**OFFICIAL** AT Battlefield 3 FAQ and News Thread

[ViviTheMage]

Will BF3 REQUIRE certain providers to allow them to host GSP? Or will it be like SRCDS, where you can just host it on whatever box?

I always hated that if you wanted to play ranked, they had to come from a specific GSP.

I'd love to host my own servers.


also found this awesome :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJurYPXA_uw


I'd love to start leasing out ranked servers for people....I have so much bandwidth available, haha.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I thought this was funny...

It's funny indeed, but I thought that the steam terms were the reason why BF3 is not going to be on steam.

 

[videogames101]

I can't go back to BC2, and still 14 days until BF3, how will I live? During the beta I didn't think I'd miss it this much!

 

[realjetavenger]

I can't go back to BC2, and still 14 days until BF3, how will I live? During the beta I didn't think I'd miss it this much!

Have you tried battlefieldplay4free? No, it is nothing like BF3, but there are versions of dragon valley, oman and karkand...

 

[marrr]

Will BF3 REQUIRE certain providers to allow them to host GSP? Or will it be like SRCDS, where you can just host it on whatever box?

I always hated that if you wanted to play ranked, they had to come from a specific GSP.

I'd love to host my own servers.


also found this awesome :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJurYPXA_uw


I'd love to start leasing out ranked servers for people....I have so much bandwidth available, haha.

BF3 requires "ranked" providers, so you are not allowed to host servers like srcds..

It sucks that you cant build your own machine and just pay to have it co-located because $200+ to rent dedicated servers adds up fast.

 

[Zargon]

Er, so...can anyone provide an example of a single 64 player server and how that might compare to a single 64 p server in BF2 historical pricing? Because as far as I know, a BF2 64 server would be somewhere between 60 and 90 dollars per month.



You could be right. And, I think they may be trying to intentionally fuck with large maps by making, indeed, large maps, but making them play like small maps by packing the flags into 1/4 of the map, so that for BF4 we will be completely weaned off large maps and they can just make small maps. Pure genius. Example: Operation Firestorm.

did you eat lead paint as a kid? have you actually even been ON that map? why dont you wait till you see it to strat rendering crackpot theories about it

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

did you eat lead paint as a kid? have you actually even been ON that map? why dont you wait till you see it to strat rendering crackpot theories about it

I'll grant you that I'm wearing a tinfoil hat and making crackpot theories about DICE's intentions. However, as to it being a crackpot theory about the map itself, have you not seen this?

https://k.minus.com/jF1yl7erpZyp5.JPG

Video evidence :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDIwNcAF7s4&feature=feedu
Can skip to 8:55.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I'll grant you that I'm wearing a tinfoil hat and making crackpot theories about DICE's intentions. However, as to it being a crackpot theory about the map itself, have you not seen this?

https://k.minus.com/jF1yl7erpZyp5.JPG

Video evidence :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDIwNcAF7s4&feature=feedu
Can skip to 8:55.

The video evidence shows that it takes quite some time to move between those control points on foot. What are you trying to prove?

The playable area on foot looks small from the jet? I prefer the slightly condensed play area. It's reminiscent of Karkand which is probably the best battlefield 2 map there is. People's perception of how many of the maps in BF2 were laid out kinda remind of how people think that Crysis 1 still has amazing textures. Your fond memories don't refect the reality of the game you used to play.

Sure some of the maps in BF2 were sprawling and took some time to get to cap points, but the maps everyone loved to play the most were condensed like these maps.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

The video evidence shows that it takes quite some time to move between those control points on foot. What are you trying to prove?

The playable area on foot looks small from the jet? I prefer the slightly condensed play area. It's reminiscent of Karkand which is probably the best battlefield 2 map there is. People's perception of how many of the maps in BF2 were laid out kinda remind of how people think that Crysis 1 still has amazing textures. Your fond memories don't refect the reality of the game you used to play.

