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

[Markbnj]

I spent my double-XP weekend trying to get Punkbuster to stop kicking me. I love the game, and it looks great, but overall the launcher and PB seem flaky as hell and it's really starting to irritate me. I have dropped a message on the Battlelog forum and opened a ticket with EvenBalance to see if they can explain why the PnkBstrA service appears to keep uninstalling itself. Nice to know that cheaters can still play, but at least some of those who play the game honestly can't because of the measures put in place to catch the cheaters.

Btw, there are 183 pages of replies in the stickied "What PB error message are you getting thread" on the Battlelog forums. Ridiculous.

 

[Grooveriding]

Leaked trailer for Battlefield Premium releasing tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=C5lEpjEzhGY

Looks like CoD's elite service. All the DLCs and early access with some additional fluff.

• Back To Karkand

• Close Quarters

• Armored Kill

• Aftermath

• End Game

In addition to the DLC, Battlefield Premium for Battlefield 3 includes the following features:

• 20 maps

• 20 new weapons

• 10+ new vehicles

• 4 new game modes

• 30+ assignments

• Two weeks early access to DLC

• Unique in-game knife, dog tags, and camos

• Unique weapon camos

• Stats reset feature

• Save up to five Battlelog reports

• 5+ unique assignments

• Exclusive double XP weekends

• Exclusive videos and strategy guides

I love BF3, so I might as well get it as it will be cheaper than buying the DLCs individually. Plus no wait to play the new maps.

Such a cheap tactic though. They will sell tons of these premiums based on getting to play DLC 2 weeks early. People won't want to play the old maps while the new ones are available.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

Leaked trailer for Battlefield Premium releasing tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=C5lEpjEzhGY

Looks like CoD's elite service. All the DLCs and early access with some additional fluff.

• Back To Karkand

• Close Quarters

• Armored Kill

• Aftermath

• End Game

In addition to the DLC, Battlefield Premium for Battlefield 3 includes the following features:

• 20 maps

• 20 new weapons

• 10+ new vehicles

• 4 new game modes

• 30+ assignments

• Two weeks early access to DLC

• Unique in-game knife, dog tags, and camos

• Unique weapon camos

• Stats reset feature

• Save up to five Battlelog reports

• 5+ unique assignments

• Exclusive double XP weekends

• Exclusive videos and strategy guides

I love BF3, so I might as well get it as it will be cheaper than buying the DLCs individually. Plus no wait to play the new maps.

Such a cheap tactic though. They will sell tons of these premiums based on getting to play DLC 2 weeks early. People won't want to play the old maps while the new ones are available.

bf3 premium? what? God I hate where games have been going lately....

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Such a cheap tactic though. They will sell tons of these premiums based on getting to play DLC 2 weeks early. People won't want to play the old maps while the new ones are available.

The Server Queue Priority is the biggest cheap tactic of all. Trying to get into your favorite server? Sorry, random Premium player jumps ahead. Edit: I don't see Queue Priority in your list even though it was in the previous leaked info. Was it removed?

Can any of you who are good at analyzing videos tell if the map shown in the Armored Kill section is a meaningful departure from BF3's flag packing and smallness even on larger maps?

 

[Grooveriding]

The Server Queue Priority is the biggest cheap tactic of all. Trying to get into your favorite server? Sorry, random Premium player jumps ahead. Edit: I don't see Queue Priority in your list even though it was in the previous leaked info. Was it removed?

Can any of you who are good at analyzing videos tell if the map shown in the Armored Kill section is a meaningful departure from BF3's flag packing and smallness even on larger maps?

I took a look at the brief armored kill snippets. They look fairly closely packed still to my eyes.

I did read that Armored Kill is going to have the biggest battlefield map ever made in any of the games.

