Battlefield 4 Launch Fiasco

P

PatchRowcester

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
243
I guess you all knew this was coming. There is just no win in this situation for gamers. I blame myself for wasting my money. I should have been smarter. If you are a potential buyer of BF4, I must warn you, there are many problems. I should hope they will be fixed, but at the moment, its not worth spending the money. Read on for the details.

I will be posting this on other forums as well. Hopefully this will get enough attention to warrant a change.

Or maybe not, and I just wasted 1 hour writing this.

The launch of Battlefield 4 was very disappointing. It felt as if those who pre ordered the game were paying to beta test it. It was such a broken mess at times, that I find it hard to believe they released it in such a state. Problems in the beta are present in the release version. Makes me wonder what the beta accomplished.

To an extent I understand the server side problems which were taken care of as quickly as they possibly could, but some issues with the base game are hard to justify.

After their PC patch, things seemed to have gotten worse. Apart from the usual problems with the game (crashing to the desktop at random), they managed to introduce a new bug in the patch which could cause the screen to blur every time the commander deployed an EMP. So not only does EA/DICE make customer feel stupid for pre ordering the game, they made it physically hurt them.

The battlefield twitter and Facebook feed is full of advertisements ranging from merchandise to review scores. Apart from a few employees at DICE who have taken the time to respond to messages (my sincere thanks to them). One wonders why they didn't publicly acknowledge the problems and apologize, instead of carrying on with the shameless promotion and self congratulatory posts.

After the terrible launch, instead of reaching out to the customers, EA took the classy route and advertised hoodies.

Understandably, customers were not pleased.

This launch has validated the cynicism towards the gaming industry in general. If they were in tune with the community, they would know that the community doesn't care about when the game launched or if it beat Call of Duty at sales figures. They care about having a playable game.

I am sure this is hard for an executive to comprehend, because for them, its all about sales figures. They throw around buzz words like "seamless reality", "immersion", and best of all, "levelolution" without knowing the first thing about gaming. Publishers do not care about the what they are selling, as long as they are selling many of it, and will say anything to reach their goal - even lie to the public. Case in point, Patrick Bach's interview with Jack Frags about how the game features "improved netcode" and how people will notice the difference because its better. In reality, it was far worse than Battlefield 3.

So here is the bottomline, I will not pre order the next Battlefield game (rest assured that there will be another BF game. The series has gotten too big to not have many sequels), or an EA product. I blame myself for not waiting to see how the game turns out. They have given me no incentive to support their product (No, battlepacks aren't incentives - a working game is.)

I hope someone at EA who is in a position to change things will read this, and hopefully put out better games. They have a tough job ahead of convincing fans that they can be trusted.
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...not only does EA/DICE make customer feel stupid for pre ordering the game, they made it physically hurt them.
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If looking at a blurry image physically hurts you, I suggest seeing a good optometrist/psychiatrist.
 
its a shitty game.
its not battlefield.
the ones I played for almost 10 years.

buggy, onesided boring gameplay.
titanfall cant come fast enough.

last game for me that I bought with battlefield logo on.
 
And yet people, like you, never learn and continue to buy titles on pre-order / launch day...
 
BF4 is one of the worst games I have ever played. (not just the bugs, the game itself sucks too)

I tried to get my money back but you must file for a refund within 7 days of purchase. I preordered the game and yes it did suck in the beta but I honestly thought it would be better at launch.

I normally do not buy new releases and instead wait until the game gets to less than $30. I am not sure why I made the mistake this time but it will not happen again.
 
I've got almost 50 hours in with very few problems. I've had it crash a number of times (client side and server side) but it hasn't been that bad.
 
wonderfield said:
If looking at a blurry image physically hurts you, I suggest seeing a good optometrist/psychiatrist.
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Its not that the blurry image that causes a headache. Its the fade in and fade out. It makes my head hurt.

I am not sure going to the doctor is going to help me. I just have to not stare at a fade in/fade out screen that way.

Oh wait, you were trolling. You don't actually care about my problem :p
 
Colonel Sanders said:
I've got almost 50 hours in with very few problems. I've had it crash a number of times (client side and server side) but it hasn't been that bad.
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That's good. Seems like its a hit or a miss.

Either way, its my fault, I should have waited. Just wanted to let the community know that the game has problems, and those looking to purchase it should be aware of it.
 
Shoulda learned from BF3. I got a refund from that after a BBB complaint related to Multiplayer support (the rampant hacking in the first 6months) and some other unfixed bug I can't remember atm.

BF4 looks amazing, but I'm not touching it.
 
jbltecnicspro said:
Is Battlefield 2 still played by people?
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yes, but not a lot.

I play it still, but it's hard to find full servers at times. I haven't played in a few months though, since I've moved I can't game yet.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
I've got almost 50 hours in with very few problems. I've had it crash a number of times (client side and server side) but it hasn't been that bad.
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Same here, apart from semi-frequent crashing, the experience has been mostly fine for me (although Battlelog is a piece of shit IMO).
 
