December 6th Update

Latest update has support for the color blind, tac light nerf, and no more infinite AT mines to name a few changes.  Unfortunately, DICE continues to hate on pilots in this update.  Also, a much needed nerf to IRNV, limiting its range.  Stupid decision to nerf the spec ops effectiveness against IRNV, however.

The update notes are below:


We will release an update to the PC version of BF3 on Dec 6th -- that is, Tuesday morning around 8AM GMT next week. This coincides with an upgrade of many of our central systems which will be down for some hours starting around that time.
It will be both a client update -- approximately 2GB in size -- and a server update.


The client/server combination will be incompatible with older clients/servers. All players will be prompted to download the update once it has been released. All RSP companies will begin upgrading their servers at the same time.

The client update is large because it contains most of the content for Back to Karkand. This is not ideal, so we aim to make potential DLC content in the future as optional downloads.


Bugfixes

Fixed a problem with spawn timer now showing blue border on startup and lost spawn point
Fixed a problem where player who joined queuing on End of round got spawn screen stuck on screen, but unable to do anything with it untill next round loaded
Fixed a problem where camera would change to 3rd person on killcam when killcam was turned off in server settings
Fixed stat references on several dogtags
Fixed for surveillance ribbon not counting TUGS
Fixed a missing combat area lines on the minimap for Grand Bazaar conquest small
Moved a tank spawn in US base on Caspian Border so it would not be destroyed by a falling tree
Fixed a problem where placing C4 with the russians soldier was playing US faction VO
Fixed a problem where TV guided missiles could be shot into its own helicopter and destroy it
Fixed a problem when attempting to fire lock on weapons without a target
Tweaked the chat, it should now be a bit easier to read
Fixed several vehicles that did not properly shoot rockets and guns towards their predictive sights
Fixed the G17 Supressed Laser not working properly
Added alternate HUD colors to help colorblinds
Added a network interpolation setting. This allows users with good bandwidth reduce latency, but might increase some stuttering. The user can find what works best for his connection by tweaking the slider.
Increased the Spawn protection radius on TDM
Fixed a problem with smoke on land vehicles, Missiles should now miss more often
Fixed a problem where users could end up with IRNV scope in any vehicle
Fixed a problem where player dies if vaulting over a ledge and into water while sprinting
Fixed several crashes and increased general stability
Fixed a problem where the user was unable to revive two players that have the bodies one over the other
Fixed so you can assign an axis and use as a digital input. This makes it possible for the player (on pc) to assign one of the sticks on a gameped to be used for throttle/brake.
Fixed a problem with the Kill camera acting up when suiciding from parachute
Fixed air radar was showing to much. now lasertagged, heatsignature above threshold, enemy missiles and capture points are only visible on air radar
Fixed a problem where the game would enter a technical hang if the user pressed pause menu and tilde at the same time
Fixed a problem where you could get green flashes on screen
You can now reassign cycle weapons
Fixed so the weapon zooms automatically after bipod deploy is gone when using zoom toggle
Fixed a problem where the parachute would stay stuck in air if the owner was killed


Balance Tweaks

Fixed several weapons so they are properly suppressed and hide the player on the minimap when fired.
Tweaked Tactical Light so it is not as blinding over longer ranges.
Tweaked the IRNV scope so it is limited to usage only at close range.
Reduced heat masking effectiveness of Spec Ops Camo.
Fixed a bug where Ammo spec would give additional 40mm grenades instead of Frag spec.
Increased the number of additional 40mm grenades from Frag spec.
Fixed so AT mines only live for 20 seconds after a player dies to prevent infinite mines.
Increased the Time to Live on sniper caliber rounds to allow extreme distance shots.
Fixed several weapon descriptions, calibers, and fire rates. The weapons themselves have not changed.
Fixed so the M9 and MP443 pistol can be equipped by the opposing faction when it is unlocked at 100 kills.
Fixed Laser Guided Missiles missing their targets if the target is moving too fast.
Reduced the effectiveness of Stealth on Air Vehicles.
Reduced the effectiveness of Beam Scanning for Jets.
Reduced the damage done to Armored Vehicles and Infantry from AA guns.
Increased the damage RPGs and Tank shells do to AA vehicles.
Slightly decreased the accuracy for all weapons on fully automatic, burst fire is now preferable at mid to long range.
Increased the effective accuracy of long bursts for LMGs when using a bipod.
Slightly increased the range of the 44magnum bullets.
Increased the close range damage of 4.6x30mm and 5.7x28mm bullets.
Increased the reload time of the Mortar from 3.5sec to 4.8sec and increased the time it takes before a shell hits the ground.
Reduced the aimed accuracy bonus given by a Suppressor for the MP7, P90, PP2000, PP-19, and UMP45.
Increased the range and FOV for designating targets with the SOFLAM and vehicle Laser Designators.
Decreased the effectiveness of 12g FRAG ammo when equipped on semi-automatic and automatic shotguns.
Slightly Increased the power of Fighter Jet Cannons against all vehicle targets, especially Helicopters.
Decreased the power of Miniguns against Jets and Helicopters.
Increased the power of Stingers against Jets.
Flares reload times for Jets and Helicopter Gunners have been increased.
Tweaked the AN94 so its burst fire better conveys the real world advantage offered by this weapon.
Added Single Shot to the AN94 as an available fire mode.
Slightly increased the recoil on the M416 and removed the Burst Fire mode (this weapon incorrectly had burst fire, which was not authentic).
Tweaked the spawns for TDM on Kharg Island, Grand Bazaar, Caspian Border, Seine Crossing, Operation Firestorm, Damavand Peak and Noshahar Canals
Moved a tank spawn in US base on Caspian Border so it would not be destroyed by a falling tree
Tweaked the Gas station Capture area on Conquest on Caspian Border
Tweaked the max vehicle height on Noshahar Canals


