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Tag: BF3

  • Battlefield 3: Close Quarters Gets New Trailer

    A little over a month ago, DICE/EA announced that they would release 3 expansion packs, the first of which is going to be titled ‘Close Quarters’. Immediately peoples arms shot into the air with an emphatic WTF!? Why would they do this? these close quarters maps are being made just to appease the COD fans that DICE/EA is still trying to get on board.

    Now that we have a gameplay trailer it becomes apparent as to why they are making these maps. DESTRUCTION. The Frostbite 2 engine is amazing, probably one of the most amazing gaming engines of all time. But it has its limits as we can see. Want better textures and better vehicles? well you wont be able to destroy any trees, in fact your tank won’t even be able to run them over. The ‘Close Quarters’ map looks as though they will solve this. With smaller maps and no vehicles shown, the massive amounts of computing power can be focused onto the one thing that truly makes Battlefield awesome: DESTRUCTION.

    This trailer focuses on a new level named “Donya Fortress.” The level takes place in an old castle, and it features crumbling walls and tons of debris. It features a great courtyard and tunnels on the outskirts to battle in. There will be no Rush mode, but it does feature a conquest domination mode. It will also probably feature a team death match and a squad death match mode. The game also will feature 10 new weapons to probably come in new assignments. These weapons are the AUG Assault Rifle, SCAR Assault Rifle, ACW-R Carbine, MTAR-21 Carbine, M417 Sniper Rifle, JNG-90 Sniper Rifle, L86LSW Machine Gun, LSAT Machine Gun, M5K Tactical Machine Pistol, SPAS-12 Shotgun and they are all featured in this trailer.

    The DLC map pack titled “Close Quarters” is due to be released in June and will be released 1 week early for the Playstation 3.

    I’m pumped for the new BF3 DLC, Close Quarters is some pretty awesome hectic stuff. http://t.co/aSVFrL1U << Watch that gameplay!! 10 minutes ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    My current project:
    #BF3 #CloseQuarters new trailer is live with #DonyaFortress :
    http://t.co/Wzxbixi2 26 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    New gameplay trailer live for Donya Fortress, one of the maps included in the Close Quarters expansion pack:
    http://t.co/VyZWQtdw 41 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Battlefield 3 Quality Assurance Tester Explains Job

    A new post in DICE’s continuing “Inside DICE” series where developers, programmers and QA people go in depth to explain things like why there is a certain weapon in a game, or what it is exactly that they do at DICE. The last two entries were exactly that. One was explaining the whys and whats of the USAS-12, and the other was about why they changed the flag emplacement on Wake Island. In this set QA Tester Zeke Lugmair goes in depth abput what exactly he does and how he got his job.

    The post is informative on what his job as a QA tester is, but the thing I got the most from this is that there is as much luck involved in landing a job like this as there is having the right amount of skill and experience.

    Here is the post from the Battlefield Blog:

    “As a kid of roughly eight years old, one of the most mind-blowing realizations I had was that you can actually make games for a living. Since that day, more or less all of my planning for the future was with game development in mind.

    My experience as a Quality Assurance Tester (or just “QA Tester” or “QA” for short) here at DICE has really given me an understanding of what working in the games industry is really like. I got this job by a combination of luck and dedication, I guess. It all started with my high school through which I managed to get a three week internship at DICE where I got to do very basic QA stuff on Battlefield 1943.

    During this time I got to know a couple of people, luckily also the man who is my boss today. Some time passed without any real connection to DICE, but after a while I started to contact them quite fiercely. I signed up for every focus test, I signed up for every video shoot and more or less did everything in my power to spend as much time as possible in the DICE office. After a while I also yet again on sheer luck started to run in to my current boss out in my free time and started to really bug him about giving me any job within my field of knowledge when I graduated.

    In the end it turned that all those hours of free work and time spent yelling “I don’t care what it is, I can clean the office or whatever!” had paid off. About three months after my graduation I received a phone call telling me I had a job. And thus my time as a QA Tester had started, starting as a tester on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam.

    A Hunter of Bugs

    As a Quality Assurance Tester, my goal is basically to together with our team of testers make sure the game provides proper quality compared to our plans. This mostly comes down to hunting down and reporting bugs to the right people in order to keep the game functional. However, it also includes having a good view of our project plan and being able to provide feedback to the development team both when asked for specifics and on a whim. How does a recently added feature play? Or what’s simply my general experience playing the game as a whole? As such, QA are without a doubt the ones who spend the most time in our games pre-launch”.

    The general flow of functional QA work is based around finding flaws and then reporting them to the right people so they can fix it. When I just had been hired, I thought that being a QA
    Tester would be considered the very bottom of the game dev food chain. Spending time here at DICE, I have however realized that QA truly is a vital part of the development process, even though there is no actual development going on.

    The most general (and still very common) misconception is that testing a game is the same as playing it. Surely some of our work resembles actual play, but in order to be an effective tester one has to obtain a certain view and mindset and get an understanding of how the game actually is built.

    When I launch a build (basically a version of the game) that I need to test I have a general idea of what may be broken. I would know this considering which state the project is currently in and what has been fixed or added since my last go at it. Early on in a project it might be a challenge to even be able to play the game for one minute without the game crashing or freezing. In this case it is our duty to gather all the data needed so that the programmers may analyze it, find the source of the problem, and fix it.

    I think working with QA in general is a great way to get a better understanding for how games are built. Having constant interaction with all the different disciplines that make up a development team, as well as having access to the development tools means you learn new things almost on a daily basis. Over time, this helps you grow as a tester and can prepare you for other areas of game development.

    A Juggler of Tasks

    There are always a whole lot of different things to keep track of during one day, as we currently have three different main platforms (PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3) as well as multiple project branches to attend. An essential ability within QA is to be able to juggle several tasks. I need to organize and communicate properly within the team, as it can be quite challenging making sure that all the correct info gets sent to the right people. All the while, I need to test all the different fixes as soon as possible, and I also schedule and gather the people needed for those urgent play tests. Getting organized is a valuable skill I have developed entirely here on the job, and I am sure it will come in handy in any future employment.

    A regular day for me could have one of the designers coming to QA saying ”Hey, I would like to try this new spawn layout for TDM on Kharg Island, could we try this out today?” (Diego asked this???), in which case it would be up to me to find a suitable build of the game containing the new layout, give it a test run to make sure it’s not broken in any way, and then send out an invite to the dev team and make sure that we get a full server so that we can test the new layout properly.

    Another recent example would be the audio team trying out some potential tweaks in the way audio is streamed in the game. The way all the different sounds in the game stack are prioritized to create the right feel, and they wanted to try out some new ideas. In this case we organized a play testing session on Caspian Border where all fighting was to take place in one particular area (we picked the Checkpoint base for this purpose). With the server full and the team running around playing as if an actual match was going, this allowed for the audio team to check whether all their tweaks were properly in place or if they had to tweak it further. During development of a game, we run several hundred play tests.

    A Slayer of Accidental Monsters

    When testing early content hilarious stuff will occur. If you were in the Battlefield 3™ beta you might remember the “long-necks” — disturbing looking characters indeed. They were nothing compared to the first time I encountered something similar in Battlefield 3.

    It all happened pretty quickly. I was running fearlessly across the streets of Seine Crossing, turned around and saw a creature looking much like a praying mantis: About twice my size with a freakishly long neck, crooked back and distorted arms, and it came charging at me holding a knife! I was quite startled and quickly ended its miserable life with a panicky SV-98 bullet to the neck and saw it fall. Let’s just say that when we found out what triggered soldiers to take that shape, we had some good fun with that during the next play test before the fix for it had been checked in. 😉

    My personal goal at work is that our games should be as enjoyable as possible with as few hiccups as possible. It’s probably impossible to ship a game with zero bugs, but I still silently curse myself when I hear about things that have slipped by during testing — even if it’s a real long-shot bug. I want to help bring our games to a state of near perfection in terms of functionality.

    A lot of people ask me how to get into the industry. On a QA level it is sort of hard to give any straight-up tips in how to get here. Unlike programming, modeling or design, I don’t think there is a general line of education for the work. I do however think that the best way to go about it is to go for education that is generally required for the line of work you think you’d like to do after a few years in the business.

    I know that one of my current colleagues simply saw that we were looking for new QA on Twitter and applied and got the job! I think the best way to go about is simply to push good and push hard when opportunities arise and show the company you want to work for that you are the one they would want, not necessarily by past QA knowledge but by a general interest for game development and an urge to learn. Again, there are few things other than QA that actually teaches you how to do QA. At any rate, it is a great way to take a first step into the industry.

    I must however admit that my work has ruined my personal enjoyment of playing games just a bit. I now find myself challenging a lot of the games I play on my spare time. I want to see if I can see if I can break them or trigger some funky issues.”

    Zeke Lugmair
    QA Tester

  • Electronic Arts To Lay Off 500-1000 People

    Through several sources it was reported today that due to poor showings from EA, including a stock dive and being rated as the worst company in America, that they will lay off 500 people across the entire company. This represents approximately 5.5% to 11% of EA’s overall workforce.

    Upon hearing this report EA has come out in full force to adamantly deny that any such layoffs are coming. John Reseburg, a company spokesman, acknowledged that E.A. is “reshuffling” its 9,000-strong worldwide work force, but dismissed Internet reports of the layoffs. “I don’t think there is a factual basis for the reports,” Reseburg said. He added the company is expecting its headcount to be higher at the end of 2012 compared with last year.

    “We’re growing and we’re looking to hire hundreds of people for our digital, console, mobile and social games,” Reseburg said. “Like all game companies, we make occasional adjustments to resize our teams as projects are completed and new priorities are established. We expect that our headcount will be up at the end of the year.”

    EA has taken a lot of hits this year, the potentially biggest being the complete failure that was the vaunted Battlefield 3 launch. It even prompted a gaming blackout against EA and Battlefield 3, just so the fans could get some information on what was going to be done about huge problems such as the lack of a working voice chat for the PS3.

    “reshuffle” LOL RT @gerryshih EA moves to squash layoff rumors, says it’s undergoing reshuffle @Reuters http://t.co/7Qiu5Sbj 3 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    EA moves to squash layoff rumors, says it’s undergoing reshuffle @Reuters http://t.co/wnC6ayZl 3 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Battlefield Battlelog App For iOS Now Available

    After a 6 month wait, the official iOS app for the Battlefield Battlelog is finally here. The app is fairly complete with just about everything you need. The one thing that it doesn’t have which I feel is very important is the ability to see every single weapon’s profile and what unlocks are next for that specific weapon. It probably took them so long because they had to work on all the massive mistakes the game launched with.

    The app features a ton of useful things like keeping track of your overall stats and how many kills you have with each weapon. You can also keep track of your next upcoming unlock. There are better apps if you are just looking for stats. The app called BF3 Stats lets you keep track of individual weapons and their stats.

    As of press time there is no release date for the Android version of the App.

    Title Screen:

    BattleFeed: Here is where you can see the most recent things you have unlocked.

    Com Center: Here you can see all of your Battlelog friends.

    Stats: These are where you keep track of things like K/D ratio and time spent playing the game. I’ve added multiple images of what all the different parts of the stats section are.

    Unlocks: Here you can see how far away you are from the next unlock for any vehicle or weapon.

  • Battlefield 3 Developer Explains Wake Island Changes

    The “Inside DICE” posts on the Battlefield Blog have been fairly telling so far. The first one went in depth to explain the reasoning for the USAS-12 and those **** frag rounds. This time we get Developer Gustav Halling giving us a rundown of Wake Island.

    Wake island is about as famous of a real life battlefield as it is a map on the Battelfield franchise. It has now been featured on 3 different games and has now had several different designs and organizations of the flags for conquest. When the Back To Karkand DLC launched, the island featured a 3 flag layout with the American side always launching from the carrier. Now they added 2 more flags, the default spawn point for the American side are now the 2 tips, and they moved the mobile AA gun to the new beach base to make it more desirable of a point to want to capture.

    Here is the original post form the blog and the in depth reasoning about the whats and whys associated with Wake Island:

    Hi all. My name is Gustav Halling, 26 years old, also known by my nickname “cmd” or “cmd85” on Battlelog.

    I have worked at DICE since 2006 as Gameplay Designer and have been involved in designing Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield 1943, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam. My latest project is Battlefield 3, and most of my time is put into the expansion packs such as Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, and now most recently turning Lead Designer for Battlefield 3: Armored Kill that launches this autumn (which I’m very excited about!)

    In this “Inside DICE” post, I’ll explain the reasoning behind adding the new 5-flag layout to Wake Island on consoles. I hope you like the new layout and that you find this post interesting.

    Battlefield 3 3 flags wake

    Why didn’t we have 5 flags from the start?

    So why didn’t we have a 5-flag layout for Wake Island Conquest on consoles to begin with? There is no simple straight answer, but it was a mix of design decisions and technical challenges. When we decided to make a remake of the classic Wake Island map, we wanted it to be the same scale as it was back in Battlefield 2, not the 30% smaller variant that I designed for Battlefield 1943. The reason Battlefield 1943 shipped with 5 flags was because the game was a standalone game where all air and land vehicles and distances could be tweaked specifically for those distances.

    This time, we wanted to keep the epic scale that Wake Island is on all platforms, and we play tested the map a lot with 24 players and found that the gameplay was suffering by the big spread of players that occurred over 5 flags. It easily turned into us just going around capturing the bases in a circular pattern, without really seeing any enemies – that was not very fun.

    That was when I designed the new variant instead, where the US started on the two capes instead of on the carrier — and at the same time focusing the gameplay down to 3 flags. The gameplay based on this flag layout turned out much better with a lot more action and awesome tank battles.

    An excellent byproduct of our latest patches is that we found a way to fit even more content into console memory – primarily vehicles — which made it possible to look into the original 5-flag layout again. So we did!

    Battlefield 3 5 Flags Wake Island

    Designing the new 5-flag Wake Island

    After the release of Back to Karkand, we received a lot of feedback from you, our community, that you wanted to have a 5-flag variant on Wake Island. The feedback was very much focused on that it wasn’t a true Wake Island without 5 flags and also that it worked in Battlefield 1943 on consoles already. It wasn’t a big surprise for me but I also felt that many players didn’t see the whole picture on why this happened and why it provided a more intense battlefield so I did a big post on reddit about my design decisions behind Wake Island 3 flag and got a good response from that.

    I was actually already looking at the possibilities how a 5-flag Wake Island on consoles would work, both from a gameplay perspective and the technical challenges it would present. I knew that we had a big patch coming out at the end of March/beginning of April. This would give us the time needed to add the new design layout, playtest it on consoles, and make sure it was to quality and get it into the patch before heading into the certification process with first party.

    So I set the project up and started to look at it from a technical angle to make sure it was possible to do in the first place. Next step was to playtest the new layout with 24 players and adjust the experience to make sure each base had a valuable asset that the team wanted to own.

    After play testing, the in-house feedback at DICE was clearly that the best layout was the same as the one we use on PC. I went with that as a basis, but made some tweaks to both the PC and console layout. Perhaps the most important change being that we moved the mobile anti-air to the Beach capture point instead of having it at Airfield – this makes Beach a more strategic base to own.

    Two layouts – two experiences

    I personally like both variants of Wake Island on console, and having the two to choose from, you can make sure you get the experience you want for each session:

    3-flag Wake Island provides the more action orientated experience for when you want to get into the action fast! It’s less about travelling and more about fighting, with a good mix of infantry and vehicles.

    5-flag Wake Island is the more strategic choice and the more vehicle focused experience! It will give you more choices on how to tackle the battlefield – making a head on assault on airfield or slowly working towards it from the bases surrounding it, one flag at a time.

    With the Spring game update being live on all platforms, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 players alike can finally enjoy a 5 flag variant of Wake Island. We hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think in the poll below!

    Gustav Halling
    Designer

  • Massive Battlefield 3 Patch Is Now Live On The Xbox 360

    The hugely massive patch for Battlefield 3 is now live! The huge patch features over 227 fixes including several things that weren’t previously advertised like the ability to quit between matches! You can see the huge amount of details here!

    There are also a few other highlights besides weapon balancing and they are gripes that beefers have had about other things in the game, such as a horn for the jeeps, and planes starting out with IR flares. Here is a list of new things from the official Battlefield Blog:

    Your server, your rules!

    Like the PlayStation 3 update, this also marks the start of the Rent a Server functionality on Xbox 360. This means you can rent your own server and create your personal gaming experience. Check out the trailer below for an idea of the possibilities of this program. To ensure a robust experience, we are launching this feature at a limited capacity and ramping up in the coming days. If you are unable to rent a server, try again at a later date.

    Beep beep! We have horns!

    Yes! We have added horns to all jeeps in the game! Nothing says “Get in and man the machine gun so we can take back the airfield!” like three short beeps of the horn. Just press [LB] to make your presence known to friendly forces. Warning: Beeping also heard by opposition. Suggest limiting beeping when in enemy territory to keep vehicle in working order. This feature is also present in the PC and PlayStation 3 updates that are live.

    Giving all players IR flares

    To balance the battlefield and give budding pilots a fighting chance from day 1, we are now giving IR flares to all players. These will be automatically available to you in all air vehicles in the game. So if you’ve had a hard time staying up in the air previously, it should be easier to dodge incoming threats from now on. We hope this small but significant change will mean more players take to the skies and mix up their play style. This feature is also present in the PC and PlayStation 3 updates that are live.

    More awards for skillful heli flying

    One of the balancing items we have done in this game update is to better reward skillful heli pilots. To do this, we have increased the pilot’s score for transporting passengers who make kills from the heli. The assist score for heli pilots is now 50 points/kill. In a fully loaded transport, four passengers who make 1 kill each will give the pilot a sum total of 200 points. This balancing change is also present in the PC and PlayStation 3 updates that are live.

    Making the SOFLAM a passive income gadget

    The Recon gadget SOFLAM (laser target painter) has been given a new feature. Now, when a Recon player places it and then leaves it, it will continue to paint targets entering its area of control, continuously giving the Recon player a passive points income. This means a Recon player can place a SOFLAM in a strategic position, then leave it to find a good sniping spot. Combined with fixing a few scoring error in the SOFLAM, it should now be a much more viable source of experience points for Recons. This balancing change is also present in the PC and PlayStation 3 update that are live.

