DICE explains Battlefield 3 beta decisions

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 7 October, 2011

Gamers "misunderstanding term beta test".

DICE has reflected on the ongoing Battlefield 3 beta, saying there has been a "misunderstanding" of the term "beta test".

Some gamers have reacted badly to the beta test, which runs the Rush game mode on the Operation Metro map, and gamers have reported a number of bugs and gameplay issues.

According to producer Patrick Liu, the beta is about testing the shooter's backend to ensure a smooth launch, and promised bugs will be ironed out.

"Our primary intentions have been to test the backend," Liu told The Guardian. "As we said at the beginning, we have six times the number of players we had with Bad Company 2, we have record high concurrent users compared to anything we've done before. And we know it works. In previous games, like Bad Company and 1943, we've had serious problems with the backend, it's just been overloaded - this time it hasn't been a problem."

He continued: "We just wanted to know it wouldn't crash and burn at launch. It was horrible with Battlefield 1943 - it sold ten times the numbers we thought it would, and it was down for three or four days which is really bad. We don't want to go through that again."

Some fans have complained that DICE limited the beta to a single level - one without vehicles.

Responding to this, Liu said "there's been a misunderstanding of the term 'beta test'".

"We ran the alpha tests with a rush map and we wanted to have some sort of reference so we could compare results - so we needed to have more-or-less the same map.

"But we do understand the concerns that we didn't show a conquest map, but we have demoed Caspian Border, and we did run a conquest map as a limited PC-only test."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (89) Latest comment 8 months ago

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  • bobfish09 #1 8 months ago

    You forgot to mention that Metro plays like COD, so is the perfect way to entice COD players to jumpship. :)

  • Tomahawk #2 8 months ago

    I understand that the primary test was the backend but this close to release people were expecting the showcase betas that other games have, meaning more or less a demo with fewer bug fixes.

    Sure it's a beta build but people are going to think developers are going to release with a broken game. Huge mistake releasing that beta in my opinion.

  • Bradach #3 8 months ago

    i'm loving the beta, i wish they'd extend it a bit though. Battlelog is brilliant too, i can look over my stats in work the next day!

  • Porko_Rossi #4 8 months ago

    I'm still concerned...

  • Sir_STRESSHEaD #5 8 months ago

    the BETA played nice I thought... no bugs that won't be easily fixed. Looking forward to the launch!

  • Sir_STRESSHEaD #6 8 months ago

    I'm astounded in the lack of faith in DICE. BFBC2 was a beast of a game and DICE are notoriously committed to listening to their community. I for one know that BF3 is going to be stunning!

  • YGNUK-Munsen #7 8 months ago

    My God so many haters of the Beta. Doesn't anyone realise this is the BETA for crying out loud!!

    Like BC2, BF3 will have a load of updates after launch to iron out bugs and apply fixes. BC2 wasn't as perfect game when it came out and took a while to get to the awesome level it is at now. Personally, I'm not bothered, I'm still getting it and it's still gonna be one of the best games this year

    So...CALM DOWN DEARS

  • Cobalt_Jackal #8 8 months ago

    Damage control much.

  • superfurry #9 8 months ago

    People see "beta" but they read demo, and as such it was a terrible level choice to showcase the best of what Battlefield has to offer. It's far too enclosed, claustrophobic and above all CoD-like. You can tell people that it's only about getting them to test the netcode, but regardless, it's still everyone's first experience with the game and many will make a judgement call on the game, based on the beta.

  • CaptainQuint #10 8 months ago

    The beta effectively put me off the game I was very much looking forward to.

    I'll be watching the reviews with interest since this is no longer an insta-buy, for me.

  • Agent_Orange #11 8 months ago

    This is what happens when you open the testing phase of a game to the unwashed masses.

    Superfurry, that's pretty much spot on.
    Edited by Agent_Orange at 07/10/11 @ 09:49

  • thedaveeyres #12 8 months ago

    I'm really enjoying the beta.

  • hiddenranbir #13 8 months ago

    Metro plays nothing like CoD. They should have kept it closed beta so they don't have those cheapskates that just want a free experience and then complain because it isn't a polished product
    Edited by hiddenranbir at 07/10/11 @ 09:49

  • arcam #14 8 months ago

    I blame MS and Sony for (apparently) listing this as a demo on their respective networks, but also all the other companies who have abused the idea of a beta by using it merely as a promotional tool or a pre-order bonus.

