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

[raasco]

Who needs double XP.

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/battlereport/show/50715792/1/188156428/

Still didn't top you, but I didn't have Double XP heh.

Seeing you had 5 medals in one round I figured you would've beaten me. Nice one

 

[DeadFred]

The xbow is garbage!

Tried the HE bolts and they drop like a stone and do no damage at all. I got 3 hitmarkers on a guy with splash damage and 2 were very close and it still didnt kill him and that was on hardcore!

 

[GullyFoyle]

Battlelog - Anti-cheat update: Quicker bans and reminder how to report cheaters

By: trydling Posted: 5 hours ago
Our efforts to keep Battlefield 3 a fair game continue. Here’s an update on how we are staffing up our anti-cheat department and decreasing turnaround times. Also: How you can help.

Fact: We receive literally hundreds of reports each day from our players on suspicious-behaving opponents. Our first call of action is usually to manually verify whether these reports are valid or not.

Fact: In the large majority of cases, cheat reports are not valid. By far the most common outcome of a report is that we can conclude that the player is simply awesome at playing Battlefield 3. We know it can sometimes feel like you’ve been the victim of a cheater – but the stark reality in most of these cases is you’ve simply met a great adversary.

Keeping the Battlefield fair is one of our top priorities. But making sure we don’t erroneously ban a non-cheating player is of course of utmost importance. That’s why we carefully investigate before banning anyone from playing the game.

More staff, quicker turnarounds
At the same time, we want to make sure we take swift action on proven cheaters. That’s why we have staffed up and decreased the turnaround time from report to action. Going forward, you will see quicker action taken on cheaters — specifically when it comes to stats wiping and/or banning them.

Finally, here’s a reminder how you can help us by reporting suspected cheaters. If you believe you have been the victim of outright cheating, the best way to report your concerns is to enter the profile page here on Battlelog of the person you suspect and click the triangle in the top right corner of his name.

This will open up a window where you can describe to us at DICE what happened. Please enter as much detail as possible, describing what specifically makes you believe this player has used unfair methods, and preferably include a link to the Battle Report for the match in question.

How to tell if someone’s been banned
One question that we get a lot is why person X is not banned when he is obviously proven to be a cheater. The problem is, there is no good way for normal Battlelog visitors to verify whether a player has actually been banned from play or not, since a cheater’s profile normally will stay visible but with reset stats.

This means that a player who has had his stats reset (but can still play) and a player who is banned from playing will look very similar on Battlelog. One way for you to get a better idea whether someone is banned or not is to look at the date of when he last played the game. But in most cases when you think someone should have been banned, he has. There’s just not any way for us to signal that on Battlelog at the moment.

We hope this small update has provided some insight into our anti-cheat work. Have a great gaming weekend, and thanks to our community for helping us in our ongoing anti-cheat efforts.

 

[raasco]

I really don't notice many people hacking currently. Maybe it's the fact I tend to stay away from Metro. That map seems to attract hackers like crazy. That said, I'm pretty sure some guy was walling on Monolith the other night. He would always magically know exactly where I was while attempting to cap a point from several different approaches.

 

[moonbogg]

The xbow is garbage!

Tried the HE bolts and they drop like a stone and do no damage at all. I got 3 hitmarkers on a guy with splash damage and 2 were very close and it still didnt kill him and that was on hardcore!

I tried the regular bolts a few times, and you know what? I forgot all about that Xbow ever since. I wasn't impressed. It just felt like a giant rubber band powered toy that flings straws.

I really don't notice many people hacking currently. Maybe it's the fact I tend to stay away from Metro. That map seems to attract hackers like crazy. That said, I'm pretty sure some guy was walling on Monolith the other night. He would always magically know exactly where I was while attempting to cap a point from several different approaches.

Its hard to say sometimes if someone is hacking. Aim hacks are usually easily noticed due to the unnatural feel to the shots as they hit you. Wall hacks though...who knows. In online gaming we have to deal with that crap. Keep in mind that there ARE people who are very good and can get in your head and anticipate what you are going to do sometimes.
Last night I came across a sniper that most people would have assumed right away that he was hacking. He was instantly on you and very fasy and accurate, but I don't suspect he was hacking due to the natural feel of his shots. So, as we get better and better, finding someone who is better than us becomes rare. But when it happens it can be a real surprise.