Of course most of the space could be completely wasted. 🙄

 

[Markbnj]

All cheese aside, there is no way they're getting a dime more from me in the game's current state. I guess it's par for the course for Battlefield games to take a couple of years to get straight, but usually they have been at least playable. A lot of people like myself can't even play at the moment due to various issues with Punkbuster and the launcher.

 

[GullyFoyle]

The Battlefield Premium video was ripped off of YouTube, but is currently on MODDB.
If that one disappears, Google for a new location, or wait for tomorrow.

 

[DeadFred]

bf3 premium? what? God I hate where games have been going lately....

Same....

However at least BF3 Premium is a one time fee and not a subscription, and it will save me a few dollars over the cost of buying each DLC map pack separately. Im sold.... but for some odd reason I still feel a bit queasy about it.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Same....

However at least BF3 Premium is a one time fee and not a subscription, and it will save me a few dollars over the cost of buying each DLC map pack separately. Im sold.... but for some odd reason I still feel a bit queasy about it.

Have you realized the genius of it yet? The premium fee is per game... You get to pay again for BC3/BF4/etc. Perhaps even MoH2, if they support it with any significant DLC.

Annually, in other words. In fact, think about it. $60 up front, $50 for premium, and many people paying for unlock packages. That's getting close to the annual cash outlay for an MMORPG($15 per month=$180 per year).

I always thought that they should do this:
$50 annually, with a renewal date, for Battlefield Premium. So long as it's active you get: 25% off new BF titles, and all DLC.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Haven't read much lately with BF3 but whats the story with this premium update?Do the people like me who got the limited edition get these weapons,maps or do you pay for this premium package just to get early access like people who got Medal of Honor to get into the beta early or are the majority of BF3 players screwed out of playing the new maps without paying?

Also is there a patch as well coming out tomorrow or is it just the premium package?

 

[GullyFoyle]

Haven't read much lately with BF3 but whats the story with this premium update?Do the people like me who got the limited edition get these weapons,maps or do you pay for this premium package just to get early access like people who got Medal of Honor to get into the beta early or are the majority of BF3 players screwed out of playing the new maps without paying?

Also is there a patch as well coming out tomorrow or is it just the premium package?

People that got the Limited Edition got one DLC , Back to Karkand, free.

You, like any body else, will have to pay for any other DLC package that you want, $15 each.

Or, you can pay the $50 fee for all of them, plus get early access, and all of the other goodies they are offering.

Many of the things they mention, like new vehicles, new assignments, new game modes, new weapons, you will get as long as you buy the DLC that they come with.

The only thing in that vein that you can bring back to the default maps are the new weapons (or camo and dog tags).

And there is a patch due tomorrow. (No charge!)

Edit: Oh yeah, you may be able to purchase Battlefield Premium starting tomorrow, and with it get Close Quarters!

 

[DeadFred]

Have you realized the genius of it yet? The premium fee is per game... You get to pay again for BC3/BF4/etc. Perhaps even MoH2, if they support it with any significant DLC.

Annually, in other words. In fact, think about it. $60 up front, $50 for premium, and many people paying for unlock packages. That's getting close to the annual cash outlay for an MMORPG($15 per month=$180 per year).

I always thought that they should do this:
$50 annually, with a renewal date, for Battlefield Premium. So long as it's active you get: 25% off new BF titles, and all DLC.

I have to really like a game to continue to put money into it, I certainly wont buy every game and map pack they put out there.

I bought the BF3 Limited Edition for $45 after the birthday code deal, so if I go with the Premium Ill have $95 tied up in their software for however long it is I keep playing it.

I suppose it bugs me because I remember the good old days when additional maps were free for PC games, but alas those days are long gone.

 

[Destiny]

The Battlefield Premium video was ripped off of YouTube, but is currently on MODDB.
If that one disappears, Google for a new location, or wait for tomorrow.