  • AVisualEpiphany #15 8 months ago

    I don't understand how it's got to the point where every other games has an open beta released
    And it has now got to the point where people seem to think "Beta" means "Demo" or "LOLICANPLEYZERLLYTHENCOMPLAYNITSNUTFINISSHED"
    ....Why?
    As explained here. A BETA is a test, it's not a demo to showcase the finished product

  • DisneyJon #16 8 months ago

    When you are spending money advertising a beta on TV then they should not be surprised when it gets treated by the masses as a demo, especially three weeks from launch.

    If they wanted a real beta then they should have run a limited access one and simply learned from the issues of Bad Company, Bad Compancy 2....Medal of Honor....1943...or pretty much any game they have released on consoles which have, without fail, had day one access issues for online.

  • Sir_STRESSHEaD #17 8 months ago

    The metro map is kinda enclosed... but is that a bad thing? Usually all of the BF maps are wide open and often take 5 mins to cross. I think they are going for more variation this time around.

    Variation is good in any game.

    Also, I play a lot of COD and I wouldn't say that Metro played like COD at all... there are more shooters out there than just COD and BF you know?

  • lordofthedunce #18 8 months ago

    My problem with the beta isn't really the bugs.

    I appreciate there are many people loving it but the feel of the game and some of the decisions Dice has made with BF3 has put me off a bit. I'll be waiting for reviews now before committing to a purchase.

  • Ranger101 #19 8 months ago

    Loved the beta. Sure there were no vehicles, but fighting a battle in the confined darkness of the tunnel is a first for me in this generation of gaming. And the videos of the PC Caspian Border MP look stunning.

    I hope some people have been put off, especially those who played the beta as Pvt. Lonewolf McTeamDeathmatch - not even (dis)arming an MCOM while standing right next to it.

    Cheers DICE, 28th can't come soon enough!
    Edited by Ranger101 at 07/10/11 @ 09:58

  • TigerX81 #20 8 months ago

    As far as I can see the main complaint against the beta is not a bug as much as it's a major design flaw: Client side hit registration. Beta or no beta that's still a big mistake.

  • MattEdWithCheese #21 8 months ago

    "Our primary intentions have been to test the backend,"

    I bet they were you kinky bitch...

  • DirectAim #22 8 months ago

    Some people need to get a grip, its a fucking beta and is a FREE download.

    I don't think DICE have anything to worry about.. people like "Bennyjj81" can go play other games and it will be funny watching them come back and still play BF3 because its fucking awesome! I think only allowing the metro map to be played was a good idea! New players jumping into the game don't want to play a level that is 100x bigger than the crap in blackops, they will get lost and walk around being killed all the time! Metro is ideal because its smaller, quicker combat and less chance of getting lost.

    If you wanted to play the bigger conquest maps with vehicles... buy the fucking game!

    Also people talking about bugs.. what bugs, the game plays perfect for me and everyone I know, cant wait for the full release, its gunna be epic!

    MW3 is laughable, was talking to guys in GAME and they even said its just the same graphics and gamestyle as blackops, nothing is really new apart from some cut scenes etc, its gunna crash and burn!

  • carlitoswagon #23 8 months ago

    For those put off after playing the Beta......."it ain't going to get any easier for you with a map full of vehicles."

    For those who understand what a Beta is....."it's just going to get better with a shit load of large maps and vehicles."

  • bad09 #24 8 months ago

    Maybe they should have put out a better build to test the backend?

    I haven't tried the beta myself as my PC does not come until 2 days after the beta (boo!) but the number of people it seems to have put off is quite surprising and DICE may have shot themselves in the foot a little.

  • silasthemariner #25 8 months ago

    It sounds like DICE are misunderstanding the term "beta test."

    A beta test is: "...[for] the general public and anyone interested. The testers report any bugs that they find, and sometimes suggest additional features they think should be available in the final version... Open betas serve the dual purpose of demonstrating a product to potential consumers, and testing among an extremely wide user base likely to bring to light obscure errors that a much smaller testing team may not find."

    I can understand them using it as a server stress test as well, but they shouldn't say that we don't understand what a beta test is because we're submitting bug reports during one of the buggiest betas i've ever played.
    Edited by silasthemariner at 07/10/11 @ 10:24

  • 00.00.01 #26 8 months ago

    Hmmm...The game has gone for gold by now, discs are being printed and stacks of shiny limited editions will be shipped within 10 days from now. So this was never going to be a code-changing beta, but perhaps it's an idea that developers in the future tell us what the purpose of a specific test is? This prevent a lot of net-rage and also gives better feedback, as long as people are testing without knowing DICE can only blame itself that a beta is interpreted as a demo.
    Basically the beta is a stress test and it seems to deal well with the demands.
    Having said that....I could really do with a proper Conquest-demo on the console.