Moneyless said:
Same here, apart from semi-frequent crashing, the experience has been mostly fine for me (although Battlelog is a piece of shit IMO).
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Strange how you seem to hate the feature I like the most.

anyway, I am envious of people who could run the game without problems. Hopefully they will fix this soon.
 
I maybe the biggest Battlefield fan here, I have thousands of hours in it and that's why I waited for BF3 to mature then bought it (for $25) and still waiting the right time to buy BF4 (apparently not soon).

if I was a part of a competitive clan I would've bought it but luckily my friends only invite me to TF2, LoL and facebook games :p
 
MrGuvernment said:
And yet people, like you, never learn and continue to buy titles on pre-order / launch day...
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Pretty much this. Although I sympathize with the OP on the one hand, on the other this is a problem of our own making.

EA only gives a shit about money and it has come to realize that it can push out half finished bugged products and people will still throw money at it hand over fist. There is no doubt in my mind that EA/DICE knew full well that BF4 needed at least several more months of development and polish, but they decided to release anyway in order to beat CoD to market (just like BF3's release). People need to exercise some self restraint and reflect on whether the pre-release excitement they feel is really deserving or simply a product of manufactured hype.

With BF4 the writing was on the wall, BF3 was a complete clusterfuck and all the critical feedback which was given was simply ignored or packaged into a new product to sell. The race to monetize everything and gentrify this game to appeal to the masses whilst having a massive e-peen contest with CoD have destroyed this IP.

The only way EA will learn otherwise is if people stop giving it money or someone has the balls to sue.
 
leeleatherwood said:
BF4 is one of the worst games I have ever played. (not just the bugs, the game itself sucks too)

I tried to get my money back but you must file for a refund within 7 days of purchase. I preordered the game and yes it did suck in the beta but I honestly thought it would be better at launch.

I normally do not buy new releases and instead wait until the game gets to less than $30. I am not sure why I made the mistake this time but it will not happen again.
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Thats a bit too much dont you think? It has many issues no doubt but to call it one of the worst games is taking it a bit too far imo. I can't name any new FPS better than BF4 at the moment.

That said, EA is one shitty company so I am not surprised with them releasing a buggy game.
 
Blade-Runner said:
Pretty much this. Although I sympathize with the OP on the one hand, on the other this is a problem of our own making.

EA only gives a shit about money and it has come to realize that it can push out half finished bugged products and people will still throw money at it hand over fist. There is no doubt in my mind that EA/DICE knew full well that BF4 needed at least several more months of development and polish, but they decided to release anyway in order to beat CoD to market (just like BF3's release). People need to exercise some self restraint and reflect on whether the pre-release excitement they feel is really deserving or simply a product of manufactured hype.

With BF4 the writing was on the wall, BF3 was a complete clusterfuck and all the critical feedback which was given was simply ignored or packaged into a new product to sell. The race to monetize everything and gentrify this game to appeal to the masses whilst having a massive e-peen contest with CoD have destroyed this IP.

The only way EA will learn otherwise is if people stop giving it money or someone has the balls to sue.
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Well, I will not be buying any more EA products. So lesson learned.
 
I have next to no issues, a server crash here and there but those are almost never for me since last weekend. Have 60 hours in and love it... paid $88 for whole game + premium
 
MrGuvernment said:
And yet people, like you, never learn and continue to buy titles on pre-order / launch day...
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Couldn't agree more.
Seen so many bad posts about pre-order and launch day games that I will now wait a couple months to see what people say and what patches are available before I buy the next new game. I've saved myself money and headaches.
 
PatchRowcester said:
So not only does EA/DICE make customer feel stupid for pre ordering the game, they made it physically hurt them.
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Physically hurt them? Really?



Anyways, ya this launch does suck. I'm been fairly lucky. I had zero crashes until the last patch. I did have two server crashes yesterday (DDoS ramifications I'm guessing), that two good games filled with assault rifle kills, which added a good amount of time to finishing an unlock. I've had one or two personal crashes. I didn't rejoin those matches, to preserve my score. I just avoid servers with excessively long rounds, so I don't lose so much progress in a crash.

I finally broke my boycott of Origin, when I made an account and bought BF4. It made for a good reminder of why I despise EA. I've had fun, but it's only luck that's kept me from having the shit experience everyone else has had. I hope Titanfall will be good, but I will definitely wait and see. They have to show they actually give two shits about the PC before I hand former Infinity Ward guys some cash.
 
I'm having a blast with the game, runs amazingly well for the graphics settings, and I've had I think 2 crashes at all in a good number of hours playing. It's got an obscene number of customizations you can use/unlock/etc. and is overall just a lot of fun. I paid $85ish with a pre-order for BF4 + BF4 Premium and it's been worth every penny so far. Unless the expansions are completely horrific, I got a very nice deal :D. I gather some people are having crashing issues but for the most part those are overheating computers and other silliness caused by the user, rather than the game, just like with every MMO launch I see nowadays too. Not saying there aren't some real crash issues but it's not very widespread from people I've seen talking in-game.

