Battlefield 3

[ray_MAN]

Agreed. Once I figured out what I was doing, overall aside from a few uneven team situations I had a blast. I think the big problem was the inability to team up with friends to form squads, but as that's going to be fixed I'm looking forward to squading up with my homeboys on mumble. Likewise I thought bullet damage was ok, aside from the UMP and the peng MG, so I hope it's not dramatically lessened tbh.

There's still debate that bullet damage has been changed. People are saying that the improved netcode perhaps has given that illusion to testers from the media. A few tweets were made that refuted that the damage model has changed.

Also, the news that there will be no commo-rose or VOIP kind of sucks - especially no VOIP in-game. But someone on Reddit made a good point about the commo-rose:

I never played BF2 until after I played BF2142 and BC2. I don't think the Commo Rose is as functionally sound as you guys think it is.

Let's go through all of the options, and rank them:
* "Go, go, go" - when would you use this? The only time I heard this, was at the begining of a round, and everyone spammed it - F
* "Need Backup" - could be useful, but this could easily be usurped with proper communication - C
* "Need Pickup" - People are piling into the bird, and you want a ride. Totally useful - A
* "Roger That" - so you can say "yes" to a command? - F
* "Negative" - again, a response to a question or command. Not helpful - F
* "Thank You" - That's nice, but not all that helpful. Bonus points for being polite - D
* "Need Medic" - Ok, this is useful. Without regenerating health, you were screwed without a medic. However, now that your health slowly comes back, it's not as useful. BC2 did a good job that when you were near a medic, you could hit Q on a medic to yell at him. - B
* "Need Ammo" - Also useful. I think being able to hit Q when you see a support to yell at them should suffice. - B
* "Follow Me" - I don't think this is very useful. Proper communication would make this command obsolete. - D
* "Threat Spotted" Everyone knows it's use. Just hitting Q for this like in BC2 worked well. - A
So we have Need Ammo, Need Medic, need pickup, and threat spotted that would make the cut. It seems to me all of this things can be implemented with a single press of Q and context sensitivity. I just don't think the commo rose is useful in modern gaming. If you want to communicate to your team, you should have a mic, and also PC's have a great advantage of having a keyboard to chat right in front of you. There's enough ways to communicate that bringing back the Commo rose is just another way to complicate the UI system.

Certainly the guy has a point. I personally would like to see a little more robust of a system than just spotting with 'Q', but I would agree that the entire commo-rose is a little unnecessary.

 

[Vegeta897]

I don't think it's unnecessary. The entire point of his argument is that you can use voip, but apparently we don't even have that?

And don't tell me enough people pay attention to text chat for that to be as effective as an audible command.

What's wrong with the commo rose? I never used voice commands in CS or DoD or TF2 mostly because those games didn't require much coordination, and the number menu sucked. But I used it all the damn time in BF2, and typing shit out would be a serious pain as well as not be payed attention to nearly as much.

 

[Stigmata]

The commo-rose is only unnecessary if you're one of the people who
- has a mic
- has friends who play BF3
- has friends who are within a reasonable/playable ping-distance
- has friends who use Ventrilo/Teamspeak
- has access to a Vent/TS server along with said friends
- can reliably and repeatedly play BF3 at the same time as friends, due to work/sleep/school schedules and etc

I'd wager that there's easily, easily two or three million PC players (over BF3's lifetime) who do not meet these needs, and therefore are negatively impacted by not having a commo-rose. I'd even go as far as saying that every single PC player is impacted by this at least once. What if all my friends are asleep, it's 3 in the morning, and I want to tell this random teammate of mine to "Go go go!" because we've been hiding behind a concrete barrier waiting for the perfect moment to strike a capture point? I can't use TS or Vent, I have no idea who this guy is. Joining his squad won't provide any new communication. Adding him to my Battlelog friends... I don't know him, so no. In-game text chat? Perfect, if I'm playing an MMO.

 

[Viperidae]

What if all my friends are asleep, it's 3 in the morning, and I want to tell this random teammate of mine to "Go go go!" because we've been hiding behind a concrete barrier waiting for the perfect moment to strike a capture point?

