Battlefield 3 General Discussion Thread

Still can't decide if I want to pick up Premium. I've been having a BF3 itch to play a modern shooter but I haven't found any good servers without the addon packs :(
 
Hit 1 Million views! I've never see a thread with so many views here at [H]. Chuck Norris approves of this thread...

 
The hope is that VOIP will be more seemlessly integrated on a per server / per squad basis in battle log, now that EA own the company that makes battlelog. Until then, they won't get my premium moneys if at all.
 
The thread that should have the most views... T[H]e Babe Thread, has < 100k views.

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As usual certain weapons feel gimped each patch while they boost others. Shotguns worthless relegated to Metro and TDM for the most part. engineer weapons just feel OP half the time as their TTK is so high.

Games not bad but weapon balance is just lacking compared to previous titles.

You know what the problem is? The public's misguided desire for, and therefore companies delivering games with, 67 different guns. How the hell are you supposed to balance all of that so any gun makes sense?

I played the PS3 beta of Bad Company 2 and it was amazing, because somebody spent a lot of time thinking about which guns to include. There were only 2 or 3 guns per class. It was amazing. Each class was totally forced to play within its roll, based on tight weapon restrictions. The LMG had a lot of bullets and could covere an area, but it shot relatively slow and was inaccurate. Engineers have fast shooting sub machine guns that are good at close/medium range, but don't hold a lot of bullets and aren't effect at long range. There was 1 auto shotgun and 1 pump shotgun. etc etc.

but once you add 30 more guns and all of these sights and recoil reducing addons and rebalance patches that remove distinctions between weapons----you get classes that play similarly.
 
You know what the problem is? The public's misguided desire for, and therefore companies delivering games with, 67 different guns. How the hell are you supposed to balance all of that so any gun makes sense?

I played the PS3 beta of Bad Company 2 and it was amazing, because somebody spent a lot of time thinking about which guns to include. There were only 2 or 3 guns per class. It was amazing. Each class was totally forced to play within its roll, based on tight weapon restrictions. The LMG had a lot of bullets and could covere an area, but it shot relatively slow and was inaccurate. Engineers have fast shooting sub machine guns that are good at close/medium range, but don't hold a lot of bullets and aren't effect at long range. There was 1 auto shotgun and 1 pump shotgun. etc etc.

but once you add 30 more guns and all of these sights and recoil reducing addons and rebalance patches that remove distinctions between weapons----you get classes that play similarly.

BFBC2 on PC had roughly the same amount of weapons as BF3. I much prefer BF3's approach as you spent less time figuring out what the hell each weapon is supposed to be. In BC2 you could have an SMG or a pistol that out ranged a rifle. It made equipping the right gear for the map/mission a PITA until you figured out the random and contradictory game mechanics.

BF3 isn't realistic, but at least the weapons make enough sense that we don't have to spent hours learning which weapon randomly got the "best specs".
 
Uninstalled.
1) Premium is a blatant moneygrab and the queue jump continues to piss me off.
2) Server browser randomly won't show servers that I *know* are there.
3) The lack of ingame voice combined with the frustrating command rose (whatever you want to call it) is really what made this game never be my #1 game to play despite the amazing way it looks.
4) I am still unhappy with the amount of destruction. Yes, I know deformed terrain was taken out due to bugs and that Karkand added more destruction but it still feels lacking.
5) The Knife fucking blows and we all know it. God forbid you try to knife someone prone or accidentally be .0002 inches too far to the side of them.
6) Game ending bugs. I've been randomly global banned twice... I have had random crashes galore and it isn't just me and my setup but my rl friends as well. One of my friends has had the game unplayable due to a fucking SOUND issue that reduced him to like 20 fps because of the sound chip his mobo uses. Uh, okay.

