall is EA...

 

[96Firebird]

I'm not really sure what all the fuss about BF4 is... Maybe I am lucky, but it plays on my system. Every time. No crashes, no netcode issues, no problems. Origin works fine, it starts with Windows and hides itself so I don't even notice it. Battlelog works fine, I can sort servers by players, ping, etc... I can filter servers easily.

As far as balance goes, thats personal preference. I think the game is fine as-is, but people constantly bitch that something or other is OP.

With that said, I know plenty of people are having issues. No one can say for certain if you will or not.

 

[Nintendesert]

BF4s launch issues were on EA, now, this clusterfart is all on Dice. So Titanfall is ok!

 

[meob]

I'm not really sure what all the fuss about BF4 is... Maybe I am lucky, but it plays on my system. Every time. No crashes, no netcode issues, no problems. Origin works fine, it starts with Windows and hides itself so I don't even notice it. Battlelog works fine, I can sort servers by players, ping, etc... I can filter servers easily.

As far as balance goes, thats personal preference. I think the game is fine as-is, but people constantly bitch that something or other is OP.

With that said, I know plenty of people are having issues. No one can say for certain if you will or not.

there are netcode issues whether you notice them or not. damage is often highly delayed and very random. I liked bf3 but stopped playing because I just got so sick of the inconsistent shooting. there are tons of youtube videos displaying insta non headshot deaths and receiving damage after taking cover between two players with low pings.

 

[Morbus]

Last Thursday I was finally set on buying BF4 to play with my mate.

But then I found Don't Starve and bought that instead.

I'm much happier, to be honest.

 

[deadken]

BF4s launch issues were on EA, now, this clusterfart is all on Dice. So Titanfall is ok!

OK, Ok, ok.... I googled Titanfall. Great... Please bring it up somewhere else. Two out of three of your posts are all about Titanfall. I'm really not interested in talking about it here. Please, start your own thread about it and I promise I'll ask you to tell me about it over there.

Regarding my rant about the whopping 24 hour *from first gameplay* GGG. Frankly, I added it as an edit because it was an afterthought. But, since it has garnered so much attention, I'll comment further:
Good point. I haven't seen anyone else offer a money back guarantee on a piece of software, so I guess I have to give kudos for that. But, having said that, I'll stick to my opinion because honestly 24 hours is stupid. Sure, Betamax came first, but VHS took off because the tapes lasted 2 hours (on release) compared to Betamax only holding 1 hour. IOW: When someone makes the GGG useful, it'll be impressive AND a success.

EDIT: I just bought Crysis3 for a whopping $5 (from Gamestop.com). I'll just mess around with that for now. BF4 can wait. It'll wait until some things get fixed / corrected. Thanks again to all that were helpful.

 

[TheSlamma]

BF4s launch issues were on EA, now, this clusterfart is all on Dice. So Titanfall is ok!

My guess is titanfall on PC will be vacant in a few months...

 

[nsafreak]

I played some BF3 and I've recently started playing BF4, and tbh I'm enjoying BF4 more than I did BF3. So far I have not had any of the issues that other folks are reporting but I have to guess that they're out there I just happen to be one of the folks not experiencing them. My only frustration is making the mistake of getting onto servers that have nothing but large outdoor maps and a ton of experienced snipers. It makes it a pain in the butt to take objectives and playing "get the sniper out of his spot" is a major pain as well. Otherwise I'm happy with the multiplayer and while the single player campaign isn't a shining gem like oh say Bioshock Infinite it's still fun and a worthwhile play.

 

[Jaiguru]

I want to like BF4 so bad but I just can't. I'm a pretty seasoned BF veteran dating back to BF2. I put a little over 1000 hours in to BF3 and really never got tired of it so I was so stoked about BF4.

At first it was amazing! The graphics were better and the suppression changes were really something I was looking forward to. It took about 200 hours played for me to finally realize just how flawed the game is compared to its counterparts.

The "netcode" is awful. Patch after patch and they still can't fix the instant deaths and dying behind corners. I'm a pretty competitive player so stuff like this drives me insane. I'm sitting on a 3.5 KDR currently right now on BF4. Not trying to boast just trying to emphasize my point on how much I play the game.

I really wouldn't recommend the game at this time. It seems to me that they were rushed by EA(obviously) and that they just tried to put too much in to the game that took away from the overall gameplay. The weather effects and levolution seem nice on paper but they're really just distractions form the flaws of the game.

I'll see you all on Titanfall.

 

[DeadFred]

Like you Im an older gamer at 42 and Ive put in over 900hrs on BF3 and currently have over 300 on BF4 so I have some idea of whats what with the 2 games. Other than some server and sound crashes for the first couple of weeks after release, BF4 has run fine on my 2 machines.

Have they balanced out the air-power dominance?

Air power dominance has been nullified in BF4 with the mobile AA and its active radar missiles. Any aircraft that comes within reach of the MAA is toast.

F--king Solo seating a-holes....

