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

[Termie]

Ugh. After the update I started getting crashes to the desktop. I was one of those that had 0 problems before the patch... Noooo!

I had one last night too in an hour of gaming. I think I previously had one total over the past month. Not a good sign...

 

[Destiny]

Ugh. After the update I started getting crashes to the desktop. I was one of those that had 0 problems before the patch... Noooo!

Try disabling stuff on the Windows Task Manager... for example I disabled comment event manager and Windows Security...etc... With all these task running I would crash and get a popup with Windows asking me to change color/resolution to improve performance due to not enough memory - I have 8GB of RAM and a GTX 570 and that is not enough? After I disabled a bunch of things never got those warning messages that kicks me out of the game again...

But I noticed sometimes its a server issue - like it would crash and kick me out and when I go back to the server it was empty or near empty...D:

 

[Exterous]

Then we all got pissed off and left. It was your fault!

BTW, I still have yet to encounter a claymore. I'm sure there would be more of them if they were actually effective...

:'( Its not my fault - I got put there by the server!

About Claymores..they are broke or its a "feature" but its not a one shot kill all the time.

The unlock that lets you take shrapnal damage more? Forget name, but that works on claymores. Explosives blow them up to, which i guess should be normal.

basically the person has to be running towards it for it to work.

I did find a good way to get them to kill people. Plcace the first one where you want it. Now, place the second one against a wall or something on the other side of your 'kill zone' of the first one, just inside the blast radius.

Now - if the first one triggers, so does the second one. When placed properly I've never had it fail me.

That being said - it was too much time and effort to set this up so I abandoned claymores

I had one last night too in an hour of gaming. I think I previously had one total over the past month. Not a good sign...

I had the stuttering, couldn't move issue again today. A couple of other people reported the same thing in game

I also seem to be having an issue where, after quiting a game the very next time I try to join a game I get Disconnected from EA server error. Happened every time I have tried it after the patch. I click join again and it works fine

 

[skipsneeky2]

Try disabling stuff on the Windows Task Manager... for example I disabled comment event manager and Windows Security...etc... With all these task running I would crash and get a popup with Windows asking me to change color/resolution to improve performance due to not enough memory - I have 8GB of RAM and a GTX 570 and that is not enough? After I disabled a bunch of things never got those warning messages that kicks me out of the game again...

But I noticed sometimes its a server issue - like it would crash and kick me out and when I go back to the server it was empty or near empty...D:

Tons of server disconnects for me since the patch and wow i am about to build a new pc next week with 8gb of ram and a gtx570,not to happy to hear your running out of ram...making me think about this build again.

 

[Termie]

Try disabling stuff on the Windows Task Manager... for example I disabled comment event manager and Windows Security...etc... With all these task running I would crash and get a popup with Windows asking me to change color/resolution to improve performance due to not enough memory - I have 8GB of RAM and a GTX 570 and that is not enough? After I disabled a bunch of things never got those warning messages that kicks me out of the game again...

But I noticed sometimes its a server issue - like it would crash and kick me out and when I go back to the server it was empty or near empty...D:

Rather than disable programs, try running in non-Aero mode. That's what I just started doing after getting the Windows theme error.

Tons of server disconnects for me since the patch and wow i am about to build a new pc next week with 8gb of ram and a gtx570,not to happy to hear your running out of ram...making me think about this build again.

Just go ahead and buy it. You'll be fine. BF3 isn't actually running out of memory on 8GB systems. There's some kind of error caused by the VRAM filling up, I'm pretty sure, which is helped somewhat by turning off Aero.

 

[Destiny]

Tons of server disconnects for me since the patch and wow i am about to build a new pc next week with 8gb of ram and a gtx570,not to happy to hear your running out of ram...making me think about this build again.

No... its not running out of RAM... I think its a bug like Termie mentioned - like you get a spike in GPU memory or system memory causing the Windows OS warning thingy pops up... It usually happens when lots of action is happening... for example with 5 gernades blowing up, rockets flying pass you and blowing up walls, everything is shaking and debris/bodies flying every ALL at the same time - then it happens once until I disable it before hand...

I think its the ccevtmgr.exe & msseces.exe and I disable both everytime now when I start BF3 and it never happened again...

 

[destrekor]

Rather than disable programs, try running in non-Aero mode. That's what I just started doing after getting the Windows theme error.



