Only 3 Days Left Plus A New Battlefield 3 Launch Trailer

If your not much for videos, watch this anyway. It's fucking awesome.
Winning over 60 industry awards, Battlefield 3 is out next week. The launch trailer gives you a preview of the intense single player campaign. A sinister power is rising in the Middle-East, and Marine Sergeant "Black" discovers how far he would go to defend his country.

Why Consoles Only Allow 24 Player Battlefield 3 Servers.

     It comes down to network performance and fps according to DICE Developer HONK-DICE/Henrik via Twitter. Frames Per Second or FPS for short is limited and according to DICE, if they were to take out the destruction in the game they might be able to fit more players onto the server.


     But DICE doesn't want todo that. They want to work with the destruction engine so that eventually the servers can handle the destruction environment AND more than 24 Player servers.


     But the issue really boils down to Microsoft and Sony's Rules of bandwidth limitation on multiplayer games. They contest that in order for everyone to have an equal gaming experience the speed of incoming and outgoing connections while playing Battlefield 3 has to be at a fixed rate. Now many people are furiously debating over what that fixed rate is for consoles in the ea forums.


     The developer also said that each console server can handle up to 300 players, but that the server space is divided into 24 player servers. Right now they could easily support 33 players with no lag, but Microsoft and Sony are holding their corporate leash pretty tightly.


Read the full post below:

Originally Posted by HONK-DICE/Henrik
Quote:
My name is Henrik and I'm one of the programmers on Frostbite,


First of all you are of course right when it comes to games being made on a first generation engine. There are allways things that you don't manage to fix before launch (or even notice until after launch even though you've had hundreds of testers playing the game for months)


These are the reasons why we only have 24 players in BC/1943
* Performance - making a game with so much destruction, vehicles and with that scale and still trying to keep it good looking is hard. 33ms/frame is disappearing pretty fast... if we removed the destruction and instead precalculated stuff I'm sure we could have squeezed in many more players performance-wise. We are of course always working on performance 


* Network bandwidth restrictions - There are pretty tough restrictions on how much data that is allowed to be sent to the client on 360/ps3, the destruction and the vehicles steal _lots_ of bandwidth, a vehicle is much more expensive than a soldier. Every object that is moved by simulation and is gameplay affecting need to be at the same place on all clients at the same time and therefore need to be networked, the destructable state also need to be networked. And as you know we have vehicles and lots of destruction in bc/1943.


We are actually running about ~12 game servers on each physical server, meaning that each physical server can handle about ~300 players. We could easily switch so we had less game servers running 32 or more players but then every client would need to receive much more data over the network which might break the rules microsoft and sony have put up. The reason why they've put up these rules is to ensure the quality of the game for all players, maybe we could someday implement matchmaking (or server browsing) that would let the player join servers with more players if his/her internet connection bandwidth allows it.


There will of course also be lots of optimizations on the network protocol which will make it easier to squeeze in more players on a server without violating bandwidth recommendations.


* Design - I can't remember how we ended up with the limit of 24 players but I guess it was a compromise in order to get the destruction and visual quality that we wanted. It is also harder to balance gameplay on levels with more players, since we're doing lots of play testing to make the levels fun you can imagine how hard it would be to tweak if the level supported 200 players (even though it would be really cool )


There is nothing (that I know of) that limits the number of players in frostbite, and if there is, it is probably a bug. I've tested running over 80 players locally (client-server) on the consoles when measuring performance and it works just fine (except framerate).


I hope I covered most of it

I didn't mean that MS won't allow us to have 32 players, it is a matter of them securing quality to make sure that bandwidth to client never goes over a certain bitrate.


As a developer you can get waivers for things like having higher bandwidth (Don't ask me how ), it is of course in their interest that our games are as good as possible on their platforms.


I actually haven't played Frontlines and if it is as you say, then I'm sure they've compromised on something (or they are simply better than us )


As I said earlier there are lots of bandwidth optimizations we can do by the cost of performance on the clients.. we are as an example not simulate other players vehicles at all on the client, and therefore we need to send information about what materials that the wheels are hitting so we can play visual effects on the client without doing any simulation.


By moving more of the simulation over to the client we don't have to send this information (but on the other hand we need to run simulations of all wheels on all vehicles on the clients instead (there are of course occlusion optimizations and stuff you can do here))

Funny Battlefield 3 Images

These are some funny images of Battlefield 3 that I found on the internet. If you would like me to feature your funny Battlefield 3 photos on my blog then please email me. These images along with the ones you submit to me will be added to our BF3 Wiki. Eventually the BF3 Wiki will be integrated into the main website's HTML. Cheers. adam@chronicgaming.org

Lines at the Jets

Neck bug from Battlefield 3 Beta

COD VS BF3 Owned

Futurama Battlefield 3

COD VS BF3 Activision owned

Battlefield Vets

Bad K/D

Tank in the ground

Which one can I afford? COD or Battlefield 3?

NEW Battlefield 3 previews & interviews from 'Final Hours'.

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Battlefield 3's "Final Hour" Press Event

Woah Looks like some developers have been busy with Battlefield 3.

