So today Mr Bowling decides to announce to the world  ’exclusive information‘ on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Now don’t get too excited as its NOT good news for the PC community, not sure why I am surprised …. Mr Bowling has managed to post 2, yes that’s TWO, posts in the PC forum in over a month. This just shows how excited he must be.

The Good news

• MW3 will have dedicated servers i.e. they commented the code back in from CoD4 – Lets face it its the same engine with some additions ! Its an insult to the PC community to say they have been listening which is why this was added back, the PC community has been asking for Dedi’s since the MW2 fiasco. I suspect the only reason they added this is to prevent every Pre Order being cancelled.
• RCON is back This is good news as its a very handy tool for us ‘experienced’ PC gamers

The Bad news

• They are still using Vac and some ‘internal’ anti cheat – Well they worked well in MW2 didn’t they
• Max players is 18. WHY??????

Some Classic quotes from the ‘exclusive’ item

Oh and before we start I really suggest that Mr Bowling READS what he posts, the number of spelling and formatting errors is a joke – Just shows how seriously he takes the PC community.

‘We value the PC player and have gone to great lengths inproviding a more rich experience for our players. We keep our ear near the ground and try todeliver items most requested’

Err where have they been getting this feedback from? It seems to me that all they have managed to do is comment back in the CoD4 dedi server code and Rcon code. The PC community asked you BEFORE the MW2 fiasco to provide dedi servers so in fact they were told not to remove them.

I’m extremely excited about the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 this year, because we’ve been taking your feedback since Modern Warfare 2,and the franchise as a whole, on what you wanted to see in the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 and the team at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games has put aton of emphasis on delivering a PC experience that brings in all the great things we added in Modern Warfare 2

What a load of marketing gibberish. Mr Bowling is in no way excited about the PC version, two post on the PC forum in over a month just proves that. This is also backed up by his total lack of support for PC gamers during the MW2 fiasco. I seriously question how a ‘Community Manager’, or whatever the title is this week, that only plays on consoles should be allowed to represent the community as a whole.

Beyond that, we know our PC audience has sent in a ton of questions to us via @fourzerotwo, Sledgehammer Games’s QotW,  and to the forums and wanted to knock out someof the most asked questions in a quick and easy FAQ so that you can make a fulland informed decision when pre-ordering Modern Warfare 3.

Ah so Mr Bowling didn’t even write the post. So he’s not excited about the PC version – I wonder who is?

No. We chose to keep lean out of the game to keep the gameplay experience universal across all platforms. This was a gameplay design decision.

This is laughable. What he really means is that since a console can’t support lean, due to the controller, they have not bothered to implement it on the PC. That has to be the most pathetic excuse I have ever seen. Every other FPS, even console ported games, support Lean. This is just laziness on the part of the designers.

Will there be Modtools for Modern Warfare 3 on PC?

Mod Tools will not be shipped at launch.  As always we are continually evaluating features to support post launch and this is one requiring further discussion.

What he really means is NO so why not just come out and say it.

How is Modern Warfare 3 on PC handling anti-cheat?

Security is a major focus for Modern Warfare 3, especially coming out of Modern Warfare 2. We will be utilizing multiple methods of Anti-cheat and Security methods, including Steam’s VAC system, CEG, and our own propriety methods implemented to provide multiple layers of defense in keeping online multiplayer fun, fair, and secure for all players without limiting the control they expect on PC.

So the only Anti cheast is VAC? CEG is designed to prevent people copying the game and I seriously doubt that the devs have put any form of anti cheat into the game as that would be a waste of time when there are better products out there.

read more at www.warfail3.com

DICE have today released new HD footage of Battlefield 3 Alpha multi-player.  Just yesterday a selected number of individuals were invited to play the Alpha test client of Battlefield 3.  Within a few hours, footage began to appear on YouTube showing Alpha testers battling it out on the map Operation Metro.  Since then the videos have been taken down and more than likely the Alpha tester(s) in question have been contacted by DICE/EA for violating the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to which they agreed to.

BlackMonkeys.de have released the final version of their Call of Duty 4 total conversion mod Galactic Warfare which has been in development for several years.

The mod tempers Modern Warfare’s sprinty, killstreaky gunplay into Rebels vs. Empire blaster fights across familiar Star Wars terrains like Mos Eisley, Bespin, Tatooine, and more. Download Galactic Warfare from Mod DB here. If you need help installing the mod, Blackmonkeys has assembled a handy video guide.