 

[raasco]

I tried the regular bolts a few times, and you know what? I forgot all about that Xbow ever since. I wasn't impressed. It just felt like a giant rubber band powered toy that flings straws.



Its hard to say sometimes if someone is hacking. Aim hacks are usually easily noticed due to the unnatural feel to the shots as they hit you. Wall hacks though...who knows. In online gaming we have to deal with that crap. Keep in mind that there ARE people who are very good and can get in your head and anticipate what you are going to do sometimes.
Last night I came across a sniper that most people would have assumed right away that he was hacking. He was instantly on you and very fasy and accurate, but I don't suspect he was hacking due to the natural feel of his shots. So, as we get better and better, finding someone who is better than us becomes rare. But when it happens it can be a real surprise.

Having been a server admin in CS:S for 3 years, I would state that I'm pretty good at picking up on wallhacks. Considering that I did not have the chance to spec him, it truly is only a guess, but an educated one. Wallhacks usually don't bother me in a fast paced game like BF3 because usually reaction time can trump a noob with them.

 

[moonbogg]

Having been a server admin in CS:S for 3 years, I would state that I'm pretty good at picking up on wallhacks. Considering that I did not have the chance to spec him, it truly is only a guess, but an educated one. Wallhacks usually don't bother me in a fast paced game like BF3 because usually reaction time can trump a noob with them.

Yeah, as a sniper I don't really care about wall hacks either since they have to be fast enough to shoot me first anyway. Plus, with 3D spotting that orange marker acts like a legal wall hack often times for everyone.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Origin - Save On Battlefield 3 Premium And Get Early Access To Aftermath

Battlefield 3 Premium is a great value-filled companion to the Battlefield 3 experience, and a must-buy for any Battlefield 3 fan looking to experience all the maps, modes, and vehicles that Battlefield has to offer. Premium comes with a range of perks: Starting with early access to all Battlefield 3 expansion packs—including BF3: Aftermath, which Premium owners are currently playing ahead of its public release on December 18.

In addition to early access to BF3 expansion packs, you’ll also get unique in-game items like special dog tags and the prized Advanced Combat Blade model 90—a heavy duty combat knife that allows for quick, clean, and silent kills. The extra strategy guides, insider videos, server queue priority, and exclusive Double XP events that are available to Premium owners will insure that you enjoy the ultimate Battlefield experience every time you play.

Today we're pleased to announce that we’re introducing a new “Complete Your Premium” program to make it easier for gamers who already own some of the BF3 expansion packs to get the full Premium experience.

How To Save On Premium

Below is a quick breakdown of your Battlefield 3 Premium savings based on how many expansion packs you already own:

Own two expansion packs: 30% discount
Own three expansion packs: 60% discount
Own four expansion packs: 70% discount
(If you got Back to Karkand as part of BF3 Limited Edition, that does count as one expansion.)

Remember, purchasing Premium now means that you’ll get to play Aftermath right now; and the final expansion pack, Endgame, two weeks earlier than non-Premium members in March 2013.

How to purchase from your Origin client library:

Go to My Games and click on Battlefield 3.
Click on the “i” button. (It’s the gray one next to the “Play” button).
Scroll down to Expansions and select Battlefield 3 Premium.
Click “Buy Now” to initiate the checkout process using the discounted price.


How to purchase from the Battlelog Store:

Go to the Battlelog Store.
Sign in to see the offer you’re eligible for.
Select “Buy Now.”
This is for a limited-time only, so jump on this now. And if you’re among those who already own expansions such as Close Quarters or Armored Kill, thanks for being a loyal supporter of Battlefield 3!

 

[raasco]

I must say, a full year later and this game still amazes me. Especially now that I can crank up the graphics.

 

[destrekor]

I must say, a full year later and this game still amazes me. Especially now that I can crank up the graphics.

Oh yes.

I routinely play with triple monitors, with a full spanned resolution. My 560 Ti 2GB cards in SLI (2x) can hardly keep up, and since I aim as close to 60fps as I can get, I play on almost all Low settings with one or two Mediums, though it still drops to 45fps or thereabouts in some areas. Regardless, it is silky smooth (at one point, forever ago, I had microstutter thanks to the SLI, that was UGH).