That's the perfect time to respawn as recon and sit in a bush for the rest of the night.

I mean, it's a team game afterall.

 

[Ennui]

While I think the command rose has legitimate uses (like what Stigmata said) I do think that the context-sensitive Q button system accounts for the majority of it - requesting ammo, requesting health, squad orders (attack/defend orders on objectives/MCOMs), spotting enemies, saying "Wait I need a ride," etc.

I don't really like commo roses from a UI perspective; they just seem ungraceful. Why do I need to disturb my mouselook/field of vision/aim when I could just tap 2 buttons (e.g. Counterstrike voice menus)? The latter is faster and less interruptive of the flow of gameplay. If DICE adds anything besides the Q button context voice comms, it should be a simple menu on x or c or something with 9 simple voice commands like "Go go go", "Need backup", "Yes sir", "No sir", and I suppose we can throw "Enemy Boat Spotted" in there for old time's sake.

What I think is a much bigger design issue with the interface than the commo rose vs Q button debate is the fact that voice commands aren't also displayed as text on the HUD like they were in BF2. The sound of the command tends to get lost in all the cacophony and noise of Battlefield so having them on the screen in a bright easy to read color like it was in BF2 would be a massive improvement, since as it is people tend to ignore or not hear it when you request ammo etc. If they just added this I would be fine with Q button.

 

[Viperidae]

If it's a debate between commo-rose and some other interface thing, I don't care.

If it's a debate whether a squad-based team game should have selectable audio/visual orders that a squad leader can issue to his unit when trying to complete objectives, I'm just going to give up entirely on this whole scene.

 

[Krynn72]

I agree with the reddit guy. Only a few of those options are actually useful and could all be done contextually. I would also add in an "attack this objective" by having squad leaders/commander looking at capture point's icon (on the map or in world-space) and pressing the button. The commarose is just a clunky way of handling it. Its one of the things that annoys me in RO2 as well, but RO2 also had a feature that makes it a bit redundant anyways, where you can hold F and it brings up an arrow that you can hover over something and tell people to attack it or drop artillery.

I don't think anyone here is saying there shouldn't be any in-game method of communicating like this though.

 

[Unfocused]

The "not needed if there's proper communication" argument is pretty stupid. You don't have "proper" voice communication with everyone on your team, so you have to use other means of communicating and a commo-rose is in most combat scenarios more efficient than typing.

Examples of command deemed obsolete by the reddit guy:

Go, go, go - I use it when there's a driver waiting for me (and perhaps other people) and everyone's piled in, to signal we're ready to go; alternatively, I use it when I see someone in a vehicle waiting for me and I don't want to get in - to let him know that I want him to go without me.

Roger that - used when someone issues an order (ex. attack/defend/move) which I intend to follow - that way I let my SL know that I'm cooperating and won't, for example, suddenly run off when I see a nice hill to camp on. I even often use it when I'm communicating via voice and am issued an order verbally.

Negative - again, can be used when someone's stopping to pick you up and is screaming "get in" at you, when you don't want to do this

Follow me - can be used after a squad regroups, as a confirmation that the SL wants everyone to follow him and isn't moving just to take a peek while waiting for others to regroup


So there you have it. If not a primary channel of information, the commo-rose can be used as backup. It was also not uncommon for me to play with friends and communicate with them via Teamspeak, but also have random players in our squad, that we couldn't talk with - the commo-rose definitely helped coordinate our actions in those cases.

 

[Stigmata]

Having a commo-rose is honestly just a flat-out "win" in every single dimension of the game's design. It's too visually-messy? Don't use it. You have Vent or TS already? Don't use it. You don't like hearing "ENEMY BOAT SPOTTED"? I don't like being sniped; deal with it.

Post-beta, I'm becoming less and less excited about this game every time DICE opens their mouths. The fact that the commo-rose STILL isn't in the game is honestly disgusting. Every day it sounds more like the entire development team's experience with the Battlefield franchise started at Bad Company. Who thought randomized squad leaders was a good idea? Who thought the commo-rose wouldn't be missed?

 

[unozero]

As as I said before you gotta wonder if the people making the Game have ever actually played a game to know what makes it fun in the first place.