Min player requirements

Also, it will once again be possible to reduce the number of players required to start a round to 1 both in ranked and unranked mode. We changed it back after getting a lot of negative feedback from both individuals and the RSP companies.

Our plan for the future is to introduce a warm-up mode, where players can move about and play the game, but with scoring disabled; then, when the number of players goes above the threshold -- that's when the real round starts.

November 22 Patch Update

After playing Skyrim exclusively for two weeks straight I returned to BF3 to find some nice improvements have been made. They have improved the overall enjoyment and performance of the game and have balanced out a few issues, such as AA guns causing aircraft to turn on its side or lose control.  Another welcome change is that shotguns now have more umph, as they should.

Even after the changes it still seems that air combat is unbalanced.  Piloting is an aggravating experience when it seems every soldier, tank, and aircraft is able to lock on and take you out of the sky.  IMO, stingers should have shorter max lock ranges.

The complete patch notes are below.

Patch notes for Nov 22 patch

Major client update for the PC version Battlefield 3 as well as a server-side update for all platforms. 

The update will be made on Nov. 22nd 7:00 AM UTC / Nov. 21st 11:00 PM PST. 

We’ll share release timing on the console patches as soon as we are clear on the timing, these take a bit longer due to console certification process. 

---- Client-Side Changes: 

-- Visuals, Stability and Performance Fixes: 

• General performance and loading time improvements 

• “Black Screen” fix for an issue occurring on some PC Configurations 

• Stereo and Rendering Support for Nvidia and AMD Graphics Cards 

• Adjusted the “stuttering” encountered on some PC configurations. 

• Fixed several Crashes when joining MP and Co-Op sessions 

• Fixed multiple problems when using multiple monitors (Eyefinity / Surround). 

• Fixed visual corruption issues on certain Nvidia Cards 

• Improved loading times for certain textures 

• Added console command “GameTime.MaxVariableFps” to limit max FPS 

-- Balance and Gameplay Adjustments (PC) 

• Fixed a problem with high speed mouse movement 

• Added back some missing Growlers on Kharg Island Conquest Large 

• Added back EOR sound for SQDM and TDM 

• You should no longer be able to damage a friendly vehicle when sitting in an open position 

• Grenades now drop to ground if you get killed while attempting to throw it(note the affect this will have on Hardcore mode!) 

• Spawn protection now should work in Conquest. You should no longer spawn on points too close to enemies 

• You should no longer spawn too close to enemies in TDM and SQDM 

• Combat areas on Kharg Rush tweaked in order to disallow defenders to access the carrier ship after 1st base is taken and being able to enter the AA gun 

• Fixed a problem with revived players not suffering suppression 

• Fixed a problem with the camera when being revived in COOP 

• Added joystick deadzone setting 

• Fixed sound for when climbing ladders 

• Fixed an issue with some weapon sounds in first person 

• Fixed a swim sound loop error 

• Increased the damage of Helicopter Miniguns, AA guns, and Jet Cannons against infantry 

• Increased the damage of Helicopter Miniguns against jeeps. 

• Reduced the physics impact of AA guns and Jet Cannons, players under attack from these weapons should no longer lose control. 

• Increased the damage of the 44 Magnum slightly. 

• Increased the range and minimum damage of the .357 Round from the MP412 Rex. 

• Increased the range of all .45cal and 9mm weapons. 

• Slightly increased the range of the P90 and MP7 and PDW-R. 

• Slightly increased the range of the 5.56mm PDW-R and decreased the minimum damage at long range. 