EA & DICE hosted the Final Hours event in San Francisco, CA at the Terra Event Center to show press never-before-seen footage of all 9 multiplayer maps to be shipped with Battlefield 3, as well as new co-op missions and new singleplayer missions. PC was the main platform showing off the singleplayer portion. This most recent build of the game played (and looked) like a game ready to be shipped. Battlefield 3 Producer Patrick Bach said, "the build here at Final Hour is still not the final build."

Operation Firestorm – Conquest (Xbox 360)

• A linear map with three flag captures, desert setting, like a cross between Arica Harbor of BFBC2 and Gulf of Oman of BF2.
• Each team has a plethora of vehicles including 2 jets, 2 choppers, tanks and jeeps.
• All flag captures are in the middle of a giant oil refinery spanning most of the map. The refinery contains a lot of tall structures, ladders, cranes, and construction buildings. Great for snipers.
• Though scaled for consoles, map still felt really large. Never once hit the boundaries while flying a jet. Map’s size slightly smaller than Heavy Metal.

Grand Bazaar – Rush (Xbox 360)

• Middle Eastern setting, lots of alleyways, quick corners, rooms and offshoots to get to the objectives. Probability of getting your squad lost and pinned down.
• Impressive ambient lighting from porch lights and sun, great atmospherics made the city feel life-like.
• Map seem to turn directions as objectives were taken

Caspian Border – Conquest (PS3)

• Though DICE has said the map has been scaled down to fit consoles still, felt very large. Environment looked the same as PC, objectives seem closer than the PC counterpart, that’s really the only difference.
• Lighting effects were phenomenal on this map. Found myself blinded by the sun more than once in a dogfight.
• 24 players.

Battlefield 3 New improvements since the beta:

• Graphics: They looked much better than the beta. 
• Textures: Were smoother, character movements were much more fluid, and environments seemed to have more warmth to them. 
• Lighting was more dynamic, atmospherics more gritty and present, things just seem to run smoother on this build. 
• All the frame rate issues, glitches, pops and sound drops of the beta were nowhere to be found. Bach reiterated that the beta was already a month and a half old before it was launched because of the time it takes to certify for release. It’s amazing how much polish they were able to put on the game since the beta.

Battlefield 3 Gameplay changes:

• When placing a spawn beacon or a enemy motion sensor as a sniper, the devices would appear red indicating that it could not be placed in that location. When the device could be placed, it would turn yellow. Very helpful visual cue as the beta gave no cue.
• Your player screen loses color saturation as a new visual indicator (besides the timer) when you go out of bounds.
• Same sort of visual indicator as the out of bounds screen appears but with blood surrounding it when you’re low on health.
• Hit boxes were dramatically improved. My bullets didn’t magically go through enemies’ torsos.
• When running as the assault/medic class, the visual indicator of an incapacitated teammate is more prominent with a circle surrounding the defrib symbol now.
• Jet stick controls on console are similar to BF1943 on console. If you don’t prefer those controls, they are completely customizable. Also, when your jet is low on health, it becomes a little more difficult to control until it is completely incapacitated and falls from the sky. Y (or triangle) switches between your heat-seeking missiles and your cannon. R-bumper (or R1) deploys smoke.
• Flying choppers felt almost exactly like BFBC2. Was able to fly right away.
• Changing views in the vehicles has been moved back to the R-stick much like BFBC1 unlike up on the D-pad on BFBC2.
• Parachutes take little longer to deploy than BFBC2, and while in the air they are a little harder to control to your destination.
• Death animations look more realistic. No more funky physics where their body flies 30 feet across the screen after being killed. Player’s eyes are closed when they die.
• Knifing animation looks a lot better, especially when knifing someone on the ground.
• Frostbite 2 was in full effect in terms of destruction. Buildings were tumbling down, everything was being destroyed around me in most every map I played.
• The amount of damage it takes to kill an enemy on regular mode seems a little less than the beta.
• You CAN spawn in to jets in both console builds, there is an option on the menu spawn screen to do so.

Battlefield 3 Singleplayer & Multiplayer Previews:

Planet Battlefield
IGN
GameSpy (Co-op)
GameSpot Kotaku (MP)
1UP (SP) ShackNews (SP)
G4TV (SP)
Destructoid (SP) (New "Operation Sword Breaker" mission)
NowGamer (SP)
Sprong (SP)
GotGame (MP)
Strategy Informer w/ Patrick Liu
The Guardian w/ Patrick Liu

Battlefield 3 New Players Guide

New Players Guide

This is a really nice write up by a fellow tester. If you are just coming to the Battlefield series I highly recommend you at least skim over this so that when release day comes you won't be one of those guys getting yelled at by your teammates.

Objectives

I noticed many people sat in my base for many games sniping while I was one of the only players trying to arm the m-com. NO! This is NOT how the game is supposed to be played, guys. Most of you are new to Battlefield. After all, it is a free beta, and the hype for the game is massive. I once was helped by a good friend to learn how to play BFBC2

correctly, so now I will pass that information down to everyone who has never played battlefield before.

