Battlefield 3

[Ricky S]

I just have some questions about the new bf3 game.
Did you like the singleplayer campaign?
Does the game have bots and a singleplayer map mode like battlefield 2 did?
What would you rate it out of 10?

I am thinking about buying the game but wont be able to access the multiplayer for a while. Should I wait or get it now?

[warty goblin]

Haven't played it, but everything I've read about the singleplayer indicates that the only sensible course of action is to stay far, far away. There is also, so far as I'm aware, no bots.

My suggestion, play Crysis 2 yet if you haven't already. It actually has some quite good singleplayer, and can be had for significantly less money.

[Shas aia Toriia]

Single player isn't bad, but not good enough to buy the game on. MP and co-op are fantastic though.

And if you were thinking of getting Crysis 2, don't. Crysis 1 is cheaper and has a better SP game.

[Kudaku]

The Singleplayer campaign is essentially Call of Duty without a sense of irony. It's "okay", but I wouldn't call it amazing - personally I preferred BC2's singleplayer, just because it has memorable characters and made me laugh occasionally.

The multiplayer does not currently support bots, and there has been no mention as far as I am aware that they are planning on adding it.

As for the multiplayer itself... When the game works, I'd say the multiplayer is truly excellent - I'd give it a 9/10 without a doubt.

However, there's that little issue of the game "working". There has been a great deal of speculation that the game was rushed to come out one week before MW3 - I'm not going to get into that myself but I will say that the game would have benefitted GREATLY for another month of development time.

The forums (which are conveniently only available if you have already bought the game) are riddled with people struggling with a wide variety of technical issues. Personally I've experienced everything from random server drops (you lost connection to Origin Online) to the game reliably crashing the first time I try to log into a server - every single time.



Despite all that, looking over my stats I've already banked over seventy hours of gametime... I'll say it is definitely worth picking up, but not necessarily right now. In another month or two (hopefully) the devs will have hammered out some proper patches and sorted out the various issues - in the meantime I'd maybe suggest Skyrim, Arkham City, or some of the other truly excellent titles that have been released recently :smallsmile:.

[Dublock]

Personally, I had a little bit of trouble playing the game when it first came out, I ended up uninstalling, reinstalling, reupdating it to fix it, but that was in the first few days and I have yet to have another issue with the game. I know I am lucky to some degree with that.

I finished single player and it is lackluster. Personally the only (roughly new) first person shooter that I love is the new Dues Ex game, the pure fps single players I always find lacking. Not to mention there are annoying "Press this (sometimes random) button mini game!" that I truly HATE.

No bots in multiplayer. But I do love the game, I have played pretty much all BF games and I have loved all of them and this one is no exception.

[warty goblin]

And if you were thinking of getting Crysis 2, don't. Crysis 1 is cheaper and has a better SP game.
I'd generally concur with this, and would have recommended Crysis 1, but I didn't know what platform the OP was on. While the original is available for consoles now I haven't played it, and can't speak to how well it handles there.

I also feel it worthwhile to observe that Crysis 2's campaign never hits the highs of Crysis 1's, but is overall much more consistent. Crysis contains what are to my mind the best two levels ever put into a singleplayer FPS, namely Assault and Onslaught (the harbor and tank levels, respectively). However it also contains the second half of Crysis, which varies between cool and slightly annoying (inside the alien ship) to downright horrible (the VTOL bit, getting Prophet out of the cold sphere), and never clears mediocre. Crysis 2 never has a moment to match Onslaught's playground of explody joy, but at no point did it piss me off as much as that bloody stupid VTOL.

Bulletstorm is also worth a look, although your mileage will probably vary depending on your feelings about totally sophmoric humor. The story, for all that, is actually pretty well done - I recall detecting distinct glimpses of character development - while never taking the completely apecrap insane setting more seriously than it deserves.

[Shas aia Toriia]

Apparently the VTOL bit is cut from the console versions.

[GungHo]

Another slap in the face of PC gamers.

[warty goblin]

Another slap in the face of PC gamers.

I'm honestly trying to figure out exactly what I'm supposed to think has slapped me 'bout the noggin here.

[Neftren]

I just have some questions about the new bf3 game.
Did you like the singleplayer campaign?
Does the game have bots and a singleplayer map mode like battlefield 2 did?
What would you rate it out of 10?

I am thinking about buying the game but wont be able to access the multiplayer for a while. Should I wait or get it now?

Battlefield Singleplayer.... wait what? No seriously though, singleplayer isn't that great. It doesn't even have the quirky humor of the Bad Company series. Honestly, I think BF3 should have just skipped the singleplayer element, as DICE sort of went the reverse route (most games think, "Oh! I'll add multiplayer to help sell!"), by going "Oh, we'll add SP to compete with Call of Duty's unbeatable set pieces and scripting!" I think the campaign would have been a lot better if it focused on teaching players how to actually... play multiplayer proficiently.