  • orangpelupa #27 8 months ago

    for me the Operation Metro map is the one to blame.

    i tried the Caspian beta Map. it is a lot more buggy, also texture flickering all over the screen but it is fun.
    when i back to operation metro,... i almost didnt see any annoying bugs but the gameplay not fun at all.

    Beta is for bug fixing and get the feeling of the gameplay. If bug found, it will be pardoned/reported. but getting bad gameplay? leave bad impression and lowering expectation...

  • Bennyjj81 #28 8 months ago

    @carlitoswagon

    Re-read it. You have pretty much summed up what I thought. Negative comments without taking any time to think about what I actually said.

  • LittleRiver #29 8 months ago

    Great example of why you shouldn't have open Betas.

    Having a closed Beta would force participants to at very least read a web page with "BETA STRESS TEST" in 72pt blinking text. It wouldn't be absorbed and understood by some but it would help dispel the notion that demo/beta are the same thing.

  • Spekingur #30 8 months ago

    Minor problem with bugs for me (one or two incidents where I have clearly gone prone but it seems that my head hitbox still stays up, yay long-necks). Punkbuster is not activated for any servers in beta yet it runs when you start up the Beta - cheating galore :o

    My biggest complaint is needing to go through the battlelog website to get in the game to change settings. I am hoping they have a solution before release but I have doubts.

  • mattk84 #31 8 months ago

    Only played a few games on the beta intentionally so as to leave it feeling fresh come release day but from what I experienced it was really good. As someone who regularly plays BFBC2 this does feel like a move forward with subtle changes rather than major overhauls adding to the game.

  • CrunchinJelly #32 8 months ago

    The backend has had no problem?

    The demo, sorry beta, didn't even work for the first 2 days due to the shitty ea servers!

  • danidrums #33 8 months ago

    CaptainQuint
    07/10/11 @ 09:48

    This!

  • xero521 #34 8 months ago

    great game just hope they fix all the bugs....

  • geeza2020 #35 8 months ago

    I'm going to admit that the beta did make me feel less excited about the game at first, but after a few more days with it, its started to grow on me, and I'm now confident that DICE will get all the bugs sorted for release (well most of them). Still not as excited as I once was, mind.

  • joelstinton #36 8 months ago

    I think players understand that its a beta.They will give it some leeway. But the PR behind this as been nothing short of embarrasing. What they saw, and what people though they were getting was that Caspian border trailer, what they got was a huge letdown. The release of a beta, 3 weeks before release, its had the opposite effect of what it should have done.

    It worries me more when orangpelupa says that the caspian border map is a lot more buggy than operation metro was. add to that 7 more maps that could potentially have big pits of doom, cover that you can shoot through, amongst other. It is worrying.

    There are glimpses of what makes BF great in the beta... but i think it needs 3 more months in the oven. But EA have forced this out before MW3. They don't understand that people will buy this regardless when it comes out, and that releasing it after MW3 might work in there advantage and grab players who have started to tire of the other franchise.

  • ShovelyJoe #37 8 months ago

    Whatever you want to call it - it was massively disappointing for me. Even if the code was 6 months old, I'd still be nervous. This went from a day 1 to a I'll wait to see what mates and forums say cos I certainly wont be trusting any of the reviews. You can talk all you want about beta this and beta that. But I honestly cant see the actual mechanics of the game changing that significantly between now and release.

    If I bought this it would be for the online MP and that is not an option with the current hit boxes and frame rate. And I just cant understand why anyone would swap destructible environments for frame rate consistency. So what if you can shoot a tree down, I want the game to accurately reflect what I am doing.

    I hate Acti and the hype and the fact that COD is turning into FIFA but at least it does what it says it does. BF3 feels to me like a fail on console at least.

  • Jorendo #38 8 months ago

    @CaptainQuint

    You do know that a beta does have bugs right? That's why its a beta after all. To test the game, to get feedback from the players. As beta tester its your duty to look for the bugs and report them. What you and others do i seeing this as the complete version and think its a demo. Do you even realize that the beta is a older version of the game to begin with? They already have a much more smoother version out there.

    During a beta they test allot of things. Like how much pressure the servers can take before cracking so yeah your gameplay isn't smooth. its not suppose to be a smooth gameplay during the beta cause they performing tests on the background.