Just go ahead and buy it. You'll be fine. BF3 isn't actually running out of memory on 8GB systems. There's some kind of error caused by the VRAM filling up, I'm pretty sure, which is helped somewhat by turning off Aero.

Yep, this is a VRAM issue. Aero typically wants like 100MB or so, and BF3 has a strong desire to use as much VRAM as possible. It'll basically seek out to nearly max whatever your card can handle. So if you are running with a lot of visual flair, it can get a bit quirky unless you have an abnormal amount of VRAM, if on nVidia chipsets at least ... 2GB is more or less the norm with the performance-class AMD GPUs, whereas for nVidia 1GB, 1.25 and 1.5GB are basically the reference numbers. I don't know if any of the double-memory cards are also true reference cards, but they are a little less common on the nVidia side of the house. I specifically set out for the 2GB 560 Ti cards for my SLI rig, because I knew less than 2GB VRAM would definitely create some headaches when spanning a triple-monitor resolution.

I'm just bummed I have to run on medium settings to get BF3 running mostly solid framerates. I think I still have a little tweaking to do as I want smooth FPS more than anything, because I can play almost max Ultra settings at single-monitor 1080p and keep it pegged at 60fps in 64p maps. I didn't want to spend over $1000 in GPUs simply to get Ultra-quality settings in the top games with three monitors, as I figure I won't use it for everything.
I wasn't sure if I'd truly want it in BF3 (main reason was for iRacing), but now that I've experienced it, it's so awesome. And BF3 still looks really good at this resolution even at Medium settings so I think I'm happy enough. Lose a bit of flair but gain so much at the same time.

 

[Destiny]

How do I run it in non-Aero mode?

Basically I'm playing everything on MAX Settings @ 1920x1200 except I have 4xMSAA disabled... runs smooth in my opinion and FPS never dropped below 40FPS even on heavy 64player maps... Good enough to keep the other better ATOT members on BF3 at bay at least...

 

[skipsneeky2]

Rather than disable programs, try running in non-Aero mode. That's what I just started doing after getting the Windows theme error.



Just go ahead and buy it. You'll be fine. BF3 isn't actually running out of memory on 8GB systems. There's some kind of error caused by the VRAM filling up, I'm pretty sure, which is helped somewhat by turning off Aero.

Since i was playing BC2 till now aero has always been shut off.

Don't get any errors with performance now but with the msi afterburner showing me gpu vram usage i keep it under 900mb and its smooth sailing both in playability and stable fps well as stable as a dual core with 4gb of ram and a 6750 will get me anyways

 

[novasatori]

How do I run it in non-Aero mode?

Basically I'm playing everything on MAX Settings @ 1920x1200 except I have 4xMSAA disabled... runs smooth in my opinion and FPS never dropped below 40FPS even on heavy 64player maps... Good enough to keep the other better ATOT members on BF3 at bay at least...

on the bf3 exe set it to disable desktop composition under the compatibility settings

 

[imaheadcase]

I don't think its a Aero issue, because I always had Aero popup after i exit the game to shut it down since BF2 days. I get it less with bf3, but it happens a few times a week still. But the game played fine even with those.

This game needs some serious balance issues. I don't think a game goes by that more than %75 of my deaths are from tanks/helis now. Its absurd.

The game consists of this..%50 rpg users/%50 tank/heli drivers. They need to just remove ability for tanks to heal themselves, and only one repair at a time going on. Make tanks vulnerable to fire from treds, not just the backside. Yah, i tested it.

In fact, all the tank unlocks need redid. Tanks able to spot you behind stuff is absurd as well.

C4 is useless now because of that, during beta (because everyone was low rank) i could c4 tanks..not all the time, but i could.
The map designs leave much balance issues as well. To many choke points for tanks to control. Dam peak for instance should be infantry only, or at least remove the tank for it.

