Newest Trailer:

First Aftermath Trailer


Soldier Names and Favourite Servers

Brick - Brick500
Griptor - Griptor
Xbob42 - Xbob42

Here are some servers provided by our brothers in arms over at Day One Patch
Day One Patch 64 Player Conquest Server
Day One Patch Rush Server

System Requirements:

Minimum System Requirements
OS: WINDOWS VISTA (SERVICE PACK 2) 32-BIT
PROCESSOR: 2 GHZ DUAL CORE (CORE 2 DUO 2.4 GHZ OR ALTHON X2 2.7 GHZ)
MEMORY: 2 GB
HARD DRIVE: 20 GB
GRAPHICS CARD (AMD): DIRECTX 10.1 COMPATIBLE WITH 512 MB RAM (ATI RADEON 3000, 4000, 5000 OR 6000 SERIES, WITH ATI RADEON 3870 OR HIGHER PERFORMANCE)
GRAPHICS CARD (NVIDIA): DIRECTX 10.0 COMPATIBLE WITH 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA GEFORCE 8, 9, 200, 300, 400 OR 500 SERIES WITH NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800 GT OR HIGHER PERFORMANCE)
SOUND CARD: DIRECTX COMPATIBLE
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
DVD ROM DRIVE

Recommended System Requirements
OS: WINDOWS 7 64-BIT
PROCESSOR: QUAD-CORE CPU
MEMORY: 4 GB
HARD DRIVE: 20 GB
GRAPHICS CARD: DIRECTX 11 COMPATIBLE WITH 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 OR ATI RADEON 6950)
SOUND CARD: DIRECTX COMPATIBLE
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
DVD ROM DRIVE

Pre-release Info

Well, after many years, DICE is finally coming out with a proper sequel to Battlefield 2, and they're coming out guns blazing with Call of Duty in their sites! Bad Company 2 was my first Battlefield game, and it was pretty impressive, but it was missing some of the key features of a true Battlefield game, like more players, jets, etc. Battlefield 3 is coming with everything fans of the series want and more. The PC is the lead platform, so it won't have to be watered down for the consoles like the Bad Company spin-off series, but DICE is actually going to make it all work on both the 360 and PS3 regardless.

With the future of Call of Duty up in the air at the moment with Treyarch having shipped Black Ops and out of the picture until 2012 at least, and Infinity Ward in shambles after the mass exodus, we just don't know what we're going to get from the 2011 Call of Duty game, so it seems to be the perfect time for Battlefield to come in and take the FPS crown. I'll admit that I may like the more arcade style of Call of Duty a bit more, but with the formula staying relatively the same all these years, I am starting to get a bit fatigued by it, so I may prefer a change of pace with Battlefield this year, esp. if the next Call of Duty is sub-par.

There hasn't been to much info on Battlefield 3 so far, but what little there is has me very excited. I can't wait to see what true, large scale, Battlefield style warfare is really like.

So far we have this teaser:



And here are some stills from that teaser so that you can get a better look at the all new engine DICE is using for this game, Frostbite 2:



















Mmm mmm mmm! Just think, the game is still in development too, so the graphics can only improve from here, now just imagine how much better everything will look upon release! The game is currently slated for a fall release of this year, so that it can go toe-to-toe with Call of Duty, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised, or upset if it got pushed back a bit since DICE has quite a bit on their table at the moment, and it's going to take a lot of work to get this all to run on the consoles.

Here's some information from an issue of Game Informer on the game:

