BF3 Beta and initial thoughts

SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
edited October 2011 in Gaming
Hey, folks -

Who else has been trying out the beta, and what are everybody's thoughts?

I'm slightly annoyed at needing to launch the game apparently from a web page, but I'm guessing I'll get used to it. I'm a nub to the BF series, so I have a lot to catch up on. It downloaded overnight, so I played two rounds this morning - died within 3 minutes both times, and then had to head in.

Overall, I'm looking forward infinitely more to setting up some xbox hueg matches with fellow Icrontians (and hey, maybe we can even use some of these "tactics" and whatnot), so I'm trying not to let my random beta screwing-around influence my opinions, but so far I'm just Nubbly McNooberson.
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Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I really fucking hate the web page, but the game is incredibly pretty and fun to play.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    How does everyone have early access to the beta? Preorders for the game?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Working for the right department (:p), pre-ordering the game, or pre-ordering some other war game.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    UPSLynx wrote:
    How does everyone have early access to the beta? Preorders for the game?

    Game preorder or MOH special edition allowed a 2 day grace period before open season on the beta tomorrow.
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Game is currently unplayable for me as the mouse binds (and chat binds) can not be changed. I know its a beta, but come on.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    Working for the right department (:p), .

    I hate your guts, Thrax!

    Oh yeah? Well I have SolidWorks 2012 on my system. Yeah! Deal with it!
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    So I put a couple hours into the beta today. It's definitely a BF game, the combat feels great. Visuals, obviously, are incredible. DAT ANIMATION.

    The sound design of this game is fantastic. It was good enough with BFBC2, but they've really taken it to the next level with BF3. This is some of the finest sound mixing in a video game.

    The browser totally sucks. I don't know what they were thinking. On first play, you can't even set controls, graphics, or other options until you're in the game. Once you're in the game, you can't be in option menus when you die. So you have to hide before you option it up.

    I'm also confused to why they picked the map they did. No vehicles makes it feel like it's trying to hard to do the CoD thing. It's still fun, but not nearly as good as it could have been. It's too small and restrictive. There aren't even gun emplacements. Such an odd pick for the beta map.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    You can set keyboard controls, but not mouse controls, and it sucks. :[
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    You can set keyboard controls, but not mouse controls, and it sucks. :[

    Makes the game unplayable for me.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Yeah, that really, really blows. Can't bind reload or scores :/

    BTW, I still got it

    Istillgotit.png
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I'm fucking awful at this game. 2 and 10 or some shit, and I get nubbed by pistols all the time. LOL. A testament to how fun this game is, though, 'cause I keep coming back.

    One day I'll "get it."
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Besides the key/mouse binding issues I am getting disconnected sometimes after 30 seconds of play. It is getting annoying, think the longest I have gone without being dropped is around 1.5 rounds. Also, if you get disconnected, so goodbye to any points or unlocks you got.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    google should have made this beta...

    sounds like the beta map is the same as the alpha map.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    It is the same, a second map is available (the one in the movies), but they're password protected. Good thing reddit.com/r/battlefield3 exists - everytime the password changes it's posted there within 15 mins. If you're "meh" on Metro, Caspian Border is absolutely amazing and really shows off what the game is capable of. ...not to mention that's one of the SMALLER maps.

    Random disconnect issue seems to be related to UPnP, Piggy, google for solutions. I seem to disconnect only during my good rounds, which don't count. I've unlocked level 3 four times now.

    Really don't see what's so difficult about the browser, I totally prefer it over an ingame server listing (which never worked properly with BF games in the past, so it's already an upgrade).

    The spawn-first-before-change-settings is annoying, can't imagine that'll last longer than the beta stage. Gun emplacements exist on any surface capable of allowing a bipod to be set up on. Support class should be your ticket.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    NiGHTS wrote:
    Really don't see what's so difficult about the browser, I totally prefer it over an ingame server listing (which never worked properly with BF games in the past, so it's already an upgrade).

    It's not difficult. It's a useless layer that's been created to hide the developer's fucking incompetence with creating a decent in-game matchmaking tool.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I view it as a much quicker way to get in and out of game. No pregame movie, no nvidia logo, no developer logo, no splash screen, no narrative screen... just click, jump in, and play. Servers are refreshed instantly and you're good to go.

    Socially speaking, it seems to be way more powerful anyway - drag and drop friends into my loading bar? Okay, done.
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Nights: thanks, disabling UPnP and played drop free for 30 minutes, longest stretch by far.
  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I think I might actually give this a shot tonight. I've been holding off waiting for some decent review of how the game is but I have been unable to find a clear discussion/post/article/etc.