• Slightly increased the minimum range of the Mk11, SVD, and M39 EMR 7.62mm rifles. 

• Decreased the maximum damage and maximum range of the G3 and SCAR-H 7.62mm weapons. 

• Reduced the damage from FIM-92 and SA-18 IGLA missiles against aircraft. 

• Increased the damage and range of the 40mm BUCK rounds. 

• Reduced the damage .50cal weapons do against Helicopters. 

• Updated T90 canister shell tweaks to match Abrams canister shells 

UI Changes (PC) 

• Added round duration and ticket summary at EOR 

• Advanced squad polish – should be more intuitive 

• Significant changes to the Join Squad functionality (see below) 

• Fixed a problem regarding keybindings while playing 

• You should now get a better error message when being disconnected via Battlelog 

---- Server Update Highlights 

• EOD Bot exploit fix 

• Several crash fixes 

• Anti-stat padding measures taken, disallowing ranked servers to run obscure settings 

• Improved team kill kick configuration 

• Support for unranked servers. Unranked servers do not report players' scores to Battlelog, but server administrators can freely control all settings 

-- Share your profile and stats with new Battlelog functionality 

• Ability to share your Profile and Stats pages to Facebook, Google+, and Twitter 

• User Profile and Stats pages on Battlelog can now be accessed without being signed in to Battlelog if you know a user's URL 

• Single sign on from Battlelog to Origin. If you're not logged in to Origin and join a game server, Battlelog will automatically sign you in to Origin in the background and join the game server 

-- Quick notes on Squad changes in the Nov 22 update 

• Removed FIND ME A SQUAD option 

• Allow players to join empty Squads alone, thus having 1/4 squad members 

• Change order of options to LEAVE SQUAD, INV A FRIEND, SWITCH TEAM 

• Disable Privacy flag when 1 man squad 

• Reset Privacy flag from Private to Public when squad drops to 1 player 

• All occupied Squads will now show up colored blue on the Squad Selection screen 

• Players who choose not to join squads will also show up as Blue in the "Not in a Squad” line 

• Squads that are currently empty will display as white -- if you wish to join an empty Squad, you can choose the first one marked with white text 

-- A detailed look at Squad refinements 

A detailed look at Squad refinements 

Today's PC client patch features numerous tweaks to Squad functionality and is part of our ongoing efforts to make it easier to play with friends and Platoon mates. These changes will also be implemented for consoles when we release the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 updates shortly. Stay tuned for the exact date of the console updates. 

First, we need to look at how joining with Squads and Platoons affects the balance of teams. Initially, servers are commanded to equal out each side, so joining with friends can impact that balance while joining with Platoons further hinders this. As a result we have made some adjustments to the in-game Squad management screen. 

For PC, you are now able to highlight the various Squads and select which one you wish to join by selecting a Squad and then clicking the Join Squad button. Please note that the Squad Privacy option still allows 2 man Squads which, during 64 player sessions, can lead to players with no squad position –- the number of people with no Squads will be shown at the bottom of the Squad selection list. 

After the patch is applied to consoles (in the near future) you will be able to join Squads by cycling through the list and selecting which Squad you wish to join. 

Flashlights are Getting Nerfed (Finally)

The next update will nerf the ridiculously OP flashlight attachment.  It looks to have about a 50% reduction outdoors, but will still have the same effect indoors.

Before (WTF were you thinking?)

Better?

New Video Card Driver Updates for BF3

Seventeen days after the release of BF3 a new drivers have been released.  Will they help resolve some of the graphical lag issues? Let me know if it helped you.
Here are the latest graphics drivers for Battlefield 3 supported by AMD and GeForce.


Nvidia: 285.79 Beta (released today)


http://www.nvidia.com/object/win7-winvista-64bit-285.79-beta-driver.html [nvidia.com]
http://www.nvidia.com/object/win7-winvista-32bit-285.79-beta-driver.html [nvidia.com]


AMD: 11.10


http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_win7-64.aspx [sites.amd.com]
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_win7-32.aspx [sites.amd.com]




If you are using Crossfire also install 11.9 CAP4 (Crossfire Application Profile):


http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/pages/crossfirex-app-profiles.aspx [sites.amd.com] 

Yay for Boosters!

Looking for an easy way to unlock your favorite guns, gear, and attachments without having to earn it on the battlefield? Want to make your KDR look amazing? Perhaps get your SPM up into the 600-700 range? Well children, now you can and all you need is an empty server, a few friends, and no personal pride or integrity.

 

Sadly, its not just mindless noobs that are boosting, but so-called professional and league players. Consider your boasting rights revoked, because your stats page is a lie. That's right, I called you a liar if you boost, and in case you don't know, that's a worse insult than saying your mom has a coin slot behind her ear to make her teeth fold back.

