This bonus map joins the previously announced Hill 137, Vantage Point, Phu Bai Valley and Cao Son Temple for a total of five maps in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. Some of you might recognize the setting, as this is the classic Operation Hastings map made famous in our PC game Battlefield: Vietnam from 2004.

If you didn’t play it back then, it’s one of the favorites among our fans, featuring everything awesome in one fantastic arena: boats, helicopters, tanks, jeeps, temples, and the signature bridge dividing the map into two strategic areas. To make things a little more interesting, we’re giving you, the players, the power to unlock this fifth map!

So what do you need to do? Easy. You and all your friends playing on PS3, PC, or Xbox 360 need to perform 69 million team actions across Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. So what’s a team action? Well, it’s any and all of these: resupply, revive, heal, spot, and repair. We start counting on December 21st, so make sure you contribute from the start!

DICE has released new dates for the up and coming Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam and map pack 7!  Today’s patch included both Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam and map pack 7, and both will be released/unlocked on the following dates:

• Bad Company 2 Map Pack 7 – 1st of December 2010
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam – 21st of December 2010

Map Pack 7 is free of charge however, Bad Company  2Vietnam is priced at £9.99 which you can pre-order on EA store.   Please note that if you already have the latest patch then Bad Company 2 Vietnam is already on your computer!  This will require an unlock key which you can buy from Steam, EA store or other approved digital stores.  Once the unlock key is purchased, you will then be able to unlock Vietnam in-game on the official release date.  According to last reports, if you purchase from EA store or Steam you will receive your key 3 days early on the 18th!  That means you could be playing Vietnam 3 days before anyone else!

More info from the official blog:

You wanted release dates for VIP Map Pack 7 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam? Why didn’t you just say so?

No, seriously — VIP Map Pack 7 goes live tomorrow! This is your chance to relive the awesomeness of fan favorite map Oasis, plus three more maps never before available in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer. For a complete rundown of everything VIP Map Pack 7, here are some posts we prepared earlier.

Also: December 21. Save the date. That is when Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam will launch (December 22 for PS3 in Europe). If you prefer your battlefielding on PC, you can get a three day headstart on EA Store and Steam, where it will be available on December 18. Need a reminder on why you should be excited? Here’s our latest trailer. It has flame-throwers.

So. Who’s on for some serious VIP 7 multiplayer action tomorrow?

Note that in order to play VIP Map Pack 7, you need to update your game with Multiplayer Update 3. This update should be pretty automatic and straight-forward, but if you want more info on it, head to this blog post. For more info on Battlefield: Bad Company 2, visit the Official Site.

// www.twitter.com/OfficialBFBC2

// www.twitter.com/zh1nt0

DICE has released a new patch today for Battlefield Bad Company 2.  If you do not have a good download speed then look away now as the patch is 2.6 GB in size!

Information from the official blog:

Hey, Battlefield fans! As the title says, there is an update coming for the PC platform, and it contains multiple changes to the game.

This update is in preparation for Map Pack 7 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam which is why the update will be approximately 2,6 GB in size. some of the fixes for the Xbox 360  were already rolled out in the previous PC patch. To see a full description, click here.

PC players might encounter some temporary outages or suffer from lag during the server updates (between GMT 08:00 2010-11-30 and GMT 08:01 2010-12-01).

Also make sure you run PBsetup.exe after updating to the latest version of the game.

www.evenbalance.com

How to get the game client updated

* If you are using Steam: the Steam client will automatically begin updating your game client once November 30th, 6:00 AM (GMT) has passed by.

* If you are non-Steam user : then the game’s online updater will find the version online at the same hour and ask you to patch.

* If you are not using Steam: You can get a manual patch from several places…

*Links will be posted shortly

- The main EA CDN: http://static.cdn.ea.com/dice/u/f/bfbc2/Static/BFBC2_PC_Client_R10_602574_Patch.exe

- Here’s a mirror in Australia: http://www.ausgamers.com/files/details/html/55988

- And here’s a mirror in Croatia:  (requires you to create an account first) http://www.diabolic-servers.com/board/downloads.php?do=file&id=135

- And a mirror via Fileplay.net: http://www.fileplay.net/file/12110/bfbc2-pc-client-r10-patch

Here is a complete list of all the fixes for PC in this update:

- Acog and Red dot scope now equippable on MK-14 and G3.

- Fixed an issue where the Bullet Tracers wouldn’t display

- Fixed an issue where Play Now wouldn’t work

- Added Ticke Count for Conquest end of round.

- Added the server info to the objectives screen.

Source: Battlefield Blog

VIP Map Pack 7 is on its way to Battlefield: Bad Company 2. This pack will include four maps never before available in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer, two of them being fan favorites Oasis and Harvest Day. As always, this content is free for PC and console VIP players.