    Suppressing is team play, too!

    Another balancing change that reflects how we want every player to be able to contribute to the overall effort is the lowered threshold for achieving the Suppression Ribbon. From a previous requirement of 7, players now only need to perform 3 suppressions in a game to be rewarded the Suppression Ribbon. This means the Support Kit player can rack up scores by skillful use of his LMG. We’ve always know suppression helps – now we are more generously rewarding those team players who help disorient the enemy so we can move in for the kill. This balancing change is also present in the PC and PlayStation 3 update that are live.

  • Massive BF3 Patch Goes Live On Xbox 360 On April 3rd

    Last but not least, the massive Battlefield 3 patch that has already been released on the PS3 and the PC is finally coming to the Xbox 360! The patch includes over 227 fixes including nerfing the unbelievably overpowered USAS-12.

    The fixes are as follows:

    GENERAL GAMEPLAY FIXES

    -Players should no longer take fall damage from short falls.
    -Players now get up from Prone slightly faster, allowing better odds of getting away from a grenade or threat when prone.
    -Fixed some situations that would unintentionally make a player unrevivable.
    -Reduced the black screen fade in time on spawn. The fade is still necessary for properly streaming in loading content at spawn, but it has been substantially reduced.
    -Increased the spawn protection time from 1sec to 2sec. The protection will still be immediately canceled as soon as the player moves or shoots.
    -Spawn protection will no longer be canceled by the player looking around.
    -Increased the speed at which a player regains accuracy when aiming after moving for a more responsive experience. Firing before fully zoomed will still result inaccurate fire.
    -Increased the inaccuracy and recoil added when a player is fully suppressed.
    -Shotgun Buck and Flechette rounds now have a less suppressive effect at medium to long range.
    -Tweaked the damage levels of Buck and Flechette rounds to balance them with other weapons.
    -Improved the suppression of the .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and the 5.8x42mm DAP88 rounds from the Type88 sniper.
    -Attempting to Crouch (like Prone) will now properly interrupt Sprint.
    -Increased the effectiveness of Suppression Resist Specialization.
    -Parachutes now respond to turn and throttle inputs more quickly.
    -Switching from primary weapons to sidearms and back now takes less time.
    -Increased the effectiveness of explosive resistance.
    -Tweaked bipod deploy settings so players can no longer deploy a bipod in places higher than chin level.
    -The bipod should now be more reliable when deploying on top of sloped objects like cars and rocks.
    -Fixed several issues with vaulting objects, especially for thin railings.
    -The Knife now only takes two swipes to kill when attacking from a position where a takedown is not possible.
    -CRAM weapons on Carriers now count towards stationary weapon awards.

    VEHICLE FIXES

    -The A10 properly gives Jet score again.
    -Unguided tank rounds and RPGs will now instantly destroy Jets, Attack Helicopters, and Scout Helicopters.
    -Increased the damage the MBT’s primary weapon does to the front and side armor of other main battle tanks. Primarily this means 1 less shot to the front, and very good hits to the side can result in a 1 hit to disable.
    -Slightly reduced the repair speed of the repair tool.
    -Increased the damage done by TOW weapons to armored vehicles.
    -Increased the rate of fire and minimum damage of the Coax HMG.
    -Increased the damage mounted gunner .50cal HMGs do at long range.
    -Increased the power of the repair tool when killing soldiers or destroying vehicles slightly.
    -Fixed a problem when locking on to two nearby targets, the locking should no longer jump rapidly between multiple targets. This applies to all locking weapons and Laser Designators.
    -Increased the damage of the Javelin and Air to Ground missiles against laser designated targets.
    -Javelin missiles fired without Laser targeting now do more damage to the side and rear of MBTs.
    -Slightly reduced the locking time of all weapons vs Laser Designated targets.
    -Laser Guided missiles can now be distracted by Flares.
    -Increased the locking distance for AGM Missiles for Jets when locking on laser designated targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for the AGM Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against ground targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for AA Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against air targets.
    -Flares will no longer break the lock of a vehicle that is locked on, it will only distract the missiles.
    -Flares now more reliably distract missiles, especially for Helicopters.
    -Flares for Jets and Choppers now reload at 11 seconds again, except for the gunner, which remains unchanged at 20sec.
    -AA Missiles are more difficult to dodge in Jets, this was unintended behavior that created an imbalance against skilled pilots.
    -AA Missiles should no longer kill the pilot instead of the vehicle.
    -AA Missiles should no longer detonate before hitting their target or a Flare/ECM chaff cloud.
    -Reduced the damage AA missiles do to jets to 45%.
    -Fixed the SU-35 firing Air to Air missiles at a lower rate of fire than other vehicles.
    -The IGLA and Stinger now lock on much more quickly and disable an attack aircraft in 1 hit, but have significantly reduced range. This should allow Stingers to mount an effective close range point defense, without dominating an entire airspace.
    -Increased the speed of the Helicopter AA missiles lock on to reduce the tedious nature of Helicopter dogfights and improve the Helicopter’s defensive abilities vs Jets.
    -Slightly reduced the damage of Jet cannons against Aircraft. Damage is now only slightly higher than it was originally at launch.
    -Increased RPG and SMAW damage against aircraft.
    -Guided Rockets will now only track ground targets, as originally intended.
    -Reduced the direct damage done by Attack Helicopter gunners vs Armor.
    -Helicopter guns should now suppress correctly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods, both guided and unguided.
    -Slightly increased the damage of Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods vs Infantry and other Helicopters.
    -Additional fixes have been made to the TV missile to prevent it from blowing up the lauching vehicle.
    -The Mi28 has received upgrades to its climbing and yawing abilities.
    -Fixed an issue where guided rockets from the Mi28 did not follow the crosshair properly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Mi28 gun to match the AH1 gun.
    -Increased the direct hit damage of the APFSDS rounds for the IFVs.
    -Decreased the locking time of the IFV Guided Missile to make it more viable as an unlock.
    -Miniguns and Helicopter Gunners now more quickly destroy parked cars.
    -Increased the power of explosions from cars and other explosive static objects.
    -Dying from the explosion of a car or other explosive static object should now correctly credit the player who caused the explosion.
    -Adjusted the F35′s Center of Mass and Hover Engine for more stable, level flight in all flight modes.
    -Updated the F35 weapon systems to be consistent with the other Jets.
    -The F35 will now only attempt to enter Hover at low altitudes, though it will maintain the hover until forward flight is resumed, even if it reaches high altitude.
    -The F35 and SU35 now properly have Ejection seats to prevent players from being killed when exiting the vehicle.
    -Changed the Kornets to TOW launchers on Wake Island and moved the spawn position of the AAV to a more level position.
    -Fixed several bugs with air vehicles colliding with objects at high speeds and taking no damage.
    -Players will no longer receive suicides or team kills if they crash their vehicle (dying is punishment enough).
    -The MAV will no longer destroy vehicles that run into it, instead it should be destroyed.
    -Jet and Helicopter collisions should now properly result in the death of both vehicles.
    -You can now spot with the EOD bot.
    -Increased the base accuracy for AA guns and added a decrease in accuracy over the course of a burst.
    -Reduced the damage AA guns (both mobile and stationary) do to infantry.
    -The carrier based CRAM stations are now properly tracked as stationary weapons.
    -CRAM and Pantsir stationary AA weapons now have Air Radar equipped by default.
    -Improved the sound feedback for damage to help players better understand the amount of damage their vehicle is taking.
    -The A10′s extinguisher should now function properly.
    -Disabled vehicles now have an increased reverse speed to help escape to cover after being disabled.
    -The T90′s crosshair now more accurately represents the trajectory of the main gun.
    -Toggle and Hold zoom settings now also apply to soldier controlled turrets on jeeps, transport helicopters, boats, and IFVs port guns.
    -The AAV now has zoom and a 3P camera when using the turret.
    -Tweaked the AAV’s turret controls to be more useful when the vehicle is moving.
    -The Z11w now properly functions with Below Radar.
    -Below Radar will now also prevent the lock on of Stinger and IGLA missiles.
    -Added Horns to all Jeeps.
    -Tanks can no longer drive into the water and cross the Wake Island lagoon completely submerged.

    WEAPONS

    Several weapons have had recoil or accuracy adjusted in orer to balance these weapons in effectiveness and also increase the feeling of individuality in each gun

    -Added Extended Mags to the ASVAL. The Extended Mags can be unlocked at 200 kills with the AS VAL.
    -Reduced the recoil of the SKS rifle and increased its maximum damage at close range.
    -Fixed aimed firing max accuracy on the Pecheneg to be consistent with other LMGs.
    -Semiautomatic and automatic shotguns firing FRAG rounds now do slightly less splash damage.
    -The M26 MASS frag and slug rounds are now the more effective pump action versions.
    -The M26 MASS and M320 now benefit from the Laser Sight when mounted with an Underslung Rail.
    -Fixed the bolt action timer on the L96 that would cause an animation glitch.
    -9x39mm rounds no longer benefit from the Sniper headshot bonus.
    -Increased the damage of the 9x39mm rounds at long range.
    -Fixed the AKS74u damage at max range, it was incorrectly higher than other carbines.
    -Increased the damage of the .357 and .44 magnum rounds at max range.
    -All semiautomatic and bolt weapons, including all shotgun slugs, now have their maximum damage out to 15m.
    -Semiautomatic weapons will no longer “jam” if the player presses fire faster than the weapon is capable of shooting. Some semi-automatic weapons have had their rates of fire adjusted to fit this change.
    -Bolt action sniper rounds now have a chance to kill at close range if the player is hit in the upper chest.
    -Semiautomatic sniper rifles, Assault Rifles, LMGs, and shotgun slugs now have more consistent damage over long range. At maximum range shots to the legs will not require more hits to kill.
    -The spread for Flechette rounds has been reduced slightly on all shotguns.
    -The spread for Buckshot has been reduced on the M1014, DAO-12, and S12k. These weapons have an accuracy advantage over the USAS12 but are not as accurate as the 870.
    -Zooming shotguns with Buckshot and Flechette loads will now result in a slightly tighter cone for the pellets.
    -Reduced the delay time between quick knife attempts slightly. Attacks with the knife drawn are still significantly faster.
    -Fixed the Rate of Fire when the USAS and MK3A1 are equipped with FRAG rounds. All other shotguns correctly had a reduced rate of fire with frags, except the USAS and MK3A1.
    -Fixed an Accuracy bug when the MK3A1 shotgun is equipped with FRAG or Slug rounds.
    -Shotguns equipped with slugs will no longer automatically begin reloading if the weapon is zoomed when the clip is empty. This allows players to see where the slug lands before reloading.
    -Fixed 12g FRAG rounds not breaking glass at long range.
    -Players can now earn the shotgun Ribbon using the M26 MASS.
    -The underslung grenade launchers for Russian rifles now properly report GP30 in the kill log.
    -Fixed the AEK971 40mm shotgun round listing itself as FRAG in the kill log.
    -Fixed the 40mm smoke grenade so it no longer passes through soldiers and unbroken objects before it detonates.
    -M27 IAR: No change. The M27 is a heavier version of the M416, giving it good all-around performance though it has worse performance on the move.
    -RPK-74M: Reduced the initial recoil and vertical recoil. The RPK-74M is a more stable firing platform than the comparable M27, though it lacks the M27′s higher rate of fire.
    -M249: Added an initial recoil. The M249 is the fastest firing belt fed LMG, giving it superior suppressive and damage abilities. The initial recoil makes it a bit harder to run and gun, while making little overall impact on performance.
    -Type-88: Slightly increased the initial recoil, reduced muzzle drift. The Type88 fires the slowest of the medium caliber LMGs, though what it lacks in rate of fire it makes up for in controllability.
    -PKP: Reduced recoil but added a slight initial recoil, increased damage at max range. The Pecheneg has a heavy vertical recoil with a hard hitting round and little drift, this makes it excellent at sustained fire.
    -M60: Reduced the initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The M60 has a very low rate of fire that makes it the most controllable with the powerful 7.62x51mm round.
    -M240B: Added an initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The fastest firing medium MG, the M240 has a substantial muzzle kick and drift that makes all that power difficult to control.
    -QBB-95: Reduced the total recoil but increased muzzle drift and initial recoil. The QBB-95 should now kick harder but settle into full auto fire better, combined with the bullpup hip fire bonus this makes the QBB-95 a highly mobile LMG.
    -MG36: Added an initial recoil. The MG36 fires at a fast 750rpm and makes a nice middle ground between the controllability of a clip LMG and the sustained firepower of a belt fed LMG.
    -870: No change. The 870 is a popular and highly effective weapon.
    -DAO-12: Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The DAO-12 has a high magazine capacity with a slow reload that makes it a solid all around shotgun.
    -M1014: Increased the rate of fire from 200 max to 210 max. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The M1014 was underperforming compared to the USAS12 and 870, it should now be more viable in CQB thanks to a higher rate of fire.
    -S12k: Increased extended mag from 8 rounds to 10 rounds. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The S12k larger extended magazine but slower rate of fire should make it stand out against the M1014, while the DAO-12 has a higher capacity over all, but a slowe reload.
    -MK3A1: Increased magazine capacity to 8 and 12 for normal and extended mag respectively. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The MK3A1 has a lower ROF than the USAS12, giving it slightly more ammo makes this an edge vs the USAS.
    -USAS-12: Increased the initial recoil. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The USAS 12 has a higher ROF than other shotguns, this recoil change better balances that advantage and the pellets balance its damage output.
    -M4A1: No Change. Well-rounded carbine, with good rate of fire and controllable recoil.
    -M4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    -AKS-74U: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AKS-74u’s low rate of fire is paired with great controllability. The overall increase in sustained fire control should help this carbine stand out, while the first kick gives it character.
    -SG553: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The SG553 is a lower rate of fire carbine with greater controllability than the G36C. The change to initial recoil should better highlight this difference.
    -A91: No Change. The A91′s high rate of fire and bullpup from the hip accuracy is offset by a poor controllability on full auto.
    -G36C: Reduced initial recoil. The G36C is a well-rounded carbine, with a medium rate of fire and a medium recoil. The 2 round burst mode gives this weapon an edge at mid-range.
    -SCAR-H: Increased damage at maximum range and increased max range. The SCAR-H fires a heavier round than all other carbines, giving it better stopping power at range at the cost of a low fire rate that penalizes it in CQB.
    -G53: Reduced recoil and drift, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. The HK53 is a short carbine with a lot of initial kick but a stable recoil pattern and a medium rate of fire. The changes give it more character compared to the G36.
    -QBZ-95B: Reduced muzzle sway, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. A bullpup like the A91, the QBZ-95B is steady on the move with a lower rate of fire for controllable shots at longer range. The built in foregrip is now properly reflected in the weapon’s stats.
    -AK-74M: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AK-74M sacrifices rate of fire for controllable automatic fire, the initial recoil was negatively affecting the feeling of controllability.
    -M16A3: No Change. The M16 (both A3 and A4) provide a well-rounded stable firing platform with a high rate of fire that is relatively controllable.
    -M16A4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M16A4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    -M416: No change. The M416 is the middle ground AR, blending a medium recoil and rate of fire.
    AEK-971: Increased initial recoil, reduced aimed accuracy slightly. The AEK has a very high rate of fire, and also a large muzzle drift that makes control difficult. The low initial recoil allowed a player to kill before the weapon’s weaknesses kicked in while the reduced accuracy highlights its close range role.
    -F2000: Reduced vertical recoil, increased zoomed accuracy slightly. As a bullpup, the F2000 has a bonus to accuracy on the move and from the hip while its high rate of fire sacrifices controllability for saturation. The previous changes were an overreaction, this is a corrective update.
    -AN94: Reduced vertical recoil. The AN94′s 2 round burst mode is incredibly accurate, but it suffers from a low rate of fire on fully automatic. The recoil in full auto has been reduced somewhat to offset this penalty and make the AN94 more attractive.
    -G3A3: Increased damage at all ranges, reduced vertical recoil. The G3A3′s heavy recoil and heavy round are offset by a low rate of fire and a small magazine. The G3A3 was clearly outclassed at all ranges.
    -KH2002: No Change. The KH2002 is locked to burst fire, with a high rate of fire and a large muzzle drift the weapon favors accurate mid-range fire.
    -L85A2: Increased accuracy, reduced muzzle drift. The L85 differs from other bullpup style ARs by having a low rate of fire, the accuracy and controllability were too low to offset the rate of fire.
    -FAMAS: The FAMAS combines an extreme rate of fire with extreme recoil making it very difficult to use at anything other than close quarters combat. Due to update restrictions, the FAMAS had different stats on all 3 platforms. The FAMAS is now uniform on all platforms and now has the correct 25 round magazine.
    -PP2000: Reduced the initial recoil. The PP2000 has a lower ROF than other PDWs and needed the controllability to be balanced.
    -UMP45: Reduced accuracy loss during full auto. The UMP45 hits hard and has a controllable recoil at the cost of a heavy initial recoil kick.
    -MP7: No Change. The MP7 has a very low recoil and a high muzzle drift that favors longer bursts than the P90.
    -AS VAL: Increased vertical recoil, reduced first shot recoil, reduced accuracy on the move. The AS VAL fires a long range, highly accurate, high damage projectile that favors short bursts or single fire when stationary. While still quite good from the hip, the AS VAL will suffer if fired while moving and aimed.
    -PDW-R: Reduced the initial recoil. The PDW-R has high recoil and favors burst fire, the added initial recoil was making it less effective in small bursts.
    -P90: Reduced the initial recoil. The P90 favors a run and gun play style using long bursts to control muzzle drift, the initial recoil was making bursting ineffective.
    -PP-19: Slightly reduced the initial recoil when firing, increased base damage. The PP-19′s high initial recoil was over penalizing the burst fire needed to be effective on the low damage, high capacity weapon.