-Aiming for CY Q4 2011 release
-Concept for BF3 has been in the works for years, waiting on proper tech to seamlessly come together
-Frostbite 2.0 is the culmination of this tech, entirely re-written
-Lighting sounds neat, one "probe" contains more lighting information than an entire BFBC2 level.
-Level destruction is going to be "believable" but basically everything is destructible.
-Character animations powered by ANT, what EA Sports uses.
-AI characters and multiplayer characters have different animation sets
-No more "gliding" animations that look off, animation realism is a focus
-Captured their own war audios (bullets, tanks, helicopters, etc) at different distances to ensure realism
-Better audio cues for certain actions, more easily able to listen for threats
-Plan on better, more immediate post release content
-More unlocks than BFBC2
-Dice trying to find a good balance between customization of your character and not having "pink rabbit hat(s)"
-4 classes
-Will talk about squads "later"
-Looking into a theater mode but can't talk about it
-Will have co-op
-There will be a kill-cam but it can be turned off
-BF3's team is almost twice as big as the team for BFBC2
-They want the pacing of the single player mode to be balanced, with highs and lows. Makes the comparison to a song vs a guitar solo.
-Part of the single player mode takes place in Sulaymaniyah - Iraqi Kurdistan.
-"Fuck" will be used often, so M rated for sure
-There will be an earthquake in a level. The destruction sounds very impressive. 7 story building collapses, looks very well done
-Significant narrative that goes with the SP mode
-More than one setting, you're not in the middle east for the whole game
-PC version is lead version
-Why 64 players for PC only? No complaints from the console crowd.
-No mod tools at release. Maybe none down the line either. Frostbite 2.0 is complex and mods tools would have to be dumbed down, so does Dice really want to put their time to that or would it be better spent elsewhere?
-Original story, not based on Bad Company at all.

Here's a link to the Game Informer scans if you want to read the whole story

It's all very interesting stuff, and DICE's claim of it being a next generation game, on current generation hardware seems quite accurate.

The game is getting a full reveal this week at GDC, so expect another trailer, and more news soon.

So, this is the official Battlefield 3 coverage thread, so if you find any news post it here. If a new trailer is released post it here. If you find a cool interview post it here. Let's keep this thread updated with all the news of the game as we prepare for deploymen to the third Battlefield!

URL to share (right click and copy)

Even that's not gonna matter much, still gonna look a thousand times better than Modern Borefare, so everyone will still be amazed.

@Xbob42
Didn't know you've played the new COD. How was it? Or do you just have a time machine? Your jab at it is cute, though.

Or are you the guy who loved MW1 then jumped on the bandwagon that COD sucked just cuz they made a couple new ones? Did you play MW2? BO? Derivative maybe. Getting stale, maybe. Boring? No.

Again, I hate that cynical attitude people have developed over the interwebs.

What does any of what you said have to do with the graphical fidelity of Modern Warfare 3? Oh, nothing?

Right. Anyway, they're focusing on "gameplay," meaning it's going to look exactly the same as it always looked because they can't build an engine anywhere near as good as the old Infinity Ward could, so they're going to reuse it over and over again until it won't fly anymore.

And by "Borefare," I meant "the same game." Again, and again, and again. AND AGAIN.

Stale = BORING. Derivative = BORING.

Oh, and since you're curious, I enjoyed Modern Warfare 1 just fine, it was a great game. Was even excited for MW2... Until they revealed it was going to be forced matchmaking on the PC, which was the first warning sign that they didn't give a fuck anymore. Console gamers love matchmaking, but for PC gamers who really like first-person shooters, matchmaking literally completely ruins the experience. Host advantage? No established servers? No custom servers? No server rulesets? No custom maps? No password protection? Dedicated servers are the CORE of an online FPS game on the PC.

The fact that they brag about dedicated servers "coming back" to the PC version just gets a big "Really? REALLY? Did you fucking NOT see this coming you idiots?" out of me. Too little, too late.

Ever since then, it's gotten worse. Higher price tags for the same game, with the game being re-released every year. MW1 was a big deal because it shook things up. But like Guitar Hero, they won't be happy until they milk it to death.

But it's cool, let's love it because we shouldn't give a shit that the developer doesn't give a shit. You know why people are cynical? Because people like you will buy anything, any time, because it looks like you could get some infinitesimal nugget out fun out of it. It's the same reason we get these shitty CGI movies remaking shitty 80s cartoons like the Smurfs: Because some people will spend money just for an ounce of nostalgia, or because they saw a commercial and said "Fuck it, that looks like a great time! LET'S GO WATCH THE MOTHER FUCKING SMURFS! IN NEW YORK. BECAUSE TAKING A CARTOON NOT SET IN NEW YORK AND SETTING IT IN NEW YORK IS SO ORIGINAL, LET'S SHOW THE SMURFS CONTEMPORARY INVENTIONS HAHAHA THAT IS SO ORIGINAL!"