Sure some of the maps in BF2 were sprawling and took some time to get to cap points, but the maps everyone loved to play the most were condensed like these maps.

No...the map itself is VAST yet the flags are packed into a small area.

And the point is, the people who think that if there is any significant travel time means the game is too slow, there will be PLENTY of maps for them. It's amazing how they want to interdict our efforts to prevail on DICE to have a map the size of Firestorm but where there are flags spread evenly. There's going to be, what, 14 maps, all we're asking is 2-3 to be proper open maps, but the Spam at Karkand lovers want every single map to cater to them. Basically, all that extra space in Firestorm serves no purpose whatsoever except aircraft travel time. Due to the shitty out of bounds they are putting in for uncaps, that shrinks the map immensely.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

El Alamein is all anyone needs to know about good map design.

 

[KayGee]

Have you tried battlefieldplay4free? No, it is nothing like BF3, but there are versions of dragon valley, oman and karkand...

BFP4F is a thousand times more fun than BC2 ever was.

 

[uclaLabrat]

El Alamein is all anyone needs to know about good map design.

Just played it for half an hour after reading your post.

Actually, not all that fun. I mean, it is enjoyable, but holy shit it lags, having or run or drive from flag to flag...I put the target reticle on someone's head while prone, first three shots miss. Have to burst through a whole 20 round mag to kill someone at a decent range....blah. Much prefer metro to that.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Just played it for half an hour after reading your post.

Actually, not all that fun. I mean, it is enjoyable, but holy shit it lags, having or run or drive from flag to flag...I put the target reticle on someone's head while prone, first three shots miss. Have to burst through a whole 20 round mag to kill someone at a decent range....blah. Much prefer metro to that.

Explain to me what lag or hit detection has to do with flag placement? You're comparing apples to kiwis. BF3 doesn't have random deviation and doesn't need to use grenade spam like previous BF games, so if anything it is MORE able to handle large maps. Again, there will be Metro and several maps like CONFIRMED for you, why resist us getting some nice open maps?

 

[GullyFoyle]

mp1st.com - BF3 – UMP-45 “only a little OP,” Changes to Bolt-Action Rifles, and HC Mode Details

Tweets turned in to an Article...

Veselka October 10, 2011 Battlefield, Battlefield 3, News

As the Battlefield 3 Beta is now over, and DICE is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the retail version, Alan Kertz, Senior Gameplay Designer, is revealing some very interesting information regarding the controversial issue of weapon damage.

To get a basic understanding of the weapon damage systems put in place in DICE’s new title, Kertz revealed that “The XM8 with Magnum is the basis for damage in BF3, then tweaked to fit the larger maps and more open spaces of BF3.” As many of you may remember, the XM8 assault rifle was one of the earlier ARs available to the soldier class in Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Many BF fans are curious about the state of the UMP-45 since it’s been hailed as one of the more over-powered weapons in the Beta. Earlier, DICE did admit that it would be seeing changes. Recently, Kertz admitted that “It was only a little OP. It hasn’t changed much and the handling has not changed at all.” This is probably not as big of a change as many fans were expecting or hoping for, but it seems fair.

Some fans have been claiming that Battlefield 2142 had the best weapon balance in the series. One fan mentioned that infantry combat in BF3 was not as deadly as in 2142. Kertz responded, “ARs were 34-20 damage, 3-5 shots on a light, 4-6 on a heavy. BF3 is 34-16.7 for AR. 3-6 shots, no armor option.” Another fan asked how do light armored vs heavy armored vehicles work compared to 2142? Kertz answered that in BF3, “About 1 bullet of damage. 3-4 with light 4-5 with heavy. Heavy reduced sprint duration as well.“

When it comes to hardcore mode in BF3, some fans have been wondering how much higher the damage percentage will be. Kertz verified, “About 50%. It will be around 3 shots at point blank with assault rifles, one good burst.“