 

[knut]

As as I said before you gotta wonder if the people making the Game have ever actually played a game to know what makes it fun in the first place.

i dunno, they've made a pretty good impression with the beta and the lack of commo-rose really didn't detract from it at all.

like, i get that it could be there but... it isn't, and it really didn't change nothing. so at the end of the day, it's not really a problem. people still go to flag b without a teammate saying so, people will still defuse a mcom when it starts bleeping, teammates will be notified of a soldier when they are highlighted, or seen, and things do still appear on the map when spotted. i honestly don't really think it's that nessecary, even if it's implementation is fairly straightforward. it's so middle-ground that it's almost a non-issue for me and seemingly, all the other people who had a blast with the beta. which is a lot, it seems.

 

[Stigmata]

That's all true, but you have to look back at all the times when you were side-by-side with your teammates, completely unsure of which way they'd turn, whether or not they were going cover the door while you moved through it, if or when they would rush an objective or encampment, not to mention the 200+ms real-world latency... any sort of close-quarters tactics were just about impossible to orchestrate. It's not enough to be able to say "There's an objective, there's an enemy, give me health".

 

[Hectic Glenn]

I wonder what happened to the concept of bringing a true sequel to BF2. At least with BC2, they used a sufficiently detached brand to differentiate the branching off of the game. I kind of assumed they were steering it back into the BF2 sequel when they said 'jets are in!'.

 

[Apocalypse89]

Going back to BF2 after a while of BC2, I think the commo-rose is a definite plus. It's immensely useful being able to call for a medic when there's one nearby but not in your line of sight, for instance, and being able to thank people is a nice little gesture. Not to mention being able to spot even when the enemy hides behind cover, even though that tends to get spammed.

Maybe a good old compromise could work? Tapping the comm button would perform a context-sensitive action BC2-style, while holding it brings up the rose for more detailed/out-of-context commands.

 

[Krynn72]

Go, go, go - I use it when there's a driver waiting for me (and perhaps other people) and everyone's piled in, to signal we're ready to go; alternatively, I use it when I see someone in a vehicle waiting for me and I don't want to get in - to let him know that I want him to go without me.

When has that ever worked? I remember naively trying this sort of stuff in BF2, telling a driver to "go" and him just doing nothing. The only actual function it has ever served in any game I've played is in spamming. The same can be said about the other commands you list as well. The affirmative/negative thing is only spammed or done when its a "funny" response to something. I've never seen people use it to actually say "okay, I will do that". Even if they did, what's the point? If the Squad Leader sees you doing it, he doesn't need audible confirmation as well. The follow me command just seems pointless. Nobody works together to that extent in a public game, and if its not a public game then you're not a casual gamer and probably have a mic.

I think you're letting a pipe-dream cloud your perception of reality.

 

[Vegeta897]

Maybe you've had some shit experience Krynn, but I've had most of those commands come in handy during my experience with BF2.

 

[unozero]

yeah it worked really well for me too.
Mainly the I need a ride one or Medic.

 

[hool10]

Lulz, you poor Europeans. http://battlefieldo.com/bf3-region-locked/ Even DigiQ8 who is in Kuwait gets the game before you guys!

October 25th, 2011
USA, Canada, Singapore, Rest of the World

October 27th, 2011
Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Austria, France, Spain, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand

October 28th, 2011
UK, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Belgium

November 2nd, 2011
Japan

 

[ríomhaire]

I still can't play BF2 on my laptop because punkbuster things having two graphics drivers is a cheat. **** even balance!

 

[ray_MAN]

How to change your Origin username, courtesy of Reddit:

I've seen a lot of people complaining about Battlefield 3 using your Origin ID. If you set your Origin ID before realizing what it was going to be used for it is actually pretty easy to change if you have an iOS device.
Simply download Scrabble Free for iOS and then log in with your Origin account. Once you've logged in go to settings (the little gear in the bottom left corner) and then click on "Edit Account" and there you go. You can change your username to something you are more comfortable with.
EDIT: 1337WeeMan confirms that the Android version also allows you to change your Origin ID.
EDIT2: Many people are saying "Scrabble Free isn't available in country X's App Store". If there are any other EA mobile games in your App Store that allow you to log in with your Origin ID it is possible that they will also allow you to change your username.