Fuck that, I'm pro-consumer, I will not be treated like a money cow. I won't be milked willingly like an apathetic fool. If they want my money, they can earn it with innovation and effort, not derivative, repetitive trash.

God DAMN I'm sick of the lack of effort from developers. But I'm happy that it's totally great for you.

@Xbob42
What does the game supposedly being boring have to do with the graphical fidelity of Modern Warfare 3? Oh, nothing?

So by that token BF3 focusing on new tech means the game is gonna suck?

Stale and derivative don't mean boring. Mario and Zelda are both stale and derivative, and neither series ever has boring games.

Dedicated server debacle is fucking overrated. I've loved real servers since HL when I was 11, and I got by MW2's matchmaking just fine. People making a mountain out of a molehill, but what else is new. Cynical people like to blow everything out of proportion. Kinda like when they say good games suck.

And please don't compare GH to COD. Not the same at all. One game could literally be cut n paste while the other can't. Has any COD seriously given you the impression that the developer didn't care? That's ridiculous. Tons of work and tons of changes are made to every COD. Yes even MW3 will be quite different from the last few games believe it or not.

People are cynical because they're on the internet and its cool to jump on bandwagons.

I feel sorry for you expecting every single game to reinvent the wheel. Ain't gonna happen. Gonna quit gaming soon? You must totally hate 99% of games out there.

@carlosrox ENOUGH! We're taking this outside!

@Xbob42

Please do. I'd love to come watch you guys duke it out!

@carlosrox CoD creator was ran out of Activision, right? They'll *find* ways to make it suck. Watch. Derivative is all you can hope for at this point.

This is just too awesome not to post; you can basejump in one of the maps!

DAMAVAND PEAK


SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> FIGHTING IN WINTER MOUNTAINS
FICTION> A RUGGED MOUNTAIN AREA PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN DECIDING WHETHER RUSSIAN OR U.S. TROOPS ARE SUCCESSFUL IN COMBAT OPERATIONS IN THE SECTOR, AS THE AREA IS HOME TO KEY RADAR INSTALLATIONS.

DESIGN THOUGHTS: Damavand Peak, internally known as Base Jump, is built on the idea that we want players to be able to base jump, and features our most extreme height differences ever in a Battlefield map. Attackers in Rush and Squad Rush will start high up on a mountain ridge above a mining facility. The only way down into the valley is to somehow make the 500 meter descent. The further the attackers progress in the map, the more vehicle warfare will be present. There is also a large tunnel section dug into the mountain side at the bottom of the map, and the view when you look up at the starting location is spectacular."



Sweet baby Jesus! That's going to be so fun.

Here are the other maps as well:

GRAND BAZAAR


DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP001
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> TIGHT URBAN COMBAT

FICTION> THE BATTLE FOR CENTRAL TEHRAN HAS REACHED ITS SECOND WEEK, AND WHAT WAS EXPECTED TO BE OVER WITHIN DAYS NOW CONTINUES AS RUSSIAN AND U.S. FORCES CLASH FOR CONTROL OVER THIS ANCIENT CITY.

DESIGN THOUGHTS> We knew we wanted to do something very urban in the city center of Tehran. The fiction has you coming in two weeks after fighting started, so the tight and narrowly built city has a great deal of destruction already when you spawn into the game. Grand Bazaar is a classically mirrored map where both sides have very similar pathways, sideways, and possibilities to traverse heights to get a better view of the action. It’s a very short range close quarter combat map where shotguns tend to be favored.

CASPIAN BORDER


WORKING TITLE> FOREST
DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP007
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> VEHICLE WARFARE IN LARGE VALLEY
FICTION> A RECON RUSSIAN FORCE HAS SET UP CAMP ON THE TURKMENISTAN SIDE OF THE IRANIAN BORDER AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE OVER THE HEAVILY BUILT UP BORDER CHECKPOINT.
DESIGN THOUGHTS> Caspian Border was meant to encapsulate the classic Battlefield all-out vehicle warfare gameplay, and also to be a lush and green contrast to the more urban and desert maps in Battlefield 3. The border control splitting the map in two was introduced to add an interesting break both visually and gameplay wise in the otherwise beautiful and open landscape. Caspian Border is one of the obvious map choices if you are after the full vehicle experience, as base distances are generally too long to cover by foot. Pretty much every type of vehicle is available in this map.