    SCOPES

    -Fixed the 7x scope not zooming to the full 7x on all weapons.
    -Corrected the M39′s laser sight so it points at the point of impact and aligns with scopes when zoomed.
    -Fixed a misaligned scope crosshair on the G3A3 using the Rifle Scope 6x.
    -Fixed the PKA and PKA-S scopes on the M416 having swapped zoom levels.
    -The L96 Straight Pull bolt now functions properly.
    -The L96 ironsights have been adjusted for a clearer aiming picture and correct use of the integral front sight.
    -The L96 now properly shows scope glint when using the 8x, and 12x scopes.
    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule

    BIPOD

    -The Accuracy increase and Recoil reduction of the Bipod has been significantly improved for Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -The Bipod now provides similar Accuracy and Recoil benefits no matter if the weapon is fired while aiming or without aiming for all weapons. Previously only LMGs were worked this way. This especially improves the speed at which snipers can make follow up shots, and also allows effective unaimed suppressive fire with Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -Increased the Speed at which a bipod is deployed, allowing the user to obtain the bipod’s bonus sooner after the deploy has started and allowing the weapon to be aimed in a far shorter time. The speed has been increased 40-50%, depending on the weapon and animation.

    HEAVY BARREL

    -The Vertical Recoil penalty of the Heavy Barrel has been reduced. The value has been changed from a global percent increase to a weapon specific value.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Heavy Barrel to represent the added weight of the accessory, as well as focus the attachment on accurate mid and long range fire. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.
    -Several weapons with low default bullet speed now have their bullet speed increased when the Heavy Barrel is equipped. This is in effect for the A91, G3A3, AKS-74u, G36C, M4A1, SCAR-H, SG553, G53, and QBZ-95B.
    -The Heavy Barrel is now also paired with Match Rounds which increase the maximum range of the weapon. The minimum and maximum damage are unchanged, weapons with the Heavy Barrel will be more effective in mid range.
    -The Aimed Accuracy bonus provided by the Heavy Barrel has been increased. This will increase the effectiveness of the Heavy Barrel for small bursts, as originally intended.

    IRNV FIXES

    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule.

    FOREGRIP

    -The Horizontal Sway reduction has been changed from a global percent reduction to a weapon specific value reduction. For most guns this means very little change, for guns which have a large horizontal recoil the change is more substation. The FAMAS, F2000, and AEK971 are most effected, the AK-74, M16, and M416 are nearly unchanged.
    -A small long range Aimed Accuracy penalty has been added to the foregrip. Players who generally find themselves fighting at mid to long range may want to change their accessory, while players fighting in CQB will go largely unaffected. Combining the Foregrip with a Silencer or a Heavy Barrel will offset this penalty.

    LASER SIGHT

    -The Hip Accuracy bonus provided by the Laser Sight has been increased. Some PDWs have had their crouch and prone base stats adjusted to prevent hip firing being more accurate than aimed fire when using a laser sight.
    -The bonus is now a weapon specific value instead of a global percentage, some guns receive larger or smaller bonuses, though all bonuses are better than they were previously.

    SUPPRESSOR

    -The Suppressor no longer reduces the maximum damage of a weapon when equipped. Instead the Suppressor reduces the minimum and maximum range of the weapon, making it ideal for CQB and Stealth. This change will make the Suppressor slightly more effective at long range, where the bullet drop and speed makes shots difficult already, and reduces the power of the suppressor at mid range slightly.
    -The Suppressor’s recoil bonus remains unchanged at a global 10% decrease. This is less than the Flash Suppressor’s bonus for all weapons.
    -The Hip Accuracy penalty of the Suppressor has been changed from a global percentage to a per weapon value. Generally this penalty is higher now, but not for all weapons. Specifically, the belt LMGs and bolt Snipers do not have any additional hip fire penalty, as their penalty is already at the maximum possible value.
    -Reduced the Aimed Accuracy bonus of the Suppressor from 50% to 25%. A Suppressor and Foregrip combo will have similar accuracy to a weapon without any Accessories, at the penalty of worse Hip Fire Accuracy and Range and with the benefit of much improved Stealth and reduced Recoil.

    FLASH SUPPRESSOR

    -The Flash Suppressor no longer reduces accuracy for Automatic Fire.
    -The Flash Suppressor now also works as a recoil compensator, reducing the Vertical Recoil by a weapon specific value. This bonus is larger than the bonus provided by the Suppressor.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Flash Suppressor to represent the added weight of the accessory. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.

    GADGETS

    -Reduced the spot times on C4 and Claymore projectiles from 30 to 15 sec.
    -Tweaked the controls and physics for the EOD bot to improve its handling and aiming capabilities.
    -The Radio Beacon, Mortar, MAV, EOD bot, T-UGS, and SOFLAM should now be much easier to deploy.
    -The MAV will now be destroyed when running into a soldier or vehicle at high speed. It is still possible to strategically sacrifice your MAV on a soldier; it will be destroyed in the process.
    -The MAV now properly shows up in the Kill Feed. Previously it simply displayed “KILLED.”
    -The MAV can no longer be used as an elevator.
    -Matched the motion sensor sweep frequency and range on the MAV to the TUGS.
    -Players will no longer auto enter SOFLAM, MAV, and EOD bots after they are deployed.
    -Players may now use their knife to destroy enemy equipment.
    -C4 will no longer be detonable after a player respawns, if the player is revived within 5 seconds he can still detonate his C4.
    -The player may now have a maximum number of mines which will persist after the player’s death. Deploying more than the maximum of 6 mines will remove a previous mine from the world.
    -Claymores now live up to 5 seconds after a player dies, the player can have a max 2 claymores planted at the same time.
    -Claymores can now detonate from vehicles and can be used to disable jeeps or kill the passengers in light jeeps. Claymores will not do any damage to heavy vehicles.
    -Ammobags now stay until the user redeploys them like Medkits.
    -Ammobags resupply bullets more quickly, but explosives resupply more slowly, especially 40mm grenades.
    -Slightly reduced the effective blast radius of the RPG, SMAW, and 40mm grenade projectiles against infantry.
    -Reduced the total number of RPG and SMAW missiles carried from 5 to 4. Players desiring more rockets will want to use the Explosive spec.
    -Slightly increased the heal rate of the Medical Crate.
    -The MAV now will also descend by pressing the Crouch Toggle key. (PC)
    -The M224 Mortar can no longer be deployed in an area that is out of combat for another team like a home base or other protected spawn.
    -Tweaked M224 exit points so the player faces in the direction of the mortar when he exits.
    -Mines, Claymores, C4 and other deployable items will now only appear on the minimap when spotted by a teammate.

    TEAM DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Tehran Highway playable area has been doubled and is now the same as the Squad Deathmatch set up. Spawn points have been tweaked, and an extra spawn zone has been added north of the footbridge.
    -Kharg Island has a new spawn zone layout, along with a bigger playable area and new cover objects. Spawn points have also been tweaked.
    -Strike at Karkand spawns zones have been tweaked to improve player flow. Spawn points have been tweaked to improve safety upon spawning.
    -Sharqi Peninsula spawn zones have been adjusted to optimize player movement. Spawn points have been tweaked so players spawn more safely.
    -Seine Crossing spawn zone set up has been improved. There is a new spawn zone by the alleyway to the northwest with additional spawn points.
    -Caspain Border spawn zones have been tweaked slightly.

    SQUAD DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Damavand Peak layout and spawn zones have been tightened to reduce the spread of players across the map
    -Tehran Highway now features an extra spawn zone north of the footbridge, along with tweaked spawn points.
    -Noshahr Canals spawn zones have been tweaked. Removed unsafe spawn points in the Northeast corner, and in the middle of the container area to the Southwest.

  • Battlefield 3 Developer Explains USAS-12 Frag Rounds

    The frag rounds in the damn USAS-12. It seemed as though every time I turned a corner I was getting shot in the face by one. It got so bad, I said to hell with it and started using one myself. If they wanted to be wusses and use that gun, I could definitely beat them at their own game, and thats what I did. I played with it almost exclusively, and laugh almost the entire time. I got a lot of hate mail in my inbox but i always had teammates wether clan members or randoms thank me and call for me when there was a clog up in an area. Then the news came that they were balancing the gun by slowing it down. That made me play with it more!

    My USAS-12 Stats:

    Time 10h 13m
    Kills 892
    Headshots 112
    ShotsFired 13541
    Accuracy % 26

    Thats right, 1.45 kills per minute played with that beast, not bad. But through this whole thing me and just about everyone wondered WHY? Why would DICE intentionally put us all through the ringer with this obviously over powered weapon?

    We all finally got the answer today when Alan Kertz who is a Core Gameplay Designer on Battlefield 3 went on the Battlefield blog to continue on his “Inside Dice” series. This is what he had to say:

    “I often get the question “who thought 12g FRAG rounds were a good idea?” Well, that would be me. 12 gauge FRAG rounds stem from two places. First, like nearly everything in Battlefield, FRAG rounds are inspired by an authentic shotgun ammunition (developed for military use and tested by the USMC). A FRAG round is a 19mm High Explosive round, making it of a similar caliber to the rounds fired by the cannons on the F-18!

    The second inspiration comes from an Easter Egg weapon for developers in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The developers (or anyone who picked up their kit) could fire 12g FRAG rounds, with a similar ballistic performance as a standard shotgun slug, though slower. So popular was the round with developers and players alike that the FRAG round was made an unlockable ammo type for shotguns in Battlefield 3.

    The addition of suppression in Battlefield 3 as a gameplay mechanic gave 12g FRAG rounds a clear target design. FRAG rounds would allow players with shot guns a round with limited combat effectiveness but the capability to harass and suppress opponents at longer distances. It almost worked.

    Straight out of the gate, as players ranked up a bit of fun was had with FRAG rounds in the first unlockable shotgun, the 870. As players continued to rank up, the FRAG rounds were put to the test in the semi-automatic shotguns, with greater but still limited success. Enter the USAS-12. Arguably the FRAG round was developed primarily for combat shotguns, especially automatic weapons capable of quickly putting multiple rounds on target, since each round is of limited damage itself. It was clear that in order to remain balanced, and despite it not being completely authentic, the automatic and semi-automatic shotguns would need to have their own version of the FRAG round. It was quickly patched in, for balance.

    And so it seemed that all was well again, at least for a time. The FRAG rounds are an interesting bit of study, statistically speaking. On the PC, USAS-12 kills account for just 1.8% of all kills (all ammo types are included in that figure, not just FRAG rounds). On the PS3 that number climbs to just over 3% and on Xbox 360 it climbs to nearly 4%. This is a unique behavior, as not only are the FRAG rounds and the USAS identical on all three platforms, but only the stats for USAS-12 and 870 vary so drastically between platforms. Furthermore, the 870 is most popular on PC and then drops in the same order of PS3 and 360. I’ll let everyone draw their own conclusions as to why this is, though I certainly have my suspicions. Statistically, there is a worst case scenario of dying from the USAS-12 1 out of every 25 deaths.

    So why does it feel so frequent? Primarily, the FRAG rounds are most effective in Battlefield 3 exactly where they would be in real life: close quarters, urban combat. When broken down by map and mode, the USAS-12 is clearly more popular in TDM and CQB maps like Grand Bazaar and Operation Metro. Players in those modes are more likely to be killed by FRAG rounds than players who run around on Kharg Island Conquest.

    And what do I plan to do about it? Well, one very little, but very effective change will take place in the near future. On all other shotguns, using FRAG rounds reduces the effective rate of fire. For semiautomatic shotguns this rate drops from 200-220 rounds per minute to 180rpm, a 10% reduction. The USAS simply did not have this reduction in place. As of the next update, it will have its 275rpm reduced significantly to 200rpm. I’m actually a bit worried it’s too much, and I’m eager to hear how players react to the change.

    Shotguns are easily the most difficult weapons to balance in Battlefield. Given the wide range of combat distances in Battlefield 3, shotguns must feel powerful up close, without being over powered, and weak at medium distance without being under powered. Furthermore, each map has a unique combat distance feeling, yet the performance of the weapons must feel consistent. The relatively random nature of pellet spread, or FRAG round accuracy, makes this especially difficult. The update also includes some more minor tweaks to try and help players consistently identify the effective range of their shotgun by reducing the random factors involved.

    Rest assured, this won’t be the last update for balance issues in Battlefield 3. I’ll be monitoring the situation closely, and working directly with the team to make additional updates and tweaks to keep the Battlefield balanced. Let me know what you think of the latest balancing tweaks here in the comments section on the blog.”

    So as you can see, the reason for the Frag rounds and what ended up happening were completely unseen. But they are almost completely nerfing the gun in as far as how many RPM it fires

    40 service stars with the USAS 12? Seriously? Do those frag rounds give you tingling sensations? #Battlefield3 3 days ago via Twitter for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    OMFG I hate the usas 12 in BF3 3 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry

    @Jon_Bloodspray
    Conor ElseaWho needs accuracy when you have a USAS-12 with frag rounds? 6 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Enormous Battlefield 3 PC Patch Is Live!

    The enormous Battlefield 3 patch that hit the PS3 earlier this week is now live for all PC players. The 1.6 GB update is available now and features updates that were included in the PS3 patch. They also go more in depth about what is being offered in this patch. Here is the full post form the official Battlefield Blog:

    Today, we rolled out the big Spring game update for Battlefield 3 on PC! The focus of this massive package is to make the game more stable, fairer, and more balanced. You can find a comprehensive change list in this earlier post. The ~1.6GB update is available now. Below are some of the highlights.

    New and improved commo rose

    This update sees a number of improvements to the commo rose on PC, partially based on feedback from the community. Some of the tweaks we have made are detailed below:

    New global call-outs

    We have added a number of new commo rose call-outs that you can make to the entire team whenever you want. Where you previously had to look at a Support player to get the option to request ammo, you can now use the commo rose at any time to request ammo, health, or repairs. Using these requests will trigger appropriate icons on the minimap.

    Moved orders to commo rose

    We moved orders so that they are now exclusive to the commo rose. This means that you will no longer accidentally place an order when you in reality wanted to spot an enemy standing near a flag, for example.

    Improved mouse handling

    The mouse movement is now always tracked from the center of the commo rose, to make navigation more intuitive.

    Quicker activation

    You now activate a call-out simply by releasing Q, which should be snappier than the previous implementation.

    Improved readability

    We tweaked the layout and design of the commo rose to improve readability and give clearer and quicker confirmation of which call-out is currently highlighted. Look for these flashing icons on the mini map. They mean your team mates are trying to tell you something! The available call-outs in the commo rose is context sensitive and will change depending on what you are currently doing in the game – for example, vehicles and infantry each have separate call-outs. Each function should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the minimap for increased team play possibilities. Players should keep an eye on the minimap for these icons. If you see them flashing, a team mate is requesting aid via the commo rose.

    Improved minimap

    After listening to community feedback, we have implemented alternative new ways to display the minimap. You can now choose between Map, Satellite or Hybrid view mode.Map mode shows the most important tactical geometries such as buildings, objects, roads and water. Satellite mode displays a top-down photograph of the level for increased terrain detail. Hybrid mode combines the Satellite view with a Map overlay, offering a mix of quick tactical awareness and terrain detail. You can change the minimap mode on the fly by pressing [B] (this key is mappable). You can set your preferred default map mode in the Options menu, where you can also alter the opacity level for the satellite textures. See below for an example of how these map displays compare.

    Select the minimap display that suits your map and play style.

    Beep beep! We have horns!

    Yes! We have added horns to all jeeps in the game! Nothing says “Get in and man the machine gun so we can take back the airfield!” like three short beeps of the horn. Just press [SPACE] to make your presence known to friendly forces. Warning: Beeping also heard by opposition. Suggest limiting beeping when in enemy territory to keep vehicle in working order. This feature is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday (activated by L1).

    Giving all players IR flares

    To balance the battlefield and give budding pilots a fighting chance from day 1, we are now giving IR flares to all players. These will be automatically available to you in all air vehicles in the game. So if you’ve had a hard time staying up in the air previously, it should be easier to dodge incoming threats from now on. We hope this small but significant change will mean more players take to the skies and mix up their play style. This feature is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

    More awards for skillful heli flying

    One of the balancing items we have done in this game update is to better reward skillful heli pilots. To do this, we have increased the pilot’s score for transporting passengers who make kills from the heli. The assist score for heli pilots is now 50 points/kill. In a fully loaded transport, four passengers who make 1 kill each will give the pilot a sum total of 200 points. This balancing change is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

    Making the SOFLAM a passive income gadget

    The Recon gadget SOFLAM (laser target painter) has been given a new feature. Now, when a Recon player places it and then leaves it, it will continue to paint targets entering its area of control, continuously giving the Recon player a passive points income. This means a Recon player can place a SOFLAM in a strategic position, then leave it to find a good sniping spot. Combined with fixing a few scoring error in the SOFLAM, it should now be a much more viable source of experience points for Recons. This balancing change is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

    Suppressing is team play, too!

    Another balancing change that reflects how we want every player to be able to contribute to the overall effort is the lowered threshold for achieving the Suppression Ribbon. From a previous requirement of 7, players now only need to perform 3 suppressions in a game to be rewarded the Suppression Ribbon. This means the Support Kit player can rack up scores by skillful use of his LMG. We’ve always know suppression helps – now we are more generously rewarding those team players who help disorient the enemy so we can move in for the kill. This balancing change is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

    New to the game? Get a flying start with our new shortcut items

    Today, we are also offering 10 different shortcut items for sale for Battlefield 3 on PC. If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect way to gain some ground on the veterans online. Or if you’d love to get your hands on those AA missiles for jets instantly, this is for you.

    The 10 shortcut items are available now from Origin and include:

    Kit Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items unique to the four playable classes
    Vehicle Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items for all vehicles
    The Ultimate Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items from all other available shortcut packs

    We hope you enjoy the contents of this game update. As always , had to the Battlelog forums or discuss the update with us right here on the blog. See you on the battlefield!

    @crash7800 @Battlefield I have an issue to add to your list: You cannot play the cowbell while riding shotgun in a jeep. 51 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Battlefield Also, why have you made the tank so weak? Its so underpowered, 1 hit disable mostly, lots dont bother now because their weak 41 seconds ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Battlefield I had to show my vid to you guys 😀 http://t.co/CoSg7dmP , absolutely love the patch, great work !!! 5 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Enormous Battlefield 3 Patch For PS3 Is Now Live!