 

[Unfocused]

When has that ever worked? I remember naively trying this sort of stuff in BF2, telling a driver to "go" and him just doing nothing. The only actual function it has ever served in any game I've played is in spamming. The same can be said about the other commands you list as well. The affirmative/negative thing is only spammed or done when its a "funny" response to something. I've never seen people use it to actually say "okay, I will do that". Even if they did, what's the point? If the Squad Leader sees you doing it, he doesn't need audible confirmation as well. The follow me command just seems pointless. Nobody works together to that extent in a public game, and if its not a public game then you're not a casual gamer and probably have a mic.

I think you're letting a pipe-dream cloud your perception of reality.

What can I say, I've been speaking about my actual experience, without stretching the truth. If your experience varies then I can only wish you better luck in the future.

 

[Ren.182]

Pretty dumb that the only way to change your username is to use an Android/iPhone app.

I always found the Commorose helpful in my games. People did listen whenever I played. I'm glad they're putting it back in!

 

[Shakermaker]

Battleblog #13 Multiplayer Map Reveal (part 1/2)

OPERATION FIRESTORM

WORKING TITLE> OILFIELDS
DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP012
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> ALL-OUT DESERT WARFARE

FICTION> U.S. AND RUSSIA LAUNCH LARGE-SCALE ASSAULTS TO CONTROL IRAN’S BIGGEST SOURCE OF OIL. SECURING THIS AREA WILL OFFER FULL CONTROL OF THE SECTOR AND ITS KEY FACILITIES.

NIKLAS ÅSTRAND’S DESIGN THOUGHTS: One of our largest and most vehicle-friendly map, Operation Firestorm is the classic Battlefield gameplay taken to the extremes. Size-wise, and with some puzzle skills, you could actually place three Atacama Deserts -- one of the largest maps from Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- within the playable area of Operation Firestorm. This is a wide-open desert map where the burning oil fields in one direction are contrasted by clear blue sky in the other direction. Construction sites dotting the area bring interesting possibilities for infantry to hide in elevated positions, spot vehicles, and take them down by mortar or RPG.

OPERATION MÉTRO

WORKING TITLE> METRO
DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP015
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> INFANTRY FOCUSED COMBAT IN SUBWAY

FICTION> HEAVY FIGHTING IS EXPECTED AS U.S. FORCES PUSH TO SECURE THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT IN CENTRAL PARIS. RUSSIAN ANTI-AIR EMPLACEMENTS IN CHARDONNAY PARK ARE LIKELY TO BE THE FIRST TARGET.

NIKLAS ÅSTRAND’S DESIGN THOUGHTS: Operation Métro is the map from E3 and the Open Beta, so some of you are familiar with it already. It is a map that perfectly illustrates that we want to take our players on a journey. Especially in Rush, you can see how Operation Métro is almost three maps within one: You start out in a lush park, then move into a bombed-out section of the subway tunnels, to finally emerge in a dense urban environment outside the Paris stock exchange. It’s a map that asks you to constantly adapt your class and load out for the diverse situations you will find yourself in.

TEHRAN HIGHWAY

WORKING TITLE> HIGHWAY
DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP003
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> INFANTRY FIGHTING IN TIGHT CITY STREETS

FICTION> A FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF ACCESS ROUTES NEAR TEHRAN. U.S. FORCES MAKE A PUSH FROM THE HILLS UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS WHILE RUSSIANS HAVE SET UP DEFENSIVE POSITIONS ALONG THE MAIN ENTRANCE POINTS.

NIKLAS ÅSTRAND’S DESIGN THOUGHTS: One of the inspirations for this map was a photo of a night time skyline of Tehran which now is basically the same vista that is available in the game. You start up on the hills above the city outskirts and eventually work your way into town. This atmospheric night-time map, where you can see rockets lighting up the sky, has a balanced mix between vehicle and infantry focus. It plays length-wise and starts semi-open with plenty of room for vehicles, but ends on a much more urban and tight note with less focus on vehicles and more on infantry.