Not only that, but boosting robs you of one of the most enjoyable parts of any game ever created: the progress bar.  Once you have everything unlocked, the only other way to achieve a sense of accomplishment is from ranking high on the scoreboard.  And chances are if you boost, you're usually at the bottom.

BF3 Flashlights: Preferred OP Attachment for Noobs

BF3 flashlight attachments are a great idea gone terribly wrong. It's easy to tell that this feature is OP because it is the preferred attachment for noobs everywhere. To make matters worse, it forces seasoned players to use the flashlight attachment just to compensate for its overuse to level the playing field. The effects of the flashlight are far too debilitating, with no consideration to the amount of ambient lighting. Should it blind a player in the darkened subway of Metro? Yes. But in a well lit hallway? Or outside in the sunshine? Absolutely not. If DICE can't figure out how to balance the effects of the flashlight inversely with the amount of ambient light, then get rid of it altogether, or nerf it immediately.

Thank You, DICE

Thank you, DICE. You actually did it. You actually fixed a lot of the bugs from beta, including the netcode for hit registration. It feels as if you improved the hit detection from BC2. A solid improvement on your most anticipated game ever. BF3 is not just a game, its a visual and acoustic thrill ride. The maps are visually stunning, making it difficult to remember that it's graphic art and not an interactive film of some sort. The sounds are convincing, the bullet tracers at night are a spectacle, and the water drops on your character's face make it feel as close to reality as possible. And those are just a few things that make this game win. There are only a few more things to iron out, like the lag that is experienced on servers once they go above 40-50 players. The squad interface needs to be more clear: the join button is not obvious, but masked when it appears. Just to name a couple. Quite frankly, I'm having a hard time thinking of any more, because I'm so impressed with how the game performs now.

BF3 PC System Requirements

DICE has been promising the PC gaming community a superior experience to the console version of the.  Let's hope so!  In anticipation of this, many PC gamers have been throwing some serious cash at their gaming rigs.  Below are the requirements as given by DICE.

The minimum requirements are the absolute minimum you will need in order to run the game on low settings.  Recommended requirements are what you will need to play the game as intended by the developers.


Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) 32-bit
Processor: 2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Althon X2 2.7 GHz)
Memory: 2 GB
Hard Drive: 20 GB
Graphics card (AMD): DirectX 10.1 compatible with 512 MB RAM (ATI Radeon 3000, 4000, 5000 or 6000 series, with ATI Radeon 3870 or higher performance)
Graphics card (NVIDIA): DirectX 10.0 compatible with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 8, 9, 200, 300, 400 or 500 series with NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higher performance)
Sound card: DirectX Compatible
Keyboard and Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Processor: Quad-core CPU
Memory: 4 GB
Hard Drive: 20 GB
Graphics Card: DirectX 11 compatible with 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
Keyboard and Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

Oh, you'll also need to download a copy of Origin, EA's gaming community interface and online game store, in order to play.  Sorry Steam fanboys, you're out of luck on this one!

The Four Classes of BF3

DICE is going to stick with their four class system in their newest release, BF3, but with a few changes.

The assault class has absorbed the medic class having acquired the ability to lay down med packs and to rez incapacitated teammates minus the ammo packs, of course. They will continue to carry assault rifles, however they will have to decide between equipping defibrillators or a grenade launcher.  The grenade launcher may now be equipped as a separate weapon, if an underlay attachment is not chosen.

The support class will be able to carry LMGs, lay down ammo packs, carry c-4 and claymores. The decision to give the support class LMGs and ammo packs has eliminated stationary HMGs on all BF3 maps.  The reason being that support personnel is able to lay down ammo, set up their bipod, and lay down infinite suppressive fire.

Snipers will now have to think twice about remaining stationary.  Their scope lens casts a bright reflection revealing their position. They will have the ability to plant mobile spawn points, encouraging them to move up with their squad.

BF3 Four Multi-player Classes

The engineer will now be carrying a torch to repair vehicles, like in BC2 Vietnam, instead of a screw gun. The flying sparks caused by their torches will make them a highly visible target when repairing a vehicle.  Engineers will now have to think carefully when choosing a rocket launcher.  They must decide whether to equip the SMAW anti-tank launcher or a Stinger surface-to-air missile launcher. It looks like the AT-4 remote guided missile is being phased out.

The jump from the BC2 class system to the BF3 system will require some forethought and slight tactical changes, as DICE seeks to make each class more co-dependent than ever before.

Spawn Camping QQ and Rush

It cracks me up when a member of a losing team shouts "spawn killer" in the chat window during a rush match. When I get spawn killed I do something about it. I identify their position and make it my goal to remove them, and, time permitting, t-bag their corpse.  If this is impossible due to overwhelming numbers and/or the sheer incompetence of my teammates, I go to a different server.  