Teamwork

This is NOT COD. While there are similarities, such as an evil russian army, similar guns, and similar game modes, Battlefield is not Call of Duty. Therefore you will not play it as such. This is a team based objective based game. Call of Duty is too, but Battlefield NEEDS teamwork to be successful. Use your squad, and change your kit when you need it changed. They give you the option to switch your attachments and guns whenever you want for a reason.
You need to be versatile. If you need more support gunners, become a support class. It's as simple as throwing health or ammo when your buddy needs it. If you have to do something to get closer to that m-com, do it.

One Man Army Doesn't Work Here

It's easy to get a big head and try to spray down 8 guys at once like you might do in black ops, but here in BF3, it doesn't work that way. Operation Metro may remind you of a COD map, but when you get into the more complex games like conquest, there's a lot of thinking involved.
The enemy is taking 2 objectives at once, and you only have time to provide helicopter support to one location. Which one do you pick? The one closer to your base to provide easier defense for your main base, or the one closer to the enemy's base, for more pressure to their forces? These decisions need to be made quickly and often, just like in real war, and messing up might cause your team to lose the battle. It takes a long time to hone the skills required to become a "super soldier", but if you play the game right, you'll understand how to handle situations like this.

Flying

Don't know how to fly? Don't try. Obviously, you need to learn somewhere. But please, do it on your own time. Nothing pains me more than being the co-pilot of a chopper with a player that cannot even get off the ground. If you want to learn how to fly, I suggest an empty server. It's really easy to learn when you have no enemies shooting at you.

Squads

USE YOUR SQUAD. In Battlefield, a squad is perhaps the most powerful weapon there is. Yes, even more powerful than a jet, helicopter, tank, or heavy MG. For a good squad has all the elements needed to take out any obstacle in the game. Stick with your squad, and you'll do fine. You need a balance of course. You might not need 2 recons, but you DO need another engineer to take out the enemy tank. Or maybe you need a support gunner to keep the enemy suppressed while your assault buddy arms the mcom. No matter the situation, if your squad needs more of a specific kit, you use it. In the beta so far, choosing a squad isn't exactly up to you unless you're in a party with friends. So work with your squad well. Just like in real war, you don't pick your squad mates, and they'll be the guys who may or may not revive you if you're hit in a fight. Squads are the key to victory in battlefield. Battlefield 3 is no exception to that rule.

Kits

Use each kit the way it was designed. This is another point that drives me crazy. In Battlefield 3, there are 4 kits. Assault, Recon. Support, and Engineer. Assault is a combination of Bad Company's Assault and Medic kits. They have a fully automatic assault rifle with the health kits and defibrillators. This means that if they see a downed teammate, they should revive them, but ONLY if the area is cleared. The worst thing is to revive a teammate right in the line of fire for the enemy. Make sure all resistance is cleared, or that your buddy can take the time he needs to reload before entering the fight again. The Recon kit is perhaps the most frustrating for a veteran player to see a rookie try to use. It is called "recon", not "sniper". Recon means you need to spot your enemies ("q" on pc, back or select on ps3 and 360.) and use your high powered rifle to take out the enemies from a safer spot. No, this doesn't mean the back of your base. This means from a location where you can see the mcom/flag you're trying to capture. Recon needs to cover the teammates planting or defusing the charges.

Supporting Your Team

Support contains new features for many of us that previous games had not used, such as suppression and the bipod. The suppression mechanic allows you to put fire down on enemies behind cover  and blur their vision. This might just give you time for a teammate to successfully defuse or plant an mcom. It's a valuable tactic, and with your ammo boxes and bipod, you can become an  endless killing machine. The name of the class is pretty self-explanatory. Engineer is not very useful as of right now, unless you have access to Caspian Border. But let me tell you what they do best: DESTROY. They can take out walls, buildings, and vehicles with that rocket launcher of theirs. Also, they are equipped with a repair tool to help repair damaged vehicles (or slowly burn an enemy to death).

Respawns

Die for your objective. This I cannot stress enough. If you need to take a bullet to make sure that mcom doesn't get defused, then do it. There are countless times where, when I was outnumbered, holding a last stand against the waves of enemies paid off. Sometimes I survived, others... Not so much. But the important thing is that the charge survived, and we took the base. This is a game, not real war. You'll feel incredibly epic if you die a hero rather than live as a coward. Besides, odds are your character is going to die sooner or later, and he might as well die a war hero. You might think "I'll let the other guys defuse that bomb". Well guess what? All your buddies are thinking the same thing, maybe. Which means no one defuses it. You'd be surprised just how many times this ACTUALLY happened to me. Objective gameplay is the key to victory. If you die, your buddy may revive you. If not, your sacrifice will be honored. This is all I got in my quick summary of BF3 Beta and battlefield in general, I hope you enjoyed. P.S. If you think I'm attacking cod, I'm not! I love the call of duty series when I play it, but its just nothing like battlefield. They are 2 totally different games with 2 totally different  play strategies.

Source: BF3 Forums