The game does not have a bot/singleplayer mode as far as I'm aware. There is a co-op mode, and matchmaking is pretty decent for that though... then again, that somewhat defeats the purpose of singleplayer.

I've put some 60 hours in so far, and I'd say it'd be maybe a 7 or 8 out of 10. It's nowhere near as good as my favorite 2142, but then again, most people didn't seem to like 2142, so take that with a grain of salt. That, and few games ever make it higher than 9 on my list.


Single player isn't bad, but not good enough to buy the game on. MP and co-op are fantastic though.

And if you were thinking of getting Crysis 2, don't. Crysis 1 is cheaper and has a better SP game.

Well, Crysis 2 multiplayer I found was much more interesting, though Crysis 1 had better graphics, and a slightly more interesting campaign.






Who here actually has Battlefield 3 though, other than myself and Triscuitable?

[GungHo]

I'm honestly trying to figure out exactly what I'm supposed to think has slapped me 'bout the noggin here.
I was trying to be clever, but since you said "honestly", I'm going to take you at your word.

They took the VTOL out of the console version.
They left it in for the PC version.
The VTOL section is frustrating and stupid.
So, they gave PC folks something frustrating and stupid and gave the console jockies a bye.

[Dublock]

Who here actually has Battlefield 3 though, other than myself and Triscuitable?

I do, I go by Dublock there too, I play in bursts :p

[LightWraith]

I also have BF3, just picked it up earlier this week. I go by TheLightWraith on Battlelog. I am also terrible at the game.

[Neftren]

I do, I go by Dublock there too, I play in bursts :p
I also have BF3, just picked it up earlier this week. I go by TheLightWraith on Battlelog. I am also terrible at the game.

You guys should add me ('Polytonic'). Don't worry if you're terrible. A few good players can make bad players look phenomenal. Just sit in my tank, and I'll laser designate for you, and you can guided shell enemy helicopters for something like 400 points a shell.

[FoeHammer]

I'm on battlelog as FoeHammer99099. Add me if you want, most of my friends got the console versions, so I'm usually running solo. Looking forward to winter break when I'll have some free time to play this and Assassins Creed.

[Shas aia Toriia]

I play BF3, but on PS3. No way my PC can handle it. :smallfrown:

[Dublock]

Cool I will do that (after finals) :D

My friends also got it for xbox so I am solo most of the time too. (I am not that bad even :P)

[Triscuitable]

So I got nudged into here, hello everyone. :smallbiggrin:

If you didn't already know, I'm Triscuitable, nigh EVERYWHERE. Check your Xbox. Bam, the first use of the name. Check Steam. There too. PSN? You bet. Battlelog and Origin? Damn straight.

Who's up for some Co-Op? I've been playing it an awful lot lately, and I'm 4000 points off from the EMR. I'm just wondering if anyone is up for some good 'ol buddy-buddy shooting.

[LightWraith]

Who's up for some Co-Op? I've been playing it an awful lot lately, and I'm 4000 points off from the EMR. I'm just wondering if anyone is up for some good 'ol buddy-buddy shooting.

Hey, sorry I missed you last night. While I was playing with my brother my computer decided to crash so I decided to call it a night.

So, to sort of kick off some discussion, what's everyone's favorite kit/weapon/vehicle/strategy/map/etc?

As Triscuitable noted, I play almost exclusively Recon, using my SV98 to cover my squad (which typically consists of my brother) at close to mid-range. I'll take the occasional long shot, but typically only when I'm countering an enemy sniper. My brother plays mostly as an Engineer, so I'll choose my equipment accordingly. I do a lot of spotting, painting, shooting and capturing. I also die a lot since I'm typically closer to the bad guys than is typical for a Recon player.

I've always played that type of role in FPS games, so I just sort of naturally went there first. I'll play a bit of Engineer if vehicles start overwhelming my team, and rarely Assault/Medic. I don't think I've ever spawned as a Support... I'm terrible with the LMGs.

I'm enjoying the game, and now that I've had time to practice a bit I'm not quite as terrible. I usually end up about halfway down the scoreboard. Good times!

[Neftren]

Hey, sorry I missed you last night. While I was playing with my brother my computer decided to crash so I decided to call it a night.

So, to sort of kick off some discussion, what's everyone's favorite kit/weapon/vehicle/strategy/map/etc?