This is still there, but with the MAA and the jet's active radar missiles no chopper pilot will stay in the air long enough to bother you, regardless of their skill level.

How is the single player campaign? Just a tutorial like in BF3? Or a well scripted slick production like in BF2BC?

Its pretty much exactly like BF3's although I actually enjoyed BF3's a bit more. There are a couple of weapons to be unlocked on the last mission, so if you want them you will have to replay the last part a couple more times. I cant really compare it to BFBC2's because it's campaign was bugged for me and I got stuck on the second or third mission that would just loop over and over, so I gave up and never went back to it even after it was patched.

You mentioned Commander, but IMO thats a joke and I wish they would remove it all together. Ive played the position a few times and its boring as hell. Maybe one squad leader out 100 will actually listen to your commands. LOL

If you liked BF3 then you should at least give BF4 a chance, personally I think its a much better game. The removal of random bullet devation and the aggressive toning down of suppression makes the gun play much improved. People complain about "netcode issues" but I see nothing any worse than the high ping advantage that was also prevalent in BF3. So I say, catch it on sale and give it a go for yourself.

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BTW, What issues do you have with Origin? Personally I find it infinitely better than Steam, its smaller, faster, isnt bloated and doesnt require an update every other day.

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PS- I played the Titanfall beta and IMO it totally sucks. My son liked it, but he's 10.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I wish the they'd allow mods again. I'll be realistic and say release mod tools with the final DLC pack or something. I had so much fun with BF2 mods I'd love to see what could be done with frostbite

 

[96Firebird]

there are netcode issues whether you notice them or not. damage is often highly delayed and very random. I liked bf3 but stopped playing because I just got so sick of the inconsistent shooting. there are tons of youtube videos displaying insta non headshot deaths and receiving damage after taking cover between two players with low pings.

Play on better servers? Ping isn't everything, the server has a lot to do with it.

I wish the they'd allow mods again. I'll be realistic and say release mod tools with the final DLC pack or something. I had so much fun with BF2 mods I'd love to see what could be done with frostbite

Mods are what propelled BF1942 into one of the biggest games back in the day. Without Desert Combat, BF2 wouldn't have had such a huge backing. After DICE bought Trauma Studios, it seems they canned the guys after BF2. Mods help with the longevity of a game, but I guess they don't make as much money on sales when a game has been out forever and would rather force a new release.

 

[blackened23]

Echoing what others have said. Titan Fall is the game currently on my radar - while I did enjoy BF4, the frustration levels due to game issues quickly override any enjoyment to be gained from it. The game is in okay shape now. But it seems like each patch fixes something and then breaks something else, it's really annoying.

Having played Titan Fall beta. That game is amazing and more fun than BF4 IMO. The graphics aren't as good as BF4. But it's a heck of a lot more fun and refreshing - now the beta was limited and didn't have all of the game modes and what not, but it is definitely going to be the game to play in coming months assuming that it has plenty of content in the final shipping product.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I uninstalled BF4 because of all the problems. It had potential but it was hampered by server issues, bugs, and the usual groups of people who just want to take the jets and blow up a couple buildings and crash on some maps.

 

[Nintendesert]

OK, Ok, ok.... I googled Titanfall. Great... Please bring it up somewhere else. Two out of three of your posts are all about Titanfall. I'm really not interested in talking about it here. Please, start your own thread about it and I promise I'll ask you to tell me about it over there.

Regarding my rant about the whopping 24 hour *from first gameplay* GGG. Frankly, I added it as an edit because it was an afterthought. But, since it has garnered so much attention, I'll comment further:
Good point. I haven't seen anyone else offer a money back guarantee on a piece of software, so I guess I have to give kudos for that. But, having said that, I'll stick to my opinion because honestly 24 hours is stupid. Sure, Betamax came first, but VHS took off because the tapes lasted 2 hours (on release) compared to Betamax only holding 1 hour. IOW: When someone makes the GGG useful, it'll be impressive AND a success.

EDIT: I just bought Crysis3 for a whopping $5 (from Gamestop.com). I'll just mess around with that for now. BF4 can wait. It'll wait until some things get fixed / corrected. Thanks again to all that were helpful.

We're just trying to steer you in a better direction. BF4 is just a very frustrating experience, so like I said, if you can find a $20 or below deal it's worth a go. It really is a bargain bin game only worth paying bargain bin prices.

 

[sxr7171]

Short answer: yes

Longer answer: if you are a single player like myself wait for a price drop to around $20. The 7 missions yield a short single player experience. However the visuals are really the best IMHO of that realistic art style they go for. So it's worth about $3/level easily.

Personally I've had a few bugs but nothing show stopping. It crashed once and I had to reload a checkpoint once or twice to get the mission to progress.

The 7th mission is not really a mission. It's just a short play through to get to the alternate endings quickly. The Shanghai and Singapore levels were notable. The rest were just okay. The weather effects in Singapore were really a sight to see.