DAMAVAND PEAK

WORKING TITLE> BASEJUMP
DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP013
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> FIGHTING IN WINTER MOUNTAINS

FICTION> A RUGGED MOUNTAIN AREA PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN DECIDING WHETHER RUSSIAN OR U.S. TROOPS ARE SUCCESSFUL IN COMBAT OPERATIONS IN THE SECTOR, AS THE AREA IS HOME TO KEY RADAR INSTALLATIONS.

NIKLAS ÅSTRAND’S DESIGN THOUGHTS: Damavand Peak, internally known as Base Jump, is built on the idea that we want players to be able to base jump, and features our most extreme height differences ever in a Battlefield map. Attackers in Rush and Squad Rush will start high up on a mountain ridge above a mining facility. The only way down into the valley is to somehow make the 500 meter descent. The further the attackers progress in the map, the more vehicle warfare will be present. There is also a large tunnel section dug into the mountain side at the bottom of the map, and the view when you look up at the starting location is spectacular.

The other five will be published tomorrow. Dat basejump ...

 

[ray_MAN]

Basejump and the night map in Tehran look awesome.

I'm interested to see how sniper glint will work when there's no sunlight to reflect...

 

[knut]

damavand peak looks absolutely incredible. defending against attackers on that is going to be real interesting. quite excited to see how that will work for conquest and one of the capture points being right at the top.

another five maps revealed tomorrow, apparently.

 

[Dynasty]

Damavand peak looks sweeeeeeeeeet.

We kind of know basejumping is in the game anyway by a trailer or two, but this is awesome. 2 levels to a map, way to get the Halo fanboys going.

Still, should be frigging amazing jumping down and getting the drop on someone below.

 

[knut]

2 levels to a map, way to get the Halo fanboys going.

sorry pal, your attempt at trolling isn't going to work here as you've been beaten to the punch: halo reach has a map called spire, which adds a very large vertical element to the map by way of a central tower some hundred or so feet high, for both matchmaking deathmatch and objective games, plus invasion.

of course you could of said any number of multiplayer games to get a quick-quip in, but instead you chose halo as you always do, even though it's time and time again obvious you have absolutely no idea what reach is like or has included in the box. for shame, sir!

 

[Dynasty]

Heh, wasnt trolling (well, to me I wasnt), more of a get-in-before-the-Halo-horde-do.

The only reason I mentioned Halo anyway was because that is the only map I know of that has such a height difference in it. Besides, trolling Halo is like saying to an Apple fan that Macs are dumb, they'll just punch you in the face. I have done, for less. Well, metaphorically. You dont join this force of mine by shaking hands.

And Ive given up on debating Halo. Some things you just cant win.

And Reach was hardly anything as new as all the fans claim. Or as big. And just like Gears of War 3 this year; it was knocked off the top spot after just one week by an F1 game here in the UK (two of my biggest ''told you so'' laughs in gaming against fanboys for me).

*sigh* I get worked up over this ***t.

I want to scream at people on the BF3 official forums when they whine simply because they're even more ignorant than I am/can be. Or compare it to CoD. ***k me if I see another BF3 article that mentions how much their SP campaign is infulenced by CoD I'm gonna fly to San Francisco and burn IGN to the ground. Except for Jessica Chobot. She's far too sweet and gorgeous. And maybe Gregg Miller...

But then I remind myself it's just a game. I'm buying Battlefield 3. I will forever hate Halo because I dont see what the fuss is about. Nothing changes in the game. Doing the same thing in minute 7 as I am in hour 7. And CoD? Well, I think we all know the answer to that.

Hmm. I think there might be ***sy out there.

But anyway, BF3.

They released a 5 pillars of Battlefield 3 trailer today, which consisted of footage we've seen before in the faultline trailer, with no voiceover or interview. Just showing the footage again with nothing new, saying how they have award winning sound, new animation etc via text.

Hope EA isnt running out of steam, what with CoD coming. Keep on throwing blows EA, gotta keep this momentum going.

 

[ray_MAN]

Hope EA isnt running out of steam, what with CoD coming. Keep on throwing blows EA, gotta keep this momentum going.