I don't mean this as a 'bragging that I am quitting' post but just ugh... I wanted to really enjoy this game so much but after ~200+ hours I just can't say that the enjoyment has outdone the frustration with bugs and complete lack of teamplay mechanisms.:(
 
Well Darrpara, you got 200 hrs out of it. I'm going to assume you enjoyed yourself well more than half of that time. My reasoning? No human being wastes 200hrs doing something he hates if he doesn't have to.

All I can say is that I'm glad I don't have the same experience that you do with this game. Cause what you described sounds like it sucks. But then you spent 200hrs on it so... I digress.

Personally I havent been playing much BF3 even though I paid for premium. I blame FIFA 13. Completely.
 
new patch!

starting 08:30 UTC October 11th (click link to see the corresponding time where you live). It usually takes ~6 hours on consoles for these updates to be rolled out to all servers worldwide. On PC you should see these updates in about 24 hours on a majority of the servers.
notes:
Gunship balance tweak in Rush mode
The Armored Kill gunship received major tweaks already in the last server update. We are now further tweaking it based on community feedback. It now only respawns after the attackers have destroyed an M-COM in Rush.

Rationale: The gunship has been a bit overpowered and spawning too fast in Rush, especially on servers running modified vehicle spawn times. This tweak makes the gunship only spawn for the attackers after each crate, except the initial spawn on round start. In effect, this means that after the gunship is destroyed, a new M-COM needs to be destroyed before the gunship can respawn at all.

Gunship balance tweak in Conquest mode
The gunship will always have a 60 second spawn delay in Conquest no matter the server spawn delay setting.


Rationale: The gunship has been spawning too fast on servers running modified vehicle spawn times, making it hard to regain control of the flag controlling the gunship. This tweak will make the gunship spawn every 60 seconds independent of server settings.

Option to remove minimap in Hardcore mode
We now allow disabling the minimap in Hardcore mode.


Rationale: It&#8217;s been a requested feature from the community to be able to remove the minimap in hardcore mode. We are now adding a new preset on consoles for server admins to use called &#8220;Hardcore no map&#8221; which disables the minimap and keeps the rest of the Hardcore settings intact. On PC, you disable the minimap with the server command &#8220;vars.minimap false&#8221; that is now permitted on Hardcore servers. Enjoy!

Improved server stability
Improved connectivity between game servers and the back end, significantly reducing the number of times a server times out and kicks players.


Knife takedown fix
Fixed so that there can be multiple knife kills at the same time on a server.


Rationale: We had a bug where only one knife takedown could take place at any one time on one server. If you attempted a knife takedown at the exact same time as someone else on the server, the takedown animation wouldn&#8217;t play, and your opponent wouldn&#8217;t take any damage. This has now been fixed.

MVP Premium member score fix
Fixed so that MVP and best team is calculated using normalized score (removing the advantage Premium members sometimes received in obtaining these ribbons)


Rationale: Earlier, Premium members would get an inflated chance of becoming MVP/best team during Premium exclusive double XP events, since these ribbons were calculated based on total score. Using base values all across the board now removes this artificial advantage.

Kill list fix
Fixed the bug where a kill was listed as a vehicle kill when the player actually killed someone with a mine or similar weapon. Another where this would occur was if you fired a Javelin, then entered a vehicle before the Javelin hit its target.


Radio beacon exploit fix
Fixed the radio beacon exploit where you could place it above the roof and then spawn on it to access areas that are not meant to be accessible. This glitch was reported on Operation Métro and has been removed.


Ladder/vehicle entry fix
Fixed so that players can no longer enter vehicles while climbing a ladder.

Crash fix
Fixed a rare potential crash issue when loading a new map.

Let us know in the comments section below what you think about these tweaks and fixes.
 