Well, I'm currently Rank 46 (Colonel, Service Star 1), with everything unlocked except for Scout Helicopters and Recon. I'd be happy to stream using a weapon if you want to see how it looks or how it feels (I have all the Co-Op guns too). In anycase, here's my kit preference:

{table=head]Class|Weapon|Sidearm|Equipment|Equipment|Perk
Assault|M16A3 + KOBRA (RDS) + Silencer + Foregrip|.44 Scoped Magnum|Defibrillator|Health Pack|Squad Suppression
Engineer|M4A1 + KOBRA (RDS) + Silencer + Foregrip|93R|Repair Tool|Javelin AT Missile|Squad Suppression
Support|M249 + PKA-S (HOLO) + Laser Sight + Foregrip|.44 Scoped Magnum|M229 Mortar|Ammo Pack|Squad Suppression
Recon|M39 EBR + ACOG + Foregrip + Tactical Light|93R|SOFLAM|Mobile Spawn Beacon|Squad Suppression
[/table]

If you don't have the Russian acquired versions of the M16 and M4, then good substitutes are the F2000, the AEK-971, and G36C. If you don't have the .44 Magnums or the 93R, then the M1911 + Tactical Light is probably the next best option.

Ground vehicles... if it has reactive armor, use it, otherwise, Proximity Scan. If you have a missile unlock (guided for MBTs, anti-air for Mobile AA), use it. If you have the AP shell on the IFVs, use it. Zoom and Thermal optics are useful. Aircraft are a bit more specific. Depends on the map and enemy really.

In either case, the most overpowered vehicle has got to be the Mobile AA.

[Triscuitable]

I usually play Assault or Engineer, because I hate the pace the Support plays at, and the Recon is just boring and hard.

In Assault, I use the G3A3 (after two hours of Co-Op last night, I got everything) with nothing, because I've spent like ten minutes with it, with the M9R3, Undermounted Shotty, Defrib, and Ammo Spec.

As an Engineer, I use the something something SMG you unlock in Co-Op (it's EXTREMELY powerful), with a laser sight, the MP-14 REX, varying launcher type, EOD Bot, and EXPL Spec.

[Ricky S]

Is it just me or is the mortar extremely OP? I was playing at a friends house and he showed me how devastating it is.

[Neftren]

Is it just me or is the mortar extremely OP? I was playing at a friends house and he showed me how devastating it is.

It's only devastating when two things happen. 1) You have more than three mortars coordinating together to shell the same location in sequence, and 2) The opposing team has no mortar team counter-mortaring you.

In practice, this rarely happens on public servers. You'll see it a lot more on clan servers though.

[Kudaku]

Is it just me or is the mortar extremely OP? I was playing at a friends house and he showed me how devastating it is.

The mortar does about 35-40 damage on a direct hit and is pretty inaccurate - if you get targeted by one you need to "stay moving", but it's really only devastating if you're already pinned down with no route of escape, or if you don't realize what is hitting you. Like most things in battlefield, its quite manageable once you figure out its weak points and how to counter it.

Keep in mind that mortars show up on the minimap, and that if you counter-mortar the round goes from doing 40 damage to an instant kill. If someone is using the mortar repeatedly, drop a single shell on him and move on. It'll pretty much kill him by default unless he's firing a round and then moving - which means that his mortar is essentially useless.

As for favorite kit...

Assault: K2002 (with a foregrip, russian/US holo sight, and occasionally heavy barrel) - .44 magnum or G18 Supressed, depends on the map - medic kit - and either Squad Suppression, Frag, Cover, or ammo (listed in descending priority depending on what the rest of my squad is using).

Support: M240B (foregrip, HOLO, Extra ammo) - .44 magnum or G18 Supressed - C4 or mortar if I have to do counter-mortaring - and either Squad Suppression, Frag, Cover, or ammo (listed in descending priority depending on what the rest of my squad is using).

Engineer: A91 (Foregrip, HOLO, suppressor) or AKS-74U (Foregrip, HOLO, whatever) (been experimenting with this) - .44 magnum or G18 Supressed - Javelin, Stinger or SMAW depending on the situation - Always Squad Explosives.

Recon: M39, M40A1, or an SMG. .44 magnum or G18 Supressed - either a SOFLAM or a MAV depending on the map - quite often squad sprint.


Feel free to add me on Battlelog, my user name is Kudaku (http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/user/Kudaku/)and I play mostly on european PC servers :smallsmile:.

[Triscuitable]

So, I'm going out on a limb to assume everyone got B2K. What do you guys think of it? I personally love the assignments, and Gulf of Oman. The assignments are quite grind-y, but the FAMAS is easy to get, and doesn't even have bullet falloff! The recoil is hard to manage, but put it in single-shot mode, throw a 4x/6x scope on there, and it's a force to be reckoned with, just like an M416 w/Bipod and 6x rifle scope.