    I really don't understand how this battlelog system is supposed to help. The arguments of "No pregame movie, no nvidia logo, no developer logo, no splash screen, no narrative screen" doesn't really mean anything. They could have done all of these things without the browser based server list. ANY game could do all of those things at any point in time.
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    The Battle Log system is annoying, but even more annoying is not being able to change ANY settings until you have joined a match and spawned. Fuckin stupid.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Just playing devil's advocate here, but it is possible that this is only a temporary method (or, perhaps, one of two methods) of connecting to games. Perhaps, they are working on a better in game browser and don't want to go public with it yet. I admit, this looks very odd and could certainly be attempting a strange paradigm shift (again, the lack of being able to change options is stupid) but I bet it is just a hold over.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    No way this is a temp solution. This is a controlled effort by EA to streamline the experience. Chances are, they'll use it to feed ads our way. Since the game browser is on the web, people won't think twice about banner ads, or dare I suggest it - popup ads. Of course, this is all speculation, but a move like that from EA wouldn't surprise me.

    I seriously hate that browser.

    Again, just like Pigflipper said, not being able to adjust anything until you've spawn frigging blows. Holy crap.

    I did get a chance to play some Caspian Boarder last night before going to bed. Played it for about 25 minutes. It is really, truly awesome. Where the rush map feels like an annoying CoD style play, Caspian shines in the way only BF games can shine. The vehicles are spectacular, the map is massive, and the chaos is unmatched. Feels good to be playing engineer again on a map that actually matters - using the rocket launcher on vehicles rather than infantry.

    The map does feel a bit unoptimized, though. My framerate is considerably worse of Caspian than it is on the other map.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I really don't understand how this battlelog system is supposed to help. The arguments of "No pregame movie, no nvidia logo, no developer logo, no splash screen, no narrative screen" doesn't really mean anything. They could have done all of these things without the browser based server list. ANY game could do all of those things at any point in time.

    Wait, how does that not mean anything - you can literally time the difference it would take to jump ingame on BFBC2 vs BF3. Sure anyone can remove ads... but they haven't, and they won't, and they probably never will.

    Seriously, someone please explain what it is that is so horrendous about this new way of launching the game. Is it because it's a website (and if so, why? It presents THE SAME INFO without loading a game to see it), because it's different than you're used to, or something else I'm missing entirely?

    Edit: I guess a better way to phrase the question is this, what exactly is the inconvenience of having this new system?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    10:1 says the final version has the shitty server browser *and* a flood of ads! It is, afterall, an EA game, who load every game they make up with up to 30 seconds of unskippable video.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    who load every game they make up with up to 30 seconds of unskippable video.

    Exactly! Even more reason to be excited we don"t have to deal with them with battlelog!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    For now.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I hate it for nitpicky reasons (and the implied ad capability).

    For instance, I almost always have tabs saved in FF that have videos or music on them. I fire up BF3, which launches FF, which then starts playing music. I have to run through and close tabs or pause.

    Furthermore, I hate additional applications running while I try to game. I end up dodging around the splash logo when the game actually launches and close FF before the game boots. It bugs me.

    Those are some of my particular inconveniences with it. It's all just.. unnecessary. There was no need to change the paradigm. It's worked just fine for the last decade.

    I mean - think about this. You have to launch Origin, to launch your web browser, to launch a video game. What in the world? Why is all of the necessary? Why is that a good idea? The benefits of speedier game join are lost when you have so many frigging layers of launch.

    For as polished an experience BF3 is, this mucky launch setup seriously detracts from the user experience.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    took my time, got behind enemy lines and sniper'd the hell out of the baddies. hella fun time

    now I want to buy a 30" monitor

    about Bobby's nick picks

    Origin is always running like Steam is

    Web browser is always running anyways. just opens a new tab

    get more RAM

    edit:> also, CrossfireX 6970's this game looks so sweet with all the eye candy on
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2011
    I've got 8GB of DDR3. Doesn't change my opinion on the matter. Firefox is still using 400MB.
  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    So...

    Three rounds in so far. 8 & 5 and 3 & 8 and 8 & 3. I appear to be better at defense.

    The game itself is good. DICE has done a well and this is just the beta.

    Movement is fluid. At first it feels a bit slow (namely in regards to jumping over walls), but the realistic animations and how the hit boxes appear to follow along well make this an excellent addition to the BF series. Hitting the prone key to do a running slide into cover as you hear bullets pinging off the environment around you feels awesome.

    I can't speak to the weapons with my limited exposure, but I haven't raged over any OP-ness yet.

    There is the standard assortment of jackasses around. Spawn campers, people complaining about spawn campers, etc. Nothing new here.

    Now to things that DICE probably didn't have much choice in... The battlelog system... As a hater of 99% of things EA does I am going to be incredibly critical here. I don't see that it -adds- anything to the game. Any of the -features- available could have been done with an ingame menu system. They could take that web page and load it inside the game and I might accept it. Perhaps I am just disliking the change here. But what is the sense of change if there is nothing gained from it? Maybe at launch EA will have made the battlelog system so good we will all bow to the superiority. Doubtful, but maybe.

    And now to Origin. EA's choice of moving to Origin when they could have gone to steam? Again doesn't add anything to my experience. In fact, I would claim this hinders my experience. For those who might claim competition is a good thing, again we shall have to wait and see if anything of value comes from this.
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited October 2011
    I really can't wait to get the retail version so I can have custom mouse binds. That is really my only complaint.
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