SEINE CROSSING


WORKING TITLE> PARIS
DICE INTERNAL DESIGNATION> MP011
SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> VEHICLE/INFANTRY COMBAT IN DOWNTOWN PARIS
FICTION> THE AMERICAN INVASION OF RUSSIAN OCCUPIED PARIS IS IN FULL MOTION. THE UPSCALE AREA IN THE 7TH DISTRICT OF PARIS SERVES AS THE BATTLEGROUND.
DESIGN THOUGHTS> Seine Crossing has two sections of Paris split in the middle by the river Seine. Seine Crossing has a number of larger roads for vehicles to patrol, while infantry can sneak through tight alleyways and climb staircases to reach second or third levels inside buildings to reach a better tactical position – unless the enemy takes down the building facades. The final M-COM stations in Rush are placed inside a bank building, which is the largest indoor environments of this map and forces the attackers to slightly change tactics.

NOSHAHR CANALS


SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> MIXED COMBAT IN INDUSTRIAL SETTING

FICTION> U.S. MARINES LAUNCH A STRIKE ON A MAJOR HARBOR BY THE NOSHAHR CANALS ON THE IRANIAN COAST. THE STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT PORT ALLOWS FOR DEEP WATER VESSELS TO OFFLOAD ESSENTIAL MATERIALS.

DESIGN THOUGHTS> When we set out to do Noshahr Canals, we wanted to contrast the urban and rural with something more industrial. So we set Noshahr Canals up as an industrial harbor, featuring a mix of infantry, land vehicle, and boat gameplay. The attackers in Rush start out on an carrier ship and can reach the beachhead by amphibious vehicles, boats, and helicopters. All of the bases on the map have an industrial theme but still have different styles, like a train yard, dry dock, or airfield. Compared with the larger vehicle maps in the game, this allows for tighter infantry combat.

KHARG ISLAND


SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT

FICTION> KHARG ISLAND IS IRAN’S BIGGEST OIL EXPORT TERMINAL. IF THE U.S. CAN STAKE CONTROL OVER THIS ISLAND, IT WILL DENY THE RUSSIANS CRITICAL ACCESS TO IRANIAN OIL RESERVES.

DESIGN THOUGHTS> Kharg Island is our second map with boat gameplay. Thematically it’s representing an assault against Kharg island in the Persian sea, an industrialized island not far from the Iranian coast. The map is slightly more focused on vehicles with longer distance between flags than for example Noshahar Canals. In the Rush game mode, the beach assault begins on the coastline with a well-defended beach you need to break through to create a beachhead for further attacks on the island, before it opens up wider in the later part of the map.

OPERATION FIRESTORM


SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> ALL-OUT DESERT WARFARE
FICTION> U.S. AND RUSSIA LAUNCH LARGE-SCALE ASSAULTS TO CONTROL IRAN’S BIGGEST SOURCE OF OIL. SECURING THIS AREA WILL OFFER FULL CONTROL OF THE SECTOR AND ITS KEY FACILITIES.

DESIGN THOUGHTS: One of our largest and most vehicle-friendly map, Operation Firestorm is the classic Battlefield gameplay taken to the extremes. Size-wise, and with some puzzle skills, you could actually place three Atacama Deserts -- one of the largest maps from Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- within the playable area of Operation Firestorm. This is a wide-open desert map where the burning oil fields in one direction are contrasted by clear blue sky in the other direction. Construction sites dotting the area bring interesting possibilities for infantry to hide in elevated positions, spot vehicles, and take them down by mortar or RPG.

OPERATION MÉTRO


SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> INFANTRY FOCUSED COMBAT IN SUBWAY
FICTION> HEAVY FIGHTING IS EXPECTED AS U.S. FORCES PUSH TO SECURE THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT IN CENTRAL PARIS. RUSSIAN ANTI-AIR EMPLACEMENTS IN CHARDONNAY PARK ARE LIKELY TO BE THE FIRST TARGET.