    Learn the difference between beta and demo people. Beta's are full of bugs, don't run as smooth as the final product. A beta doesn't say a thing about the final result. There have been games with a poor poor beta that turned out great. And there have been games that had a great beta and still managed to mess it all up with the release of the final version.

    Every BF game that came out ran well (beside 43 i guess) at launch. If you lose faith in the game cause of a beta then perhaps this is a lesson for you not to enter the beta and just wait for the demo next time.

  • sjmlondon #39 8 months ago

    I'm a huge BFBC2 fan, but having playing the 'beta' you couldn't help but feel disappointed. When it is promoted as a demo, and given it is only a matter of weeks till the official launch people are going to be concerned. Apparently it has resulted in tens of thousands of pre-orders being cancelled so I imagine someone in the company is getting their knuckles rapped for letting such a shoddy product being released as a demo / 'beta' / whatever you want to call it.

    It felt like a reskinned Medal of Honor than anything resembling the polished product that was BFBC2.

    My pre-order still stands though and I'm hoping Battlefield 3 will be a fantastic product on release.


  • jablonski #40 8 months ago

    I was looking forward to this, but I've never played BF on MP before, just BF2 on single player.

    I recently started playing COD online, I enjoy it even if it is a bit simple and nihilistic.

    But playing this beta I was massively put off of the game. I hadn't a clue what was going on and really could have done with the rules or instructions.
    Yes, you can call me a COD twat, but I'd rather get into a game with a lot more depth, without being made to feel like a massive noob who is not welcome.

  • NKSR #41 8 months ago

    Caspian Border will be available to play again this weekend.

    servers are up..
    Edited by NKSR at 07/10/11 @ 10:55

  • arcam #42 8 months ago

    The release of a beta, 3 weeks before release, its had the opposite effect of what it should have done.

    The effect of a beta should be a more stable release of the actual game. Since that time isn't even here yet, I don't see how you can say it has had the opposite effect.

  • metalangel #43 8 months ago

    I think they've misunderstood a few things, and on depending on their legions of mindless fanboys (as per this comments section) to tell people off for them.

    A beta test less than a month? That's a demo. Especially when you put up huge banner ads on every site you can afford to, offering people a chance to play a hotly anticipated game. It's going to be treated like a demo, whether you like it or not.

    Secondly, thank goodness this is allegedly an old build because it sucks. I kicks you out into an endless loading screen on a regular basis, can't find the servers half the time, can't put you into a squad with your friends, won't even keep you in a squad if you manage to form one on the main menu, kicks you out of that squad once in the game and doesn't let you form one once you're in...

    Third, from a gameplay perspective, the game isn't fun. They've 'misunderstood' what made BC2 and BF1942 and all the rest fun. Flimsy-feeling weapons juddering all over the place with no sense of power or impact on your targets isn't fun. The UI is ugly and badly put together, the voiceovers suck, the unlock system looks nightmarish, they really can't decide what sort of game it wants to be, so it's trying to be everything.

    As Tomahawk said, this being released was a huge mistake, it's put a lot of people off.

  • aldo_14 #44 8 months ago

    A beta test less than a month? That's a demo. Especially when you put up huge banner ads on every site you can afford to, offering people a chance to play a hotly anticipated game. It's going to be treated like a demo, whether you like it or not.

    If you're trying to stress-test with the maximum number of players/connections/entities... isn't that exactly whay you have to do?

  • StooMonster #45 8 months ago

    In the good old days

    Beta = functionally and content/assets complete, testing for bugs

    These days "beta" seems to have moved more into the "alpha" territory of functionally incomplete and content/assets missing.

    Or worse, as AVisualEpiphany points out, some kind of bug-free demo.

  • tictac132 #46 8 months ago

    I think this is fair enough. But I can understand people “misunderstanding” because open betas have been used like demos in recent years.

  • Daeltaja #47 8 months ago

    Beta has put me off this too. Glitchy mess. Fair enough if you want to launch a public beta to test the backend, but you should have made sure the game was properly tested prior to this.

    On top of that, it's far too much like COD, currently. Only for the fact that I'm getting a free copy, I'd not be buying.

  • metalangel #48 8 months ago

    @aldo_14: Fine, but you're then not allowed to complain that players are also going to start talking about the game itself.

    They seem to have expected people to just report any connectivity issues and not the heaps of gameplay issues.