    Today is the day that Beefers have been waiting for. The massive 1 GB patch that features over 227 fixes is now live and available for download. As it turns out there are a few new fixes that werent really detailed but that we have more info on them now.

    Here is the list of updates from the Battlefield Blog:

    Wake Island alternative 5-flag layout on PS3

    “After a lot of constructive feedback about how we can improve your Back to Karkand experience, we have added a 5-flag Conquest Assault variant for PS3 on Wake Island. This new flag layout will offer a more tactical gameplay where key bases can turn the tide of the battlefield! Another change in this variant is that the mobile Anti-air now spawns at the Beach base. This now makes the Beach base a very important tactical advantage to own, besides the close distance towards the airfield.

    To find this new layout on PS3, search for Conquest Assault and Wake Island and look out for the “CQA Day 2” item in the server details.”

    Rent your own server on PS3!

    “Starting today, you can rent your own Battlefield 3 server on PS3! This option is available from the “RENT A SERVER” menu and gives you a lot of exciting new options that the community has been asking for. Having your own server gives you the power to create your personal gaming experience. You can either tweak every setting or choose a preset configuration and publish your server in just a few seconds. What maps and modes do you want to play? Do you want to show the mini map or not? Do you want to turn off HUD elements and tweak respawn times and tickets? You can rent your server for 1, 7, 30, or 90 days starting today. Customize your server by giving it a name, description and custom logo.

    Please note that in order to provide a robust and stable experience, we will be rolling out this functionality incrementally throughout the following week. This means we will have limited availability today, ramping up towards maximum capability in about one week’s time. If you try and rent a server and the option is grayed out, it means we are currently at peak capacity. If so, please try again later, as we will ramp up capacity every day.

    Pricing for renting your own server is $1.49 / $6.99 / $24.99 / $64.99 (for 1, 7, 30, and 90 days).”

    New to the game? Get a flying start with our shortcuts!

    “Today, we are also offering 10 different shortcut items for sale for Battlefield 3 on PS3. If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect way to gain some ground on the veterans online. Or if you’d love to get some more air time in the jets but want to equip those AA missiles straight away, this is for you.

    The 10 shortcut items are available now from the PlayStation Store and the in-game store and include these:

    Kit Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items unique to the four playable classes
    Vehicle Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items for all vehicles
    The Ultimate Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items from all other available shortcut packs”

    Don’t forget to re-download Back to Karkand on PS3

    ‘We hope you enjoy this massive game update with its many fixes and additions. One more thing: If you are a PS3 player and Back to Karkand owner and you have not re-downloaded Back to Karkand – please do so now. The new revision of Back to Karkand that went live March 13 contains a bug fix that fixes the weapon animation bug on Back to Karkand maps. It also has some critical fixes to our back end code that ensures a smooth compatibility with future expansion packs such as Close Quarters and Armored Kill.’

    So as you can see there are a few new things on top of the massive amount of fixes. For those of you who missed the announcement the other day here they are again:

    FIXES FOR PC SERVER OPERATION

    – Having the same map occur multiple times in the maplist now works properly
    – If adding a new map to the servers maplist after a clear and then running “mapList.runNextRound” the server will ignore any remaining rounds on the map that it still run since before the clear and move to the new first map in the list. The server will now have reset the current rounds per map and run the map in the list for the number of rounds stated when adding the map.
    – Maplist can contain up to 1000 entries now
    – mapList.list will return at most 100 entries. To get the entire list, perform mapList.list repeatedly with increasing offsets (like banList.list)

    GENERAL GAMEPLAY FIXES

    -Players should no longer take fall damage from short falls.
    -Players now get up from Prone slightly faster, allowing better odds of getting away from a grenade or threat when prone.
    -Fixed some situations that would unintentionally make a player unrevivable.
    -Reduced the black screen fade in time on spawn. The fade is still necessary for properly streaming in loading content at spawn, but it has been substantially reduced.
    -Increased the spawn protection time from 1sec to 2sec. The protection will still be immediately canceled as soon as the player moves or shoots.
    -Spawn protection will no longer be canceled by the player looking around.
    -Increased the speed at which a player regains accuracy when aiming after moving for a more responsive experience. Firing before fully zoomed will still result inaccurate fire.
    -Increased the inaccuracy and recoil added when a player is fully suppressed.
    -Shotgun Buck and Flechette rounds now have a less suppressive effect at medium to long range.
    -Tweaked the damage levels of Buck and Flechette rounds to balance them with other weapons.
    -Improved the suppression of the .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and the 5.8x42mm DAP88 rounds from the Type88 sniper.
    -Attempting to Crouch (like Prone) will now properly interrupt Sprint.
    -Increased the effectiveness of Suppression Resist Specialization.
    -Parachutes now respond to turn and throttle inputs more quickly.
    -Switching from primary weapons to sidearms and back now takes less time.
    -Increased the effectiveness of explosive resistance.
    -Tweaked bipod deploy settings so players can no longer deploy a bipod in places higher than chin level.
    -The bipod should now be more reliable when deploying on top of sloped objects like cars and rocks.
    -Fixed several issues with vaulting objects, especially for thin railings.
    -The Knife now only takes two swipes to kill when attacking from a position where a takedown is not possible.
    -CRAM weapons on Carriers now count towards stationary weapon awards.

    VEHICLE FIXES

    -The A10 properly gives Jet score again.
    -Unguided tank rounds and RPGs will now instantly destroy Jets, Attack Helicopters, and Scout Helicopters.
    -Increased the damage the MBT’s primary weapon does to the front and side armor of other main battle tanks. Primarily this means 1 less shot to the front, and very good hits to the side can result in a 1 hit to disable.
    -Slightly reduced the repair speed of the repair tool.
    -Increased the damage done by TOW weapons to armored vehicles.
    -Increased the rate of fire and minimum damage of the Coax HMG.
    -Increased the damage mounted gunner .50cal HMGs do at long range.
    -Increased the power of the repair tool when killing soldiers or destroying vehicles slightly.
    -Fixed a problem when locking on to two nearby targets, the locking should no longer jump rapidly between multiple targets. This applies to all locking weapons and Laser Designators.
    -Increased the damage of the Javelin and Air to Ground missiles against laser designated targets.
    -Javelin missiles fired without Laser targeting now do more damage to the side and rear of MBTs.
    -Slightly reduced the locking time of all weapons vs Laser Designated targets.
    -Laser Guided missiles can now be distracted by Flares.
    -Increased the locking distance for AGM Missiles for Jets when locking on laser designated targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for the AGM Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against ground targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for AA Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against air targets.
    -Flares will no longer break the lock of a vehicle that is locked on, it will only distract the missiles.
    -Flares now more reliably distract missiles, especially for Helicopters.
    -Flares for Jets and Choppers now reload at 11 seconds again, except for the gunner, which remains unchanged at 20sec.
    -AA Missiles are more difficult to dodge in Jets, this was unintended behavior that created an imbalance against skilled pilots.
    -AA Missiles should no longer kill the pilot instead of the vehicle.
    -AA Missiles should no longer detonate before hitting their target or a Flare/ECM chaff cloud.
    -Reduced the damage AA missiles do to jets to 45%.
    -Fixed the SU-35 firing Air to Air missiles at a lower rate of fire than other vehicles.
    -The IGLA and Stinger now lock on much more quickly and disable an attack aircraft in 1 hit, but have significantly reduced range. This should allow Stingers to mount an effective close range point defense, without dominating an entire airspace.
    -Increased the speed of the Helicopter AA missiles lock on to reduce the tedious nature of Helicopter dogfights and improve the Helicopter’s defensive abilities vs Jets.
    -Slightly reduced the damage of Jet cannons against Aircraft. Damage is now only slightly higher than it was originally at launch.
    -Increased RPG and SMAW damage against aircraft.
    -Guided Rockets will now only track ground targets, as originally intended.
    -Reduced the direct damage done by Attack Helicopter gunners vs Armor.
    -Helicopter guns should now suppress correctly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods, both guided and unguided.
    -Slightly increased the damage of Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods vs Infantry and other Helicopters.
    -Additional fixes have been made to the TV missile to prevent it from blowing up the lauching vehicle.
    -The Mi28 has received upgrades to its climbing and yawing abilities.
    -Fixed an issue where guided rockets from the Mi28 did not follow the crosshair properly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Mi28 gun to match the AH1 gun.
    -Increased the direct hit damage of the APFSDS rounds for the IFVs.
    -Decreased the locking time of the IFV Guided Missile to make it more viable as an unlock.
    -Miniguns and Helicopter Gunners now more quickly destroy parked cars.
    -Increased the power of explosions from cars and other explosive static objects.
    -Dying from the explosion of a car or other explosive static object should now correctly credit the player who caused the explosion.
    -Adjusted the F35′s Center of Mass and Hover Engine for more stable, level flight in all flight modes.
    -Updated the F35 weapon systems to be consistent with the other Jets.
    -The F35 will now only attempt to enter Hover at low altitudes, though it will maintain the hover until forward flight is resumed, even if it reaches high altitude.
    -The F35 and SU35 now properly have Ejection seats to prevent players from being killed when exiting the vehicle.
    -Changed the Kornets to TOW launchers on Wake Island and moved the spawn position of the AAV to a more level position.
    -Fixed several bugs with air vehicles colliding with objects at high speeds and taking no damage.
    -Players will no longer receive suicides or team kills if they crash their vehicle (dying is punishment enough).
    -The MAV will no longer destroy vehicles that run into it, instead it should be destroyed.
    -Jet and Helicopter collisions should now properly result in the death of both vehicles.
    -You can now spot with the EOD bot.
    -Increased the base accuracy for AA guns and added a decrease in accuracy over the course of a burst.
    -Reduced the damage AA guns (both mobile and stationary) do to infantry.
    -The carrier based CRAM stations are now properly tracked as stationary weapons.
    -CRAM and Pantsir stationary AA weapons now have Air Radar equipped by default.
    -Improved the sound feedback for damage to help players better understand the amount of damage their vehicle is taking.
    -The A10′s extinguisher should now function properly.
    -Disabled vehicles now have an increased reverse speed to help escape to cover after being disabled.
    -The T90′s crosshair now more accurately represents the trajectory of the main gun.
    -Toggle and Hold zoom settings now also apply to soldier controlled turrets on jeeps, transport helicopters, boats, and IFVs port guns.
    -The AAV now has zoom and a 3P camera when using the turret.
    -Tweaked the AAV’s turret controls to be more useful when the vehicle is moving.
    -The Z11w now properly functions with Below Radar.
    -Below Radar will now also prevent the lock on of Stinger and IGLA missiles.
    -Added Horns to all Jeeps.
    -Tanks can no longer drive into the water and cross the Wake Island lagoon completely submerged.

    WEAPONS

    Several weapons have had recoil or accuracy adjusted in orer to balance these weapons in effectiveness and also increase the feeling of individuality in each gun

    -Added Extended Mags to the ASVAL. The Extended Mags can be unlocked at 200 kills with the AS VAL.
    -Reduced the recoil of the SKS rifle and increased its maximum damage at close range.
    -Fixed aimed firing max accuracy on the Pecheneg to be consistent with other LMGs.
    -Semiautomatic and automatic shotguns firing FRAG rounds now do slightly less splash damage.
    -The M26 MASS frag and slug rounds are now the more effective pump action versions.
    -The M26 MASS and M320 now benefit from the Laser Sight when mounted with an Underslung Rail.
    -Fixed the bolt action timer on the L96 that would cause an animation glitch.
    -9x39mm rounds no longer benefit from the Sniper headshot bonus.
    -Increased the damage of the 9x39mm rounds at long range.
    -Fixed the AKS74u damage at max range, it was incorrectly higher than other carbines.
    -Increased the damage of the .357 and .44 magnum rounds at max range.
    -All semiautomatic and bolt weapons, including all shotgun slugs, now have their maximum damage out to 15m.
    -Semiautomatic weapons will no longer “jam” if the player presses fire faster than the weapon is capable of shooting. Some semi-automatic weapons have had their rates of fire adjusted to fit this change.
    -Bolt action sniper rounds now have a chance to kill at close range if the player is hit in the upper chest.
    -Semiautomatic sniper rifles, Assault Rifles, LMGs, and shotgun slugs now have more consistent damage over long range. At maximum range shots to the legs will not require more hits to kill.
    -The spread for Flechette rounds has been reduced slightly on all shotguns.
    -The spread for Buckshot has been reduced on the M1014, DAO-12, and S12k. These weapons have an accuracy advantage over the USAS12 but are not as accurate as the 870.
    -Zooming shotguns with Buckshot and Flechette loads will now result in a slightly tighter cone for the pellets.
    -Reduced the delay time between quick knife attempts slightly. Attacks with the knife drawn are still significantly faster.
    -Fixed the Rate of Fire when the USAS and MK3A1 are equipped with FRAG rounds. All other shotguns correctly had a reduced rate of fire with frags, except the USAS and MK3A1.
    -Fixed an Accuracy bug when the MK3A1 shotgun is equipped with FRAG or Slug rounds.
    -Shotguns equipped with slugs will no longer automatically begin reloading if the weapon is zoomed when the clip is empty. This allows players to see where the slug lands before reloading.
    -Fixed 12g FRAG rounds not breaking glass at long range.
    -Players can now earn the shotgun Ribbon using the M26 MASS.
    -The underslung grenade launchers for Russian rifles now properly report GP30 in the kill log.
    -Fixed the AEK971 40mm shotgun round listing itself as FRAG in the kill log.
    -Fixed the 40mm smoke grenade so it no longer passes through soldiers and unbroken objects before it detonates.
    -M27 IAR: No change. The M27 is a heavier version of the M416, giving it good all-around performance though it has worse performance on the move.
    -RPK-74M: Reduced the initial recoil and vertical recoil. The RPK-74M is a more stable firing platform than the comparable M27, though it lacks the M27′s higher rate of fire.
    -M249: Added an initial recoil. The M249 is the fastest firing belt fed LMG, giving it superior suppressive and damage abilities. The initial recoil makes it a bit harder to run and gun, while making little overall impact on performance.
    -Type-88: Slightly increased the initial recoil, reduced muzzle drift. The Type88 fires the slowest of the medium caliber LMGs, though what it lacks in rate of fire it makes up for in controllability.
    -PKP: Reduced recoil but added a slight initial recoil, increased damage at max range. The Pecheneg has a heavy vertical recoil with a hard hitting round and little drift, this makes it excellent at sustained fire.
    -M60: Reduced the initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The M60 has a very low rate of fire that makes it the most controllable with the powerful 7.62x51mm round.
    -M240B: Added an initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The fastest firing medium MG, the M240 has a substantial muzzle kick and drift that makes all that power difficult to control.
    -QBB-95: Reduced the total recoil but increased muzzle drift and initial recoil. The QBB-95 should now kick harder but settle into full auto fire better, combined with the bullpup hip fire bonus this makes the QBB-95 a highly mobile LMG.
    -MG36: Added an initial recoil. The MG36 fires at a fast 750rpm and makes a nice middle ground between the controllability of a clip LMG and the sustained firepower of a belt fed LMG.
    -870: No change. The 870 is a popular and highly effective weapon.
    -DAO-12: Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The DAO-12 has a high magazine capacity with a slow reload that makes it a solid all around shotgun.
    -M1014: Increased the rate of fire from 200 max to 210 max. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The M1014 was underperforming compared to the USAS12 and 870, it should now be more viable in CQB thanks to a higher rate of fire.
    -S12k: Increased extended mag from 8 rounds to 10 rounds. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The S12k larger extended magazine but slower rate of fire should make it stand out against the M1014, while the DAO-12 has a higher capacity over all, but a slowe reload.
    -MK3A1: Increased magazine capacity to 8 and 12 for normal and extended mag respectively. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The MK3A1 has a lower ROF than the USAS12, giving it slightly more ammo makes this an edge vs the USAS.
    -USAS-12: Increased the initial recoil. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The USAS 12 has a higher ROF than other shotguns, this recoil change better balances that advantage and the pellets balance its damage output.
    -M4A1: No Change. Well-rounded carbine, with good rate of fire and controllable recoil.
    -M4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    -AKS-74U: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AKS-74u’s low rate of fire is paired with great controllability. The overall increase in sustained fire control should help this carbine stand out, while the first kick gives it character.
    -SG553: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The SG553 is a lower rate of fire carbine with greater controllability than the G36C. The change to initial recoil should better highlight this difference.
    -A91: No Change. The A91′s high rate of fire and bullpup from the hip accuracy is offset by a poor controllability on full auto.
    -G36C: Reduced initial recoil. The G36C is a well-rounded carbine, with a medium rate of fire and a medium recoil. The 2 round burst mode gives this weapon an edge at mid-range.
    -SCAR-H: Increased damage at maximum range and increased max range. The SCAR-H fires a heavier round than all other carbines, giving it better stopping power at range at the cost of a low fire rate that penalizes it in CQB.
    -G53: Reduced recoil and drift, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. The HK53 is a short carbine with a lot of initial kick but a stable recoil pattern and a medium rate of fire. The changes give it more character compared to the G36.
    -QBZ-95B: Reduced muzzle sway, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. A bullpup like the A91, the QBZ-95B is steady on the move with a lower rate of fire for controllable shots at longer range. The built in foregrip is now properly reflected in the weapon’s stats.
    -AK-74M: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AK-74M sacrifices rate of fire for controllable automatic fire, the initial recoil was negatively affecting the feeling of controllability.
    -M16A3: No Change. The M16 (both A3 and A4) provide a well-rounded stable firing platform with a high rate of fire that is relatively controllable.
    -M16A4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M16A4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    -M416: No change. The M416 is the middle ground AR, blending a medium recoil and rate of fire.
    AEK-971: Increased initial recoil, reduced aimed accuracy slightly. The AEK has a very high rate of fire, and also a large muzzle drift that makes control difficult. The low initial recoil allowed a player to kill before the weapon’s weaknesses kicked in while the reduced accuracy highlights its close range role.
    -F2000: Reduced vertical recoil, increased zoomed accuracy slightly. As a bullpup, the F2000 has a bonus to accuracy on the move and from the hip while its high rate of fire sacrifices controllability for saturation. The previous changes were an overreaction, this is a corrective update.
    -AN94: Reduced vertical recoil. The AN94′s 2 round burst mode is incredibly accurate, but it suffers from a low rate of fire on fully automatic. The recoil in full auto has been reduced somewhat to offset this penalty and make the AN94 more attractive.
    -G3A3: Increased damage at all ranges, reduced vertical recoil. The G3A3′s heavy recoil and heavy round are offset by a low rate of fire and a small magazine. The G3A3 was clearly outclassed at all ranges.
    -KH2002: No Change. The KH2002 is locked to burst fire, with a high rate of fire and a large muzzle drift the weapon favors accurate mid-range fire.
    -L85A2: Increased accuracy, reduced muzzle drift. The L85 differs from other bullpup style ARs by having a low rate of fire, the accuracy and controllability were too low to offset the rate of fire.
    -FAMAS: The FAMAS combines an extreme rate of fire with extreme recoil making it very difficult to use at anything other than close quarters combat. Due to update restrictions, the FAMAS had different stats on all 3 platforms. The FAMAS is now uniform on all platforms and now has the correct 25 round magazine.
    -PP2000: Reduced the initial recoil. The PP2000 has a lower ROF than other PDWs and needed the controllability to be balanced.
    -UMP45: Reduced accuracy loss during full auto. The UMP45 hits hard and has a controllable recoil at the cost of a heavy initial recoil kick.
    -MP7: No Change. The MP7 has a very low recoil and a high muzzle drift that favors longer bursts than the P90.
    -AS VAL: Increased vertical recoil, reduced first shot recoil, reduced accuracy on the move. The AS VAL fires a long range, highly accurate, high damage projectile that favors short bursts or single fire when stationary. While still quite good from the hip, the AS VAL will suffer if fired while moving and aimed.
    -PDW-R: Reduced the initial recoil. The PDW-R has high recoil and favors burst fire, the added initial recoil was making it less effective in small bursts.
    -P90: Reduced the initial recoil. The P90 favors a run and gun play style using long bursts to control muzzle drift, the initial recoil was making bursting ineffective.
    -PP-19: Slightly reduced the initial recoil when firing, increased base damage. The PP-19′s high initial recoil was over penalizing the burst fire needed to be effective on the low damage, high capacity weapon.