But one thing I look forward to, when LANing up with some buddies and Ace Squading with them, is I drop down to one monitor, and get to max out to almost full Ultra settings. It's silky smooth and looks absolutely gorgeous.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Oh yes.

I routinely play with triple monitors, with a full spanned resolution. My 560 Ti 2GB cards in SLI (2x) can hardly keep up, and since I aim as close to 60fps as I can get, I play on almost all Low settings with one or two Mediums, though it still drops to 45fps or thereabouts in some areas. Regardless, it is silky smooth (at one point, forever ago, I had microstutter thanks to the SLI, that was UGH).

Gotta step up your specs to a pair of gtx670s or like 7970s That or drop back down to a single display,my 7850 for the most part with all medium and no msaa manhandles 1920x1200 and for the most part refuses to drop under 60fps from what i have seen so far.

 

[destrekor]

Gotta step up your specs to a pair of gtx670s or like 7970s That or drop back down to a single display,my 7850 for the most part with all medium and no msaa manhandles 1920x1200 and for the most part refuses to drop under 60fps from what i have seen so far.

I just built this rig a year ago. I can't justify the upgrade cost, and my checking account barks at me, and foams at the mouth, whenever I even think about it.


Oh, I would very much love to. I've been eyeing the current generation, but I am also hoping to see Nvidia push their game a little more, and for them to do it sometime soon.

Ideally, I'd love to completely drop from SLI altogether and rock out a single beastly card... at the time, GTX500 series, could not handle NV Surround on a single card, and based on various issues (which has been reaffirmed with recent games to boot), I wanted to stick to Nvidia.

And since I bought the three monitors for that express purpose (it was for iRacing specifically, BF3 ended up being a treat that has since been rather addicting), I just cannot go back voluntarily. The only reason I drop to one monitor is there is no way I am dragging three monitors to a LAN, and my buddy's place doesn't have the table space anyway. But in the process I am at least rewarded with amazing visuals.
But if I have them, and can use them, I will do so, because it actually is rather nice in BF3.
Wish I could do it with Planetside 2, but the game/engine just isn't optimized enough to allow it, if at all on my rig it would be awful graphics. The other glaring issue is FOV is just screwed up completely, so it's not really even ready yet for Surround/Eyefinity regardless.
At least BF3 looks great even with lower settings. It's a great engine that is also wonderfully optimized for modern systems.
But when I can afford it, I will definitely upgrade so I can have Ultra settings at 6060x1080 (bezel-corrected). By that time comes around, there will be another game that forces me to lower the graphical settings to enable Surround. As much as I hate to request it, I hope BF4 is that game. Who knows if they'll have Frostbite 3 ready, and if it'll be a drastic improvement or just an iteration with a few improvements.

 

[coldmeat]

WTF? Why do I have to install a 4gb patch every time I want to play this game? Was looking to play some tonight, but at ~200kb/s it's not going to happen.

edit: ETA 24 hours on a 10mb connection. I thought I would give this game another shot, since I had nothing to do tonight. Well I learned my lesson for good this time.

 

[destrekor]

WTF? Why do I have to install a 4gb patch every time I want to play this game? Was looking to play some tonight, but at ~200kb/s it's not going to happen.

edit: ETA 24 hours on a 10mb connection. I thought I would give this game another shot, since I had nothing to do tonight. Well I learned my lesson for good this time.

How long has it been since you played?

Do you have Premium and already have Aftermath? Don't have Premium, and no Aftermath yet? It sounds early for non-premium, but it could be Aftermath.

If you haven't played in a few weeks, yeah, there was a massive 3.5GBish patch a day or two (or thereabouts) before Premium players had Aftermath become available, which itself was then another nearly 4GB download.

It sucks when you don't play often. I haven't played in a week, you scared me into thinking they had another patch. I just loaded up Origin and checked for updates, I only had like a 60KB patch to download (might not have even been a patch, and just the transfer to check for a patch. Never paid attention to what the result of "no new patch" actually looked like in the data column).

edit:
in general, those massive patches are fairly rare. I'd wager quarterly, and typically around the release of an expansion. That seems to be when they do they major overhauls of weapons and tweak a great number of things.
So if you only load up the game once every few months, yeah, it absolutely sucks. Thus, you should load it up more often.
They are constantly working on the entire game (not always to our praise, but they try and work on balances and improve certain aspects), and the only real fail is the patch delivery system, or specifically, the game package file system which doesn't allow easy slipstream of data into existing file stores. It is possible, I guess, they actually change 3GB+ worth of actual data, but for some strange reason I doubt it.