This version contains seven maps

• Mos Eisly
• Bespin
• Bestine
• Not A Cave
• Jundland
• Jundland Dusk
• Anchorhead

Due to the nature of the in game server browser it can be hard to find servers running this mod. The easiest way is to browse to http://www.game-monitor.com/search.php?vars=fs_game=mods/swm_gw1&game=cod4 and make a not of the ip address and server port of servers running the mod. You can then either manually connect or as them as favorites.

[-=BVA=-] Have a Galactic warfare server running at 87.117.194.129:28964

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick wanted to play Battlefield 3 at E3 2011 yesterday. Only one problem: he had to get past EA.

A senior informant has told CVG of how they witnessed Kotick’s PA discuss Bobby’s chances of a hands-on trial of the military FPS with EA reps on the door of the publisher’s non-public presentation.

Our deepthroat tells us that the female assistant hopped to the front of the EA queue on Wednesday morning (08/06/11). The DICE-developed military title is only being shown behind closed doors in Los Angeles – and not on console.

Her request was reportedly stewed over for a minute in private, until an EA rep re-emerged on the public show floor. He then explained that senior management had been consulted about the Activision chief’s request, but that “it would not be possible”.

Read more at CVG

Squads have always been an important feature to the Battlefield franchise from my years of playing the game and a good squad leader was a massive benefit to the enjoyment of the game.  There is no getting away from it.  Unlike it’s biggest rival FPS competitor Call of Duty, Battlefield game-types require team work and direction in order to win rounds.

We all know now that Battlefield 3 will not include the commander class as covered in our last article of this series, but what about squad leaders?

There has been no confirmation as of yet that squad leaders will play a part in Battlefield 3, which if I am honest, worries me a little bit.  I could just tell myself not to be too concerned as it is early days yet and DICE want to get their PR together first before commenting on such things.  However, after telling the community that commander would not be in Battlefield 3 it would have been nice if DICE confirmed squad leaders to soften the blow of losing the commander class, just to let people know that there will still be a driving force behind teamwork.  Losing squad leaders would be a worse blow than commander in my opinion to the community.

So, I am going to assume for arguments sake that squad leaders will appear in Battlefield 3.

But how will squad leaders function?

I am not sure how squad leaders will function, but I hope that DICE don’t decide to take the example of Bad Company 2′s squad leaders.  The implementation in Bad Company 2 was just bad, plain and simple.  That’s not me trying to be mean but just telling the truth.  There was no direction and definitely a lot of confusion over who was actually the squad leader.  One minute you can give orders and then the next someone else in your squad gives a completely different order.  Frustration ensues!

I know DICE are looking to involve more people in the roles of the franchise so I think BC2 squad functionality was intentional.  It definitely was a bad design choice none the less.  I can understand trying new things to lower the complexity threshold but if it doesn’t work then don’t use it.  It’s disorganised and not fun.  I think that is one of the contributing factors into the lack of team work in Bad Company 2 compared to previous titles in the franchise.

In my opinion there should only be one squad leader per squad and no more.  This gives teams the focus and direction to attack or defend objectives without getting  orders all over the place from different people.  There wasn’t that much wrong with squad leaders in Battlefield 2 and 2142 so I see no reason not have the same for Battlefield 3.

If DICE are serious about trying to get new people into the game then have the hints and tips like in previous titles or have training videos for people to pick the game up.  Along with these things the community can also help those who are new to the franchise.  That’s how I learned to play the game by becoming active in teams and listening to more experienced players who were more than likely the squad leaders.  Although working VOIP helps with squads but I’ll save that gripe for another day.

You know the saying, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

DICE has released new screenshots this years Battlefield 3.  The screenshots include a look at the ANT tech animation, concept art as well as Frostbite’s exciting lighting effects.

It has only been a month since DICE announced that Battlefield 3 will be released at the end of this year (2011), but it has already generated a lot of discussion.  From forums to tweets, everyone is talking about it.

In the first of many articles about the Battlefield franchise here at BVA, I will look at that key features to the Battlefield series and discuss what I feel needs improved upon, what features people expect, why people are sceptical, and what we know so far.

So what do we know so far?

• The game will be developed using DICE’s new Frostbite 2.0 engine
• PC will be the lead platform for Battlefield 3 (take that console noobs! )
• 64 players for multi-player (24 players for consoles)
• Vehicles including fighter jets
• Single-player will be included
• More advanced destruction and on a larger scale in Frostbite 2.0
• A total of 4 classes to the game
• Prone will be available

All sounds great right?

