PC Battlefield 3 Lacks Key FPS Feature: No Ingame Server Browser.. Yes I'm serious.

Liqq said:
What aspect of it did you hate? What does an in game browser do that Battlelog doesn't?

I was in alpha, and really liked Battlelog. I was even telling a buddy that came over to play that I had hoped it stayed the release games browser because it is so much better than any server browser I had ever used.
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The battlelog is a disjointed and annoying way to deal with servers. That changing servers means EXITING THE GAME then RESTARTING the game is pretty shitty. Better, I know web development all too well. How long until an update to IE/Firefox/Chrome/Safari/Maxthon or something else breaks their shitty battlelog?

The browser based server explorer is one of the reason (but not the only) that I will not buy BF3.
 
rampantandroid said:
The battlelog is a disjointed and annoying way to deal with servers. That changing servers means EXITING THE GAME then RESTARTING the game is pretty shitty. Better, I know web development all too well. How long until an update to IE/Firefox/Chrome/Safari/Maxthon or something else breaks their shitty battlelog?

The browser based server explorer is one of the reason (but not the only) that I will not buy BF3.
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I think one of the main things people are having issues with is they are still thinking in terms of how games normally launch, "OMG I MUST CLOSE THE GAME TO CHANGE SERVERS!"

Think of it this way, If you are playing on a server in BC2 or BF2, you disconnect from the server, it returns you to the ingame menu/server browser. You choose another server and then connect, it loads the level.

This is no different, except for the fact that it is exited the game entirely when you disconnect from a server, it takes you to Battlelog and then it relaunches the game STRAIGHT TO THE LEVEL without loading to any other menus.

Replace a few of the terms and it's practically identical, save for the fact it is a helluva lot faster.
 
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. said:
I think one of the main things people are having issues with is they are still thinking in terms of how games normally launch, "OMG I MUST CLOSE THE GAME TO CHANGE SERVERS!"

Think of it this way, If you are playing on a server in BC2 or BF2, you disconnect from the server, it returns you to the ingame menu/server browser. You choose another server and then connect, it loads the level.

This is no different, except for the fact that it is exited the game entirely when you disconnect from a server, it takes you to Battlelog and then it relaunches the game STRAIGHT TO THE LEVEL without loading to any other menus.

Replace a few of the terms and it's practically identical, save for the fact it is a helluva lot faster.
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No, it isn't. You're still loading the entire game - engine runtime and all, back into memory. If I had access to BF3 still I'd do a test: Launch level from BC2, then launch level from Battlelog. BC2 is faster.

You didn't address the compat complaint I have either.
 
While you still have to load the game binary, into ram, the binary is TINY, like 10MB tiny, the VAST majority of what you load when loading up a level is art assets, and these are all cleared with every map load. I did the test you are talking about, and bf3 actually loaded on average about 3s faster than bc2, which is pretty awesome given how fast bc2 already is.
 
eon said:
It could take me a good 30-60 seconds to go out and back in a game.
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Man your funny......60 seconds to alt tab? Get a grip.

I've never seen so much knee jerk bullshit as this before...it's comical. Oh noes......I've gotta leave a game to join another. Woe is me what shall I do!! Seriously re-read what your typing!!
 
Well if it starts a new game faster than BC2 ill be happy. The in game browser interface in BC2 sucked so I imagine that this will be a lot better.
 
EA thumbs its nose at the PC by restricting in-game server browsing to consoles in its upcoming shooter.
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This one should get EA in the hall of shame. Why would they even do that!!??
 
The worst part I can think of about having to start the game every time you select a server is that EA is famous for putting tons of "advertisements" (company logos) at the start of the game, many of which you cannot skip but have to wait a few seconds for them to pass. With BF1942 you were able to work around this by removing specific files from your computer. BFBC2 is a little more difficult.
 
Though not necessarily regarding the issues in this thread, I love how publishers seem so disconnected from the gaming community. Subsequently, when the developers try to release a product, the publishers "ain't havin' none of it" and force to conform to their ridiclous ideas that seems to benefit no one but the publishers.
 
aciddrink said:
The worst part I can think of about having to start the game every time you select a server is that EA is famous for putting tons of "advertisements" (company logos) at the start of the game, many of which you cannot skip but have to wait a few seconds for them to pass. With BF1942 you were able to work around this by removing specific files from your computer. BFBC2 is a little more difficult.
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What part of it loads directly to the map, just like an in game browser would, do you not understand?
 
himmy said:
What part of it loads directly to the map, just like an in game browser would, do you not understand?
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Maybe the part where I didn't read that part? How about not being a typical forum trolling hostile douche bag? Not everybody catches every little detail of every article. (now it's your turn to insert your trolling flame about not taking my time to read the original post in it's entirety).
 
it isn't mentioned in the article. Himmy was just expecting you too read a few pages of the discussion in the forum to gain context before you replied.
 