Uninstalled.
1) Premium is a blatant moneygrab and the queue jump continues to piss me off.
2) Server browser randomly won't show servers that I *know* are there.
3) The lack of ingame voice combined with the frustrating command rose (whatever you want to call it) is really what made this game never be my #1 game to play despite the amazing way it looks.
4) I am still unhappy with the amount of destruction. Yes, I know deformed terrain was taken out due to bugs and that Karkand added more destruction but it still feels lacking.
5) The Knife fucking blows and we all know it. God forbid you try to knife someone prone or accidentally be .0002 inches too far to the side of them.
6) Game ending bugs. I've been randomly global banned twice... I have had random crashes galore and it isn't just me and my setup but my rl friends as well. One of my friends has had the game unplayable due to a fucking SOUND issue that reduced him to like 20 fps because of the sound chip his mobo uses. Uh, okay.

I don't mean this as a 'bragging that I am quitting' post but just ugh... I wanted to really enjoy this game so much but after ~200+ hours I just can't say that the enjoyment has outdone the frustration with bugs and complete lack of teamplay mechanisms.:(

1 - its a good deal for people w/o DLC already, so its hard to really call it a money grab :confused:
2 - havent had that for a while, but yeah its a PITA, esp when they broke the favorites ALOT
3 - commorose works ok? would be nice if they had real voip though
4 - yes no terrain deformation is lame
5 - should be better now, how this bug lasted this long boggles my mind....only one knife takedown kill was allowed to be happening at a time, PER SERVER!!!
6 - sounds like alot of PEBCAK. esp if his sound drivers were form 2011 or something. Ive had patches come out that forced driver upgrades to stop hangs. sucky? kinda. fixable? obviously
 
that too ^^

alof of good servers run vent/ts3, most split you by team, and some by squad(tactical gamer does it by squad)
 
Uninstalled.
*snip*

I don't mean this as a 'bragging that I am quitting' post but just ugh... I wanted to really enjoy this game so much but after ~200+ hours I just can't say that the enjoyment has outdone the frustration with bugs and complete lack of teamplay mechanisms.:(

Yeah, I have pretty much stopped playing. At various points I was able to temporarily fix my sound issue, but it always came back eventually. And while I thought I could play and be fine with no sound, it really really makes me angry when I have to play without sound. It removes so much from the experience.

The only reason I haven't un-installed yet, is because I paid for premium, so I want to at least play an hour on each expansion. I'll most likely un-install after the last expansion release. Then I will leave the Battlefield franchise for good.
 
BFBC2 on PC had roughly the same amount of weapons as BF3. I much prefer BF3's approach as you spent less time figuring out what the hell each weapon is supposed to be. In BC2 you could have an SMG or a pistol that out ranged a rifle. It made equipping the right gear for the map/mission a PITA until you figured out the random and contradictory game mechanics.

BF3 isn't realistic, but at least the weapons make enough sense that we don't have to spent hours learning which weapon randomly got the "best specs".

Maybe I wasn't very clear----in the PS3 beta of BC2, there were only about 10 weapons, total. Each class had only 2 or three weapons per type (main/sidearm/gadget). Additionally, it seemed someone spent a lot of time thinking about which weapons these few would be. The game played amazing because it really re-enforced the differences between weapon and class types. There was nearly zero overlap, except that I think you could equip a shotgun onto any class.

So yes, I agree that actual retail BC2, especially all patched up, was less than it should have been because there were way too many guns and they were all eventually re-balanced to be way too similar.

BF3 has exactly the same problem. Although there seems to be less overlap between weapon classes, within each class you can pretty much pick whatever weapon you want (with a few exceptions). Its all too samey. All the attachments though do still create some overlap.

I think it would be rad if server admins had the option to make only certain weapons available to each class and force that onto the players. I'd love to play with only a couple of weapon options per class.
 
Yeah, BF3 is starting to run into that problem. The new announcement about weapons not being in the next 2 DLC's may seem bad. But there is already weapons in the game that just have no strong points. The PP-2000 comes to mind here. The only issue I have with is that they made a promise of weapons then took it back. If there had been a bit more thought, they would have realized they already have so many weapons that some are starting to become too similar, and that adding more would make that worse, then they wouldn't have made the promise, and people wouldn't be so upset.