    SCOPES

    -Fixed the 7x scope not zooming to the full 7x on all weapons.
    -Corrected the M39′s laser sight so it points at the point of impact and aligns with scopes when zoomed.
    -Fixed a misaligned scope crosshair on the G3A3 using the Rifle Scope 6x.
    -Fixed the PKA and PKA-S scopes on the M416 having swapped zoom levels.
    -The L96 Straight Pull bolt now functions properly.
    -The L96 ironsights have been adjusted for a clearer aiming picture and correct use of the integral front sight.
    -The L96 now properly shows scope glint when using the 8x, and 12x scopes.
    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule

    BIPOD

    -The Accuracy increase and Recoil reduction of the Bipod has been significantly improved for Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -The Bipod now provides similar Accuracy and Recoil benefits no matter if the weapon is fired while aiming or without aiming for all weapons. Previously only LMGs were worked this way. This especially improves the speed at which snipers can make follow up shots, and also allows effective unaimed suppressive fire with Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -Increased the Speed at which a bipod is deployed, allowing the user to obtain the bipod’s bonus sooner after the deploy has started and allowing the weapon to be aimed in a far shorter time. The speed has been increased 40-50%, depending on the weapon and animation.

    HEAVY BARREL

    -The Vertical Recoil penalty of the Heavy Barrel has been reduced. The value has been changed from a global percent increase to a weapon specific value.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Heavy Barrel to represent the added weight of the accessory, as well as focus the attachment on accurate mid and long range fire. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.
    -Several weapons with low default bullet speed now have their bullet speed increased when the Heavy Barrel is equipped. This is in effect for the A91, G3A3, AKS-74u, G36C, M4A1, SCAR-H, SG553, G53, and QBZ-95B.
    -The Heavy Barrel is now also paired with Match Rounds which increase the maximum range of the weapon. The minimum and maximum damage are unchanged, weapons with the Heavy Barrel will be more effective in mid range.
    -The Aimed Accuracy bonus provided by the Heavy Barrel has been increased. This will increase the effectiveness of the Heavy Barrel for small bursts, as originally intended.

    IRNV FIXES

    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule.

    FOREGRIP

    -The Horizontal Sway reduction has been changed from a global percent reduction to a weapon specific value reduction. For most guns this means very little change, for guns which have a large horizontal recoil the change is more substation. The FAMAS, F2000, and AEK971 are most effected, the AK-74, M16, and M416 are nearly unchanged.
    -A small long range Aimed Accuracy penalty has been added to the foregrip. Players who generally find themselves fighting at mid to long range may want to change their accessory, while players fighting in CQB will go largely unaffected. Combining the Foregrip with a Silencer or a Heavy Barrel will offset this penalty.

    LASER SIGHT

    -The Hip Accuracy bonus provided by the Laser Sight has been increased. Some PDWs have had their crouch and prone base stats adjusted to prevent hip firing being more accurate than aimed fire when using a laser sight.
    -The bonus is now a weapon specific value instead of a global percentage, some guns receive larger or smaller bonuses, though all bonuses are better than they were previously.

    SUPPRESSOR

    -The Suppressor no longer reduces the maximum damage of a weapon when equipped. Instead the Suppressor reduces the minimum and maximum range of the weapon, making it ideal for CQB and Stealth. This change will make the Suppressor slightly more effective at long range, where the bullet drop and speed makes shots difficult already, and reduces the power of the suppressor at mid range slightly.
    -The Suppressor’s recoil bonus remains unchanged at a global 10% decrease. This is less than the Flash Suppressor’s bonus for all weapons.
    -The Hip Accuracy penalty of the Suppressor has been changed from a global percentage to a per weapon value. Generally this penalty is higher now, but not for all weapons. Specifically, the belt LMGs and bolt Snipers do not have any additional hip fire penalty, as their penalty is already at the maximum possible value.
    -Reduced the Aimed Accuracy bonus of the Suppressor from 50% to 25%. A Suppressor and Foregrip combo will have similar accuracy to a weapon without any Accessories, at the penalty of worse Hip Fire Accuracy and Range and with the benefit of much improved Stealth and reduced Recoil.

    FLASH SUPPRESSOR

    -The Flash Suppressor no longer reduces accuracy for Automatic Fire.
    -The Flash Suppressor now also works as a recoil compensator, reducing the Vertical Recoil by a weapon specific value. This bonus is larger than the bonus provided by the Suppressor.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Flash Suppressor to represent the added weight of the accessory. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.

    GADGETS

    -Reduced the spot times on C4 and Claymore projectiles from 30 to 15 sec.
    -Tweaked the controls and physics for the EOD bot to improve its handling and aiming capabilities.
    -The Radio Beacon, Mortar, MAV, EOD bot, T-UGS, and SOFLAM should now be much easier to deploy.
    -The MAV will now be destroyed when running into a soldier or vehicle at high speed. It is still possible to strategically sacrifice your MAV on a soldier; it will be destroyed in the process.
    -The MAV now properly shows up in the Kill Feed. Previously it simply displayed “KILLED.”
    -The MAV can no longer be used as an elevator.
    -Matched the motion sensor sweep frequency and range on the MAV to the TUGS.
    -Players will no longer auto enter SOFLAM, MAV, and EOD bots after they are deployed.
    -Players may now use their knife to destroy enemy equipment.
    -C4 will no longer be detonable after a player respawns, if the player is revived within 5 seconds he can still detonate his C4.
    -The player may now have a maximum number of mines which will persist after the player’s death. Deploying more than the maximum of 6 mines will remove a previous mine from the world.
    -Claymores now live up to 5 seconds after a player dies, the player can have a max 2 claymores planted at the same time.
    -Claymores can now detonate from vehicles and can be used to disable jeeps or kill the passengers in light jeeps. Claymores will not do any damage to heavy vehicles.
    -Ammobags now stay until the user redeploys them like Medkits.
    -Ammobags resupply bullets more quickly, but explosives resupply more slowly, especially 40mm grenades.
    -Slightly reduced the effective blast radius of the RPG, SMAW, and 40mm grenade projectiles against infantry.
    -Reduced the total number of RPG and SMAW missiles carried from 5 to 4. Players desiring more rockets will want to use the Explosive spec.
    -Slightly increased the heal rate of the Medical Crate.
    -The MAV now will also descend by pressing the Crouch Toggle key. (PC)
    -The M224 Mortar can no longer be deployed in an area that is out of combat for another team like a home base or other protected spawn.
    -Tweaked M224 exit points so the player faces in the direction of the mortar when he exits.
    -Mines, Claymores, C4 and other deployable items will now only appear on the minimap when spotted by a teammate.

    TEAM DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Tehran Highway playable area has been doubled and is now the same as the Squad Deathmatch set up. Spawn points have been tweaked, and an extra spawn zone has been added north of the footbridge.
    -Kharg Island has a new spawn zone layout, along with a bigger playable area and new cover objects. Spawn points have also been tweaked.
    -Strike at Karkand spawns zones have been tweaked to improve player flow. Spawn points have been tweaked to improve safety upon spawning.
    -Sharqi Peninsula spawn zones have been adjusted to optimize player movement. Spawn points have been tweaked so players spawn more safely.
    -Seine Crossing spawn zone set up has been improved. There is a new spawn zone by the alleyway to the northwest with additional spawn points.
    -Caspain Border spawn zones have been tweaked slightly.

    SQUAD DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Damavand Peak layout and spawn zones have been tightened to reduce the spread of players across the map
    -Tehran Highway now features an extra spawn zone north of the footbridge, along with tweaked spawn points.
    -Noshahr Canals spawn zones have been tweaked. Removed unsafe spawn points in the Northeast corner, and in the middle of the container area to the Southwest.

    DISABLE ANTI-ALIASING ON PS3 TO REDUCE INPUT LAG

    PlayStation 3 players may now turn off anti-alias in the options menu to reduce input lag.

    IMPROVED COMMO-ROSE FOR PC

    As has been rumored for some time, we are making some improvements to the commo-rose on PC. This is partially based on feedback from the community. Please be aware that the commo-rose will change depending on your current position – vehicles and infantry each have separate call outs. Each function should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the mini map. Each button should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the mini map. Players should keep an eye on the mini map for these icons that will flash when a team mate is requesting aid via the commo-rose.

    Improvements To Minimap

    we are also adjusting the level of detail to give a clearer picture for players when using the mini-map.
    The three new mini map modes are:

    Lets all hope that this fix is as good as it seems! For those of you who have tried it out, what do you think?

  • Massive Battlefield 3 Patch Gets Detailed And Given A Release Date

    When the news was coming of a huge patch, the question that every “beefer” had was…when????? Well we finally have some info that the

    massive Battlefield 3 patch gets detailed and given a release date

    The full patch details are listed below and they contain, by our count, 227 fixes. Don’t be mad that it has taken this long for the patch to come out either. We recently learned that it costs the developers $40,000 per console patch. Thats right, so these things aren’t cheap. That is the only reason I can figure why DICE didn’t slowly roll these out. The patch will be released on

    March 27th for the PS3

    and at a later date for the PC and Xbox 360. Probably a week later by my guess. This patch doesn’t include the fix for the Karkand maps which was previously handled.

    FIXES FOR PC SERVER OPERATION

    – Having the same map occur multiple times in the maplist now works properly
    – If adding a new map to the servers maplist after a clear and then running “mapList.runNextRound” the server will ignore any remaining rounds on the map that it still run since before the clear and move to the new first map in the list. The server will now have reset the current rounds per map and run the map in the list for the number of rounds stated when adding the map.
    – Maplist can contain up to 1000 entries now
    – mapList.list will return at most 100 entries. To get the entire list, perform mapList.list repeatedly with increasing offsets (like banList.list)

    GENERAL GAMEPLAY FIXES

    -Players should no longer take fall damage from short falls.
    -Players now get up from Prone slightly faster, allowing better odds of getting away from a grenade or threat when prone.
    -Fixed some situations that would unintentionally make a player unrevivable.
    -Reduced the black screen fade in time on spawn. The fade is still necessary for properly streaming in loading content at spawn, but it has been substantially reduced.
    -Increased the spawn protection time from 1sec to 2sec. The protection will still be immediately canceled as soon as the player moves or shoots.
    -Spawn protection will no longer be canceled by the player looking around.
    -Increased the speed at which a player regains accuracy when aiming after moving for a more responsive experience. Firing before fully zoomed will still result inaccurate fire.
    -Increased the inaccuracy and recoil added when a player is fully suppressed.
    -Shotgun Buck and Flechette rounds now have a less suppressive effect at medium to long range.
    -Tweaked the damage levels of Buck and Flechette rounds to balance them with other weapons.
    -Improved the suppression of the .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and the 5.8x42mm DAP88 rounds from the Type88 sniper.
    -Attempting to Crouch (like Prone) will now properly interrupt Sprint.
    -Increased the effectiveness of Suppression Resist Specialization.
    -Parachutes now respond to turn and throttle inputs more quickly.
    -Switching from primary weapons to sidearms and back now takes less time.
    -Increased the effectiveness of explosive resistance.
    -Tweaked bipod deploy settings so players can no longer deploy a bipod in places higher than chin level.
    -The bipod should now be more reliable when deploying on top of sloped objects like cars and rocks.
    -Fixed several issues with vaulting objects, especially for thin railings.
    -The Knife now only takes two swipes to kill when attacking from a position where a takedown is not possible.
    -CRAM weapons on Carriers now count towards stationary weapon awards.

    VEHICLE FIXES

    -The A10 properly gives Jet score again.
    -Unguided tank rounds and RPGs will now instantly destroy Jets, Attack Helicopters, and Scout Helicopters.
    -Increased the damage the MBT’s primary weapon does to the front and side armor of other main battle tanks. Primarily this means 1 less shot to the front, and very good hits to the side can result in a 1 hit to disable.
    -Slightly reduced the repair speed of the repair tool.
    -Increased the damage done by TOW weapons to armored vehicles.
    -Increased the rate of fire and minimum damage of the Coax HMG.
    -Increased the damage mounted gunner .50cal HMGs do at long range.
    -Increased the power of the repair tool when killing soldiers or destroying vehicles slightly.
    -Fixed a problem when locking on to two nearby targets, the locking should no longer jump rapidly between multiple targets. This applies to all locking weapons and Laser Designators.
    -Increased the damage of the Javelin and Air to Ground missiles against laser designated targets.
    -Javelin missiles fired without Laser targeting now do more damage to the side and rear of MBTs.
    -Slightly reduced the locking time of all weapons vs Laser Designated targets.
    -Laser Guided missiles can now be distracted by Flares.
    -Increased the locking distance for AGM Missiles for Jets when locking on laser designated targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for the AGM Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against ground targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for AA Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against air targets.
    -Flares will no longer break the lock of a vehicle that is locked on, it will only distract the missiles.
    -Flares now more reliably distract missiles, especially for Helicopters.
    -Flares for Jets and Choppers now reload at 11 seconds again, except for the gunner, which remains unchanged at 20sec.
    -AA Missiles are more difficult to dodge in Jets, this was unintended behavior that created an imbalance against skilled pilots.
    -AA Missiles should no longer kill the pilot instead of the vehicle.
    -AA Missiles should no longer detonate before hitting their target or a Flare/ECM chaff cloud.
    -Reduced the damage AA missiles do to jets to 45%.
    -Fixed the SU-35 firing Air to Air missiles at a lower rate of fire than other vehicles.
    -The IGLA and Stinger now lock on much more quickly and disable an attack aircraft in 1 hit, but have significantly reduced range. This should allow Stingers to mount an effective close range point defense, without dominating an entire airspace.
    -Increased the speed of the Helicopter AA missiles lock on to reduce the tedious nature of Helicopter dogfights and improve the Helicopter’s defensive abilities vs Jets.
    -Slightly reduced the damage of Jet cannons against Aircraft. Damage is now only slightly higher than it was originally at launch.
    -Increased RPG and SMAW damage against aircraft.
    -Guided Rockets will now only track ground targets, as originally intended.
    -Reduced the direct damage done by Attack Helicopter gunners vs Armor.
    -Helicopter guns should now suppress correctly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods, both guided and unguided.
    -Slightly increased the damage of Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods vs Infantry and other Helicopters.
    -Additional fixes have been made to the TV missile to prevent it from blowing up the lauching vehicle.
    -The Mi28 has received upgrades to its climbing and yawing abilities.
    -Fixed an issue where guided rockets from the Mi28 did not follow the crosshair properly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Mi28 gun to match the AH1 gun.
    -Increased the direct hit damage of the APFSDS rounds for the IFVs.
    -Decreased the locking time of the IFV Guided Missile to make it more viable as an unlock.
    -Miniguns and Helicopter Gunners now more quickly destroy parked cars.
    -Increased the power of explosions from cars and other explosive static objects.
    -Dying from the explosion of a car or other explosive static object should now correctly credit the player who caused the explosion.
    -Adjusted the F35′s Center of Mass and Hover Engine for more stable, level flight in all flight modes.
    -Updated the F35 weapon systems to be consistent with the other Jets.
    -The F35 will now only attempt to enter Hover at low altitudes, though it will maintain the hover until forward flight is resumed, even if it reaches high altitude.
    -The F35 and SU35 now properly have Ejection seats to prevent players from being killed when exiting the vehicle.
    -Changed the Kornets to TOW launchers on Wake Island and moved the spawn position of the AAV to a more level position.
    -Fixed several bugs with air vehicles colliding with objects at high speeds and taking no damage.
    -Players will no longer receive suicides or team kills if they crash their vehicle (dying is punishment enough).
    -The MAV will no longer destroy vehicles that run into it, instead it should be destroyed.
    -Jet and Helicopter collisions should now properly result in the death of both vehicles.
    -You can now spot with the EOD bot.
    -Increased the base accuracy for AA guns and added a decrease in accuracy over the course of a burst.
    -Reduced the damage AA guns (both mobile and stationary) do to infantry.
    -The carrier based CRAM stations are now properly tracked as stationary weapons.
    -CRAM and Pantsir stationary AA weapons now have Air Radar equipped by default.
    -Improved the sound feedback for damage to help players better understand the amount of damage their vehicle is taking.
    -The A10′s extinguisher should now function properly.
    -Disabled vehicles now have an increased reverse speed to help escape to cover after being disabled.
    -The T90′s crosshair now more accurately represents the trajectory of the main gun.
    -Toggle and Hold zoom settings now also apply to soldier controlled turrets on jeeps, transport helicopters, boats, and IFVs port guns.
    -The AAV now has zoom and a 3P camera when using the turret.
    -Tweaked the AAV’s turret controls to be more useful when the vehicle is moving.
    -The Z11w now properly functions with Below Radar.
    -Below Radar will now also prevent the lock on of Stinger and IGLA missiles.
    -Added Horns to all Jeeps.
    -Tanks can no longer drive into the water and cross the Wake Island lagoon completely submerged.