In short, nothing to see here, an "anti-capitalism news post whining about big corporations and marketing" is nothing new.
 
it hasnt crashed on me in the past 3 days, im loving it. Awesome purchase
 
I have 50+ hours in and it hardly, if ever, crashes. The new game mode Obliteration is awesome. Better than BF3 in every way imo.
 
Rattle said:
I have next to no issues, a server crash here and there but those are almost never for me since last weekend. Have 60 hours in and love it... paid $88 for whole game + premium
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91 hours, pre-ordered the DDE. I feel like I've gotten my money's worth and I've got a long time to go before this game gets shuffled off the SSD.

Just to put that in perspective, 3 playthroughs of Skyrim plus all the DLC only shows me 110 hours. I'll break that playtime on BF4 and then some by the end of next weekend. Sure, things were not even close to perfect (I had a lot of CTD and BSOD events, mostly before the client patch), but between crashes I had a good time, so it's hard to argue with the value in my case.

One could argue that the €1500 (and counting) I've spent on new hardware in the last few weeks with the primary focus being a better BF4 experience in the short term wipes out that value proposition and then some, but hey, this is [H], and it's no coincidence that I find myself upgrading around Battlefield launches. And about 40% of that spend was on a new 1440p Viewsonic, which should last me years.
 
almalino said:
I play PlanetSide 2 and I cannot care less about BF4.
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Cool story bro. Thanks for your contribution to this thread.

Anyway. I had issues with staying connected day one. It took almost 2 and half weeks for that stuff to end now. So I'll be enjoying it a lot more now that I don't get kicked constantly.

Overall I would agree that EA/Dice really took the wind out of their own sails by having such a buggy launch. If they expect to compete with COD they need to spend more time making sure that the game is ready for prime time. Sick of being a retail "beta" tester for DICE and their BF games.

I mean I love.. LOVE BF as a series. But it really sucks to be all excited to play it and not stay connected longer than 20 minutes to server for almost 2 and half weeks straight. It would be different if the single player wasn't a "Patriot" simulator for our armed forces and actually had a well thought out story line. We all play BF for its MP , period. Put ALL the development money into MP and just drop the SP once and for all DICE.
 
It's still buggy for me but I'm having so much fun it doesn't matter. For anyone on the fence... just buy it. Especially if you ever enjoyed BF games in the past.
 
BF4 is a lot of fun. I don't cry everytime a game releases, because I have a lot of back up games ;).
 
Had no crashes at all today, totally smooth. Then again I am avoiding the maps I tend to crash on - Dawnbreaker and Shanghai - until the next client patch.

Can't wait for the China Rising maps in a couple weeks. The jungle map looks stunning based on the trailer, and the Dragon Pass map is speculated to be a hybrid of Dragon Valley + FuShe Pass from BF2 - which were killer, classic maps.
 
OP20 said:
... just buy it. Especially if you ever enjoyed BF games in the past.
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I would actually say that's one of the biggest reasons not to buy it. It's the same buggy rehash of BF3. If you have friends who jumped on board BF4, I would say that's the best and only reason to shell out launch day money on this garbage.
 
I still cant play in x64 bit and im using a x64 bit windows 8 with latest AMD drivers. it'll just initalize and then it wont even load it. But if i play 32 bit client it works.
 
Only bug that bothers me is the half broken revive defibs that do not work half the time.

Otherwise, game plays like BC2 to me and I loved BC2. Having a decent amount of fun also. Def got my $60 worth and the SP was pretty damn good.

But it really should be called BattleRecon Part 4 or BattleEngineer Part 4.
 
Moneyless said:
(although Battlelog is a piece of shit IMO).
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This!!!! Is it really that hard to put a damn main menu in the game where I can adjust my settings. I should not need to have a web browser open just to play the game. I understand a lot of people like some of the features it offers and maybe if I had a second monitor I would too but make it an optional thing and but a main menu in the game.
 
Rattle said:
I have next to no issues, a server crash here and there but those are almost never for me since last weekend. Have 60 hours in and love it... paid $88 for whole game + premium
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BF4 is an amazing game and well worth the money! When Rattle and I get on the same team and start working together with a few other good players we start dominating, It's great fun when you have people to play with!

Hit detection is great for me w/ network slider to the left. The game is really fun on so many different aspects. I'm not bored with it all in the 50hrs I've logged so far. There's so many different things to grow at getting better with in this game I can see myself playing it for all of 2014 without being burned out. Right now I feel like I've mastered the assault class. I want to start working on the recon/engineer class now and start playing more vehicle based maps.

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf4/user/SHiZNiLTi_OG/

I admit I do get a sound loop error lockup every once in a while, but it's no big deal, I just rejoin and I'm right back in the action. I'm sure they will eventually get it fixed.

I often bitch about the game, but I do that with all FPS games I play, I still have almost a 3/1 KDR though so I can't complain that much :)

Also I'm not sure why some of you have such terrible performance issues. Just learn to tweak your video settings, I'm running 2xMSAA w/ Ultra Textures and Terrain and have stuff that causes distractions or make it harder to see the enemy disabled and I average 117fps with a single 670 on a 2600k @ 4.9ghz.
 
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