Once again, Kertz has stated that the ability to one-shot an enemy in the chest with a bolt-action rifle was unintentional. Some fans have stated the opinion that they like the way the bolt-action rifles worked in the Beta. When asked if it’s been changed since then, Kertz responded, “Correct, a bug has been fixed and some weapons have been balanced, but the core is intact.“

How did you feel about the weapon damage in the Beta? Do you think the bolt-action rifles should have been left alone? Let us know in the comment section below! Make sure to follow @MPFirst on Twitter for more Battlefield 3 news as we inch closer to October 25th!

eurogamer.net - EA responds to Battlefield 3 ESRB rating

By Wesley Yin-Poole

11/10/2011 @ 08:41
EA has responded to the revelation that in upcoming first-person shooter Battlefield 3 you shoot cops in order to finish a mission with an… interesting statement.

As revealed by Eurogamer last week, US ratings board the ESRB has Battlefield 3 down as a 'Mature' game.

Notes accompanying its rating detailed a few of the more graphic elements in the game.

"The frequent combat is highlighted by realistic gunfire and large explosions; characters sometimes scream and emit large splashes of blood when shot. Players can also engage in hand-to-hand combat: repeatedly punching enemies in the face; stabbing soldiers to death with knives.

"In one sequence, a restrained character's throat is slit (off-screen); in another, players shoot police officers to complete a mission objective. The words 'f***' and 's***' can be heard frequently in the dialogue."

The mention of shooting police officers conflicted with comments made by the game's producer Patrick Back earlier this year.

"If you put the player in front of a choice where they can do good things or bad things, they will do bad things, go dark side - because people think it's cool to be naughty, they won't be caught," he explained.

"We have to build our experiences so we don't put the player in experiences where they can do bad things."

In response, EA issued Eurogamer the following statement: "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. For God's sake, there is a nuke in Paris! Millions of lives are at stake!!"

Indeed.

battlefieldo.com - YouTube - BF3 STUNTS ARE COMING BACK

YouTube.com - The Transfer - BF3 Jets - Caspian Border
YouTube.com - Caspian Border Flying - BF3 Beta

A Battlefield Stunts Community, named The Sir Community is starting to get back into the Stunt Business. We’ve known these guys since Battlefield 2 days and it’s great to see them back at it for Battlefield 3. Despite the limitations of server settings, they managed to make a few short videos of jet tricks in Caspian Border. With the upcoming release of the game and hopefully with Battle recorder, it’ll be awesome to see what these guys come up with. If you’re interested in checking out the Sir Community or perhaps joining them to get ready for stunt action, visit them here. Here is one of their old time Battlefield 2 films for kicks.

YouTube.com - BF2: Takeshi's Castle

planetbattlefield.com - Battlefield 3 Destruction Gameplay Trailer

18:34 PST | ^Scott^
EA released a new Battlefield 3 destruction trailer showing various shots of the amazing destruction in the game. Also shown is the antenna on Caspian Border collapsing, which wasn't implemented in the Battlefield 3 beta.
YouTube.com - Battlefield 3 - Official Destruction Gameplay

Check out one of the pillars of Battlefield 3, destruction! Destruction is a key feature of the Frostbite 2 engine and Battlefield 3 does it better than anyone else!
<see site for screens of antenna falling>

planetbattlefield.com - Battlefield 3 Interviews, News, GeForce LAN, 'The Russian' Book Preview

18:09 PST | ^Scott^ | Print News | Category: BF3
A whole lot of Battlefield 3 news to catch up on from the past few days. We are less than 2 weeks away from the launch of the full game! Keep an eye out early Friday morning (Oct 14th) for new footage and screens from the remaining "unannounced" multiplayer maps.

