BF3: First Impression Release Version

[ROCO*AFZ*]

I am using a q6600 but with a GTX 275 and textures high, rest medium - 40-60 fps no overclock. I wish i had a DX11 card. It's so amazing with DX10, i can only imagine.

[Rocky]

Good review here.

http://simhq.com/_land3/land_128a.html

@Rocky: Note Chuck also used a Q6600 PC to review the game

Ah, thanks for pointing that out - I am reading it now!

[Cpl Ledanek]

had my First Vehicle-Run-the-Enemy-Over Kill today and got stabbed twice---- *chills* getting stabbed @ SimHQ and Legion of Sparta

26-30FPS on High accdg to FRAPS

add me to your Origin Cpl_Ledanek

[custard~SPARTA~]

On sound.

I've given the game some time now and atmospheric sound is great but in MP directional sound is not a patch on GRAW, it makes sooo much diference being able to hear enemies reloading, kicking cans etc and using sound to zoom straight towards enemies completely missing in BF3. Its a pity cos it would add an enermous ammount to a very good game.

Generally I've had a blast playing with our crowd and I would really recommend it just for MP and friends tell me COOP is very enjoyable as well.

[Cpl Ledanek]

I like Legion of Sparta Server.... I'm getting some good gaming there

Yesterday though, I was on a n00b only-something-name server .... highest rank was a Sgt with less than 1000 points-something. All of us were bad at it...funny times more than serious times. I had a tanker run away from me because I had an AT-4 ... I had an Apache Pilot miss me on 3 passes then suddenly just do kamikaze on me... just to kill me

[MeanMF]

I had an Apache Pilot miss me on 3 passes then suddenly just do kamikaze on me... just to kill me

The best part about being run over by a helicopter is that all it takes to get you back on your feet is a quick zap with the defibrillator.

[WytchDokta]

I like Legion of Sparta Server.... I'm getting some good gaming there

Yesterday though, I was on a n00b only-something-name server .... highest rank was a Sgt with less than 1000 points-something. All of us were bad at it...funny times more than serious times. I had a tanker run away from me because I had an AT-4 ... I had an Apache Pilot miss me on 3 passes then suddenly just do kamikaze on me... just to kill me

Kids these days. I had a tank firing at me once from behind a stationary oil tanker. The front end of the tank was sticking out so I could see it. So I just fired at the oil tanker. Boom! Noob. It's hilarious when they try parachuting out of the aircraft, only to do so into its path, thus decapitating themselves with their own aircraft. It's also funny kniving camping snipers - I even crawled up in front of one camping sniper to stab him (moving out around the side first as stabbing from the front doesn't work) , but he was too fixated on sniping at whatever he was sniping at to notice me. If only snipers actually realised the reflection from the 12x scope compromises their position at long range, allowing me to locate them, and get a knife kill.

One time I shot at a guy heading towards an objective. I was using the SV98 and miscalculated the bulletdrop slightly - the shot hit the guy in the chest. His reponse, having not figured out where I was shooting from, was to briefly stop, spin around on the spot shooting out a whole mag of bullets (like noobs do on L4D when a Boomer vomits on them) in all directions, giving me enough time to follow up with a headshot.

BTW, you'll get less than 1000 points if you camp and just kill enemies. The real points to be had are in supporting the team and capping/uncapping points. Seriously disappointed that this game won't allow me to plant C4 on my squadmates' MAV's and EOD bots (the C4 simply bounces off, not like I try these things in order to stay one step ahead of the enemy. ). I mean come on, how hilarious would that be getting a kill in such a way?

[WytchDokta]

Woah, the controls for turning the EOD bot are very sensitive on the Xbox version, to the point that pushing the left analogUE stick slightly in one direction causes the EOD bot to spin 360 degrees, which is great for pulling stunts and all - but you know they're called EOD bots and not STUNT bots for a reason right?

[MeanMF]

Seriously disappointed that this game won't allow me to plant C4 on my squadmates' MAV's and EOD bots (the C4 simply bounces off, not like I try these things in order to stay one step ahead of the enemy. ). I mean come on, how hilarious would that be getting a kill in such a way?

Bad Company 2 let you do that.. It was pretty heavily abused. Fun, yes, but I don't really miss it.

I've been playing the engineer a lot more lately. I actually prefer assault, but I find that if I don't deal with vehicles then nobody else really does either. And occasionally you get into a round where the other team isn't really paying attention and you can rack up a ton of mine kills.