So why write about it? First, to make fun of the toddlers that do it; secondly, to help those who want to get better at rush and avoid the embarrassment of being associated with the first group. 

The rush game mode in the Battlefield series is a more believable battle scenario than conquest. Don't get me wrong, conquest is fun, but not as realistic.  In most real life battles there are defenders and attackers, and Battlefield has found a way to make it work in a game.  The basic principles of engagement are the same as in real life: the attackers infiltrate the enemy's position, take control of it, and then occupy it. In contrast, the goal of the defense is to repel the attacking forces in order to maintain control of their occupied territory.

This contrasts greatly with the conquest mode, where captured bases switch possession several times during a match.  Once a team has captured all the bases the opposing team is forced to launch from their back base, or deployment.  For the sake of making it possible for the losing team to regain a base they need to be able to spawn in a protected area.

In rush however, in order for the attacking team to win they need to push back the enemy's forces long enough to destroy an objective located near the defending team's spawn. A legitimate military tactic used to get an enemy to turn their attention away from an objective is to flank them.  This opens a path for the rest of your team to engage the objective. 

Operation: Metro Rush Map

And this is where the little children start to cry "spawn camping".  Is it possible to capture an objective without flanking?  Yes, of course.  If the defense has already turned their attention away from the objective or doesn't intend to disarm, then sure.  But that doesn't mean flanking is an illegitimate strategy.

I'm not advocating camping a position for the sole purpose of killing people as they spawn. This is seen more in the conquest game mode, when an assailant takes up a position near the enemy deployment to farm easy kills. That's annoying, albeit, preventable by spawning on another teammate or at a different base. 

Here are the cold, hard facts:

1. Battlefield rush requires teamwork.  You win or lose based on teamwork.
2. If your team moves their line of engagement forward you won't be spawn killed.

So, you got spawn killed.  Instead of crying, you can do one of three things:

1. Leave the server. There are plenty from which to choose.
2. Take responsibility and kill the guys in or around your spawn.
3. Don't spawn and wait for the next stage.
4. Play a different game mode, like team death match.

In rush if your team is doing well, taking a position with close proximity to the opposing team's spawn is inevitable. Don't get mad at the winning team, get mad at your teammates for allowing themselves to get pinned in their spawn.

Image Clan to Host a BF3 Server

IMAGE recently announced it will be hosting a BF3 64-slot hardcore server.  The server will be hosted in TX by Art of War servers.  The intention is to host from a location central to IMAGE membership, which spans coast to coast.  IMAGE members will have reserved slots, while regular visitors will have an opportunity to donate if they would like to have one as well. There is a lot of excitement around the launch of BF3, especially since its decision to form a competitive team.

Recruiting members before the official launch is one way it hopes to build a strong team that will be poised to win. The response to the invitation to apply for membership has been terrific.  The new recruits are anxious for an opportunity to showcase their skills in hopes of securing a spot on the team.  IMAGE is going to participate in the Team Warfare League BF3 Launch tournament in November and is still looking to fill slots with some quality team players.

Asmodiar, one of the senior members of IMAGE, gives potential players an incentive to join on the EA forums by answering some FAQs.

How long has IMAGE been around?

IMAGE has been around since Ultima Online Released in '97 and broke into the competitive FPS genre by dominating Americas Army 1. 

Is there an age requirement? 

Eighteen and older. Our age range is 18-49 most falling into the 23-29 group. Exceptions for younger players can be made if you're not annoying. 

Will you have a Server for BF3? 

Yes! We have a 64 player server that will be set on HARDCORE and slots will be Reserved for IMAGE members.

Do you have your own VOIP server? 

Yes. We use Mumble as we have found it has many advantages over Ventrillo or TeamSpeak for our needs. 

What are you skill requirements? 

We don't have a skill level requirement - being a part of IMAGE is more about fitting in with the group on Mumble and having fun.

No Skill requirements? 

IMAGE has had a presence in just about every game going back to UO so we are more of a community and anyone can apply to be a part of that community. That said, however, for Battlefield 3 if you want to play on the competitive team we will have tryouts and scheduled practices - you will be added or removed from the competitive clan v clan battles based on your skill in Battlefield 3. 

How Do I apply? 

Go to http://IMAGEclan.net/forums and create an account and post your app. It will be reviewed quickly and you will be given access to the rest of the forums - or not. After that get in Mumble and start talking to people and playing games with them. If it turns out you're not a horrible person and people like you...you're in.

What does your clan tag look like? 

[iMG] (for Battlefield) [IMG] For everything else. 