I see a rocket launcher truck... god I hope I can use it to spawn kill or kill camping snipers from a distance like in BF 1942... that is enough for me to jump on this premium pack!! 😛

 

[GullyFoyle]

Battlelog - Battlelog Maintenance 4th of June

By: zh1nt0 Posted: 3 days ago
Battlelog will be down for maintenance on the 4th of June during these hours:
7- 12 PDT
10-15 EST
15-20 GMT
16-21 CET

During the maintenance, you will not be able to access Battlelog.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Maps for Close Quarters:

 

[GullyFoyle]

The patch is available for Xbox and PS3 in many regions.
After patch loads for Xbox, and advert shows the release date for Close Quarters as June 12th (for Premium).

So DICE continues their tradition of releasing DLC at very end of the advertised window...

 

[Zargon]

Have you realized the genius of it yet? The premium fee is per game... You get to pay again for BC3/BF4/etc. Perhaps even MoH2, if they support it with any significant DLC.

Annually, in other words. In fact, think about it. $60 up front, $50 for premium, and many people paying for unlock packages. That's getting close to the annual cash outlay for an MMORPG($15 per month=$180 per year).

I always thought that they should do this:
$50 annually, with a renewal date, for Battlefield Premium. So long as it's active you get: 25% off new BF titles, and all DLC.

i wouldnt count paying for optional unlocks as part of the game price, even if to make a point, its silly. but 110 seems a bit much for ONE GAME.

Though I paid 50 for LE, if I drop 50 on premium thats 100 total. Im at 180 hoursish now. if I drop another 20 thats 50c/hr of gameplay. while its more than I traditionally pay, its still the cheapest game I own. Iam at like 18 hrs on Saints the 3rd and paid 38 for that. doubtfull I will ever make it past 38 hours before I beat it and put it down

 

[Zargon]

The patch is available for Xbox and PS3 in many regions.
After patch loads for Xbox, and advert shows the release date for Close Quarters as June 12th (for Premium).

So DICE continues their tradition of releasing DLC at very end of the advertised window...

I'm reading that only PS3 gets the early access, so they might be getting it now and we get it the 12th. or they get it now and we get it the 19th?

we will know soon enough I suppose


the tag line for aftermath was something like nonstop frantic action which makes me think its more Close Quarters maps

 

[Termie]

I'm sure that over the coming years, I'll put a huge number of hours into BF3. I'd say that I played more BF2 than every other game combined in the past 10 years. So that makes it a good value, as Zargon is suggesting BF3 will be.

That being said, I really don't like having to pay for content before it's released. I'm also not convinced that all these map packs won't splinter the community, like they did with BF2. I'm inclined to wait for each pack, see if people like it and play it, and then jump in (perhaps with a 50% sale, which is common). I bought BC2 Vietnam on day one for $15, but we knew that was really almost a new game, not just a bunch of maps. I thought it was worth it, but just barely...

 

[DeadFred]

i wouldnt count paying for optional unlocks as part of the game price, even if to make a point, its silly. but 110 seems a bit much for ONE GAME.

Though I paid 50 for LE, if I drop 50 on premium thats 100 total. Im at 180 hoursish now. if I drop another 20 thats 50c/hr of gameplay. while its more than I traditionally pay, its still the cheapest game I own. Iam at like 18 hrs on Saints the 3rd and paid 38 for that. doubtfull I will ever make it past 38 hours before I beat it and put it down

Sheesh! According to my stats Im at close to 395 hours, all that for only $45 so far. Unless of course you count the close to $1,000 Ive spent in upgrading my PC. 😛

 

[GullyFoyle]

the tag line for aftermath was something like nonstop frantic action which makes me think its more Close Quarters maps

I'm thinking Onslaught mode (from BFBC2, only consoles got it).
Possibly with a zombie, or dinosaur twist. 😛

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

i wouldnt count paying for optional unlocks as part of the game price, even if to make a point, its silly. but 110 seems a bit much for ONE GAME.