I also finally unlocked the M320 smoke grenades. I thought they'd just be useful for Rush but I'm also finding them very valuable on Metro around the B base. A lot of people like to sit back and snipe or fire a constant stream of rockets, but a couple of smoke grenades renders them completely useless.

[WytchDokta]

Did Metro earlier, after capping 2 points it turned into a TDM killfest - no-one was going after the control points anymore, they just wanted to kill each other. There was the odd enemy player who tried to be adventurous by flanking to get around behind our guys holding the line, but I'm a player that can actually be bothered to occasionally break off to watch the rear/flanks. Got LMG Ribbon twice, Resupply Ribbon and Squad Spawn umpteen times and a few others. Was raking in the points on that one (for a change)

Thing is, you can't plant C4 on MAVs or EOD Bots, but you can 'stick' medpacks and ammo packs on vehicles. Again, not like I've tried such things.

[WytchDokta]

Played Mortar Wars with some-one the other day; I like how a lot of gamers, mostly snipers and gunners with mortars just 'camp' at one location spamming out round after round. Some of the snipers I've seen weren't even firing from even partially concealed locations, like on one of the desert maps, I saw one enemy sniper stood up in the open on the top of a hill (with his back facing own spawn zone no less). So he got stabbed and teabagged by yours truly. On another map, there was a very good enemy sniper, good as in shooting but not as in concealment - he racked up quite a few kills at one capture point on the map, including me several times. However, me and the guys on my squad figured out his rough location from the kill cam. We knew he was up on top of rock formation overlooking said control point. So we went after him, we found him easily, we saw him on approach to the rock fornation actually but we kept a wide berth and circled around behind his postion to end his killing spree. Then, when he respawned, he went back to the same location and did the exact same thing. How obvious can a person be? But whatever, back to Mortar Wars: Episode 1 now.

There was this enemy gunner with a mortar spamming our guys at objectives. I had mortar too, so I could see his firing position on the mortar map. I dropped a single round on his head, and he evidently didn't like that - I hit him with direct hit in the face, and he couldn't hit our guys for ###### as he was randomly blind firing his rounds so they landed in rough locations around control points. As I would have shown up for a split second on his mortar map after firing, he (after I splattered him) started spamming my location with mortar rounds, but guess what? I ain't like other players - I had took the initiative to relocate to a new position already and laughed loudly as his rounds all landed in a totally different direction to where I was at now. Round after round fell from the sky from his position (all landing in the wrong location as I'd moved), so much so he was lit up almost constantly on the mortar map. I returned fire with a single round in his face again. He respawns, and carries on what he was just doing, albeit setting up the other side of the road he was previously at according to the mortar map. Again, he was lit up constantly on the mortar as he was constantly spamming out rounds - in the completely wrong direction again, as again, I'd moved after firing a single round. We kept this up for the entire game, with him doing the exact same thing each time he respawned. I got 11 kills on that one guy, Nemesis Ribbon twice. He didn't get me as I kept relocating after returning fire. You would have thought after having been splattered by my mortar a few times he would have changed tactics. Fun times.

Edited December 6, 2011 by WytchDokta

[wombat50]

Good on ya WytchDokta.

I tried the MP once and it was total confusion on my part. Nothing like SP.

I will try it again with the attitude of not caring how many times I die.

That's the only way I would learn anything.

[Halli~SPARTA~]

I am really great at Dropping Mortar guys.

The second they set up you get a fast white blip so if you watch the mini map you can Fire Hit E then R Move and wait for for him to reset up.

I only Mortar the Mortar guys and maybe tanks if on screen but the trick is shoot then move fast.

[WytchDokta]

shoot then move fast.

This. Same with sniping, I never stick in one place - get a kill then relocate to a new position where I can cover my old location. I also return fire on mortar guys and taget vehicles, I don't really use the mortar on infantry.

Another one - on Seine Crossing. I was playing on RU side. I could see hostile tracer fire coming from a window above the Main Square point. I was assault and had the M416 with M320 underbarrel GL. So I just blasted the wall, taking out the sniper. Then guess what? That's right, he respawned and returned to the exact same spot to do the same thing. I know because I could see the barrel of his gun now poking out of hole in the wall I'd just made. So out came the 320 again. BLAM! In the face, it even came up saying headshot on that kill. Headshot with a GL, WTH? A third time he did the same thing (even going as far as making his gun barrel visible through the hole in the wall again, and met the same fate. Then, funny thing, he changed tactics, came running up the main street to try and circle around behind the stairs to the Main Square and started blasting in my general direction with one of the magnum revolvers, but I was ready for him, dropped him with a burst of M416 rounds. Irony, I had the weaker weapon right there and dropped him in less shots than he fired at me, even though he hit me a couple of times.