Your clan has been around a pretty long time - Is it possible to eventually become a leader? 

Well, we don't really have "ranks" in IMAGE - we have different forum and Mumble privileges... 

But yes it is very possible to gain these special privileges - it takes being active on the forums, actively playing games, and fitting in with the group. On top of that you have to show that you have leadership skills either by helping recruit or taking charge in game and leading others on to victory. 

You are a US based clan - do you still accept non US members? 

Yes - we have several members who are in the Euro and NZ/AUS time zones. This may or may not be an issue depending on your normal online hours.

If you are looking for a gaming community to be a part of or have an interest in competitive BF3 team play, IMAGE is a great place to do both.  So register, submit your application, and then hop into mumble.

Epic Fail Moments in Sniper HIstory (Often Repeated)

LOL! Self proclaimed 1337 snipers.  What a joke!  Their 1337ness is defined by their selfish pursuit of the ultimate KDR, with little or no regard to the negative impact it has on their team.  They are the bane of any team that puts forth effort to win.  

Here are some examples that has earned them the glorious, self given title, n00bkiller:

1. Pilot an aircraft, then fly to a high, remote spot only to eject with no regard to your passenger load.
2. Repeatedly get killed trying to get behind enemy lines...despite being seen multiple times.
3. Place a mobile spawn point in your own deployment--and other useless locations.
4. Hide as far from the objective as possible.
5. Compete with friendly snipers for a sniping position in your deployment. If they won't move, tk them.
6. Continue to choose the recon class despite there being 5 other snipers on your team.
7. After doing any of the above, when confronted say, "You mad bro?" or some variation thereof.

Have more examples of sniper fail moments?  Love to hear them, so we can laugh at their epic stupidity.  Post them in the comments!

The effect of a 1337 sniper on his team.

The Effective Sniper: Introduction

Do you find yourself gravitating to the sniper kit, regardless of the situation? Wow, and now you've found every sneaky spot to pull down 20:1 KDRs? So, you think you're 1337 sauce, and just to advertise it, you've [not so] cleverly added it to your call sign? I'm doubting your usefulness.

Chances are, you're serving as little more than an annoyance to your team as you pick off the newbs and non-factors around the fray, or sneakily worm your way to the nearest enemy spawn point for freebies.

No? Let me guess then, you sit so far behind the battle, you never lay eyes on the objectives until after your teammates have cleared to the next stage. Thats IF your team doesn't have 2 or 3 more just like you, resulting in your team getting raped in your deployment.

Worthless base camping snipers.

You define the useless sniper: the player who only exists to pad their stats, while costing the rest of their team the game.

For those of you who want to contribute to the game, while enjoying the benefits of the sniping kit, or perhaps those of you described above who'd like to stop sucking, read on.

In the past, I'd first recommend the player to become acquainted with all the kits, because sniping can be almost completely ineffective in certain circumstances. However, in modern Battlefield games, you can diversify and access guns and weapons making you a great asset in any situation without switching roles.

Before we get into the details of those situations and weapons, lets focus on proper mindset of an effective sniper.

The Sniper Suppressor:

Snipers are obviously very powerful at range, and in the right circumstance, can basically destroy an entire team if left unchecked. The easiest way to neutralize a sniper is with a sniper. The best way you can help your team as they advance, is to keep snipers from collecting easy kills on team mates moving across open ground.

The Advancing Sniper:

Wait, don't get your pillow out. Now's the time to move up and continue to push the snipers back into ineffective positions, as well as help kill enemies defending the objectives. Whether you switch to an automatic, or continue to attack from range, make sure you are close enough to the point of conflict to actually be helping your team. In BF3 especially, its necessary to move up to provide a better mobile spawn point for your squad.

Objective Defense:

From the defensive aspect, bear in mind the same things. The objectives win or lose the game for your team. If an objective isn't in sight, or the enemy isn't stuck in their own deployment area, you need to reevaluate the usefulness of your tactics. They probably have something to do with your fear of dying more than once per round.

With these simple tactics in mind, you're on your way to winning.

Keep your eye out for further posts as we cover these sniper tactics in detail, and much MUCH more!

BF3 Hit Detection Part 3: Responses from DICE Part 1

Response on October 6th, 2011 by HBrun, "Top 10 Battlefield 3 Open Beta issues and how we are addressing them"

10. Why is the hit detection seemingly different from Battlefield: Bad Company 2?

The netcode is one of the many things that we are testing as part of the Open Beta and is not necessarily reflective of the final retail game. The DICE team appreciates and has heard the feedback you’ve provided and is further optimizing online play. 