Also just want to mention this, especially since the topic is weapons. I have started to do some reviews of them myself as I felt that the current reviews out there didn't always portray what I felt about the weapons. If anyone wants to check them out, maybe tell me what they think as compared to others, tips/feedback is always appreciated!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0xclGYVUI8
That's my latest review, for the M5K, I've also done the G3A3, and the UMP, they are in the playlist if anyone wants to see those.
 
Why don't they add 10 new pistols

Not sure if serious... either way, I'll bite.

I'd say pistols are covered as well as any of the other weapon types already. There's a few pistols that stand out, and so many others that go unused, because the best niches are already filled.
 
You know...I really, really want to like AK. The maps are amazing. But way, way too many vehicles. If I don't have an antiair as an engi, I die to a tank, and vice versa. There are just way too many vehicles...I either wait around to get in one, or run around waiting for a helicopter/gunship/tank/tank destroyer to pull up and own me. Not sure what the solution is...it isn't infantry only, because the vehicles definitely add to it. And I know it's an armor DLC...I just feel like it's a bit too much. (Just got AK today, so first impressions...I will be playing more.)
 
The maps are amazing
If I don't have an antiair as an engi, I die to a tank, and vice versa
I either wait around to get in one, or run around waiting for a helicopter/gunship/tank/tank destroyer to pull up and own me.

i've played AK since release and in my experience your thoughts/feelings will not change from the above. great maps, frustrating gameplay.
 
Spawn on squad mates driving a tank or destroyer. Always work together with other players. A couple of tanks with chopper support, moving together as a group, goes a long way on all maps, not just AK.
 
Spawn on squad mates driving a tank or destroyer. Always work together with other players. A couple of tanks with chopper support, moving together as a group, goes a long way on all maps, not just AK.

that type of play is a slim chance when pubbing it... and most people pub it.
 
You know...I really, really want to like AK. The maps are amazing. But way, way too many vehicles. If I don't have an antiair as an engi, I die to a tank, and vice versa. There are just way too many vehicles...I either wait around to get in one, or run around waiting for a helicopter/gunship/tank/tank destroyer to pull up and own me. Not sure what the solution is...it isn't infantry only, because the vehicles definitely add to it. And I know it's an armor DLC...I just feel like it's a bit too much. (Just got AK today, so first impressions...I will be playing more.)

Solution is more choke points for ground vehicles, so they can't sell a flag from a long ways away. Like Bad Company 2 maps, Atcama was a vehicle map, I could play any class on that and play Infantry and do great. Engineer was class of choice though as I loved the landmines. But I had no problem with Assault or Medic either (I don't play Recon). It was just good map design, I think overall, BC2 maps were just better put together, and in the fact that almost all buildings could be destroyed.
 
i've played AK since release and in my experience your thoughts/feelings will not change from the above. great maps, frustrating gameplay.

Ugh, that's disappointing. I will say that I greatly enjoyed Rush on these maps, although rush has always been my preferred gameplay type.

Spawn on squad mates driving a tank or destroyer. Always work together with other players. A couple of tanks with chopper support, moving together as a group, goes a long way on all maps, not just AK.

I always do that; me and a buddy jump in and we usually make ace squad. However I play on hardcore mostly, which for whatever dumbass reason only allows you to spawn on your squad leader, which really retards team play. I really, really wish they would change that, because 9 times out of 10 all squads are full and our squad leader is always in the most useless of locations. Once I finally can get squad leader I can actually mark attack points and make intelligent use of spawns...but sometimes it takes hours. :(

Solution is more choke points for ground vehicles, so they can't sell a flag from a long ways away. Like Bad Company 2 maps, Atcama was a vehicle map, I could play any class on that and play Infantry and do great. Engineer was class of choice though as I loved the landmines. But I had no problem with Assault or Medic either (I don't play Recon). It was just good map design, I think overall, BC2 maps were just better put together, and in the fact that almost all buildings could be destroyed.