Well you would like to think that everyone is happy with the little bits of information so far at this early stage, but some people are sceptical, especially Battlefield PC gamers.  So why is that?

In today’s article we will discuss the commander role and some of scepticism being directed towards DICE about their decision not to include the commander class in Battlefield 3.

Commander

The man with the plan

There had been a lot of rumours circling that the commander position would not be returning in Battlefield 3.  The rumours started when Patrick Bach, a producer at DICE, said in an interview with GameInformer that they wanted the game to be more “accessible” for people and that the commander position was a problem due to the fact that only “two people could use it”.

From then on in we have had numerous discussions on the official Battlefield 3 PC forums, not to  mention polls in regards to Bach’s comments.  One particular poll here has had more than two thousand votes.  The poll in question started off extremely well for those in favour of commander, but has now since been reduced to approximately 60% of the votes cast with people not in favour of the commander position also voicing their opinions.

Some people have pointed out that:

• commander is a “deal breaker”,
• it is a “key component in the battlefield series”
• commander would be “hard to implement on a console pad”
• DICE are “dumbing down the title” for console players

Personally I don’t believe all of these points are entirely true and I give my reasons below as to why.

Deal Breaker

For a commander to an effective member of the team they need to be doing something constructive with the controls that they are given in order to help the team win the round.  Many times in the past I have been in a Battlefield 2 or 2142 server where the commander does absolutely nothing.  All he/she does is go about in a tank and then collect the double points at the end of the round.  That is of course if their team wins.  Plus, if you had a team that didn’t give a shit about voting for mutiny against the commander, then you were screwed.

I think most people won’t miss this type of scenario and will be glad about it.  Will this stop me buying the game?  No it won’t.  The only thing that will stop me from buying the Battlefield 3 is if DICE come out and say “hey guys we have copied everything from Call of Duty and hired 402 as your new CM”!

Key Component

Is commander a key component to Battlefield?  I would say yes and no.  For public play it can be an enjoyable experience if the commander knows what they are doing and not hogging the position for points.  On the other hand it can be frustrating if the commander does nothing to benefit the team.  So I would say no for this point.  I would actually say that squad leaders are probably more important as I find them to give you more direction in the game than the commander, but of course that is my opinion.  Also if you are playing as the commander it can be as equally frustrating when squad leaders ignore your orders.

Now for private match play I do think that commander is key to the game.  I have played many matches in the past with my previous clan (LSF) in ClanBase’s  2142 Titan ladder.  The commander position was crucial at points during matches from doing scans, supply drops, to moving the titan etc.  I am hopping that with it now being official that commander won’t return they will be looking to move the functionality of the commander onto the squad leaders.  That way more people can have access to these specialised actions (UAV, air-strike, etc).  This would be a big benefit for not only public matches but also private matches.

Hard to Implement on Console Gaming Pads

“Implementing commander would be to hard to do on console pads” is another paranoia statement being passed about.  To me this is absolute rubbish and could be done quite easily.  What is to stop DICE binding the select key on a PS3 controller to bring up the commander HUD?  The answer is absolutely nothing.  If DICE can do impressive stuff with destruction, but are unable to bind a joy-pad button for a commander HUD then that is messed up!

Why should the console platform hold back the PC?  It’s quite clear that with Battlefield 3 being the lead platform that we are seeing things DICE could have left out, but haven’t due to console restrictions, for example 64 player servers.

Dumbing Down

DICE are dumbing down Battlefield 3 for console players who are unable to understand the commander class with their feeble minds.  So lets now have people screaming from the rafters about BF3 having “consolitis” and that PC will get shafted because of this.  I’m sorry but I disagree with this theory, or what I call just plain scaremongering.  I am pretty sure that even a console player could work out how to call an air-strike or drop off a vehicle to a squad if they were given the option.  It ain’t that difficult!

Even when Bad Company 2 was first released without a comma rose, for example, we heard “dumbing down” from the trolls of the internet.  People said it would be too hard for DICE to do but having looked at a PS3 demo for the game Brink, they have a comma rose system so why can’t Battlefield 3?  You can see the comma rose quite clearly in this video.

People are getting “accessible” and “dumb down” mixed up with each other and it is not right.  I believe that when Bach said they wanted commander to be “accessible” he meant to allow more people to use the type of features associated with the commander class and not so that people could see which hole the square block goes into.