Response on October 11, 2011 by Lars Gustavsson in a Gamespy interview entitled, "Battlefield 3 Beta Interview" by Bennet Ring:

We've done a lot of tweaking and tuning, everyone needs to understand that the beta was early code. Everything from hit detection to damage, flashlights that people have been mentioning – a lot of the issues that people have raised have already been fixed.

Response by Arthur Gles from joystiq.com on October 10, 2011 from his experience playing the closer-to-final build of BF3 in "The Beta and Battlefield 3":

As it stands now, Battlefield 3's beta is a wellspring of misinformation about what your final Battlefield 3 experience will be. I'm glad for that – I enjoyed what I've played of this more-final build of Battlefield 3 much more than any time I've spent with the game throughout the year. DICE and EA told me last week that they've been taking player feedback from the beta into account, though I have a hard time comprehending how they could make such sweeping changes based entirely on player feedback.

David Stellmack reiterates Ring's comments from the Gamespy interview in his article, "Beta BF3 bugs swatted, according to DICE"

Lars Gustavsson, has been telling everyone who will listen that the beta does not represent what they will  see when the code is released.

Stellmack further notes:

While DICE has admitted that the beta did uncover some new things, DICE has apparently put a significant amount of energy into planning the post-launch support for the game. This is an area when many Battlefield fans feel that DICE has previously fallen down over the years.

This is some encouraging news, since DICE has a reputation of abandoning their titles to launch new ones. For this reason alone I may rethink cancelling my BF3 pre-order, because this would mean that intend to further fix bugs as they become apparent (i.e. hit detection improvements). 

BF3 Hit Detection Part 2: Client vs. Server-Side Collision Reporting

After visiting quite a few forums, it seems there is a common question being asked in regards to BF3's client-side hit detection, "What is the difference between server-side and client-side hit detection?"  So, I figured I'd do some reading and take a stab at answering.

Server-side hit detection is where one, authoritative server decides whether or not a hit has registered. The server knows the exact location of each player and is responsible for processing the bulk of the gaming logic. Since the client is behind the server in time, a server-side system requires the player to predict enemy movements and therefore lead targets when firing.

A client-side model allows the player's client to determine whether or not hits have registered.  This allows the player to shoot at what he sees, instead of leading a target.  Client-side hit registration, however, is more susceptible to hacks and cheats as the server is depending on the honesty of the client.  Most games use a modification of the two, allowing the client to report hits, while the server polices the data reported from the clients.

Client side hit detection is also effected by lag compensation methods, such as interpolation and extrapolation. 

Interpolation is where the client operating in a buffered state (slightly in the past).  The client receives updates in intervals from the server and fills in the gaps, so to speak, in between the intervals. This prevents jerky movements from point A to B, providing a smoother graphical experience.  The problem with this method is that where a player sees an object on his screen is not necessarily where it is on the server, making objects more difficult to hit.

Extrapolation is where the client predicts the location of an object.  This works well with ballistics, but with player movements it can be far from accurate, as players do not move in a deterministic fashion.

The main problem with hit detection is that what the player sees happening and what the server sees happening will always be out of sync by the time it takes for the data to transmit from the client to the server.  This video does an excellent job demonstrating this discrepancy. 

 

So, should the game determine hits based on what the server sees or what the player sees? Some ways to rectify this are as follows:

No! Let me figure it out.

Allow the players to do the predictions themselves by leading their targets. Problem with this is the lower ping players will generally see lagging players first and have a time advantage when responding.

Yes! I want to shoot at what I see!

Rewinding time by using time stamps from client data, the server compares the data and decides whether a hit should be registered.  This allows the players to shoot at what they see, instead of having to lead their targets to compensate for lag.  The effects of this can be seen when a player runs behind cover and then dies because the server is adjusting for the lag of the shooter.  It can also be seen when a shooter registers a kill after a player has run behind cover.

Yes! My connection sucks but I still want to play!

Extrapolation allows the client to compensate for its lag and extrapolate the location of objects.  The problem with this method is that, as noted before, players do not move in a ballistic or linear fashion.  Often, players make erratic movements.  The effects of this method can be seen when a player gets shot and killed before exiting a doorway or before breaking cover.

It appears to me that BF3 does a combination of rewinding time and extrapolating depending on the player's latency (???).  The effects of both can be seen in the video below.  It is also important to note that in the BF3 beta  hit damage is increased on moving players.  DICE has promised that this will be corrected in their final release.

Sources: 

1. Lag (online gaming), Wikipedia.

2. Bernier, Yahn. Latency Compensating Methods in Client/Server In-game Protocol Design and Optimization, Valve.

Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse

So far I have been very happy with Logitech products, specifically the G500 gaming mouse. Some features that I enjoy are the ability to set custom key strokes to any button on the mouse. It also allows the user to set up profiles, each with their own set of key bindings.