 

[Zargon]

WTF? Why do I have to install a 4gb patch every time I want to play this game? Was looking to play some tonight, but at ~200kb/s it's not going to happen.

edit: ETA 24 hours on a 10mb connection. I thought I would give this game another shot, since I had nothing to do tonight. Well I learned my lesson for good this time.

so you havent played in 3-4 months, and there was a big patch and DLC drop and you are complaining........?

boooo hoooo

 

[VulgarDisplay]

WTF? Why do I have to install a 4gb patch every time I want to play this game? Was looking to play some tonight, but at ~200kb/s it's not going to happen.

edit: ETA 24 hours on a 10mb connection. I thought I would give this game another shot, since I had nothing to do tonight. Well I learned my lesson for good this time.

Also, 200kb/s can't be origin's fault, but your connection. I download from steam at 2mb/s and origin gives me up to 3mb/s. Origin is ridiculously fast.

 

[Phoenix86]

Also, 200kb/s can't be origin's fault, but your connection. I download from steam at 2mb/s and origin gives me up to 3mb/s. Origin is ridiculously fast.

I have a 6mb/s connection and it took 6 hours to download, this was on patch day. /shurg

 

[Zargon]

Also, 200kb/s can't be origin's fault, but your connection. I download from steam at 2mb/s and origin gives me up to 3mb/s. Origin is ridiculously fast.

yup Origin is way faster than steam

 

[GullyFoyle]

Battlelog - Server update eliminates 3 bugs

By: trydling Posted: 9 hours ago
We have started deployment of a new server update on all formats. This update has three bug fixes (and nothing else):

Fixes immortality bug
We have identified and eliminated a bug where players in specific cases would be rendered invulnerable.

Fixes broken spawn points in TDM mode on Strike at Karkand
We have identified and eliminated a bug where players would only spawn in a few places on the east side of the map.

Fixes a crash in Gun Master mode
We have identified and eliminated a crash issue in Gun Master mode. To definitively eliminate this crash issue, we have had to implement a change so that players can no longer move in preround in Gun Master mode.

It usually takes ~15 minutes on consoles for these updates to be rolled out. On PC you should see these updates in about 24 hours on a majority of the servers. Note that during the console server update window (for 15 minutes) you will not be able to play multiplayer.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Battlefieldo - End Game Early Details

Some details regarding End Game are slowly peeping up on Battlelog/EA's backend website. End Game will feature 4 new "high speed" maps with 3 new vehicles to race across the Battlefield. The dirt bike, a new lightweight AA vehicle, & the dropship support that can drop vehicles straight on the maps.

Check out the official description:

• Four new maps designed for high speed combat and action
• Three new vehicles including the fast and agile dirt bikes
• New dropship provides support to ground troops with vehicle drop capabilities
• Return of the classic Capture The Flag game mode

Battlefield 3: End Game delivers some of the most high-speed warfare to date across four vast maps. Race through enemy lines using the new dirt bike, bringing speed and agility to the Battlefield, or fight back aerial assaults with new lightweight AA vehicles.

Coordinate lightning fast attacks and defenses in the return of the classic Capture The Flag game mode. In the skies, the new dropship introduces the ability to turn the tide with rapid deployment air drops of troop transports.
The initial teaser trailer for End Game is expected to drop this Friday, December 21st. Aftermath set a new bar for Battlefield expansions. Do you think End Game will live up to the hype?

 

[maevinj]

Battlefieldo - End Game Early Details

Capture the flag????? Awesome!!!

 

[Durvelle27]

Miss playing this

 

[moonbogg]

Capture the flag sounds bitchin. Looking forward to sniping blokes clean off of their dirt bikes.

 

[DeadFred]

I wanna roadkill peeps with a dirt bike, preferably snipers.

 

[moonbogg]

I wanna roadkill peeps with a dirt bike, preferably snipers.

LOL. It sounds like we have a date.