[PallElendro]

It's cool. Single-player's pretty crappy, though. Very. Crappy. Needs a whole damn revamping. Multiplayer is golden, though. Simple, tactical gear, and team support, that supports cooperation, unlike Call of Duty. Hate it when I'm blind, though.

(Defibrillator + Medical Kit) + high combat activity = lots of XP.
Ammo Box + combat activity = lots of XP
Repair Tool + stationary tank = ,moderate XP
Rocket Launcher + vehicle = lots of XP
SOFLAM + vehicles = moderate XP
Squad Leader + knowing how to issue orders = some XP

That's how to earn XP.

[Triscuitable]

It's cool. Single-player's pretty crappy, though. Very. Crappy. Needs a whole damn revamping.

Oh, do we know that well.



(Defibrillator + Medical Kit) + high combat activity = lots of XP.
Ammo Box + combat activity = lots of XP
Repair Tool + stationary tank = ,moderate XP
SOFLAM + vehicles = moderate XP
Squad Leader + knowing how to issue orders = some XP

That's how to earn XP.

You nailed it. Though you forgot one.

RPG + Camping Tanks

[Neftren]

The FAMAS is for when you want an extremely-close-range, high-rate of fire Assault Rifle. Essentially, the P90 or F2000 for the 5-15m ranges. I used it for a while after it came out, but there are a number of factors as to why the gaming group I play with completely stopped using it. First, it has garbage sights, and mounting a sight places it a graphically awkward position, obscuring a large part of the screen (basically the Bofors effect, for those familiar with 2142 weaponry). Second, it's rather inaccurate at range, and while Triscuitable pointed out that you could put an ACOG or a 6x on it, you may as well just use the G3 or L85 at that point, since you're firing single shots. Even at close ranges, it tends to "spray" unless you're really really close.

A more direct note to Triscuitable, but it applies to everyone. The M416 is actually among the worse-end of the Assault Rifle spectrum in Battlefield 3. For all intents and purposes, it's a glorified M16 that shoots slower. The M416 is an excellent weapon to use for the first few levels (especially if you dislike the Russian weaponry), but eventually other guns will supplant it. As I previously noted, the M16 is probably the best all-around gun, having one of the highest rates of fire (third, after FAMAS and F2000) at 800RPM, is accurate at range, has very little side-to-side recoil, allowing you to use something other than the Foregrip attachment. If you're looking for a close range AR, then the F2000 or FAMAS should replace it (and the FAMAS is the most accurate at medium range while moving). A long range weapon would be the L85, though it's somewhat of an annoyance to unlock, as it's got fantastic damage, and a low-rate of fire, making single shots while in the automatic fire mode relatively easy.

As a random note here before I go into my B2K commentary: I'm rank 49 with nearly every weapon unlocked, and have used every attachment. I also have every vehicle unlock except Scout Helicopters, so I can provide some descriptions of what those do as well (e.g. CITV station in the tank is basically a SOFLAM).


Karkand maps are pretty awesome, and basically mostly what I play. I really dislike Conquest Oman, as it suffers from the same problem as Caspian Border, in that I'm spending more time walking to places than actually doing anything else. Sharqi is pretty cool, except when Russian helicopter pilots decide to spawncamp the Hotel helicopter spawn. Karkand is the best of them, and has a lot of fun places to MAV-elevator up to, and subsequently go on 15-20 kill sniping sprees. Wake is also pretty poorly done, for a number of other reasons. I haven't touched Wake much though, so... eh.

The assignments idea was cool, but some of them were just stupid, and encouraged poor behaviors (e.g. only running around with rocket launchers out). I think the weapons should have been available through just ranking up, as well as through the assignments. Of the new weapons though, I basically only use the L96 from the new stuff. It is an incredible sniper rifle, with no bullet drop, medium-high rate of fire, and a massive clip.


As for the fastest way to earn points?

Assault: M16A3 (Underslung Rail, Silencer, RDS or ACOG) + M320 => Focus on Killing and Reviving. People regenerate health anyways, so losing the health kit isn't a huge deal, and the explosives allow you to clear rooms and buildings much faster.

Engineer: Play on maps that only have one or two vehicles (e.g. Seine Crossing or Grand Bazaar), and stick near the vehicle for easy points. Alternative: Scout Helicopter, 2nd and 3rd seat can repair the chopper in flight.

Support -> Operation Metro 24/7 Servers, park yourself in a hallway with a Bipod and hold down M1.

Recon -> SOFLAM'ing is actually a disappointingly unprofitable venture in terms of points. Easy recon points are basically finding some good vantage point and camping out. Sniper kills with headshots award tasty bonuses!