I know, i know, Dice would never change the way maps are now admitting defeat. Stupid egos.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Hello all
I have been playing all the BF games on PC since the original Vietnam in 2004. I currently run BFBC2 on my system and it runs great.
Will I *need* to get a new system to run BF3? My system is in my sig.
Also, did they fix voice chat? I actualy preferred BF2 because voice chat for all was so important.
Finally, is the gameplay worth upgrading for in your experience?
I'm on the fence for this one, if I need to spend $1000 on a new system for this...
Thanks

 

[Termie]

Hello all
I have been playing all the BF games on PC since the original Vietnam in 2004. I currently run BFBC2 on my system and it runs great.
Will I *need* to get a new system to run BF3? My system is in my sig.
Also, did they fix voice chat? I actualy preferred BF2 because voice chat for all was so important.
Finally, is the gameplay worth upgrading for in your experience?
I'm on the fence for this one, if I need to spend $1000 on a new system for this...
Thanks

I played BC2 on my e8400 system, and it was ok, maxing at 42fps (cpu-limited). Honestly, I don't think you'll be happy with the performance of BF3 on that system. I have't tried it on my e8400 (I actually might this weekend just for kicks), but it really taxes the CPU (and GPU), and yours are both pretty much the minimum specs. Expect something like 35fps at low/medium settings. Also, I'm not even sure 2GB of RAM will work at all.

The VOIP is not yet incorporated into the game, but that's apparently coming in a patch. Right now you can join a "party" via battlelog and voice chat that way, but you really have to coordinate with your squad members to do so.

I don't think you'd necessarily have to spend $1000 to get a system that will run it well, but yes, you'd have to spend something. The gameplay is quite amazing, really, although it's not vastly different that BC2 IMHO - others may disagree. At minimum, I'd look at getting:

(1) 2500k ($200 Black Friday price): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...BF2011_listing
(2) z68 MB ($100AR for Black Friday): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...BF2011_listing
(3) 8GB of ram ($30 for Black Friday): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687
(4) an HD6870 ($140AR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131378

That's $470. Optionally throw in a 64GB SSD for W7 and the game ($95): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...F-_-20-147-502

That brings you to about $550. That's a big upgrade from your current rig! I'm assuming you could reuse your Vista license (although you should consider W7 if you go with an SSD), DVD-rom, case, PSU, and hard drive.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I don't think its a Aero issue, because I always had Aero popup after i exit the game to shut it down since BF2 days. I get it less with bf3, but it happens a few times a week still. But the game played fine even with those.

This game needs some serious balance issues. I don't think a game goes by that more than %75 of my deaths are from tanks/helis now. Its absurd.

The game consists of this..%50 rpg users/%50 tank/heli drivers. They need to just remove ability for tanks to heal themselves, and only one repair at a time going on. Make tanks vulnerable to fire from treds, not just the backside. Yah, i tested it.

In fact, all the tank unlocks need redid. Tanks able to spot you behind stuff is absurd as well.

C4 is useless now because of that, during beta (because everyone was low rank) i could c4 tanks..not all the time, but i could.
The map designs leave much balance issues as well. To many choke points for tanks to control. Dam peak for instance should be infantry only, or at least remove the tank for it.

I know, i know, Dice would never change the way maps are now admitting defeat. Stupid egos.

Speaking of stupid egos.... The thanks are fine. You can absolutely wreck tanks if your team isn't garbage. It's no wonder that you aren't faring well by yourself against a tank with an engineer healing it. They are using teamwork which is what battlefield is all about. You should try doing the same.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

I played BC2 on my e8400 system, and it was ok, maxing at 42fps (cpu-limited). Honestly, I don't think you'll be happy with the performance of BF3 on that system. I have't tried it on my e8400 (I actually might this weekend just for kicks), but it really taxes the CPU (and GPU), and yours are both pretty much the minimum specs. Expect something like 35fps at low/medium settings. Also, I'm not even sure 2GB of RAM will work at all.

The VOIP is not yet incorporated into the game, but that's apparently coming in a patch. Right now you can join a "party" via battlelog and voice chat that way, but you really have to coordinate with your squad members to do so.

I don't think you'd necessarily have to spend $1000 to get a system that will run it well, but yes, you'd have to spend something. The gameplay is quite amazing, really, although it's not vastly different that BC2 IMHO - others may disagree. At minimum, I'd look at getting:

(1) 2500k ($200 Black Friday price): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...BF2011_listing
(2) z68 MB ($100AR for Black Friday): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...BF2011_listing
(3) 8GB of ram ($30 for Black Friday): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687
(4) an HD6870 ($140AR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131378

That's $470. Optionally throw in a 64GB SSD for W7 and the game ($95): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...F-_-20-147-502

That brings you to about $550. That's a big upgrade from your current rig! I'm assuming you could reuse your Vista license (although you should consider W7 if you go with an SSD), DVD-rom, case, PSU, and hard drive.