I mean, they are teasing more and more information about the multiplayer maps (as we saw today), and I'm sure we'll see more footage as time goes by. So I doubt they're losing any steam.

 

[Stigmata]

No visible ping in scoreboard: www.twitter.com/#!/zh1nt0/statuses/124208854702624769

So that seals it, I'm not buying this game until at least mid-November, and that's if they start acting like "PC platform" means anything beyond "more players".

 

[repiV]

This game makes me want to buy a second Geforce 560Ti for SLI ultra settings goodness. Nnnngh waste of money waste of money waste of money...

 

[Raziaar]

WHAT THE **** IS UP WITH THIS PREORDER ONLY BULL SHIT? I hate games that do this.

**** your preorder bonuses, I want to preorder your games but not feel obligated to do so if I can't financially do it at the time. I don't want to come in late and not able to get your shit. I'll just download it later with a workaround.

No visible ping in scoreboard: www.twitter.com/#!/zh1nt0/statuses/124208854702624769

So that seals it, I'm not buying this game until at least mid-November, and that's if they start acting like "PC platform" means anything beyond "more players".

What the ****. Why do companies think it's okay to just up and remove shit as important as ping displays.

 

[unozero]

Dice is run by retards....


edit: do you guys think that performance wise they're might be some more tuning?


EDIT:in before:"not as retarded as you Uno!"

 

[Krynn72]

They're might be. But I bet this will have a pretty shitty release on the PC. Crap performance and bugs all over. Its how they usually do Battlefield games.

 

[xcellerate]

Don't forget origin! The biggest failure of them all!

I made a thread on the comment forum on the EA website detailing my experience using origin. This wasn't an 'origin are dumb, i want steam' post, it was legitimate issues like how if I install origin on my D: drive, it still tries to install games on my C: drive. And how it automatically 'checks' the different ways people have to find you after you finish installing it, even if you unchecked all the options during the install. I tried to keep it as factual as possible, but they still deleted it.

Then I saw on the next page how other people had their posts deleted as well. Including one guy who was referred there by ea chat support, then a moderator closed his thread saying they can't help him on the forum and he needs to take it up with a chat support. EA is a ****ing brilliant, amazing company, filled with geniuses of the highest caliber. I don't think there's any way I could possibly improve upon their flawless product support or impeccable product development.

 

[Shakermaker]

WHAT THE **** IS UP WITH THIS PREORDER ONLY BULL SHIT? I hate games that do this.

**** your preorder bonuses, I want to preorder your games but not feel obligated to do so if I can't financially do it at the time. I don't want to come in late and not able to get your shit. I'll just download it later with a workaround.

It has been stated ad nauseam that these aren't exclusive items but day one unlocks.

*hugs his Origin pre-order*

 

[Acepilotf14]

Welcome to the botnet.

 

[ray_MAN]

WHAT THE **** IS UP WITH THIS PREORDER ONLY BULL SHIT? I hate games that do this.

**** your preorder bonuses, I want to preorder your games but not feel obligated to do so if I can't financially do it at the time. I don't want to come in late and not able to get your shit. I'll just download it later with a workaround.



What the ****. Why do companies think it's okay to just up and remove shit as important as ping displays.

Why do you feel obligated? The only reason I did it was because it did make more financial sense to me. Instead of paying $60 for the game and then $10-15 for the Karkand DLC, I just paid $60 for both. Boom.

Also, you could have preordered on Amazon for $42, which is way cheaper than this game is going to be for the foreseeable future. I think it's $50 right now on Amazon, so that's still a bargain IMO.

 

[Evo]

Pre-order bullshit is a large part of the game retailers are playing in trying to secure a sale with the incentive of a pre-order bonus to stop people buying it elsewhere.

 

[TwwIX]

If you are really on keen on pre-ordering this disappointment, you can always register a new Origin account and set your birthday to two days from now. They'll email you a 25% off code a day or two after your birthday which you can then use towards your purchase. Pre-orders included. That's what i did before i canceled my pre order. It ended up costing me around $45 and i also got a free copy of Dead Space 2. It still wasn't worth it imo.