  • dammskog #49 8 months ago

    Sorry DICE but the BETA test was MARKETED AS EARLY ACCESS by EA so ofcourse people will see it as a "demo" especially since EA and other publishers have resorted to use BETAs as marketing tools the two latest years.
    On the other hand DICEs communication with the community during the ongoing beta has been abysmal if not even catastrophic. Even now the feedback on the beta testing forums is minimal, they do not even have stickies describing how to fix the most common errors or a sticky of known bugs restulting in over 100 new threads covering the same problems every 10 minutes.
    There has been no real communication whatsoever with the community about the bugs and problems they have reported. Also a BETA THREE WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE should be much more stable than this was.
    Edited by dammskog at 07/10/11 @ 11:15

  • Machetazo #50 8 months ago

    The players wanted a demo, but got a beta, or they reported bugs, thinking it a beta, but found no interest from DICE because it's a demo? :/ That's the fault of EA, Activision in particular and any other publisher who after Call of Duty Modern Warfare, began sending out demos as betas. The "misunderstanding" is entirely of their own causing, and I have no sympathy when players expect one thing, but found another and reacted in a manner to which they've been egged on to become accustomed, and duly in kind.

  • Machetazo #51 8 months ago

    @51: If that's the case, then it really is their own fault. To try to put this on players is no good, I reckon, unacceptable.
    Edited by Machetazo at 07/10/11 @ 11:14

  • iFoney #52 8 months ago

    Would love to have tried the Beta but unfortunately was one of the people who got the "Unknown Error" message popping up on the Xbox 360 - they never successfully fixed that issue as far as I know. Open to correction though.

    Seemed like an EA problem more than a DICE one - not buying on day 1 now until I hear it's been remedied.

  • FireMonkey #53 8 months ago

    @TigerX81 - "As far as I can see the main complaint against the beta is not a bug as much as it's a major design flaw: Client side hit registration. Beta or no beta that's still a big mistake."

    If you don't have client side hit detection you get issues like what was seen in GOW. Check this video to show what happens:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8AKDqA9-...

    For those not watching the video, you (as a client) fire your gun. The gun shot message is sent to the server and the hit sent back to the client. If there is lag this can mean you see a hit in completely the wrong location and delayed (in GOW it could be up to a second before you see your bullets hitting).

    There are problems with both client and server based systems but that's networked gaming for ya'
    Edited by FireMonkey at 07/10/11 @ 11:26

  • Uncompetative #54 8 months ago

    There is no way that they have given themselves enough time to fix all its inherent gameplay flaws.

    It isn't remotely fun.

  • Pocketgrandpa #55 8 months ago

    I do understand the difference between a beta and a demo but three weeks from launch I think most people were expecting more. Regardless of whether people understand what's going on or not, this is generating bad PR for a game that is hugely anticipated

    I still want it but I've cancelled my pre-order until the reviews come in and it's been up and running for a while and I'd be really surprised if lots of other people haven't done the same.

  • FireMonkey #56 8 months ago

    @dammskog - "Also a BETA THREE WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE should be much more stable than this was"

    A beta 3 weeks before release that would have gone through some form of testing (on on console through platform certification) to make sure it doesn't do anything really bad such as wipe your hard-drive. This can take up to a month to do so the build you see I would imagine to be over 1 month old. It is possible for a dev team the size of the one on BF3 to get rid of most of the bugs you have seen in a month.

  • Johnsters #57 8 months ago

    I enjoyed the Beta, ran smoothly for me - only played for about an hour, and had some great skirmishes.(on PS3 rather than xbox)

    I missed out the last BF as I had bad experiences with 1943 and Bad company 1.

    I hated the damage system with both hand weapons and vehicle mounted. Really annoyed me.

    From what I played I was very happy with the weapon damage this time round, so I'll be investing.

  • tankboi #58 8 months ago

    Explain away, but it sees DICE 'misunderstood the point' of a Battlefield game. It's should not be COD, or Bad Company.

    Just the simple fact that that terrible Metro map exists in a BF game made me cancel my pre-order. For the love of God and all the kittens in the world, please ignore COD and make it play like BF2...y'know, seeing as this is BF3, not BFBC3.

    Pleaaaaaase!!!!
    Edited by tankboi at 07/10/11 @ 11:55

  • OllyJ #59 8 months ago

    I'LL TEST HIS BACKEND IN A MINUTE!!

  • carlitoswagon #60 8 months ago

    @tankboi

    you cancelled your pre-order because of the existence of 1 map you don't like. Are you are also aware of the legendary bf2 maps due for release and have you seen caspian border?