Termie, thanks a lot for the info. Thats very useful. Great. I imagine you're right, as a big part of these games is graphics anyway.
I'll have to think about it a bit. BTW, I'm in Japan, so all those prices will be higher.
I remember voice working in BC2 demo for me and a few others, and waiting until now for a patch that never came.

 

[imaheadcase]

Speaking of stupid egos.... The thanks are fine. You can absolutely wreck tanks if your team isn't garbage. It's no wonder that you aren't faring well by yourself against a tank with an engineer healing it. They are using teamwork which is what battlefield is all about. You should try doing the same.

Um, you do realize that tanks can autoheal + eng healing it you can't kill one with a single person with ALL the rockets.

Never mind the fact that tanks can see you so you are lucky to get one shot off before anyways.

This is wide know issue. Do you think its just luck that tank drivers are the top scores at most map? lol

battlefield is NOT about teamwork. Never has been. The only teamwork required in BF is if you want to fly a heli/tank. Thats it. Most people only use squads to spawn closer to combat. lol

 

[jackstar7]

battlefield is NOT about teamwork. Never has been. The only teamwork required in BF is if you want to fly a heli/tank. Thats it. Most people only use squads to spawn closer to combat. lol

You're doing it wrong.

 

[sigurros81]

Um, you do realize that tanks can autoheal + eng healing it you can't kill one with a single person with ALL the rockets.

Never mind the fact that tanks can see you so you are lucky to get one shot off before anyways.

This is wide know issue. Do you think its just luck that tank drivers are the top scores at most map? lol

battlefield is NOT about teamwork. Never has been. The only teamwork required in BF is if you want to fly a heli/tank. Thats it. Most people only use squads to spawn closer to combat. lol

My noob detector is going off the charts.

 

[stag3]

50% off on amazon for black friday right now

is it worth 30? or is it buggy still?

 

[Destiny]

50% off on amazon for black friday right now

is it worth 30? or is it buggy still?

It is worth it - if you add the expansion pack later it would total $45 and still cheaper than any preorder deals..

In terms of buggy? Not really... depends on the person - I personally think they're minor bugs and they don't bother me... I just get disconnects here and there or error logging into server ( I already put in over 100 hours on the game)... but nothing that would make me go raging on... i just try again and I normally have hours of smooth play...

 

[s44]

It's an excellent game, though I'm not quite sure what the experience of a guy showing up with no unlocks is going to be on servers full of F2000-wielders with IRNV...

Though there are of course ways to get all the class (not gun-specific) unlocks without actually shooting anything.

 

[imaheadcase]

You're doing it wrong.

Then everyone else in the world is to. It's been that way since BF games started.

 

[zerocool84]

Then everyone else in the world is to. It's been that way since BF games started.

No it's just you. Everyone else seems to understand team work and seem to take out tanks just fine. It's not that hard.

 

[yllus]

DICE:next patch hopefuls(no eta):
http://mp1st.com/2011/11/23/dice-re...ils&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

The mention (at the top of the list, no less) of VoIP has me suddenly very hopeful that this game can be salvaged from the silence that currently reigns.

Um, you do realize that tanks can autoheal + eng healing it you can't kill one with a single person with ALL the rockets.

Never mind the fact that tanks can see you so you are lucky to get one shot off before anyways.

Realistically, do you think a 1-on-1 between a tank and a guy on foot should be won by the guy on foot? In my opinion, if it's a 2-on-1 on the tank's side it should be no contest whatsoever. I think they have the balance right on this.

 

[destrekor]

The mention (at the top of the list, no less) of VoIP has me suddenly very hopeful that this game can be salvaged from the silence that currently reigns.



Realistically, do you think a 1-on-1 between a tank and a guy on foot should be won by the guy on foot? In my opinion, if it's a 2-on-1 on the tank's side it should be no contest whatsoever. I think they have the balance right on this.

I've also taken out tanks solo. It helps if you can kill any Engineers working on the tank (sometimes a lucky RPG hit on a tank also takes out the guy who stepped out to repair it ).
But find a good hiding spot, take on the tank while it's focusing elsewhere... it's not entirely difficult to take out a tank. I've done it with other people engaging the tank (or the tank engaging them) and I've done it while a tank was unoccupied.
It will be very difficult with a good tanker/tank crew, but possible if you can move about the area effectively and use appropriate cover.