What I would like to see

What I think, or should I say, what I am hoping that DICE will do is to move all the functionality of the commander to the squad leaders giving a lot more people the chance to use these abilities.  However, I am not sure there will be a HUD as advanced as the one in Battlefield 2 or 2142 even, that veteran Battlefield players have become accustomed to.  It could be that DICE decide to change the interface completely in order to make it better to use.

I am hoping that squad leaders do make a return as the whole Bad Company 2 system was just a mess and I hope DICE see that.  In BC2, I didn’t know who was the squad leader and sometimes it was more than one person!  I am not even sure if this is a bug, but it sure is annoying that you give an order to attack B only for someone else to give a completely different order to attack A!  So if we are not getting commander then please DICE get the squad leaders right.  Battlefield is a team game and it needs its’ squad leaders!

DICE have said that BF3 is not a follow up to Bad Company 2 and I do hope they mean that.  From what I have heard so far it seems that the PC community comments have been heard by DICE with 64 players and prone (something heavily criticised for not being in BC2)  making an appearance in Battlefield 3.

The community just needs to have patience because it still early days and spreading paranoia doesn’t do anyone any good.  I am sure there will be more good news down the line.

The first public showing of Battlefield 3 took place this evening at an off-site event at the Game Developer’s Conference. There, select press were shown the first chunk of a the single player campaign, and what the technology behind the game; the Frostbite Engine 2, is capable of.

Last year, EA attacked Call of Duty’s hold on the Christmas shooter market with Medal of Honor, with limited success.

Click to enlarge

This year, Battlefield is going to mount a full blown assault on CoD’s dominance. The good news is: it’s built for the PC, to showcase what the PC is capable of. And it’s the best looking PC game in the world right now.

The demo opened with a precis of the tech. Frostbite 2 uses animation systems developed for sports games to give characters heft and weight. As the soldiers turn into doorways, you can see the weight shift on their feet. The destructability of the old Frostbite engine has been ramped up; bullets can chip away at masonry and concrete, while full bore explosives can tear down entire buildings. And when buildings collapse, they don’t vanish in a cloud of smoke and magically transform into burning husks – the destruction is more complex – signage wobbles and shakes, concrete awnings tumble down. The sound is as violent and deafening as Bad Company 2; bullets echo and snap with nightmarish cracks.

But it’s the sheer visual quality that’s the real star. I think it’s down to the lighting – the bright sunshine of the Iraq level was extremely impressive. When the demo transitioned to the indoors, shafts of sunlight shone through any open windows, creating gorgeous pillars of dust. It absolutely looked a step ahead of last year’s big shooters.

The game demo was split into four sections all taking place in Iraq. The storyline states that the PLR are involved in an insurgency on the Iraq border. US soldiers are sent to blow them up. Or something. I don’t think the Battlefield 3 team are overthinking the story.

The first slice saw the team drive into a staging area in a APC, while one of the lead character’s team-mates complained of not doing his taxes, the other worried about how they were disembarking way off their expected position. As they exited the APC, they walked through a very busy US checkpoint. Following a briefing from a commander (find the missing US soldiers. they’re…. over here somewhere) the team run through abandoned buildings, kick in a few doors, and dodge a PLR patrol. At one point, the team pause as the ground beneath them begins to shake. “We’re on a major faultline,” remarks one. That’s called foreshadowing.

As they exit a garage, the game enters slow-motion, and one of your friends is sniped. Nooeees! The dev playing dragged him back into cover a mini quick time event. Minor point – it was pretty cool to see the usual Press A or B replaced with WASD. Then, a full bore firefight broke out.

Click to enlarge

This is where the demo was less impressive. Battlefield’s single player campaign is clearly a tightly scripted, tightly controlled shooting gallery. In the demo, there was little evidence of enemy soldiers using their own brains to find cover and avoid getting shot. Nor did your team-mates do anything to really help out. The player simply pointed the gun at the baddies heads until they fell over. There was a brief moment when the developer used a grenade to blow a chunk of balcony away to reveal a sniper (complete with satisfying ragdoll wheeling through the air), but mostly the player lined up headshots until the PLR began to retreat.

Following the retreat, the player attempts to track down the source of an IED, following a long wire into a basement bomb factory. He crawls through a ventilation shaft (yay, shafts! it’s a PC game alright!) before finding the remote detonator. As he tries to unplug it, he’s punched hard in the chest by an enemy. There then follows a vicious no holds barred fight from first person in which prompts to click the left or right mouse button in the appropriate corners of the screen are followed by punches, kicks, and a quite brutal knee to the tummy. It reminded me of a more controlled version of Mirror’s Edge’s melee fighting. In fact, the whole game reflected DICE’s experience with Mirror’s Edge – there was a real emphasis on maintaining the first person perspective while constantly reminding you of your own physical presence. It’s always good to look down and see your legs.