Logitech takes this functionality a step further and allows the user to activate a specific profile when a designated application launches.

Other features include custom dpi settings, laser tracking, a removable cartridge for custom weight settings and a textured surface for grip. My video demonstrates how to set up a profile, customize the key bindings and dpi stages, and designate a specific application to activate the profile.

BF3 Hit Detection Part 1: Good Grief, Someone Fix This

Battlefield 3 has yet to be released officially, and yet it has already turned my gleeful anticipation into frustration and disgust.  BF3 is the game that I have been waiting for, a game that delivers a full scale war experience.  There is no other game I want to play, but after playing the beta, it has become a source of frustration and disappointment, like many of today's children are to their parents.

Allow me to begin by saying, I'm not a programmer or an expert on net-code.  However, I have played 7 DICE online multiplayer shooters for a total of over 2200 hours in the last few years, and that says a few things about me:

(1) my social life is little to non-existent,
(2) I have a lot of free time, and
(3) I have a depth of experience to draw from in my analysis.

It would be presumptuous on my part to tell the decision makers at DICE how to make their game, but what I CAN tell them is whether or not their current system is working and how their product performs from a player's perspective. After all, the end goal of their product is to produce a favorable experience to as many players as possible.

Now to the willfully ignorant BF fan boys whose lame excuse to this issue is, "It's the beta, dude, they're going to fix it," go watch reruns of Bevis and Butthead or Southpark, or better yet, go watch Dragonball Z: Evolution, they're more your speed.

My experience with BF3 after playing both Metro and Caspian maps was that the game has engaging features, amazing graphics and animations only to be ruined by faulty hit detection. Wait, before you say it was lag, allow me to say:

1. I chose servers that were low ping and close proximity to my physical location,
2. My internet connection is A rated on speedtest.net with little or no packet loss and a low ping,
3. My computer specs are higher than the recommended (not minimum) requirements to run BF3.

So, the problem is not my connection or rig, and more than likely the problem is not the server.  The problem is how BF3 calculates its collisions. There are several ways faulty hit detection can affect gameplay experience, which I will explain in more detail on my next post.

1. Dying before leaving cover,
2. Dying after hiding behind cover,
3. Dying before being notified of taking damage,
4. Shooting a target and no damage or reticule (x) is displayed or recorded,
5. Shooting a target and damage is displayed but not recorded
6. Having to shoot ahead of or behind a target to register damage
7. Shooting a target and the animation shows a hit, but no damage reticule is displayed
and no damage is recorded.

All of these symptoms occur with far too great of frequency in BF3 and are in desperate need of correction.  So far DICE has offered little consulation that they have a remedy in place for launch. The only thing we have seen so far is a mere admission that there is a problem from DICE's creative manager, Lars Gustavsson, when he said, “And we’re tightening a lot of things up, too, like hit detection, which is a big thing for us right now.” (See article for more details).


The fact that there were problems in beta is not what concerns me, nor is it the reason why I cancelled my pre-order.  It's DICE's response to the problem and their failure to demonstrate a solution that urks me. 


Next post: Client Side vs. Server Side Hit Detection. 

BF3 Scoreboards

Check out a few of my BF3 scoreboards.

About Me

Few things are as exciting as playing an evenly matched round of competitive multiplayer FPS.  My first exposure to an FPS multiplayer competing against other live players was Halo 2 on Xbox Live and it was exhilarating, engaging, and infuriating all at the same time.

Cussing, celebrating, screaming, laughing, pounding fists, clapping hands, smiling, and gritting teeth were all experienced in a matter of a few minutes.  At the conclusion of each match the scoreboard summarized the match and I always checked to see if I was #1. Competing for the ace player each round is what made the game so addicting.

Battlefield 2 was my first PC online FPS game. It quickly became apparent that the hundreds of hours spent mastering Halo 2 were of almost no benefit to me as I struggled to learn how to move and shoot with the keyboard and mouse. Sadly, my time on  BF2 was limited and along came Battlefield Heroes, one of my favorite games (Huckabee and Turkish45).  Unfortunately, DICE made some significant changes to the game and nerfed my character so I left it for Bad Company 2.

Bad Company 2 is to date, my favorite competitive FPS game. My main character, Huckabee, has over 1300 hours logged.  One of the most enjoyable things about BC2, and any BF game for that matter, is that once you master one weapon, class, or vehicle, you can move on to be proficient in something else.  Feel free to watch some of my BC2 game play on my youtube channel.

My online gaming experience also includes Battlefield Play4Free (Huckabee), MW2, and a few MMORPGs.  My hope is to play Battlefield 3 soon, however, after playing the beta I have decided to wait and see what improvements DICE will implement to correct the hit detection issues that plagues their new title.