  • TigerX81 #61 8 months ago

    @FireMonkey: To be honest I hadn't considered the console side of things. Having played GOW on 360 I agree with you, but I've never noticed issues with server-side on PC though. As far as I'm aware (and I could be wrong) BFBC2 on PC is server-side and works a treat. If that's not the case then the poor hit-detection in the beta may well be a bug and I'd better shut up.
    Edited by TigerX81 at 07/10/11 @ 12:09

  • asphaltcowboy #62 8 months ago

    The problem is that other people have released beta tests that clearly weren't beta tests... so now DICE come out with an actual beta test (aka it's not finished) and people get all huffy because they've released a "broken demo" 8)

  • FireMonkey #63 8 months ago

    @TigerX81 - Just read some info from someone playing a later version. Reads very well. One point he makes is "Hit boxes were dramatically improved. My bullets didn't magically go through enemies' torsos." 8)

    Read it all here:
    http://www.enterbf3.com/viewtopic.php?t=...

  • Jorendo #64 8 months ago

    @tankboi lol you cancel your pre order based on one map. You do know there are bigger maps right? That do give you the BF feel you love right? I think you misunderstand that BF still isn't a CoD game just by having one close combat map.

    @all the haters who keep saying dice doesn't know what a beta is:

    1. This beta isn't a recent version, its a old version of the game. The glitches and bugs are removed already.
    You all been playing a version of the game that's most likely a half year old. They haven't let you play the most recent version.
    2. This beta isn't the so called early access nor is it a demo. The early access will be later this month. No Mather what EA says, when you download it, it still says beta and not demo/early access.
    3. Dice doesn't have to apologize to you. In fact i still dare to bet that you will play the game when its released and you see the high scores it gets. And i dare to bet you will be the ones cheering the loudest for this game even though you will deny it now. When the game is great you gonna shout to your friends "i always knew this game was gonna be awesome". If they fail, well you win, good for you.

    I will judge the game when its out. You can't judge the game based on a beta anyway. That's like judging your dinner by looking at the cows outside and thinking "hm..its spot isn't perfect, meh my hamburger will suck tonight".

  • Bennyjj81 #65 8 months ago

    After being negged to death this morning for daring to criticise the quality of the beta I've decided to cancel my pre-order. It's telling that the people in here who are worried are genuine BF fans who were hoping for so much more and not CoD fanboys. It seems the fanboys will love the game in whatever form and that's fine. The rest of us were just expecting something else and I fear with 2 weeks to go before the game is ready to be shipped to retailers, that 'something' will fail to materialise. The very fact DICE have even felt they needed to come out with this story means they're aware of public opinion and are desperately trying to paper over the cracks. Cover up anyone?

  • the_sas_man #66 8 months ago

    Seems a lot of folk don't understand the difference between a demo and a Beta.

    If this was a demo then fair enough...

  • mattk84 #67 8 months ago

    I qute like the Metro map. Although I will concede it took a while to grow on me but it is a decent rush map in condensed form.

  • carlitoswagon #68 8 months ago

    Just read a very reassuring BF3 article on IGN of all places. Considering their unashamed love for that other military shooter the comments have been very positive. Seems proof that Dice have been hard at work ironing out bugs, glitches and other issues such as dying too easily after a couple of hits. The persdon who wrote the article has played a more up-to-date version of the game and appears to be as happy as a pig in shit! Yipee..... Proof again that a Beta is a Beta is a Beta.

    New footage of Operation Firestorm map on conquest mode looks stunning.

  • Kilters #69 8 months ago

    Linky

    http://ie.xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1...

  • UkHardcore23 #70 8 months ago

    Today's young gamers are clowns is it any wonder they dont understand the meaning of a beta?

  • tankboi #71 8 months ago

    @everyone that replied.

    Yes, i cancelled. I was a hardcore BF2 player, in clan matches etc. I sinked hundreds upon hundreds of BF2 hours.

    Close quarters or not, this map played nothing like BF should, even in 'CQC'. the fact that there is no proper squad system, this utterly unforgivable excuse for a BF map, and only 4 classes, make cancelling all too easy for me and my BF2 clan members and friends, that had increasing worries about this game following BFBC instead of BF2.

    It felt like a lone wolf mess. in BF2 if you went lonewolf it felt out of place. In this disgraceful Beta it felt weird if you managed to stay in a squad and have a clue as to what was going on in the squad! I didnt hear one voip order from a squad leader.

    Me and my mates shall wait until this has been out for at least a few weeks until we decide to part with our cash. We can then hear the opinions of other trusted BF2 players that have been playing it. I don't see why you have a problem with me cancelling a pre-order on a game that I have spent hours on in the Beta and hated it?