    WEAPONS

    Several weapons have had recoil or accuracy adjusted in orer to balance these weapons in effectiveness and also increase the feeling of individuality in each gun

    -Added Extended Mags to the ASVAL. The Extended Mags can be unlocked at 200 kills with the AS VAL.
    -Reduced the recoil of the SKS rifle and increased its maximum damage at close range.
    -Fixed aimed firing max accuracy on the Pecheneg to be consistent with other LMGs.
    -Semiautomatic and automatic shotguns firing FRAG rounds now do slightly less splash damage.
    -The M26 MASS frag and slug rounds are now the more effective pump action versions.
    -The M26 MASS and M320 now benefit from the Laser Sight when mounted with an Underslung Rail.
    -Fixed the bolt action timer on the L96 that would cause an animation glitch.
    -9x39mm rounds no longer benefit from the Sniper headshot bonus.
    -Increased the damage of the 9x39mm rounds at long range.
    -Fixed the AKS74u damage at max range, it was incorrectly higher than other carbines.
    -Increased the damage of the .357 and .44 magnum rounds at max range.
    -All semiautomatic and bolt weapons, including all shotgun slugs, now have their maximum damage out to 15m.
    -Semiautomatic weapons will no longer “jam” if the player presses fire faster than the weapon is capable of shooting. Some semi-automatic weapons have had their rates of fire adjusted to fit this change.
    -Bolt action sniper rounds now have a chance to kill at close range if the player is hit in the upper chest.
    -Semiautomatic sniper rifles, Assault Rifles, LMGs, and shotgun slugs now have more consistent damage over long range. At maximum range shots to the legs will not require more hits to kill.
    -The spread for Flechette rounds has been reduced slightly on all shotguns.
    -The spread for Buckshot has been reduced on the M1014, DAO-12, and S12k. These weapons have an accuracy advantage over the USAS12 but are not as accurate as the 870.
    -Zooming shotguns with Buckshot and Flechette loads will now result in a slightly tighter cone for the pellets.
    -Reduced the delay time between quick knife attempts slightly. Attacks with the knife drawn are still significantly faster.
    -Fixed the Rate of Fire when the USAS and MK3A1 are equipped with FRAG rounds. All other shotguns correctly had a reduced rate of fire with frags, except the USAS and MK3A1.
    -Fixed an Accuracy bug when the MK3A1 shotgun is equipped with FRAG or Slug rounds.
    -Shotguns equipped with slugs will no longer automatically begin reloading if the weapon is zoomed when the clip is empty. This allows players to see where the slug lands before reloading.
    -Fixed 12g FRAG rounds not breaking glass at long range.
    -Players can now earn the shotgun Ribbon using the M26 MASS.
    -The underslung grenade launchers for Russian rifles now properly report GP30 in the kill log.
    -Fixed the AEK971 40mm shotgun round listing itself as FRAG in the kill log.
    -Fixed the 40mm smoke grenade so it no longer passes through soldiers and unbroken objects before it detonates.
    -M27 IAR: No change. The M27 is a heavier version of the M416, giving it good all-around performance though it has worse performance on the move.
    -RPK-74M: Reduced the initial recoil and vertical recoil. The RPK-74M is a more stable firing platform than the comparable M27, though it lacks the M27′s higher rate of fire.
    -M249: Added an initial recoil. The M249 is the fastest firing belt fed LMG, giving it superior suppressive and damage abilities. The initial recoil makes it a bit harder to run and gun, while making little overall impact on performance.
    -Type-88: Slightly increased the initial recoil, reduced muzzle drift. The Type88 fires the slowest of the medium caliber LMGs, though what it lacks in rate of fire it makes up for in controllability.
    -PKP: Reduced recoil but added a slight initial recoil, increased damage at max range. The Pecheneg has a heavy vertical recoil with a hard hitting round and little drift, this makes it excellent at sustained fire.
    -M60: Reduced the initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The M60 has a very low rate of fire that makes it the most controllable with the powerful 7.62x51mm round.
    -M240B: Added an initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The fastest firing medium MG, the M240 has a substantial muzzle kick and drift that makes all that power difficult to control.
    -QBB-95: Reduced the total recoil but increased muzzle drift and initial recoil. The QBB-95 should now kick harder but settle into full auto fire better, combined with the bullpup hip fire bonus this makes the QBB-95 a highly mobile LMG.
    -MG36: Added an initial recoil. The MG36 fires at a fast 750rpm and makes a nice middle ground between the controllability of a clip LMG and the sustained firepower of a belt fed LMG.
    -870: No change. The 870 is a popular and highly effective weapon.
    -DAO-12: Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The DAO-12 has a high magazine capacity with a slow reload that makes it a solid all around shotgun.
    -M1014: Increased the rate of fire from 200 max to 210 max. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The M1014 was underperforming compared to the USAS12 and 870, it should now be more viable in CQB thanks to a higher rate of fire.
    -S12k: Increased extended mag from 8 rounds to 10 rounds. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The S12k larger extended magazine but slower rate of fire should make it stand out against the M1014, while the DAO-12 has a higher capacity over all, but a slowe reload.
    -MK3A1: Increased magazine capacity to 8 and 12 for normal and extended mag respectively. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The MK3A1 has a lower ROF than the USAS12, giving it slightly more ammo makes this an edge vs the USAS.
    -USAS-12: Increased the initial recoil. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The USAS 12 has a higher ROF than other shotguns, this recoil change better balances that advantage and the pellets balance its damage output.
    -M4A1: No Change. Well-rounded carbine, with good rate of fire and controllable recoil.
    -M4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    -AKS-74U: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AKS-74u’s low rate of fire is paired with great controllability. The overall increase in sustained fire control should help this carbine stand out, while the first kick gives it character.
    -SG553: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The SG553 is a lower rate of fire carbine with greater controllability than the G36C. The change to initial recoil should better highlight this difference.
    -A91: No Change. The A91′s high rate of fire and bullpup from the hip accuracy is offset by a poor controllability on full auto.
    -G36C: Reduced initial recoil. The G36C is a well-rounded carbine, with a medium rate of fire and a medium recoil. The 2 round burst mode gives this weapon an edge at mid-range.
    -SCAR-H: Increased damage at maximum range and increased max range. The SCAR-H fires a heavier round than all other carbines, giving it better stopping power at range at the cost of a low fire rate that penalizes it in CQB.
    -G53: Reduced recoil and drift, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. The HK53 is a short carbine with a lot of initial kick but a stable recoil pattern and a medium rate of fire. The changes give it more character compared to the G36.
    -QBZ-95B: Reduced muzzle sway, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. A bullpup like the A91, the QBZ-95B is steady on the move with a lower rate of fire for controllable shots at longer range. The built in foregrip is now properly reflected in the weapon’s stats.
    -AK-74M: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AK-74M sacrifices rate of fire for controllable automatic fire, the initial recoil was negatively affecting the feeling of controllability.
    -M16A3: No Change. The M16 (both A3 and A4) provide a well-rounded stable firing platform with a high rate of fire that is relatively controllable.
    -M16A4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M16A4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    -M416: No change. The M416 is the middle ground AR, blending a medium recoil and rate of fire.
    AEK-971: Increased initial recoil, reduced aimed accuracy slightly. The AEK has a very high rate of fire, and also a large muzzle drift that makes control difficult. The low initial recoil allowed a player to kill before the weapon’s weaknesses kicked in while the reduced accuracy highlights its close range role.
    -F2000: Reduced vertical recoil, increased zoomed accuracy slightly. As a bullpup, the F2000 has a bonus to accuracy on the move and from the hip while its high rate of fire sacrifices controllability for saturation. The previous changes were an overreaction, this is a corrective update.
    -AN94: Reduced vertical recoil. The AN94′s 2 round burst mode is incredibly accurate, but it suffers from a low rate of fire on fully automatic. The recoil in full auto has been reduced somewhat to offset this penalty and make the AN94 more attractive.
    -G3A3: Increased damage at all ranges, reduced vertical recoil. The G3A3′s heavy recoil and heavy round are offset by a low rate of fire and a small magazine. The G3A3 was clearly outclassed at all ranges.
    -KH2002: No Change. The KH2002 is locked to burst fire, with a high rate of fire and a large muzzle drift the weapon favors accurate mid-range fire.
    -L85A2: Increased accuracy, reduced muzzle drift. The L85 differs from other bullpup style ARs by having a low rate of fire, the accuracy and controllability were too low to offset the rate of fire.
    -FAMAS: The FAMAS combines an extreme rate of fire with extreme recoil making it very difficult to use at anything other than close quarters combat. Due to update restrictions, the FAMAS had different stats on all 3 platforms. The FAMAS is now uniform on all platforms and now has the correct 25 round magazine.
    -PP2000: Reduced the initial recoil. The PP2000 has a lower ROF than other PDWs and needed the controllability to be balanced.
    -UMP45: Reduced accuracy loss during full auto. The UMP45 hits hard and has a controllable recoil at the cost of a heavy initial recoil kick.
    -MP7: No Change. The MP7 has a very low recoil and a high muzzle drift that favors longer bursts than the P90.
    -AS VAL: Increased vertical recoil, reduced first shot recoil, reduced accuracy on the move. The AS VAL fires a long range, highly accurate, high damage projectile that favors short bursts or single fire when stationary. While still quite good from the hip, the AS VAL will suffer if fired while moving and aimed.
    -PDW-R: Reduced the initial recoil. The PDW-R has high recoil and favors burst fire, the added initial recoil was making it less effective in small bursts.
    -P90: Reduced the initial recoil. The P90 favors a run and gun play style using long bursts to control muzzle drift, the initial recoil was making bursting ineffective.
    -PP-19: Slightly reduced the initial recoil when firing, increased base damage. The PP-19′s high initial recoil was over penalizing the burst fire needed to be effective on the low damage, high capacity weapon.

    SCOPES

    -Fixed the 7x scope not zooming to the full 7x on all weapons.
    -Corrected the M39′s laser sight so it points at the point of impact and aligns with scopes when zoomed.
    -Fixed a misaligned scope crosshair on the G3A3 using the Rifle Scope 6x.
    -Fixed the PKA and PKA-S scopes on the M416 having swapped zoom levels.
    -The L96 Straight Pull bolt now functions properly.
    -The L96 ironsights have been adjusted for a clearer aiming picture and correct use of the integral front sight.
    -The L96 now properly shows scope glint when using the 8x, and 12x scopes.
    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule

    BIPOD

    -The Accuracy increase and Recoil reduction of the Bipod has been significantly improved for Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -The Bipod now provides similar Accuracy and Recoil benefits no matter if the weapon is fired while aiming or without aiming for all weapons. Previously only LMGs were worked this way. This especially improves the speed at which snipers can make follow up shots, and also allows effective unaimed suppressive fire with Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -Increased the Speed at which a bipod is deployed, allowing the user to obtain the bipod’s bonus sooner after the deploy has started and allowing the weapon to be aimed in a far shorter time. The speed has been increased 40-50%, depending on the weapon and animation.

    HEAVY BARREL

    -The Vertical Recoil penalty of the Heavy Barrel has been reduced. The value has been changed from a global percent increase to a weapon specific value.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Heavy Barrel to represent the added weight of the accessory, as well as focus the attachment on accurate mid and long range fire. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.
    -Several weapons with low default bullet speed now have their bullet speed increased when the Heavy Barrel is equipped. This is in effect for the A91, G3A3, AKS-74u, G36C, M4A1, SCAR-H, SG553, G53, and QBZ-95B.
    -The Heavy Barrel is now also paired with Match Rounds which increase the maximum range of the weapon. The minimum and maximum damage are unchanged, weapons with the Heavy Barrel will be more effective in mid range.
    -The Aimed Accuracy bonus provided by the Heavy Barrel has been increased. This will increase the effectiveness of the Heavy Barrel for small bursts, as originally intended.

    IRNV FIXES

    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule.

    FOREGRIP

    -The Horizontal Sway reduction has been changed from a global percent reduction to a weapon specific value reduction. For most guns this means very little change, for guns which have a large horizontal recoil the change is more substation. The FAMAS, F2000, and AEK971 are most effected, the AK-74, M16, and M416 are nearly unchanged.
    -A small long range Aimed Accuracy penalty has been added to the foregrip. Players who generally find themselves fighting at mid to long range may want to change their accessory, while players fighting in CQB will go largely unaffected. Combining the Foregrip with a Silencer or a Heavy Barrel will offset this penalty.

    LASER SIGHT

    -The Hip Accuracy bonus provided by the Laser Sight has been increased. Some PDWs have had their crouch and prone base stats adjusted to prevent hip firing being more accurate than aimed fire when using a laser sight.
    -The bonus is now a weapon specific value instead of a global percentage, some guns receive larger or smaller bonuses, though all bonuses are better than they were previously.

    SUPPRESSOR

    -The Suppressor no longer reduces the maximum damage of a weapon when equipped. Instead the Suppressor reduces the minimum and maximum range of the weapon, making it ideal for CQB and Stealth. This change will make the Suppressor slightly more effective at long range, where the bullet drop and speed makes shots difficult already, and reduces the power of the suppressor at mid range slightly.
    -The Suppressor’s recoil bonus remains unchanged at a global 10% decrease. This is less than the Flash Suppressor’s bonus for all weapons.
    -The Hip Accuracy penalty of the Suppressor has been changed from a global percentage to a per weapon value. Generally this penalty is higher now, but not for all weapons. Specifically, the belt LMGs and bolt Snipers do not have any additional hip fire penalty, as their penalty is already at the maximum possible value.
    -Reduced the Aimed Accuracy bonus of the Suppressor from 50% to 25%. A Suppressor and Foregrip combo will have similar accuracy to a weapon without any Accessories, at the penalty of worse Hip Fire Accuracy and Range and with the benefit of much improved Stealth and reduced Recoil.

    FLASH SUPPRESSOR

    -The Flash Suppressor no longer reduces accuracy for Automatic Fire.
    -The Flash Suppressor now also works as a recoil compensator, reducing the Vertical Recoil by a weapon specific value. This bonus is larger than the bonus provided by the Suppressor.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Flash Suppressor to represent the added weight of the accessory. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.

    GADGETS

    -Reduced the spot times on C4 and Claymore projectiles from 30 to 15 sec.
    -Tweaked the controls and physics for the EOD bot to improve its handling and aiming capabilities.
    -The Radio Beacon, Mortar, MAV, EOD bot, T-UGS, and SOFLAM should now be much easier to deploy.
    -The MAV will now be destroyed when running into a soldier or vehicle at high speed. It is still possible to strategically sacrifice your MAV on a soldier; it will be destroyed in the process.
    -The MAV now properly shows up in the Kill Feed. Previously it simply displayed “KILLED.”
    -The MAV can no longer be used as an elevator.
    -Matched the motion sensor sweep frequency and range on the MAV to the TUGS.
    -Players will no longer auto enter SOFLAM, MAV, and EOD bots after they are deployed.
    -Players may now use their knife to destroy enemy equipment.
    -C4 will no longer be detonable after a player respawns, if the player is revived within 5 seconds he can still detonate his C4.
    -The player may now have a maximum number of mines which will persist after the player’s death. Deploying more than the maximum of 6 mines will remove a previous mine from the world.
    -Claymores now live up to 5 seconds after a player dies, the player can have a max 2 claymores planted at the same time.
    -Claymores can now detonate from vehicles and can be used to disable jeeps or kill the passengers in light jeeps. Claymores will not do any damage to heavy vehicles.
    -Ammobags now stay until the user redeploys them like Medkits.
    -Ammobags resupply bullets more quickly, but explosives resupply more slowly, especially 40mm grenades.
    -Slightly reduced the effective blast radius of the RPG, SMAW, and 40mm grenade projectiles against infantry.
    -Reduced the total number of RPG and SMAW missiles carried from 5 to 4. Players desiring more rockets will want to use the Explosive spec.
    -Slightly increased the heal rate of the Medical Crate.
    -The MAV now will also descend by pressing the Crouch Toggle key. (PC)
    -The M224 Mortar can no longer be deployed in an area that is out of combat for another team like a home base or other protected spawn.
    -Tweaked M224 exit points so the player faces in the direction of the mortar when he exits.
    -Mines, Claymores, C4 and other deployable items will now only appear on the minimap when spotted by a teammate.

    TEAM DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Tehran Highway playable area has been doubled and is now the same as the Squad Deathmatch set up. Spawn points have been tweaked, and an extra spawn zone has been added north of the footbridge.
    -Kharg Island has a new spawn zone layout, along with a bigger playable area and new cover objects. Spawn points have also been tweaked.
    -Strike at Karkand spawns zones have been tweaked to improve player flow. Spawn points have been tweaked to improve safety upon spawning.
    -Sharqi Peninsula spawn zones have been adjusted to optimize player movement. Spawn points have been tweaked so players spawn more safely.
    -Seine Crossing spawn zone set up has been improved. There is a new spawn zone by the alleyway to the northwest with additional spawn points.
    -Caspain Border spawn zones have been tweaked slightly.

    SQUAD DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Damavand Peak layout and spawn zones have been tightened to reduce the spread of players across the map
    -Tehran Highway now features an extra spawn zone north of the footbridge, along with tweaked spawn points.
    -Noshahr Canals spawn zones have been tweaked. Removed unsafe spawn points in the Northeast corner, and in the middle of the container area to the Southwest.