VIP Map Pack 7 is all about listening to the community. When we ask for your favorite maps from Battlefield: Bad Company, Oasis and Harvest Day always come out on top. We are happy to announce that in VIP Map Pack 7, these two much-loved maps have been reworked for Battlefield : Bad Company 2. This means full Destruction 2.0 (buildings collapsing and micro destruction), enhanced graphics and lighting, and remastered ambient sounds and backgrounds. Below is a full brief of what’s included in VIP Map Pack 7:

Map 1: Oasis
Origin: Battlefield: Bad Company multiplayer
Game modes: Rush, Conquest, Squad Rush, Squad Deathmatch

Map 2: Harvest Day
Origin: Battlefield: Bad Company multiplayer
Game modes: Rush, Conquest, Squad Rush, Squad Deathmatch

Map 3: Cold War
Origin: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 singleplayer
Game modes: Rush, Squad Rush, Squad Deathmatch

Map 4: Heavy Metal
Origin: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 singleplayer
Game modes: Conquest, Squad Rush, Squad Deathmatch

Source: Battlefield Blog

DICE have released new information on the up and coming R9 patch for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.  All game servers will need to be taken down for updates. The maintenance period starts on Friday, October 29th at 06:00 AM GMT. Most of the servers should be back up by 10:00 AM GMT. The patch is roughly 900 MB in size.

How to update your copy of Bad Company 2

• If you are using Steam: the Steam client will automatically begin updating your game client once Oct 29th, 6:00 AM (GMT) has passed by.
• If you are not using Steam: then the game’s online updater will find the version online at the same hour and ask you to patch.
• If you are not using Steam: we will also publish an offline updater. Download links will be added to this blog post during the day.

The following fixes will be included in the R9 patch:

• All Weapons Bronze Insignia requiring an unobtainable bronze star for the tracer dart – requirement removed.
• Improved Hit registration made through several fixes and some of the hitboxes themselves have been changed. This will increase the accuracy of guns.
• Blue box chat window removed
• The 2 second immunity when spawning/being revived will now be immediately removed either by firing, zooming, or any movement (move, crouch, jump). A Spawning Player can still orient passively in the Game World..
• 3D vision fixed.
• Fixed slug shotgun zoom crosshair on PC so they better represent the long range accuracy. Crosshairs now close more on PC, similar to consoles.
• Reduced slug shotgun hip accuracy to require zooming for consistent long range accuracy. Hip accuracy is now on par with the semi automatic weapons.
• Fixed a bug on PC where the G3 would do less damage than intended.
• Fixed VADS turning sensitivity on PC so it performs like the ZU23.
• Reduced VADS push back and damage to balance it with the ZU23.
• Fixed a bug where vehicle countermeasures would fail to remove tracer darts at high speed.
• Reduced the reload time for vehicle countermeasures.
• Slightly increased the AT4′s damage vs armor to emphasize its anti vehicle role while keeping it balanced vs armor.
• Increased the AT4’s top speed and acceleration so users spend less time exposed when firing.
• Increased the AT4′s splash damage so it competes with other AT weapons vs infantry. The AT4 still has the least splash damage of all AT weapons.
• Reduced the splash damage of the Carl Gustav to bring it in line with other explosive weapons. The Carl Gustav still has the most splash damage of all AT weapons.
• Increased the 1 shot kill range of the M95 body shot to counter its lower rate of fire.
• Fixed a bug with the SVU that gave it better close range damage than other semi auto weapons.
• Reduced all weapon damage to the MCOM by 50%.
• Fixed an C4 vs MCOM exploit on Atacama Desert.
• Fixed a bug with FOV when aiming the M1911.
• Lowered the close range damage of the AN94 to highlight its long range role.
• Increased the accuracy of the F2000 on the move to highlight its role as a mobile AR.
• Increased the close range damage of the shotguns to give them a greater advantage vs slugs.
• Slightly lowered the damage of the M60 to balance its accuracy advantage vs other LMG’s.
• Slightly lowered the damage of the MG3 at close range to balance it with other high rate of fire weapons.
• Slightly increased the damage of the UH60.

Source: Official Battlefield Blog

DICE have revealed that Bad Company 2: Vietnam will be priced at $14.99 (USD) when it is released at the end of this year.  It looks like DICE have gotten the pricing for this game just right, and could be another massive hit for them this year with the franchise.

You can view the exclusive trailer for the announcement below:

More information has been released for Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam over at planetbattlefield.com.  The game is to include 4 new maps for the expansion pack along with 6 new vehicles, and 15  characteristic weapons such as Navy SEAL XM22, M79 “Blooper” Grenade Launcher.

The game will also include an in-game radio with 8 channels featuring 29 era spefic tracks such as “Ride of Valkries and “Fortunate Son”  There will also be 10 new achievements/trophies such as blowing up Vietnamese propaganda speakers.

More details about Vietnam are included the fact sheet below:

Bad Company 2: Vietnam Fact Sheet

Screenshots

Official Trailer

Community Battlefield Manager zh1nt0, has posted on the official Bad Company 2 blog that he will be showcasing the expansion pack Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show.

The expansion pack includes 4 new maps with Vietnam specific weapons, vehicles, persistence, unlocks, and achievements/trophies.

Keep an eye out for exclusive footage of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam on the official Bad Company 2 Blog.