    I hate COD, I dislike BFBC2, but I love BF2. This is BFBC3. Not my cup of tea.

  • Uncompetative #72 8 months ago

    I bought Mirror's Edge (wonderful campaign). I bought Crysis 2 (buggy AI wasn't enough to spoil a campaign comparable to Halo, although opportunities to have Parkour style combat in multiplayer were sorely missed). I bought Medal of Honor: Limited Edition (absolutely excellent DICE multiplayer, even if there was very little environmental destruction). Had to decline the invitation to the PC Alpha for BF3 because I only have a Mac. LOL. Waited for any news for when the paltry 48hr advance access would begin fearing that I would miss it. Eventually, got message and access code hours before. About 3pm. Downloaded it and then failed to gain access to EA servers for FIVE HOURS. Played one game in which I was repeatedly griefed by someone not defending their team's objectives. Dutifully tested the one thing that had been wrong with Medal of Honor (poor 'mantling') and was impressed by the fluid clambering-over-rocks-whilst-not-getting-stuck-on-the-scenery animation. Went on to play another game whereupon it crashed my Xbox as soon as I entered the subway tunnel. Gave up. Played Halo 3 to wash the bitter taste out of my mouth. Next day the servers seemed to be 85% fixed and played 7 long games in a row until all the flaws in the unfun gameplay were exposed and I had made my mind up to despondently cancel my pre-order.

    Mirror's Edge, Crysis 2, Medal of Honor, Battlefield: Bad Company, Medal of Honor Airborne, Burnout Paradise, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Need for Speed: Shift and most recently XBLA's Crysis have all been excellent, so I don't despise EA. Furthermore, DICE are my favourite developer (Rallisport Challenge 2 was wonderful), so I am doubly disappointed in the mishandling of this important title. Nor am I a COD or Halo fanboi - I think Bungie ruined Reach multiplayer - so try if you can to accept my criticism as being my opinion (which may well be different from yours), but one which remains genuine an well-founded.

    I merely write this to advocate caution.

    Don't rush into pre-ordering this mess until it is clear what everyone (not just 'bribed' review sites), thinks about it once 'graphics' are no longer the main topic of conversation. Watch homemade YouTube videos of Conquest gametypes on your console before you throw your money down the drain. You could always buy Crysis instead. It is unbelievably excellent on the 360.

  • apoc_reg #73 8 months ago

    The problem is EA made it a preorder bonus, theats where expectation comes from.

    Its their own fault if people then expected more.

  • carlitoswagon #74 8 months ago

    People obviously haven't read about the proper squad system. The details were releaseed this week and will be present in the full version of BF3 and did not feature in the Beta. It's actually great news and was one of my major concerns. No need to worry.

    There is a proper squad system. You can google it.

  • FireMonkey #75 8 months ago

    @Tankboi - "Close quarters or not, this map played nothing like BF should, even in 'CQC'. the fact that there is no proper squad system, this utterly unforgivable excuse for a BF map"

    It just wasn't in the beta as it was only a beta. It IS in the final game:
    [link url=http://www.enterbf3.com/viewtopic.php?t=4967
    ]http://www.enterbf3.com/viewtopic.php?t=...[/link]

    If you were such a big fan of the BF series you would have some faith in Dice (and be trying to keep up with the BF news). I feel cancelling your order due to not liking a old version is a little bit silly. I develop games and know how much can change in the last months of work. By all means cancel your pre-order that's your choice after all, but once the full thing is out and being reviewed I have a feeling you may change your mind.
    Edited by FireMonkey at 07/10/11 @ 14:42

  • Geordiemp #76 8 months ago

    The words EA and dedicated server dont really go together.

    A dedicated server, for me playing in the UK, is a local UK server thats easy to log into and has good response and no lag.

    Yes, I play COD, but only local search and I only bother if I get 4 bars and its local so lag is un noticable - usually I throw a grenade and if it does not leave my hand instantly then its not worth playing and i quit. Waste of time, may as well just let the host kill you and not bothe shooting.

    EA servers seem worse than this, if they are gouing to be cheap ass and put a UK server in timbuctoo or siberia whats the point ? May as well have peer to peer, it would be quicker than haviing a host other side of the world, dedicated or not.

    I just dont get it, dedicated servers for PC you pick servers that have good ping for you, consoles may as well just give up. I have the same issue with Gears online (1&2). Not bothered with 3 yet.

    Am I missing something, I just dont get it, and lag or 'feel' is so important in any online multiplayer, bullets / grenades and movement should be instant.

