tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post7662692193752436644..comments2024-03-28T07:16:05.720-07:00Comments on Experience Points: The Fog of War: Notes from the Battlefield 3 BetaJorge Alborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-6347244648077484062012-10-24T06:40:58.847-07:002012-10-24T06:40:58.847-07:00"anyone who has done armed service knows that..."anyone who has done armed service knows that three dots means rapid fire"joe doenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-73448984838772458222011-10-26T20:31:24.740-07:002011-10-26T20:31:24.740-07:00Hi Jeremy,
Yeah, I'm not exactly surprised th...Hi Jeremy,<br /><br />Yeah, I'm not exactly surprised that the PC to console transition looks to be a rocky one.<br /><br />Of course, as you point out, buying it on the PC comes with a host of technical and ethical irritations. It's been a long time since I've seen a launch handled so poorly. I wonder how many people will adopt your stance?Scott Justerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11775296635863850847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-22689634924716233992011-10-26T00:05:38.934-07:002011-10-26T00:05:38.934-07:00Well, I gather the BF3 console port is embarrassin...Well, I gather the BF3 console port is embarrassingly lacking in terms of maps, graphics, players etc. That wouldn't be so bad except it also doesn't seem to have any kind of local matchmamking, so if you're anywhere but the US, you'll constantly be connected to laggy US-hosted matches anyway. Making it nearly unplayable.<br /><br />And on PC you have to contend with compulsory Origin (and EA getting to dig through your HD) and the apparently god-awful Battlelog browser system.<br /><br />Oh, and EA online pass so that I can't onsell my copy of this mainly multiplayer game when I'm finished with it.<br /><br />On the plus side, deciding not to buy it because of all this nasty anti-consumer crap feels really, really good. Almost principled.Jeremyhttp://anonymouslefty.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-30758526579219407502011-10-16T19:09:53.128-07:002011-10-16T19:09:53.128-07:00Hey Paul,
I definitely agree about the "meat...Hey Paul,<br /><br />I definitely agree about the "meat" of the game being squad and tactics-based stuff, which makes it even weirder that they are marketing it as a direct competitor to Modern Warfare. If you want to compete with that Goliath, you have to be perfect!<br /><br />It's a shame, since I think the Battlefield set up is an interesting alternative to Modern Warfare that suffers from trying to be something it isn't.<br /><br />Hi Gustav,<br /><br />Great points about the different weapons and shadowy distinction between teams, as well as the general janky feel of the whole thing. Hopefully this is more of a true beta than a marketing gimmick, but I can't shake the feeling that BF 3 is shooting itself in the foot trying to be some sort of weird hybrid between BF 2, Bad Company, and Modern Warfare. Might as well specialize in something than be sub par in many things, right?Scott Justerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11775296635863850847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-51787737845053407342011-10-13T12:22:43.735-07:002011-10-13T12:22:43.735-07:00I totally agree. I've always loved the Battlef...I totally agree. I've always loved the Battlefield games, but alas the series has been know for a lot of small bugs and bad design decisions (especially on launch).<br /><br />Even though it was only a beta (some would call it an early demo), the general feeling was in-responsiveness (if that's a word). For instance, I often had to click the spawn button numerous before my soldier spawned (even though the counter says it's ready).<br /><br />Another thing I disliked was the fact that each team got its own set of weapons. It took me a while to figure out why my upgrades sometimes didn't showed up (you switch team each round). I can't see the readon why you should have different weapons for each faction, since they in all other regards are so similar. There are virtually no differences between the teams. It made it very hard to distinguish friend from foe - I could only spot the difference by looking at the name's color. And sometimes the name tag wouldn't be shown immediately, which resulted in him killing me first. In Battlefield 2 it was easy to tell a sniper from a medic and a US Marine from a Chinese soldier.<br /><br />I thought BF2 was a brilliant game (despite its many bugs). BF3 feels too much like Bad Company, and worst of all it tries to mimmick Call of Duty with its focus on infantry combat. To me, Battlefield is more about the big epic wars with tons of vehicles, teamwork and a general feeling of being one cog in a big wheel. It's not so much about the individual kills, but more sbout the feeling of team spirit when you fly around with your buddy in a helicopter or when you revive your squad as a medic.Gustav Dahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02707580330282638986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-81203509866134179092011-10-12T13:11:17.061-07:002011-10-12T13:11:17.061-07:00Some of the problems you cited are holdovers from ...Some of the problems you cited are holdovers from BC2: namely the absence of a health HUD and the map placement. I can forgive the first one since, as you said, a few bullets kill you anyhow, and I kind of appreciate the immersive aspect of perceptually gauging if you're healthy enough to sprint out of cover before taking a few more bullets.<br /><br />A lot of the cryptic design decisions for the HUD in general, however, worry me. We'll see if people eventually assimilate them like they did in the previous titles. The weapon selection in BC2 was quite a bit clearer with the iconography, but still a little off-putting to newcomers.<br /><br />Once you get the "flavor" of this game and have the experience of successfully operating in a good squad, a lot of these niggling UI problems cease to carry as much weight. That's the meat of the multiplayer in Battlefield, anyhow, even in "capture the flag" (Conquest) games: the squad tactics and knowing how to play your role. But it's hard to get to the meat of the game when it's surrounded by obscure UI design.Paul Baumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05395430748553679591noreply@blogger.com