I used the article to gain my context. Forgive me for not having the time or interest to read 5 pages, each with 40 replies. Typically I stay out of a thread that is already this far in, I just felt like sharing my opinion on this topic in particular.
 
lol gross. I don't own a console! nothing quite like playing a new game on 2005-2006 hardware.

The out of game browser wont be that big of an issue since as himmy so kindly replied, it will load directly to the map (unlike BF2 did).
 
I don't know much about development or how this stuff works.

But in my mind taking the server browser out of the game itself and putting it into a webpage should allow independent updates to each part? (BF3 game and Battlelog)

Could this be a potential benefit for patches and upgrades to the service? Cons?
 
Snowknight26 said:
Though not necessarily regarding the issues in this thread, I love how publishers seem so disconnected from the gaming community. Subsequently, when the developers try to release a product, the publishers "ain't havin' none of it" and force to conform to their ridiclous ideas that seems to benefit no one but the publishers.
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Many people assume that there views however represent everyone in the gaming community. For instance I actually prefer games having separate components like this and taking the time for alt-tab support, it allows much more flexibility for my usage purposes. I also prefer games to push the boundaries and try to new things, not be stuck in the past type mentality, which a lot of people seem to be exhibiting in regards to alt-tabbing.

For one with it being separate, I can RDP into my PC and queue up a server while doing something else at my place, and come back to my PC with the map already loaded. I can easily split my screen between the browser and something else, so I can multitask while checking out what server I want or waiting for the one I want to clear. Those are just some examples of how it makes the end user experience better.

If you can seamlessly transition between your background apps and game via restore/minimize, then it is an improvement over using overlays to me for instance. I still much prefer being able to use say firefox than the Steam browser, which I currently do for a lot of games because they support alt-tab very well.
 
aciddrink said:
Maybe the part where I didn't read that part? How about not being a typical forum trolling hostile douche bag? Not everybody catches every little detail of every article. (now it's your turn to insert your trolling flame about not taking my time to read the original post in it's entirety).
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Its not about 'every little detail in every article.' Its how it works. Which a simple google search would have told you in about 10 seconds. Its called knowing what you are talking about before speaking.
 
gonz0 said:
I don't know much about development or how this stuff works.

But in my mind taking the server browser out of the game itself and putting it into a webpage should allow independent updates to each part? (BF3 game and Battlelog)

Could this be a potential benefit for patches and upgrades to the service? Cons?
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Cons? They are seemingly raping the very essence of PC gaming and it is hurting alot of pc elitist e-penis in here.

Besides that I can't see any......
 
Didn't search the thread:

Do you have to watch logo splashes and intro movies every time you launch the game through the Battlelog?
 
Killdozer said:
Didn't search the thread:

Do you have to watch logo splashes and intro movies every time you launch the game through the Battlelog?
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Yes, I suggest joining the boycott because of this. You can't even skip past the 3 min opening movie, you have to watch the entire thing, plus 2 nvidia intros, 1 AMD, 1 Intel, 1 EA and 3 DICE.

Please join the boycott so we can tell them how we feel about this travesty!
 
gonz0 said:
I don't know much about development or how this stuff works.

But in my mind taking the server browser out of the game itself and putting it into a webpage should allow independent updates to each part? (BF3 game and Battlelog)

Could this be a potential benefit for patches and upgrades to the service? Cons?
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Sure. BUt it also opens you up to new dependencies...and knowing something about software development, that's not a good thing...if you cannot control the dependencies.


himmy said:
Yes, I suggest joining the boycott because of this. You can't even skip past the 3 min opening movie, you have to watch the entire thing, plus 2 nvidia intros, 1 AMD, 1 Intel, 1 EA and 3 DICE.

Please join the boycott so we can tell them how we feel about this travesty!
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He asked a question, so you berate him? wtf dude?
 
Killdozer said:
Didn't search the thread:

Do you have to watch logo splashes and intro movies every time you launch the game through the Battlelog?
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No intro movies, which is what some people who have no experience with Battlelog don't understand. You are NOT shutting down the game, and having a watch movies just to get to the web browser and play. When you want to change servers you can either alt/tab out or hit exit game button which brings you back to Battlelog server browser which is the exact same fucking thing as quitting a server to find another in a regular game.
 
himmy said:
Yes, I suggest joining the boycott because of this. You can't even skip past the 3 min opening movie, you have to watch the entire thing, plus 2 nvidia intros, 1 AMD, 1 Intel, 1 EA and 3 DICE.