[MeanMF]

However, me and the guys on my squad figured out his rough location from the kill cam.

You should be playing hardcore mode... When you shoot people, they actually die.

[WytchDokta]

Potential bug? - Looking through the Dog Tags selection for the dog tag on the right, there are some regarding kills with specific weapons. One reads that I have three kills with that something-Rex(?) revolver. Therein lies the problem, I haven't even unlocked the weapon yet, nor picked it up off a dead enemy and used it.

[WytchDokta]

On the Xbox version, when using the stationary AA trailers located in each teams' base on larger maps, I've sometimes got Roadkill XP bonus for taking out aircraft. Now, some-one tell me how that figures. If the pilot/gunner bailed before the aircraft was destoyed and the burning aircraft collided with them mid-air, that counts as suicide. Stationary AA trailers are also completely invincible yet have a health bar. There is also a random bug that I and other have experienced whereby you randomly get killed by nothing and the message comes up 'BAD LUCK' - I've had this on a few maps when moving to objectives INSIDE MAP BOUNDS and while NOT BEING SHOT AT. Again, figure that out. Funny thing is, both bugs have been present since release.

And what's this I hear people calling for the FAMAS to be nerfed? Funny how those calling for it to be nerfed seem to those spawn rape griefing with USAS-12 with frag rounds. So, what needs to be nerfed I ask you, I don't see anyone spawn rape griefing with the FAMAS. For this reason, myself and guys I play with have set up our own counter USAS-12/frag rounds squad - We steal all their jeeps, load them up with C4 and 'Jeep Jihad' their asses, along with their mates in tanks parked outside our base spawning raping us. For great (in)justice!

[RileyFletcher_01]

I'm considering buying it, probably for MP. Since you guys seem to know about it well, I wanted to ask you a few questions.

1. Considering I'm a hardcore die-hard GR fan, would I have any fun at it or would it just be frustrating?

2. Is there any way to tactically approach the game? In BFBC2, I would sneak around with my assault rifle, and when I saw someone I'd load a full mag into him but he wouldn't die, he does a 360 on me and jumps out of view. I reload, watch where he came from, and he comes running at about 20mph at me and jumps on me with a knife. What happened to wounds at least slowing you down? Does this happen in BF3?

3. Vehicles. How they sucked. I would spawn, a tank would come rolling in, I'd pull out a AT rocket, and upon firing I'd get watch as the rocket slowly glided through the air at the speed of a broken tricycle, hitting way behind the tank as it rolled past at 200mph. It would then turn around, fire a cannon at me, and do so many more times each time I spawned until the game ended. Are spawn slaughters a common happening?

4. Weird physics. I didn't like how, in BFBC2, I had a hard time moving (SP and MP). It just was kind of 'sticky', like I was moving in molasses.

5. Superarmor dudes. Even worse in BFBC2 than it is in MW2. As I said in question 2, I can load a whole mag of MG rounds into a guy and he just knifes me in the foot, or I can spend half the game finding a good spot from all the spawn campers and tank noobs, to find out my .50 cal sniper rifle can't kill anyone. I mean, I sit there firing round after round into their heads and they just kind of run in circles like they got hit by a fly or something.

Are these things still present in BF3? Not sure I want to buy it if so.

[MeanMF]

1. Considering I'm a hardcore die-hard GR fan, would I have any fun at it or would it just be frustrating?

Very fun, but nothing like GR. It's much more fast-paced and run & gun. Having said that, it's nowhere near as run & gun as a game like COD or R6 Vegas. It's very team-oriented. If you want to win, you need to concentrate on taking the objectives and defending territory, not just running around killing people.

2. Is there any way to tactically approach the game? In BFBC2, I would sneak around with my assault rifle, and when I saw someone I'd load a full mag into him but he wouldn't die, he does a 360 on me and jumps out of view.

This is a rare occurrence in hardcore mode. I see it more in standard mode which is why I only play hardcore mode.

3. Vehicles. How they sucked. I would spawn, a tank would come rolling in, I'd pull out a AT rocket, and upon firing I'd get watch as the rocket slowly glided through the air at the speed of a broken tricycle, hitting way behind the tank as it rolled past at 200mph...Are spawn slaughters a common happening?

Some of the maps are more conducive to being pushed back into your spawn than others, at least in conquest mode. If you have unbalanced teams, there are a couple of maps that will reliably turn into routs. If you're playing Rush or the teams are somewhat balanced, it's pretty much impossible to spawn camp.