The third section of the demo was more interesting, and used the destruction tech in a more creative way. The player’s squad comes under heavy sniper fire on a rooftop. Each rifle bullet creates a shockwave in the air – and pings off plantpots, concrete, and the pipes and air-conditioning units that offer your only cover. The player crawls to the edge of the rooftop with his squad who, on a count of three, all offer suppressing fire while you fire an RPG into his spider hole. The RPG round is a little bit too effective – the entire frontage of the hotel the sniper has been hiding in collapses. “Good effect on target,” jokes your team-mate.

Click to enlarge

The final section of the demo was a full blown ground battle in the heart of the city. Infantry were joined by tanks and helicopters in holding a vital pedestrian bridge. Now I write that, I’m wondering exactly what was so vital about the bridge. Is the green cross code considered destabilising?

The player lay down and used a machine gun to mow down dozens of soldiers, while the helicopter hovered above, hosing incoming jeeps with round after round of tracer. As each wave was pushed back, the player shifted to another side of the intersection, until finally, he leapt onto the back of jeep, and used the mounted turret to hold back the hordes.

“Great,” I thought. “A mounted machine gun bit. That, right there, is the future of games.”

But, immediately, the ground begins to shake violently. It’s an earthquake. The concrete splinters and shatters in a terrible wave, infantry are knocked off their feet, and the player is bounced out of the jeep. Then, the buildings around him start collapsing, one by one. At the final moments of the demo, a skyscraper falls directly onto the helicopter, which crashes onto the player.

I was impressed with almost everything about Battlefield 3. It’s beautiful, sounds awesome, and has some impressive destruction tech. But I wasn’t entirely convinced. For all the fire and fury of combat, the AI of the enemy soldiers didn’t impress, nor did your team-mate seem to want to help. That needs work. And I’m desperate to see what the developers do with Frostbite 2.0 in multiplayer. But, I came out grinning, if deafened. I can’t wait to play it. And I can’t wait to play it on PC.

Battlefield 3 is out in Autumn. You’ll hear it coming.

Source: PC Gamer

BF3 Fault Line Series Episode I: Bad Part of Town

The Battlefield 2142 Northern Strike booster pack maps and content are now FREE to play for everyone! The v1.51 update for Battlefield 2142 is now ready for you to download from any of the links below.

Fixes in v1.51:
Added extra account security fixes
Added fix for nVidia drivers to solve tinitus visual effect
Hit detection bug fix:  Changed so that latency compensation history takes correct stored positions from buffer
Updated as_titan_wake.tweak to allow for two attack choppers instead of the one previously allowed

New Features in v1.51:
Added Operation Blue Pearl by Bjorn Sundell with special thanks to Jason Brice for lightmaps and finishing
Added Yellow Knife, Molokai and Strike at Karkand 2142 maps made by Jason Brice
Added support for the Novint Falcon controller

Download Links:

EA

Australia

France

Germany

Germany 2

UK

USA

USA 2

USA 3

USA 4

Source: Battlefield Blog

Activision have revealed that the First Strike map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops will be out on PC by the end of March. Activision have also set up a new company devoted to creating new DLC for Call of Duty. Read on for details and the First Strike trailer.

Activision made the reveal when announcing its quarterly financial results last night. They mentioned that the pack would be out on PC this financial quarter, which ends in March. Activision also announced the formation of a new company devoted exclusively to creating digital downloads for Call of Duty. The team will be called Beachhead, and have been tasked with creating “best in class digital experience for Call of Duty.” It looks as though we can look forward to more Call of Duty: Black Ops map packs and expansions in future.

First Strike contains four new multiplayer maps and a new “zombie experience.”

• Stadium – competitive map set in an Ice Hockey rink.
• Kowloon – multiplayer map that takes place on the rooftops of Kowloon
• Berlin Wall – A multiplayer fight for checkpoint Charlie.
• Discovery – A competitive map set in an Antarctic research facility, based on the Reznov mission from the singleplayer campaign.
• Ascension – New zombie map with new weapons and creatures to fight.

There’s no exact release date or price set for the PC version yet, but it should be out before April 1. Check out the official Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike site for more information. Here’s the First Strike trailer.