DESIGN THOUGHTS: Operation Métro is the map from E3 and the Open Beta, so some of you are familiar with it already. It is a map that perfectly illustrates that we want to take our players on a journey. Especially in Rush, you can see how Operation Métro is almost three maps within one: You start out in a lush park, then move into a bombed-out section of the subway tunnels, to finally emerge in a dense urban environment outside the Paris stock exchange. It’s a map that asks you to constantly adapt your class and load out for the diverse situations you will find yourself in.

TEHRAN HIGHWAY


SUPPORTED GAME MODES> ALL
BRIEF> INFANTRY FIGHTING IN TIGHT CITY STREETS
FICTION> A FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF ACCESS ROUTES NEAR TEHRAN. U.S. FORCES MAKE A PUSH FROM THE HILLS UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS WHILE RUSSIANS HAVE SET UP DEFENSIVE POSITIONS ALONG THE MAIN ENTRANCE POINTS.

DESIGN THOUGHTS: One of the inspirations for this map was a photo of a night time skyline of Tehran which now is basically the same vista that is available in the game. You start up on the hills above the city outskirts and eventually work your way into town. This atmospheric night-time map, where you can see rockets lighting up the sky, has a balanced mix between vehicle and infantry focus. It plays length-wise and starts semi-open with plenty of room for vehicles, but ends on a much more urban and tight note with less focus on vehicles and more on infantry.

All maps sound fucking incredible. Definitely gonna upgrade my computer for this game (eventually, but not too far down the line).

I am still still still still still still still waiting on those nvidia pieces of shit to send me that card I won. That could end many of my problems. If it ain't enough, I'll either get a new computer or upgrade it significantly. This experience can't be missed.

Wait...I thought you were against PC gaming? You had a huge rant on it, and how you thought it was ridiculous that you had to update your graphics card, and that you're mad that you can't experience it the way it's supposed to be played and all that? "Fuck PC gaming," I believe is what you said? Not to sound rude, but if you're so against PC gaming and want it to die, why are you upgrading your graphics card and getting amped up for this game?

I mean, I guess I don't blame you...those maps look fucking awesome, haha. They would probably be enough to make me jump on the PC gaming train if I hadn't already.

Hey you guys know if all early copies come with Back to Karkand, or ONLY preorders?

I haven't preordered it yet but I definitely DEFINITELY want those 4 bonus maps.

@Griptor

Any copy that says "Limited Edition" so you don't necessarily have to pre-order it, and could go in an grab a copy, but you might as well just pre-order.

Yeah, that's what I figured, about the "Limited Edition."

Thing is you can buy a "Limited Edition" Medal of Honor today and still have your access to the BF3 beta.

But I'm guessing this will be a bit more limited.

Battlefield 3 Virtual Reality Simulator



OH MY GOD

casper884 said:

Battlefield 3 Virtual Reality Simulator



OH MY GOD

Not working.

@Brick

Oh, sorry about that. It's working now.

@casper884 This is a reason why we still need arcades.

Whoa.

What's the point of this? I want to see how it actually works.

@PogueSquadron
My relationship with PC gaming is actually quite a love hate thing. I love it to death when I get new tech with it but hate it so much when I don't have it and am forced to play the games completely gimped, if at all. And these periods last for too short, which always frustrates me. I will say that this computer has overall given me the best performance, I enjoyed it the most (thanks to Steam and stuff), and was relevant for the longest time.

I am still against spending hundreds of dollars just to play one (well, that's not true since an upgrade would allow me to play other great games that are already out and some that are coming at a much better performance) game, but this game looks like it needs to be experienced the right way. I'd feel like I'm missing out on something so technologically spectacular (and I'm sure the SP and MP are amazing regardless of fucktards saying SP sucks so far) and as a gamer I owe it to myself to enjoy it.

@Renjaku

Indeed.

@carlosrox

Immersion? I mean, it doesn't get any more real without actually endangering your life, when you're shot with a paintball to simulate the impact of being shot with a real bullet.

Haha, that virtual reality thing was awesome. Getting pelted by paintballs would be a blast!