4. Weird physics. I didn't like how, in BFBC2, I had a hard time moving (SP and MP). It just was kind of 'sticky', like I was moving in molasses.

I haven't noticed this. I do occasionally get "stuck" on a doorway or stairs but it's pretty rare.

5. Superarmor dudes. Even worse in BFBC2 than it is in MW2... I can spend half the game finding a good spot from all the spawn campers and tank noobs, to find out my .50 cal sniper rifle can't kill anyone

In hardcore mode, snipers can generally take anybody down with 2 shots, or 1 headshot. But this is not a game that is built around sniping. I welcome snipers on the other team in the objective modes because it means that there are fewer people competing to take the bases and win the game. Plus the maps are big and there's a lot of cover, so they're easy to avoid or sneak up on and stab once you know where they're camping. And for the more confined maps or rush mode, you have smoke which renders them useless.

In general, if you didn't like BFBC2 you're not going to like BF3. They're pretty similar in style and gameplay.

[ROCO*AFZ*]

Snipers can help there squad in other ways though. The spawn beacon allows there squad to spawn closer to a base if the sniper has placed it there. They also have the soflam which when placed will laser target vehicles and planes/helicopters for troops to lock on too. There is finally the mav which works as a motion detector. I play sniper sometimes but i really bounce around in all the types depending on the way the game is flowing and what is needed.

[MeanMF]

True... And just because you're using the sniper class doesn't mean you have to camp on a hilltop - you can use various shotguns and PDWs that don't long scopes on them.

[Tinker]

Anyone out there not enjoying this game?

[Cpl Ledanek]

Anyone out there not enjoying this game?

kinda hard to admit, not to enjoy this game. I'm still a lowly private-something due to my lack of online play, but still find the game enjoyable. Getting killed and getting back in the game and not taking that kill too personal is the key. It's just a game after all.

[WytchDokta]

Yet again, I have the last laugh against spammers/griefers. And this time, bragging rights to me for my 750 point quad kill SMAW trickshot.

Don't ya just hate it when you're on Damavand Peak and some-one on the other team gets the Little Bird, loads up on Infantry and flies over into your base at the start of the game, all the while putting out suppressive fire from the miniguns while the guys riding on the side seats are rocket and machinegun spamming your base? (stupidly long sentence FTW). Well, I drew the line with this other day and gave the spawn rapers what for proper good like - so this Little Bird comes flying into our base, it's full with crew, two even shooting from the sides. This thing is an airborne firing squad and is mowing our guys down left and right. As soon as they respawn, they get dropped again. For some reason, I was the only one to take the initiative to remain in cover and observe, waiting for the right moment to strike back. So, like all our team respawn as Engineers with Stingers, to little effect, the pilot was good and knew just when to drop flares to thwart their rockets, and was swerving every which direction to try and avoid small arms fire. Their killing spree continued.... But not for long, for the WytchDokta devised a plan which would humiliate these pillocks forevermore, and he loves it when such a plan comes together. Just then, the pilot made a low & slow half-orbit, leveling off and turning to face into our base to engage our guys and keep dropping them - he was oblivious to the fact the WytchDokta was in the process of exploiting such tact, and flanked the chopper on the offside of the pilots' half-orbit without being noticed (all the crew seemingly had a fixation on our base, while the WytchDokta was now behind the chopper). So then, the pilot adopts a holding pattern next to the capture point in an attempt to capture it from the air. Now, this really was turning out to be like something out of The Idiot's Guide To Making Yourself a Sitting Duck. Suddenly, the WytchDokta jumps out of cover, SMAW at the ready, and quoted that woman from the Matrix, "Dodge this!" before firing.... Hit the chopper right in the cockpit as it was moving with a non-locked on rocket. The teabag dance ensued while the killcam played for them.

What I didn't know was it was an entire enemy squad onboard, so bonus for that, and for quad kill, and for killing spree ended. Kept coming up with bonuses on screen which totaled 750 points. I don't think they liked me exploiting their what they must have deemed 'unstoppable' tact much though - soon that same enemy squad rushed the base searching all over for the position I fired from. But guess what? As usual, I had already relocated to another location within the base that looked nothing like the position I fired from (incase they could figure out my firing position from the kill cam). Then I pwned a couple of them again from this new location as they found and searched my old location. There's nothing like rubbing it in. Dayum, them guys musta been cussin' like they had tourettes (like I do when I see the way other people drive). I gotta laugh.

You guys took part in/instigated any BF3 counter spammer/griefer pwning action you wanna share?

[wombat50]

A fine job of sticking the boot in Wytchdokta.