<see site for links>

• EA responds to Battlefield 3 ESRB rating (EuroGamer)
• BF3’s Executive Producer Talks Beta Reactions, Certification Delays, and Post-Release Support (Kotaku)
• The beta and Battlefield 3 (Joystiq)
• DICE: BF3 is "very different" to MW3 (EuroGamer)
• Interview: BF3's Plan For Domination (Gameasutra Interview w/ Patrick Liu)
• BF3: Returning to its roots on Wii U? (CVG)
• BF3 Questions and Concerns (GameSpy)
• BF3 Limited Edition PCDD $42 - Via Amazon, U.S. Only

zh1nt0 Tweets

• 1 soldier / account
• Looking to add joystick support
• Not launching with Battlerecorder

IGN Battlefield Youtube Videos

• Beauty of BF3 Beta Montage
• BF3 - Multiplayer Video Preview (Operation Firestorm & Grand Bazaar)
• BF3 Beta - Caspian Border Jet Gameplay

GeForce LAN
GeForce LAN is kicking off this Friday on the USS Hornet in Alameda, California. The schedule of Battlefield 3 events has been posted along with 4 maps that will be playable. There will be 1 additional to be announced map, which will also be playable.

Tournaments & Freeplays

BF3 TOURNAMENT MAPS AND FORMATS UNVEILED
We are pleased to announce the following maps for the Battlefield 3 Tournament and Freeplay area, three of which are is being premiered for public play for the first time at GeForce LAN:

• Operation Firestorm
• Grand Bazaar
• Caspian Border
• Operation Metro
• Plus, a fifth map – to be announced onsite at GeForce LAN

The main tournament for GeForce LAN will be 4v4 Deathmatch played on Operation Metro, Grand Bazaar and the fifth map to be unveiled onsite. This bracketed tournament is available for BYOC ticket holders only. Tournament rules and sign-ups will be available Monday, October 10th at 9:00 PM PDT at geforce.essagency.com.

Freeplay and casual tournaments in 32v32 Conquest and 4v4 Deathmatch formats will be played across all maps. Freeplay and casual tournaments for prizes will be available for BYOC and General Admission ticket holders on a first come, first served basis. To sign up, visit the tournament area onsite for details.

A few days ago IGN posted some video from the map Grand Bazaar on Playstation 3. Battlefield Log noticed a "Customization" feature, which might suggest either different camo or other solider customization options.

Battlefield 3: The Russian by Andy McNab

The first 5 chapters of the book (50 pages) can be found here. GameSpot also posted a preview with the first 2 chapters in plain text. The full book is set to be released the same day Battlefield 3 comes out, October 25.

 

[rgallant]

BFP4F is a thousand times more fun than BC2 ever was.

not bad I like it as a fill in till bf3.
-very tight teams -can track the team flow in the hud moving together to a flag
\s.
-well balanced in most rounds
-idiots seem to disappear and not come back -kicked maybe?
-hit boxes seem good
-weapons upgrades not cheap , but might have a better feel than the ones in bf3 b ,at least for a engineer. mp5 vet. seemed on par .with everyone in a 1 on 1 fire fight.
-maxed the 20 level cap in no time.
-tanks \apc can be wheeled around like a jeep , very responsive to commands ,found the ones in bf3b to be slow and heavy to drive. nerffed ?
-anyways a good game , best of all great players.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Gamespy.com - BF3: Beta Response Interview

By Bennett Ring | Oct 11, 2011
Dice answers our post-beta questions.

Who better to speak to about the issues arising from the recent Battlefield 3 beta than the game's Lead Multiplayer Designer, Lars Gustavsson. After pumping dozens of hours into the beta we had plenty of questions for him during yesterday's Australian Battlefield 3 event. Where's the VOIP and joystick support? Will bullet damage be altered? Can we set up our own squads? Why are jet campers such douchebags? Lars answered all of these, and more.

GameSpy: The beta didn't work well with joysticks or control pads. What level of support for these devices will the game ship with? Will pilots be able to fly with a stick or pad?
Lars: It's something we're looking into. It looks like we will be able to ship with joystick support, but I've been on the road for quite some time so I can't guarantee it. But yes, if it doesn't turn up at launch, it will definitely be a high priority as soon as possible after shipping. The work being done to support joysticks is more or less the same as control pads, if you get one, you get the other. It's something we're aware of now that we've brought back the jets. It's on the list.