Though I paid 50 for LE, if I drop 50 on premium thats 100 total. Im at 180 hoursish now. if I drop another 20 thats 50c/hr of gameplay. while its more than I traditionally pay, its still the cheapest game I own. Iam at like 18 hrs on Saints the 3rd and paid 38 for that. doubtfull I will ever make it past 38 hours before I beat it and put it down

The point there is that EA has a $110 price PLUS a cash shop. People outright demonize MMOs for costing $180 per year, and they also demonize the free2play + microtransaction model, but the fact is - the unlock packages is probably just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike free2play, BF requires $60 up front, I'm thinking that for future BF games they are going to have an even deeper cash shop- especially considering the level of customization that Planetside 2 is going to have. And I say this PURELY based on the cool camos and stuff, nothing to do with the gameplay, they will copy all the cash shop stuff in a heartbeat.

The full shortcut bundle is $40 and everything else ranges from $5 to $18. You think it might be silly but I would love to see sales figures on these unlock shortcut bundles. If they had not had BF3 Premium, and DLC was all sold individually, I would think that total shortcut sales could easily approach the sales dollars of an individual DLC. Yes, that is a complete uneducated guess based on pure gut feeling.

 

[sigurros81]

I really don't see a valid reason for people to complain about the cost of the service, and I'm glad to see a lot of people are feeling the same on this forum. The vanilla game came with a nice roster of maps, on top of the awesomely free Karkand map pack. Now if another 50 bucks guarantee me another 16 maps plus a bunch of extra perks, hell yeah, not a bad deal at all. You do not have to pay for the elite service at all, as the vanilla game already provided $60 worth of content already, it's not like the game that was shipped was not worth $60 bucks. I've already logged 200+ hours into BF3 since the release last year.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Video showing calendar of upcoming Premium Content on Xbox or PS3 (I can't tell the difference, I don't own either one).

YouTube

Edit: Notice today's date on Close Quarters. I'm assuming this is PS3. So maybe PS3 Premium gets a week ahead of other systems' Premium?

 

[Zargon]

The point there is that EA has a $110 price PLUS a cash shop. People outright demonize MMOs for costing $180 per year, and they also demonize the free2play + microtransaction model, but the fact is - the unlock packages is probably just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike free2play, BF requires $60 up front, I'm thinking that for future BF games they are going to have an even deeper cash shop- especially considering the level of customization that Planetside 2 is going to have. And I say this PURELY based on the cool camos and stuff, nothing to do with the gameplay, they will copy all the cash shop stuff in a heartbeat.

The full shortcut bundle is $40 and everything else ranges from $5 to $18. You think it might be silly but I would love to see sales figures on these unlock shortcut bundles. If they had not had BF3 Premium, and DLC was all sold individually, I would think that total shortcut sales could easily approach the sales dollars of an individual DLC. Yes, that is a complete uneducated guess based on pure gut feeling.

bf p4f is FREE because its old IP dumbdown. not near as much work, and they already recouped $$$ on BF2 bigtime. you cant really compare P4F to the real games.(though I do enjoy it, but it sucks that the paid guns really are tons better)

you are right though, how PS2 does theirs is likely to influence the whole market and we have COD with elite to blame for it

does premium include the unlocks?(sorry if you've answered that the unlocks arent really on my radar so Ive likely unconciously skipped over the info)

I really don't see a valid reason for people to complain about the cost of the service, and I'm glad to see a lot of people are feeling the same on this forum. The vanilla game came with a nice roster of maps, on top of the awesomely free Karkand map pack. Now if another 50 bucks guarantee me another 16 maps plus a bunch of extra perks, hell yeah, not a bad deal at all. You do not have to pay for the elite service at all, as the vanilla game already provided $60 worth of content already, it's not like the game that was shipped was not worth $60 bucks. I've already logged 200+ hours into BF3 since the release last year.

the problem is we used to get more for less and that train just crashed 🙁

I would rather see something like alpha suggested, 20 or so a year with discounts on titles and DLC