Please join the boycott so we can tell them how we feel about this travesty!
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Can't tell if sarcastic or retarded.
 
its called look for yourself. Just a few posts up it was stated, for about the 30th time, that it loads directly into the map.
 
himmy said:
its called look for yourself. Just a few posts up it was stated, for about the 30th time, that it loads directly into the map.
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And it was SO FUCKING HARD TO TYPE THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

God damn, maybe Blizzard was right - expose everyone's names online and people will act less asinine.
 
himmy said:
Its not about 'every little detail in every article.' Its how it works. Which a simple google search would have told you in about 10 seconds. Its called knowing what you are talking about before speaking.
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Ok I don't usually feed trolls, but in this case I need to point out that you are once again wrong. You expect me to somehow be omniscient before posting in a thread, and that simply wont happen. I took your advice and did your "10 second" Google search. My search string was "bf3 server browser". Immediately none of the results told me that upon joining a server, it "loads directly to the map", so I clicked on the first link. I read the article in it's entirety and still could not find the information you somehow expected me to know before posting here. Instead I found a quote stating it "starts up really fast". One man's definition of really fast may not be another man's. Again, I don't know how you expect me to pull "loads directly to the map" from that?

Himmy, try being a little less hostile to people on these forums maybe? Apparently not everybody is as knowledgeable as you when it comes to video games under development.
 
Killdozer said:
Didn't search the thread:

Do you have to watch logo splashes and intro movies every time you launch the game through the Battlelog?
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No, you click a server and get a tiny little box in the bottom left of the screen that says it's loading. When it's done, you click it and you are in game. That's it, instantly in game, no ads, no movies, no nothing. If you REALLY feel so inclined you can actually go in game the second it starts and watch the load screen but it's not very interesting.
 
Dear EA/Dice, it will take at most a week for any decent consultant to code up a button that launches a browser with the server browser url, let the user choose one, and then pass the values back to the game. All this without needing to shut down, all the user will is the browser window come up.

The week includes coding and testing. At 40hrs, lets say $50/hr, that's only $20k. Saving 20k on a AAA title and risking your customer's wrath - priceless. And yes, I will offer to do it.
 
MrCrispy said:
Dear EA/Dice, it will take at most a week for any decent consultant to code up a button that launches a browser with the server browser url, let the user choose one, and then pass the values back to the game. All this without needing to shut down, all the user will is the browser window come up.

The week includes coding and testing. At 40hrs, lets say $50/hr, that's only $20k. Saving 20k on a AAA title and risking your customer's wrath - priceless. And yes, I will offer to do it.
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so basically you want DICE to waste more dev time / money on something that doesn't help in the slightest
 
What about the people whom are not so good with computers, I really think this may not matter since lots of tech savy people just use ASE or other server browsers anyway. But for the millions of techno tards this will just be one more proof that console gaming is simpler and less error prone than PC gaming. They are really testing how much bending over people will do with BF3 IMO, and a fair amount of it is on the PC not consoles.
 
I really don't understand developers.

They constantly take AWAY what what makes a great game great and continue to add in stupid crap or make dumb decisions that make the gaming experience worse.

What in the hell is wrong with these people?
 
Skillz said:
I really don't understand developers.

They constantly take AWAY what what makes a great game great and continue to add in stupid crap or make dumb decisions that make the gaming experience worse.

What in the hell is wrong with these people?
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UGH you have to press alt-tab instead of escape (and then mouse to exit!!!). actually not even, you can do it that way anyway, or probably press alt-f4

EXPERIENCE RUINED PC GAMING DEAD
 
rudy said:
What about the people whom are not so good with computers, I really think this may not matter since lots of tech savy people just use ASE or other server browsers anyway. But for the millions of techno tards this will just be one more proof that console gaming is simpler and less error prone than PC gaming. They are really testing how much bending over people will do with BF3 IMO, and a fair amount of it is on the PC not consoles.
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not at all, in fact it can be made even simpler when formatting a web portal is so much easier than an integrated browser. you click join game and it launches your browser, noobs will go "hey it's the internets, I know this!" when normally you would just get a mish mash of servers scrolling down your screen, and "halp so many letters and numbers wat do I do???".

now maybe instead of just being confused and gravitating to hosts with the highest player count they can find, users can be directed with much easier to navigate game modes organised with links and graphics, custom community portals/web apps, whatever. if you think about it rationally we have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

not sure why so many people are so desperately clutching this dying model of "launch game -> browse servers -> join game", steam had url launching with source for years, noobs who only know how to use the in game browser will only try something new when forced. this has the potential to be twice what valve ever did with that. who knows maybe this will finally light a fire under their ass, to get web integration working for all steamworks games, instead of just source. steam client already does this internally, just not browser compatible.
 
socK said:
so basically you want DICE to waste more dev time / money on something that doesn't help in the slightest
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I will guarantee you that they have wasted a lot more time/money on features that will never ship or see light of day. Happens all the time on projects like this. And in the same way, there are many last minute additions. Adding a simple way to invoke a browser (a week is very generous) should be a no-brainer, instead of asking users to quit/restart the game.

And it may not help you in the slightest, others obviously don't agree.
 
This thread is the Diablo 3 "always online" thread pushed to the breaking point. I love how half the people refuse to learn how it actually works, and the OP named the thread as an attack against EA/DICE to get people all fired up to nerd rage. Now, here come the boycotts and "sheeple" posts.

If PC gaming is dead, it is because PC gamers are killing it.
 
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