GameSpy: The beta didn't support in-game VOIP; players had to form a party through battlelog to be able to chat just to their party. Will Battlefield 3 include in-game VOIP – be it squad or team based – at launch?
Lars: No, on PC this (battlelog) is what we're going to ship with. Then we're going to evaluate how we move forward with this. It's something we've heard from the community, it's something we understand. At the same time, building a game of this size, you can't win all of the battles. The convenience of going in with friends with your party VOIP channel and keep it even after the game, is definitely a strength. That's just the start – we can definitely evolve from there down the road.

GameSpy: We've heard there's going to be a command rose at launch for PC. Is that still going to be ready for launch? What sort of functionality might it include?
Lars: It is on our list for trying to get in there at launch. It is the usual things that you can really miss on the battlefield. Bail out is a typical one; you're sitting in a helicopter and you realize that you want to attack the flag, and there's no way to tell you're buddy that you're going to bail out.

GameSpy: What about ammo, medpacks, that sort of stuff?
Lars: We have the context system today, but it was buggy in the open beta. We've been hammering it to get it right.

GameSpy: There's been some feedback that some people found bullet damage too strong in the beta. Any plans to tweak it?
Lars: We've done a lot of tweaking and tuning, everyone needs to understand that the beta was early code. Everything from hit detection to damage, flashlights that people have been mentioning – a lot of the issues that people have raised have already been fixed.

GameSpy: Are you toning the flashlights down a bit?
Lars: Yeah, they should be much better at release.

GameSpy: What level of squad control will the release have? In the beta you couldn't form a squad, join a specific squad or lock a squad so it's just you and friends – will the final release be different?
Lars: At release you'll be able to invite friends, join squads, all the stuff that you need to be able to play with your friends. Getting into the server and seeing your friend, but not being able to play with them, is nothing but frustrating.

GameSpy: A lot of the oldschool, hardcore Battlefield players are asking for an advanced flight model option for choppers and jets – any chance you'll consider this requests?
Lars: For now we're leaving them the way they are, and will let the game live for a little while, then start the communication with the community to see where we stand.

GameSpy: The PC version looks quite different to the console versions. Do you think there will be any critical backlash from console gamers? Most of the marketing material is very PC focused, so they might be expecting something different to what they end up getting?
Lars: I don't think so. Most gamers do realize that the consoles are five years old, and if someone buys new SLI cards for their monster PC, there will be something extra for the PC. If we kept everything on console level for those PC players, then they would rightfully strangle us! I do think we have managed to push the boundaries of the consoles to a level where I feel we've passed the competition. That's all you can ask out of the team at this point.

GameSpy: Do you think building for PC first and foremost will give Dice a headstart when it comes to developing an engine for the next gen consoles? You'll be adept at multicore, multi-GPU and DirectX 11, where many other companies won't?
Lars: The main focus has been to build a game. Of course we have the technical thinking behind it, but we've been leading with console for quite some time now and it was time to turn it around to refresh all of our knowledge on previous titles. But yeah, the Frostbite 2.0 engine has been built to – as far as we possibly can – prepare for a modular approach to whatever may come in the future.

GameSpy: Do you think it will give you an advantage over other developers who are sticking with the old hardware?
Lars: We hope so. I think it's been a very mature move from Dice to invest in this new engine that allows us to keep on cramming more stuff out of these machines, otherwise we start to stall. I also think that's something that, to me, sticks out with Battlefield 3. It is a fresh take on an otherwise quite stale shooter market. We're trying to do a lot of things that no one has done before. Animation has stayed the same for ages, now we've revolutionized animation in shooters. We keep on pushing the boundaries for scale, for destruction.