That's a great point. The problem is not only the number of vehicles, but the total lack of cover as infantry. If they limited the area of operations of the vehicles in more areas, I think it would be much better - for example requiring dismounting and raiding cap areas on, say, half or more of the cap points on most maps.
 
Ugh, that's disappointing. I will say that I greatly enjoyed Rush on these maps, although rush has always been my preferred gameplay type.



I always do that; me and a buddy jump in and we usually make ace squad. However I play on hardcore mostly, which for whatever dumbass reason only allows you to spawn on your squad leader, which really retards team play. I really, really wish they would change that, because 9 times out of 10 all squads are full and our squad leader is always in the most useless of locations. Once I finally can get squad leader I can actually mark attack points and make intelligent use of spawns...but sometimes it takes hours. :(



That's a great point. The problem is not only the number of vehicles, but the total lack of cover as infantry. If they limited the area of operations of the vehicles in more areas, I think it would be much better - for example requiring dismounting and raiding cap areas on, say, half or more of the cap points on most maps.

Make a new squad. It will only be your friend and yourself for a while but as people leave, change squads it will fill up.
 
Make a new squad. It will only be your friend and yourself for a while but as people leave, change squads it will fill up.

I do when possible; I realize I misspoke in my first post, it isn't that all squads are full, it's that all squads have at least one person in them already most of the time.
 
You know what the problem is? The public's misguided desire for, and therefore companies delivering games with, 67 different guns. How the hell are you supposed to balance all of that so any gun makes sense?

True. Remember when your class decided your choice of weapon? In real life, it's usually your military that decides your weapon (Special Forces, not so much). So why can soldiers outfit themselves with a ton of guns?
 
Agreed. The classes are more about which item is in the fourth slot rather than the first slot, or at least it is my major consideration aside from the team's current situation.

As an aside, I really miss being able to chuck c4 chocolate bars 20 yards like in BC2, haha. Keep getting myself killed because I still expect to be able to do that for some stupid reason.
 
So I just rediscovered the A-91 in all its beastly glory.

Also some funny stuff last night. Me and 3 buddies were pubbing it up and the server started filling up with these guys from FIST. There was a total of 13 of them on the other team. They still had one straggler left on our team.

We still won ;)

The battlelog:
http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/#!/bf3/battlereport/show/46369454/1/350171952/

The video of the 2nd half of the match:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmhN2tBc7vU&list=UUqkdyaikJbemXWPDjbT6goA&index=1&feature=plcp
 
Although there seems to be less overlap between weapon classes, within each class you can pretty much pick whatever weapon you want (with a few exceptions). Its all too samey...

I'll disagree. BF3 still isn't realistic, but they added a level of realism which prevented all the weapons from behaving the same unlike 90% of all shooters. The belt fed weapons are actually useful for suppressive fire and are best used when prone and mounted. Even the long range rifles benefit more from going prone. The SMGs also tend to have less range making them standout from the rifles.

None of these properties were present in BC2. All weapons worked equally fine in any stance and there was no difference between a belt fed MG, an SMG or a rifle. The play style was the same across the board for everything.

The other issue with BC2 (and most shooters) is the weapons had random properties. So while all had very similar play styles (mobile run and gun) certain weapons would be abnormally good in areas they should not have been. In some instances the SMGs would out range the rifles, or the handguns would out range the rifles. This made certain handguns/SMGs over lap into rifle territory further making the various types of weapons all feel the same.

That being said, I have no idea how it was in the PS3 beta. All I can say is that BF3 was a huge step in the right direction as far as firearms are concerned. Its still not very realistic, but for the action oriented game the realism level is fine. Its enough to make the different weapon classes behave different enough to offer different play styles which is something shooters really needed.

As for more weapons, they can only add to the game. Assuming they aren't over powered or bugged. If you don't like them then don't use them. I'd like to play with a FAL or Galil in the game as it would give me something fresh to use. I would also like more vehicles like the Bradley in game for the same reason.
 
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