    Netcode rying to comensate can make things worse, players suddenly scooting around, dont get me started on lag switchers.,
    Edited by Geordiemp at 07/10/11 @ 14:46

  • misinformed #77 8 months ago

    This is the result of other titles doing open beta testing under the guise of promotion rather than testing-debugging. The words have lost meaning as said. And i quote an earlier poster:

    "Beta has put me off this too. Glitchy mess. Fair enough if you want to launch a public beta to test the backend, but you should have made sure the game was properly tested prior to this. "
    Edited by misinformed at 07/10/11 @ 14:46

  • tankboi #78 8 months ago

    @Firemonkey.

    Well I am a busy guy and can't check every bit of news. I am going on a holiday from tomorrow so I have had no time to check news sites really.

    Why release a beta of a squad based shooter without the squads though?? Pretty bonkers. Surely that is a huge part of the test requirements of the beta?

    Anyway, I played it and it just felt horrible, it honestly felt like I was playing COD. Plus I thought that map was so crap it hurt, I am upset that that map even exists in a BF game. It just didn't feel like BF, sorry that's just my opinion.

    Like I said before, I may change my mind, but I am glad that I cancelled my pre-order. I think giving it a few hours and not liking it is reason enough to cancel. All my clan mates and old BF2 mates have done the same...we are waiting until after release to see if the layer of COD that is suffocating it is wiped away. Nothing silly about being cautious is there??

    P.s. Dice lost my trust when they made Bad Company, and have yet to earn it back, which I feel is totally fair.
    Edited by tankboi at 07/10/11 @ 15:25

  • rashes #79 8 months ago

    Beta seems OK and I'm sure the bugs will be ironed out.
    I'm more concerned with the poor party system. Am I missing something or can I not join a game with more than 4 people ?
    I know the squad limit is an understandable 4 but I want to join with 5/6 people and then split into 2 squads.
    This doesn't seem to be possible and joining a friends in progress game proved impossible too.

  • DRUNK3N-_-DRAGON #80 8 months ago

    i was damn looking forward to this game but there is fuck all new about it! that old saying,"SAME OLD SAME OLD." springs to mind!, Battlefield has bin going on for years and yet its the same boring game modes every time...whats up with being a little inventive DICE?, i want something new in a shooter and something deep and a whole lot of freshness but i don't think its happening this year and that's a shame..@tonasarus, i hope that aint a dig at me dick head..of course i know its a beta! the fukn game is out at the end of the month and do you think dice can fix this in a few days? i dont think so, it will be a hell of a broken game to say the least...
    Edited by DRUNK3N-_-DRAGON at 08/10/11 @ 06:00

  • Tonasaurus #81 8 months ago

    I can't understand all the moaning about a FREE beta test. Okay it's a bit buggy, there's only one map and there aren't any vehicles, but no one is forcing you to play it. If you buy the game and it's terrible then fair enough but righting it off now is a bit silly.

  • GooseUK #82 8 months ago

    Forgot to mention the 360 version is on the dash as a DEMO

  • metalangel #83 8 months ago

    @Tonasaurus: If it was a FREE demo and it sucked, would be be allowed to judge it then?

  • Tonasaurus #84 8 months ago

    @metalangel
    Not got a problem with people judging the game, but there is a difference between talking about the merits of a game (or lack thereof) and complaining about DICE releasing the beta at all. I think people are coming to expect far too much for free and to suggest they've somehow been stitched up by downloading and playing something free of cost is ridiculous.

  • Turbotim3 #85 8 months ago

    I have never understood the bitching and moaning from people who play the beta, i think they forget what a beta is and in the future developers will probably not use open betas thanks to all of the morons and crybabies.

  • Turbotim3 #86 8 months ago

    Hey porko, if your still concerned then dont buy the game. for me I cant understand the concerns. Although they never have fixed certain issues with BFBC2

  • johnw100 #87 8 months ago

    I`m still pissed off I bought MOH on the PS3 purely to get early beta access to BF3 and what did I get a measly 48 hours earlier access. Will never trust EA on that bullshit again.
    Still looking forward to BF3 though, especially after playing capsian border on the PC.

  • gjgjg #88 8 months ago

    considering youre going for the cod market, there should have been a quality warning explaining what 'beta' means for those installing it. it's not too late to send a spam msg to all accounts with this info however.

  • cyber_nicco #89 8 months ago

    Um, I was playing on the big Caspian whatever conquest map all weekend. I guess this article is out of date now.