    DISABLE ANTI-ALIASING ON PS3 TO REDUCE INPUT LAG

    PlayStation 3 players may now turn off anti-alias in the options menu to reduce input lag.

    IMPROVED COMMO-ROSE FOR PC

    As has been rumored for some time, we are making some improvements to the commo-rose on PC. This is partially based on feedback from the community. Please be aware that the commo-rose will change depending on your current position – vehicles and infantry each have separate call outs. Each function should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the mini map. Each button should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the mini map. Players should keep an eye on the mini map for these icons that will flash when a team mate is requesting aid via the commo-rose.

  • Battlefield 3 DLC Maps Wont Have Rush Mode

    In the world of Battlefield, the game of Rush can be one of the most frustrating things in the world. Mostly because you have to rely on the entire team for support. It can also be the greatest thing when you get a team that just seems to know how to work together. Well, when designing the new “Close Quarters” DLC maps, they decided that Rush just wouldn’t work. The developers decided to take a fairly new approach to BF3 and make the environment uber-destructible. Check out this time lapse video of one match of Conquest Domination:

    As you can see because of the lack of vehicles and expansive levels, the Frostbite 2 engine can be almost exclusively used to pump up the destruction, wich has been a fairly big complaint with this game since it’s launch.

    In a post on the Battlefield Blog, Niklas Fegraeus, Lead Designer on Battlefield 3: Close Quarters had this to say about the upcoming DLC release:

    “Hi everyone. This is Niklas Fegraeus, Lead Designer on Battlefield 3: Close Quarters. Above is an early test video we recorded during a play test to judge the effect of our new destruction. But first things first: In 2001, while making games for the Sega Dreamcast, I began a career as a clan player in Counter-Strike. This eventually became a semiprofessional part time job, as I got a sponsor, won several LAN tournaments and competed in the Cyber athlete Professional League. Now, in 2012, my competitive mouse is put on the shelf, but I consider the experiences from those days invaluable to my role as game designer making Battlefield games. Counter-Strike is a very tactical and precise art of close quarters shooting, so I can comfortably say I know a little about how those tight shooter experiences play, and how they should play. Battlefield on the other hand, is a huge game in more ways than one. Even we developers sometimes have a hard time realizing its breadth. You can go from clearing a house of enemy soldiers through careful squad tactics to soaring through the sky in a jet fighter, frantically evading enemy anti-air weaponry, all in the same round. I can still recall the thrill of that scale and freedom I had when I first tried the game. It was the BF1942 demo on Wake Island (before I joined the crew here at DICE) and I was raging over those damn fighter planes that kept dropping bombs on my head! However, rage and confusion turned to evil grin as I found the AA-guns and used them to good effect! Three years later, I landed my dream job working at DICE on Battlefield 2! Having worked as Animator and Designer on Battlefield 2, it was especially satisfying to be Lead Designer on Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand and bring some of the most classic maps from Battlefield 2 into Battlefield 3. When I finished up Back to Karkand, I already knew I needed to start on our next themed expansion pack for release in June. This time, I really wanted to expand Battlefield 3 and give players even more experiences to choose from. But I didn’t know how to approach it. Then I remembered those nights at my sponsor’s Internet café, where I and my clan for hours on end practiced the best way to attack a well-defended room, using only a few grenades and the business end of our rifles.

    There is something very unique about an indoor fire fight. You have to cover angles in new ways, use sound to track your enemies, navigate with much more careful precision and most importantly, you’re never safe. Danger is always no more than a few meters away. It’s a scenario that always makes me feel 100% in the fight. There is no dull moment, you’re always on your toes, on the edge. The closest you come to this type of tight combat scenario in Battlefield 3 is on Operation Métro. We know this is one of our most popular maps, which tells us that our gameplay has what it takes to perform in such unique and frantic conditions. I had an approach for our new expansion pack. Now, I just needed to refine it. I needed to find those elements that make the adrenaline levels go through the roof and keep you constantly on that edge. I want the player to feel like Hudson in Aliens, as he is watching the motion scanner bleep faster and faster, realizing that the safety he thought he had isn’t there anymore, and that death is already in the room. I sat down and spoke with Jhony Ljungstedt, my art director, and had a discussion about how we could achieve this. After bouncing random ideas for a while, he told me that even though that explosive scene from “The Matrix” was rather old, seeing Neo and Trinity turn a lobby into rubble in slow motion did leave a huge impression, and hadn’t ever been properly done in a game. We both agreed and Jhony said he really wanted to be able to create that sensation. “Imagine tearing a place down using only bullets, watching chunks being torn off the walls, littering the floors like a dropped bag of grey marbles” he said.

    And that’s when it occurred to me. We have a golden opportunity here. When removing large and process heavy elements like tanks, and scaling down Battlefield to a tighter scale, we are given some extra Frostbite 2 oomph at our disposal. The engine has fantastic destructive capabilities, and with more CPU overhead, we could put it to the ultimate test. I wanted to see if we could destroy things in greater detail. I wanted everything to get shot to pieces. Really, really small pieces. In short, I wanted destruction to go High Definition. After a series of prototypes and testing, we had a working model and immediately put it into practice. A grey and boring test level became the scene for a big floating stairway, with supporting pillars surrounded by temporary walls, just so we wouldn’t fall into oblivion. We had incorporated some early HD Destruction in this test level just for proof of concept. Then, we simply asked the testers: “Shoot at everything”. And they did. The place immediately got torn to pieces, as bullets ripped through the grey prototype materials, spreading chunks of it everywhere, literally creating a carpet of debris on the floor. Walls had big holes where there was once solid wood or plaster. You could create new angles and ways of attack, just by firing your normal gun. This was new to Battlefield, as you would normally need heavier hardware like RPG’s or tanks to blow up walls in the base game. We immediately knew this was something really cool and would have a significant impact on both how you play and how you experience that play. HD Destruction immediately became a key factor in bringing the intensity of the Battlefield experience into close quarters combat, and looking at it now, in its complete implementation, it feels great to finally be able to show it to everyone. While HD Destruction has a significant impact on how you experience the second-to-second gameplay, we also had to tackle the challenges of bringing our tried and tested game modes to the smaller scale. We understood quickly that Rush, being a large and progressive mode that takes you on a journey from M-COM to M-COM, simply wouldn’t fit physically. So instead, we turned our attention to Conquest. How could we tailor this essential Battlefield game mode to fit our new type of environment?

    I spoke to my Game Designer Gustav Halling who, like me, has a history of competitive FPS gaming. We remembered Unreal Tournament from way back in 1999. It was the first time the world saw the game mode “Domination”, which is very similar to Conquest. There are some differences though, and the Domination type gameplay usually takes place on smaller maps, much like the ones we were creating. Inspired by these memories, we used the spawning systems from Battlefield 3 Team Deathmatch and came up with a Conquest mode adapted for smaller spaces. We called it Conquest Domination, and it worked beautifully. In particular, flag defense is suddenly more important, and you get different tactical layers due to the subtle differences the new mode provides. It’s reminiscent of those tactics I practiced to perfection in my e-sports days. Listen for the footsteps, spray the wall, throw your grenade, cover one angle each and constantly communicate. The experience grows with our tried and tested squad play mechanics, and the intensity and pure challenge of trying to dominate these close quarters is something I’m convinced will put even the best squads to the test. Designing a new experience isn’t easy. Many things were created and tested, many things didn’t fit, and there are millions of fans whose wishes you want to fulfill. Ultimately, it’s about finding a meaningful core idea, and realizing it with relentless attention to detail. We wanted the thrill of fighting in close quarters. We wanted the adrenaline rush that comes from always being one second from potential death. We wanted the world around you to be both your best friend and mortal enemy, by protecting you in one moment and in the next, completely failing you by opening up new ways for the enemy to attack. Often when I remove my headphones from a playtests on Close Quarters, I’m shaking like a leaf from all of the adrenaline. So personally, I am very happy and proud of where we are with our next expansion pack. Most of all, I’m happy with how versatile our game is, and how my team has helped broaden it further.”

    Not sure what’s wrong with @Battlefield knocking out a CQC map pack.. I personally love the smaller maps, who wouldn’t want intense battles? 6 days ago via UberSocial for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • BF3 “Back to Karkand” Weapon Fix Announced

    Ea/DICE title Battlefield 3 has had a seemingly endless amount of problems since its so called “Beta.” From voice chat to squad issues they have 1 by 1 fixed everything. Now the boys over at DICE have announced they finally have a fix for the weapon problem from the Assignment weapons from the “Back To Karkand” mapp pack/DLC.

    Announced on the official Battlefield Blog: “Starting tomorrow (March 13th), you can re-download a new, patched version of Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand on PS3. This will fix the weapon animation bug that some of you have experienced. This download is free of charge if you have already bought Back to Karkand. Note that changes made on our back end will make this re-download mandatory in the near future. If you buy Back to Karkand for the first time after tomorrow, no additional action is necessary.”

    Now just NERF the freaken USAS-12 and when they give us the new map packs, we can all move on.

    Starting tomorrow, you can re-download a new, patched version of BF3: Back to Karkand on PS3. This will fix the weapon animation bug. #BF3 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • BF3 Customizeable Servers Coming To Consoles!

    Karl-Magnus Troedsson, CEO of DICE, announced at an EA event last night that customizable servers would be available for consoles in the future.

    “All active players out there playing on consoles today will now have the opportunity to customize their servers and set them up exactly how they want them to play,” said Troedsson. “Now this is a feature that in Battlefield on PC we’ve had for some time, but it’s an absolute first on console. So, we’re pretty excited about this.”

    As of this time there are no details on pricing or a release timetable. But here’s to no more Frag rounds!

  • Battlefield 3 Map Pack Announced For June

    Battlefield 3 Map Pack Announced For June

    Coming on the tails of the fairly successful “Back To Karkand” expansion pack, EA/DICE have announced 3 more map packs with the first being slated for a June release.

    Close Quarters – In Battlefield 3: Close Quarters, players are dropped into a frantic, infantry-only theatre of war. Frostbite 2 high definition destruction makes the environment come alive as everything from furniture to plaster gets shot to pieces. Players will feel the intensity of the world exploding around them as rubble and broken pieces pile up on the floor, while tight level design and vertical gameplay create a highly competitive environment. Battlefield 3: Close Quarters also introduces new weapons, assignments and unique dog tags to bring back to the base game.

    Here is some leaked footage:

    Armored Kill – Following the tight infantry gameplay of Battlefield 3: Close Quarters, DICE will release Battlefield 3: Armored Kill that ups the ante for vehicular mayhem as only Battlefield can do. Featuring new drivable tanks, ATVs, mobile artillery and more, Battlefield 3: Armored Kill also delivers huge battlefields for an all-out vehicle assault, including the biggest map in Battlefield history.

    End Game – The fourth expansion pack will ship in the winter but details remain tightly guarded.

    Patrick Bach, Executive Producer, Battlefield 3 said, “Instead of delivering piecemeal map packs, we’re giving players a completely new experience with every themed expansion pack to keep the action fresh. Our expansions are designed to excite our large and active fan base while attracting new recruits with gameplay that is dynamic and unpredictable every time.”

    Battlefield 3 has not been without it’s problems. From launch day disconnect problems, to a 3 month long saga of PS3 players not having a working voice chat, the community in general has had a very hard time staying behind this company that they love so much. EA/Dice has tried to make good by releasing a list of several fixes but not releasing a date they would be implemented seemed to exacerbate the problem. Here is the partial list of the planned updates.

    Warning, there are over a hundred:

    GENERAL GAMEPLAY FIXES:

    -Players should no longer take fall damage from short falls.
    -Players now get up from Prone slightly faster, allowing better odds of getting away from a grenade or threat when prone.
    -Fixed some situations that would unintentionally make a player unrevivable.
    -Reduced the black screen fade in time on spawn. The fade is still necessary for properly streaming in loading content at spawn, but it has been substantially reduced.
    -Increased the spawn protection time from 1sec to 2sec. The protection will still be immediately canceled as soon as the player moves or shoots.
    -Spawn protection will no longer be canceled by the player looking around.
    -Increased the speed at which a player regains accuracy when aiming after moving for a more responsive experience. Firing before fully zoomed will still result inaccurate fire.
    -Increased the inaccuracy and recoil added when a player is fully suppressed.
    -Shotgun Buck and Flechette rounds now have a less suppressive effect at medium to long range.
    -Tweaked the damage levels of Buck and Flechette rounds to balance them with other weapons.
    -Improved the suppression of the .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and the 5.8x42mm DAP88 rounds from the Type88 sniper.
    -Attempting to Crouch (like Prone) will now properly interrupt Sprint.
    -Increased the effectiveness of Suppression Resist Specialization.
    -Parachutes now respond to turn and throttle inputs more quickly.
    -Switching from primary weapons to sidearms and back now takes less time.
    -Increased the effectiveness of explosive resistance.
    -Tweaked bipod deploy settings so players can no longer deploy a bipod in places higher than chin level.
    -The bipod should now be more reliable when deploying on top of sloped objects like cars and rocks.
    -Fixed several issues with vaulting objects, especially for thin railings.
    -The Knife now only takes two swipes to kill when attacking from a position where a takedown is not possible.
    -CRAM weapons on Carriers now count towards stationary weapon awards.

    VEHICLE FIXES:

    -The A10 properly gives Jet score again.
    -Unguided tank rounds and RPGs will now instantly destroy Jets, Attack Helicopters, and Scout Helicopters.
    -Increased the damage the MBT’s primary weapon does to the front and side armor of other main battle tanks. Primarily this means 1 less shot to the front, and very good hits to the side can result in a 1 hit to disable.
    -Slightly reduced the repair speed of the repair tool.
    -Increased the damage done by TOW weapons to armored vehicles.
    -Increased the rate of fire and minimum damage of the Coax HMG.
    -Increased the damage mounted gunner .50cal HMGs do at long range.
    -Increased the power of the repair tool when killing soldiers or destroying vehicles slightly.
    -Fixed a problem when locking on to two nearby targets, the locking should no longer jump rapidly between multiple targets. This applies to all locking weapons and Laser Designators.
    -Increased the damage of the Javelin and Air to Ground missiles against laser designated targets.
    -Javelin missiles fired without Laser targeting now do more damage to the side and rear of MBTs.
    -Slightly reduced the locking time of all weapons vs Laser Designated targets.
    -Laser Guided missiles can now be distracted by Flares.
    -Increased the locking distance for AGM Missiles for Jets when locking on laser designated targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for the AGM Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against ground targets.
    -Reduced the locking time for AA Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against air targets.
    -Flares will no longer break the lock of a vehicle that is locked on, it will only distract the missiles.
    -Flares now more reliably distract missiles, especially for Helicopters.
    -Flares for Jets and Choppers now reload at 11 seconds again, except for the gunner, which remains unchanged at 20sec.
    -AA Missiles are more difficult to dodge in Jets, this was unintended behavior that created an imbalance against skilled pilots.
    -AA Missiles should no longer kill the pilot instead of the vehicle.
    -AA Missiles should no longer detonate before hitting their target or a Flare/ECM chaff cloud.
    -Reduced the damage AA missiles do to jets to 45%.
    -Fixed the SU-35 firing Air to Air missiles at a lower rate of fire than other vehicles.
    -The IGLA and Stinger now lock on much more quickly and disable an attack aircraft in 1 hit, but have significantly reduced range. This should allow Stingers to mount an effective close range point defense, without dominating an entire airspace.
    -Increased the speed of the Helicopter AA missiles lock on to reduce the tedious nature of Helicopter dogfights and improve the Helicopter’s defensive abilities vs Jets.
    -Slightly reduced the damage of Jet cannons against Aircraft. Damage is now only slightly higher than it was originally at launch.
    -Increased RPG and SMAW damage against aircraft.
    -Guided Rockets will now only track ground targets, as originally intended.
    -Reduced the direct damage done by Attack Helicopter gunners vs Armor.
    -Helicopter guns should now suppress correctly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods, both guided and unguided.
    -Slightly increased the damage of Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods vs Infantry and other Helicopters.
    -Additional fixes have been made to the TV missile to prevent it from blowing up the lauching vehicle.
    -The Mi28 has received upgrades to its climbing and yawing abilities.
    -Fixed an issue where guided rockets from the Mi28 did not follow the crosshair properly.
    -Improved the accuracy of the Mi28 gun to match the AH1 gun.
    -Increased the direct hit damage of the APFSDS rounds for the IFVs.
    -Decreased the locking time of the IFV Guided Missile to make it more viable as an unlock.
    -Miniguns and Helicopter Gunners now more quickly destroy parked cars.
    -Increased the power of explosions from cars and other explosive static objects.
    -Dying from the explosion of a car or other explosive static object should now correctly credit the player who caused the explosion.
    -Adjusted the F35’s Center of Mass and Hover Engine for more stable, level flight in all flight modes.
    -Updated the F35 weapon systems to be consistent with the other Jets.
    -The F35 will now only attempt to enter Hover at low altitudes, though it will maintain the hover until forward flight is resumed, even if it reaches high altitude.
    -The F35 and SU35 now properly have Ejection seats to prevent players from being killed when exiting the vehicle.
    -Changed the Kornets to TOW launchers on Wake Island and moved the spawn position of the AAV to a more level position.
    -Fixed several bugs with air vehicles colliding with objects at high speeds and taking no damage.
    -Players will no longer receive suicides or team kills if they crash their vehicle (dying is punishment enough).
    -The MAV will no longer destroy vehicles that run into it, instead it should be destroyed.
    -Jet and Helicopter collisions should now properly result in the death of both vehicles.
    -You can now spot with the EOD bot.
    -Increased the base accuracy for AA guns and added a decrease in accuracy over the course of a burst.
    -Reduced the damage AA guns (both mobile and stationary) do to infantry.
    -The carrier based CRAM stations are now properly tracked as stationary weapons.
    -CRAM and Pantsir stationary AA weapons now have Air Radar equipped by default.
    -Improved the sound feedback for damage to help players better understand the amount of damage their vehicle is taking.
    -The A10’s extinguisher should now function properly.
    -Disabled vehicles now have an increased reverse speed to help escape to cover after being disabled.
    -The T90’s crosshair now more accurately represents the trajectory of the main gun.
    -Toggle and Hold zoom settings now also apply to soldier controlled turrets on jeeps, transport helicopters, boats, and IFVs port guns.
    -The AAV now has zoom and a 3P camera when using the turret.
    -Tweaked the AAV’s turret controls to be more useful when the vehicle is moving.
    -The Z11w now properly functions with Below Radar.
    -Below Radar will now also prevent the lock on of Stinger and IGLA missiles.
    -Added Horns to all Jeeps.
    -Tanks can no longer drive into the water and cross the Wake Island lagoon completely submerged.