GameSpy: What's the biggest lesson you got from the beta – were there any breakthroughs, or a collection of smaller insights?
Lars: For us it's validating and solving problems with the backend servers. Validating that it all worked to ensure we have a really good launch. In addition to that getting the audience's eyes on battlelog, having them try it out, even though it's rough code still. It's really gold for us to get this insight from the community. Yes, they're loud sometimes, and very passionate about it, but I'd rather have them loud and passionate than not talking to us at all. So I see that as a sign of investment.

GameSpy: When Bad Company 2 came out there were lots of issues with the server browser for the first few days. Do you think your beta testing will ensure that everything will work well on Day 1? Are you confident of a perfect launch?
Lars: That is the intention of course. I am much more confident than before the open beta. It's like when you do a parachute jump – you can only fold your parachute so many times. For every game we get more experienced, and we've definitely done the best we can, far beyond what we've ever done before, to make this a successful launch. Of course, if numbers go totally bananas, there's always areas that you can't predict. If that happens then those are luxury problems.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Spy Guy says: Enough with the Battlefield 3 articles already! (We'd love to cover Modern Warfare 3, but we can't get any COD love yet - Ed) The sooner this damn game arrives, the sooner I can stop reading all about it and start enjoying it. The anticipation is freakin' killing me!

 

[Leopardos]

Hey guys , I just wonder if its will run good using medium settings with Q9550 stock speed and HD4870X2(Single Card), 4GB DDR2 1033or1066MHZ speed ..

Thanks

 

[uclaLabrat]

Hey guys , I just wonder if its will run good using medium settings with Q9550 stock speed and HD4870X2(Single Card), 4GB DDR2 1033or1066MHZ speed ..

Thanks

I could never get my 4870X2 to work with both GPUs, I ended up getting a new card. Some people have had better luck.

 

[Leopardos]

I could never get my 4870X2 to work with both GPUs, I ended up getting a new card. Some people have had better luck.

Thats sad that u had to buy new graphic card , But not me , its not the time to upgrade ...

But how did some people have better luck ?
Is it a Catalyst problem(driver) ? or a game bug ?

 

[baronzemo78]

I have pre-ordered BF 3 on the PC but have been out of multiplayer gaming for a while. The last game I really played against people was Modern Warfare 2 on the 360.

Battlefield 3 looks amazing but I'm nervous since I don't know the maps at all and have no idea how to control the vehicles. Is there a good BF3 for dummies guide or suggestions you guys have so that I can get a good start?

Typically in multiplayer games I have a good time for the first few weeks or month and then end up quitting because I am a casual player and I can't dedicate 20 + hours a week to games. It gets old being pwnd by people who are just more dedicated to the game than I am.

I'm hoping that playing with a squad of my friends will help with that.

Thanks.

 

[Kev]

Thats sad that u had to buy new graphic card , But not me , its not the time to upgrade ...

But how did some people have better luck ?
Is it a Catalyst problem(driver) ? or a game bug ?

It was unplayable for me with 4870x2 and the latest cat drivers. I have an E8400 at 3ghz though. But I was able to play BC2 pretty well.

 

[Childs]

bf3 noob

haha, no ones going to know the maps. I was fooling around on the BF2 back to karkand maps last night trying to learn how to fly and I dont even remember those maps all that well, just the basic layout. You'll be fine when you are starting out with everyone. Maybe play CS or something to get your aim honed in.

 

[dyndragon]

No confirmed joystick support?! Man, DiCE hasn't had proper joystick support since BF2 :-(

 

[realjetavenger]

No confirmed joystick support?! Man, DiCE hasn't had proper joystick support since BF2 :-(

For a game designed for the pc, in a game they know people will be using a joystick, why oh why did they not include support already? I mean, come on.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

No confirmed joystick support?! Man, DiCE hasn't had proper joystick support since BF2 :-(

joystick support was awful for BC2 as well. I really hope they devote some time to it for this game. That or at least provide a separate mouse sensitivity for jets and choppers. I can't fly them with my low mouse sensitivity for infantry.