    WEAPONS:

    -Added Extended Mags to the ASVAL. The Extended Mags can be unlocked at 200 kills with the AS VAL.
    -Reduced the recoil of the SKS rifle and increased its maximum damage at close range.
    -Fixed aimed firing max accuracy on the Pecheneg to be consistent with other LMGs.
    -Semiautomatic and automatic shotguns firing FRAG rounds now do slightly less splash damage.
    -The M26 MASS frag and slug rounds are now the more effective pump action versions.
    -The M26 MASS and M320 now benefit from the Laser Sight when mounted with an Underslung Rail.
    -Fixed the bolt action timer on the L96 that would cause an animation glitch.
    -9x39mm rounds no longer benefit from the Sniper headshot bonus.
    -Increased the damage of the 9x39mm rounds at long range.
    -Fixed the AKS74u damage at max range, it was incorrectly higher than other carbines.
    -Increased the damage of the .357 and .44 magnum rounds at max range.
    -All semiautomatic and bolt weapons, including all shotgun slugs, now have their maximum damage out to 15m.
    -Semiautomatic weapons will no longer “jam” if the player presses fire faster than the weapon is capable of shooting. Some semi-automatic weapons have had their rates of fire adjusted to fit this change.
    -Bolt action sniper rounds now have a chance to kill at close range if the player is hit in the upper chest.
    -Semiautomatic sniper rifles, Assault Rifles, LMGs, and shotgun slugs now have more consistent damage over long range. At maximum range shots to the legs will not require more hits to kill.
    -The spread for Flechette rounds has been reduced slightly on all shotguns.
    -The spread for Buckshot has been reduced on the M1014, DAO-12, and S12k. These weapons have an accuracy advantage over the USAS12 but are not as accurate as the 870.
    -Zooming shotguns with Buckshot and Flechette loads will now result in a slightly tighter cone for the pellets.
    -Reduced the delay time between quick knife attempts slightly. Attacks with the knife drawn are still significantly faster.
    -Fixed the Rate of Fire when the USAS and MK3A1 are equipped with FRAG rounds. All other shotguns correctly had a reduced rate of fire with frags, except the USAS and MK3A1.
    -Fixed an Accuracy bug when the MK3A1 shotgun is equipped with FRAG or Slug rounds.
    -Shotguns equipped with slugs will no longer automatically begin reloading if the weapon is zoomed when the clip is empty. This allows players to see where the slug lands before reloading.
    -Fixed 12g FRAG rounds not breaking glass at long range.
    -Players can now earn the shotgun Ribbon using the M26 MASS.
    -The underslung grenade launchers for Russian rifles now properly report GP30 in the kill log.
    -Fixed the AEK971 40mm shotgun round listing itself as FRAG in the kill log.
    -Fixed the 40mm smoke grenade so it no longer passes through soldiers and unbroken objects before it detonates.

    Several weapons have had recoil or accuracy adjusted in orer to balance these weapons in effectiveness and also increase the feeling of individuality in each gun

    effectiveness and also increase the feeling of individuality in each gun.
    M27 IAR: No change. The M27 is a heavier version of the M416, giving it good all-around performance though it has worse performance on the move.
    RPK-74M: Reduced the initial recoil and vertical recoil. The RPK-74M is a more stable firing platform than the comparable M27, though it lacks the M27’s higher rate of fire.
    M249: Added an initial recoil. The M249 is the fastest firing belt fed LMG, giving it superior suppressive and damage abilities. The initial recoil makes it a bit harder to run and gun, while making little overall impact on performance.
    Type-88: Slightly increased the initial recoil, reduced muzzle drift. The Type88 fires the slowest of the medium caliber LMGs, though what it lacks in rate of fire it makes up for in controllability.
    PKP: Reduced recoil but added a slight initial recoil, increased damage at max range. The Pecheneg has a heavy vertical recoil with a hard hitting round and little drift, this makes it excellent at sustained fire.
    M60: Reduced the initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The M60 has a very low rate of fire that makes it the most controllable with the powerful 7.62x51mm round.
    M240B: Added an initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The fastest firing medium MG, the M240 has a substantial muzzle kick and drift that makes all that power difficult to control.
    QBB-95: Reduced the total recoil but increased muzzle drift and initial recoil. The QBB-95 should now kick harder but settle into full auto fire better, combined with the bullpup hip fire bonus this makes the QBB-95 a highly mobile LMG.
    MG36: Added an initial recoil. The MG36 fires at a fast 750rpm and makes a nice middle ground between the controllability of a clip LMG and the sustained firepower of a belt fed LMG.

    870: No change. The 870 is a popular and highly effective weapon.
    DAO-12: Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The DAO-12 has a high magazine capacity with a slow reload that makes it a solid all around shotgun.
    M1014: Increased the rate of fire from 200 max to 210 max. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The M1014 was underperforming compared to the USAS12 and 870, it should now be more viable in CQB thanks to a higher rate of fire.
    S12k: Increased extended mag from 8 rounds to 10 rounds. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The S12k larger extended magazine but slower rate of fire should make it stand out against the M1014, while the DAO-12 has a higher capacity over all, but a slowe reload.
    MK3A1: Increased magazine capacity to 8 and 12 for normal and extended mag respectively. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The MK3A1 has a lower ROF than the USAS12, giving it slightly more ammo makes this an edge vs the USAS.
    USAS-12: Increased the initial recoil. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The USAS 12 has a higher ROF than other shotguns, this recoil change better balances that advantage and the pellets balance its damage output.

    M4A1: No Change. Well-rounded carbine, with good rate of fire and controllable recoil.
    M4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    AKS-74U: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AKS-74u’s low rate of fire is paired with great controllability. The overall increase in sustained fire control should help this carbine stand out, while the first kick gives it character.
    SG553: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The SG553 is a lower rate of fire carbine with greater controllability than the G36C. The change to initial recoil should better highlight this difference.
    A91: No Change. The A91’s high rate of fire and bullpup from the hip accuracy is offset by a poor controllability on full auto.
    G36C: Reduced initial recoil. The G36C is a well-rounded carbine, with a medium rate of fire and a medium recoil. The 2 round burst mode gives this weapon an edge at mid-range.
    SCAR-H: Increased damage at maximum range and increased max range. The SCAR-H fires a heavier round than all other carbines, giving it better stopping power at range at the cost of a low fire rate that penalizes it in CQB.
    G53: Reduced recoil and drift, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. The HK53 is a short carbine with a lot of initial kick but a stable recoil pattern and a medium rate of fire. The changes give it more character compared to the G36.
    QBZ-95B: Reduced muzzle sway, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. A bullpup like the A91, the QBZ-95B is steady on the move with a lower rate of fire for controllable shots at longer range. The built in foregrip is now properly reflected in the weapon’s stats.

    AK-74M: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AK-74M sacrifices rate of fire for controllable automatic fire, the initial recoil was negatively affecting the feeling of controllability.
    M16A3: No Change. The M16 (both A3 and A4) provide a well-rounded stable firing platform with a high rate of fire that is relatively controllable.
    M16A4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M16A4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
    M416: No change. The M416 is the middle ground AR, blending a medium recoil and rate of fire.
    AEK-971: Increased initial recoil, reduced aimed accuracy slightly. The AEK has a very high rate of fire, and also a large muzzle drift that makes control difficult. The low initial recoil allowed a player to kill before the weapon’s weaknesses kicked in while the reduced accuracy highlights its close range role.
    F2000: Reduced vertical recoil, increased zoomed accuracy slightly. As a bullpup, the F2000 has a bonus to accuracy on the move and from the hip while its high rate of fire sacrifices controllability for saturation. The previous changes were an overreaction, this is a corrective update.
    AN94: Reduced vertical recoil. The AN94’s 2 round burst mode is incredibly accurate, but it suffers from a low rate of fire on fully automatic. The recoil in full auto has been reduced somewhat to offset this penalty and make the AN94 more attractive.
    G3A3: Increased damage at all ranges, reduced vertical recoil. The G3A3’s heavy recoil and heavy round are offset by a low rate of fire and a small magazine. The G3A3 was clearly outclassed at all ranges.
    KH2002: No Change. The KH2002 is locked to burst fire, with a high rate of fire and a large muzzle drift the weapon favors accurate mid-range fire.
    L85A2: Increased accuracy, reduced muzzle drift. The L85 differs from other bullpup style ARs by having a low rate of fire, the accuracy and controllability were too low to offset the rate of fire.
    FAMAS: The FAMAS combines an extreme rate of fire with extreme recoil making it very difficult to use at anything other than close quarters combat. Due to update restrictions, the FAMAS had different stats on all 3 platforms. The FAMAS is now uniform on all platforms and now has the correct 25 round magazine.

    PP2000: Reduced the initial recoil. The PP2000 has a lower ROF than other PDWs and needed the controllability to be balanced.
    UMP45: Reduced accuracy loss during full auto. The UMP45 hits hard and has a controllable recoil at the cost of a heavy initial recoil kick.
    MP7: No Change. The MP7 has a very low recoil and a high muzzle drift that favors longer bursts than the P90.
    AS VAL: Increased vertical recoil, reduced first shot recoil, reduced accuracy on the move. The AS VAL fires a long range, highly accurate, high damage projectile that favors short bursts or single fire when stationary. While still quite good from the hip, the AS VAL will suffer if fired while moving and aimed.
    PDW-R: Reduced the initial recoil. The PDW-R has high recoil and favors burst fire, the added initial recoil was making it less effective in small bursts.
    P90: Reduced the initial recoil. The P90 favors a run and gun play style using long bursts to control muzzle drift, the initial recoil was making bursting ineffective.
    PP-19: Slightly reduced the initial recoil when firing, increased base damage. The PP-19’s high initial recoil was over penalizing the burst fire needed to be effective on the low damage, high capacity weapon.

    WEAPON ACCESSORIES:

    SCOPES:

    -Fixed the 7x scope not zooming to the full 7x on all weapons.
    -Corrected the M39’s laser sight so it points at the point of impact and aligns with scopes when zoomed.
    -Fixed a misaligned scope crosshair on the G3A3 using the Rifle Scope 6x.
    -Fixed the PKA and PKA-S scopes on the M416 having swapped zoom levels.
    -The L96 Straight Pull bolt now functions properly.
    -The L96 ironsights have been adjusted for a clearer aiming picture and correct use of the integral front sight.
    -The L96 now properly shows scope glint when using the 8x, and 12x scopes.
    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule

    BIPOD:

    -The Accuracy increase and Recoil reduction of the Bipod has been significantly improved for Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -The Bipod now provides similar Accuracy and Recoil benefits no matter if the weapon is fired while aiming or without aiming for all weapons. Previously only LMGs were worked this way. This especially improves the speed at which snipers can make follow up shots, and also allows effective unaimed suppressive fire with Assault Rifles and Carbines.
    -Increased the Speed at which a bipod is deployed, allowing the user to obtain the bipod’s bonus sooner after the deploy has started and allowing the weapon to be aimed in a far shorter time. The speed has been increased 40-50%, depending on the weapon and animation.

    HEAVY BARREL:

    -The Vertical Recoil penalty of the Heavy Barrel has been reduced. The value has been changed from a global percent increase to a weapon specific value.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Heavy Barrel to represent the added weight of the accessory, as well as focus the attachment on accurate mid and long range fire. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.
    -Several weapons with low default bullet speed now have their bullet speed increased when the Heavy Barrel is equipped. This is in effect for the A91, G3A3, AKS-74u, G36C, M4A1, SCAR-H, SG553, G53, and QBZ-95B.
    -The Heavy Barrel is now also paired with Match Rounds which increase the maximum range of the weapon. The minimum and maximum damage are unchanged, weapons with the Heavy Barrel will be more effective in mid range.
    -The Aimed Accuracy bonus provided by the Heavy Barrel has been increased. This will increase the effectiveness of the Heavy Barrel for small bursts, as originally intended.

    IRNV FIXES:

    -Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
    -Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
    -Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
    -Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule.

    FOREGRIP:

    -The Horizontal Sway reduction has been changed from a global percent reduction to a weapon specific value reduction. For most guns this means very little change, for guns which have a large horizontal recoil the change is more substation. The FAMAS, F2000, and AEK971 are most effected, the AK-74, M16, and M416 are nearly unchanged.
    -A small long range Aimed Accuracy penalty has been added to the foregrip. Players who generally find themselves fighting at mid to long range may want to change their accessory, while players fighting in CQB will go largely unaffected. Combining the Foregrip with a Silencer or a Heavy Barrel will offset this penalty.

    LASER SIGHT:

    -The Hip Accuracy bonus provided by the Laser Sight has been increased. Some PDWs have had their crouch and prone base stats adjusted to prevent hip firing being more accurate than aimed fire when using a laser sight.
    -The bonus is now a weapon specific value instead of a global percentage, some guns receive larger or smaller bonuses, though all bonuses are better than they were previously.

    SUPPRESSOR:

    -The Suppressor no longer reduces the maximum damage of a weapon when equipped. Instead the Suppressor reduces the minimum and maximum range of the weapon, making it ideal for CQB and Stealth. This change will make the Suppressor slightly more effective at long range, where the bullet drop and speed makes shots difficult already, and reduces the power of the suppressor at mid range slightly.
    -The Suppressor’s recoil bonus remains unchanged at a global 10% decrease. This is less than the Flash Suppressor’s bonus for all weapons.
    -The Hip Accuracy penalty of the Suppressor has been changed from a global percentage to a per weapon value. Generally this penalty is higher now, but not for all weapons. Specifically, the belt LMGs and bolt Snipers do not have any additional hip fire penalty, as their penalty is already at the maximum possible value.
    -Reduced the Aimed Accuracy bonus of the Suppressor from 50% to 25%. A Suppressor and Foregrip combo will have similar accuracy to a weapon without any Accessories, at the penalty of worse Hip Fire Accuracy and Range and with the benefit of much improved Stealth and reduced Recoil.

    FLASH SUPPRESSOR:

    -The Flash Suppressor no longer reduces accuracy for Automatic Fire.
    -The Flash Suppressor now also works as a recoil compensator, reducing the Vertical Recoil by a weapon specific value. This bonus is larger than the bonus provided by the Suppressor.
    -A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Flash Suppressor to represent the added weight of the accessory. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.

    GADGETS:

    -Reduced the spot times on C4 and Claymore projectiles from 30 to 15 sec.
    -Tweaked the controls and physics for the EOD bot to improve its handling and aiming capabilities.
    -The Radio Beacon, Mortar, MAV, EOD bot, T-UGS, and SOFLAM should now be much easier to deploy.
    -The MAV will now be destroyed when running into a soldier or vehicle at high speed. It is still possible to strategically sacrifice your MAV on a soldier; it will be destroyed in the process.
    -The MAV now properly shows up in the Kill Feed. Previously it simply displayed “KILLED.”
    -The MAV can no longer be used as an elevator.
    -Matched the motion sensor sweep frequency and range on the MAV to the TUGS.
    -Players will no longer auto enter SOFLAM, MAV, and EOD bots after they are deployed.
    -Players may now use their knife to destroy enemy equipment.
    -C4 will no longer be detonable after a player respawns, if the player is revived within 5 seconds he can still detonate his C4.
    -The player may now have a maximum number of mines which will persist after the player’s death. Deploying more than the maximum of 6 mines will remove a previous mine from the world.
    -Claymores now live up to 5 seconds after a player dies, the player can have a max 2 claymores planted at the same time.
    -Claymores can now detonate from vehicles and can be used to disable jeeps or kill the passengers in light jeeps. Claymores will not do any damage to heavy vehicles.
    -Ammobags now stay until the user redeploys them like Medkits.
    -Ammobags resupply bullets more quickly, but explosives resupply more slowly, especially 40mm grenades.
    -Slightly reduced the effective blast radius of the RPG, SMAW, and 40mm grenade projectiles against infantry.
    -Reduced the total number of RPG and SMAW missiles carried from 5 to 4. Players desiring more rockets will want to use the Explosive spec.
    -Slightly increased the heal rate of the Medical Crate.
    -The MAV now will also descend by pressing the Crouch Toggle key. (PC)
    -The M224 Mortar can no longer be deployed in an area that is out of combat for another team like a home base or other protected spawn.
    -Tweaked M224 exit points so the player faces in the direction of the mortar when he exits.
    -Mines, Claymores, C4 and other deployable items will now only appear on the minimap when spotted by a teammate.

    TEAM DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Tehran Highway playable area has been doubled and is now the same as the Squad Deathmatch set up. Spawn points have been tweaked, and an extra spawn zone has been added north of the footbridge.
    -Kharg Island has a new spawn zone layout, along with a bigger playable area and new cover objects. Spawn points have also been tweaked.
    -Strike at Karkand spawns zones have been tweaked to improve player flow. Spawn points have been tweaked to improve safety upon spawning.
    -Sharqi Peninsula spawn zones have been adjusted to optimize player movement. Spawn points have been tweaked so players spawn more safely.
    -Seine Crossing spawn zone set up has been improved. There is a new spawn zone by the alleyway to the northwest with additional spawn points.
    -Caspain Border spawn zones have been tweaked slightly.

    SQUAD DEATHMATCH

    -Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
    -Damavand Peak layout and spawn zones have been tightened to reduce the spread of players across the map
    -Tehran Highway now features an extra spawn zone north of the footbridge, along with tweaked spawn points.
    -Noshahr Canals spawn zones have been tweaked. Removed unsafe spawn points in the Northeast corner, and in the middle of the container area to the Southwest.

    Note: Please keep in mind that this update is still subject to change!