Battlefield 3 Message Board older than one year ago

This story is a little surprising. BF3 Blog have done the legwork on this: first they spotted that Battlefield 3 on the PS3 and 360 is going to have an in-game server browser for multiplayer game-finding. Good for them. However, where this story turns sour is the news that the PC version will not have any in-game server browser, and to find a multiplayer game you have to exit the game, and use the “Battlelog” application to launch games. Senior Gameplay Designer Alan Kertz has been assuring everyone that the process is relatively smooth, but why? And, if it has to be in another app, why isn’t there a server browser in Origin’s overlay? Why is there another system to complicate things? Ah, of course, because Battelog wants to be the free equivalent of Activision’s Elite thingum, with all that social and achievement stuff that you play games for.

Tune in next wee for: mouse controls only on the PS3?!

Cheers R-F for flagging this one up in the forums.

• Best Hardware or Hardware Accessories -- PlayStation Vita
• Best Console Game -- FIFA 12
• Best Mobile Game -- Uncharted: Golden Abyss
• Best Online Game -- Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Best PC Game -- Diablo III
• Best Browser Game -- The Sims Social
• Best Family Game -- Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

Valve has been silent as Electronic Arts has blasted alleged changes in policy on Steam, prompting a bunch of EA games to come down from the service. EA has even gone so far as to publicly state Battlefield 3 would likely not be released on Steam at launch.

I've asked Valve to comment multiple times--but nothing.

At Gamescom, Valve founder Gabe Newell has been talking to the press about the newly announced Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Develop asked Newell about EA, and while he didn't explain what's happening in much detail, Valve didn't throw EA under the bus.

"I don’t think Valve can pick just one thing and think the issue would go away if we fixed that," he said. "We have to show EA it’s a smart decision to have EA games on Steam, and we’re going to try to show them that."

There are some clear issues separating EA and Valve at the moment, and Valve appears hopeful to make the case to EA that the benefits of working within its system is worth it.

Crysis 2, Dragon Age II and others have been removed the past few months, as EA voiced concerns about its ability to communicate and sell content to consumers. EA had pointed towards its exclusivity deals over downloadable content with other distributors as one issue, but Newell makes it sound like there are larger philosophical debates about digital at play here.

"It’s our duty to demonstrate [value] to them," he said. "We don’t have a natural right to publish their games."

Holy shit. It’s the bit at 0:38 with all the vehicles, for me.(more…)

Explosions! Jets! Robots! Jeeps! Jets! Helicopters! Tanks! JETS!
Watch.

The headline says it all, really. The single-player game of BF3, which hasn’t had much attention so far, will be playable with a chum. The demonstration was shown on 360, of course, with the two developers pretending to not know what they were doing. They totally rescued a hostage! They drove a tank together! They revived each other! But there you go – co-op. In Battlefield 3. Got it? Good.

The moves! They are becoming clearer. As many of you speculated, it seems that the retail version of Battlefield 3 will indeed require Origin to be installed on your computer in order to play it. Oh Twitter, how did we find out brief snippets of information (or organise anarchic uprisings against the grim hegemony of shoe shops) before you existed?

This admission by EA probably goes some way to explaining why the game won’t appear on Steam, because it would basically entail two Steam-like systems being folded around the game, and they would inevitably fight like giant sperm whales versus kraken in the magnetic depths of your hard-drive. Such a conflict would undoubtedly causing electronic terribleness to occur, and no-one wants that. That’s my understanding of the technical situation, at least. I suspect there are also overriding commercial reasons pulling the levers behind the scenes. This is the game could spread Origin about in the game-o-sphere, just as Counter-Strike and Half-Life 2 propagated Steam.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? I am betting that you do.

As it stands, Battlefield 3 will not be available on Steam when the game releases on October 25.

There have been plenty of indications this would be the case, but Battlefield 3 community coordinator Seeson Mahathavorn took to the official Battlefield 3 message boards to explain the current situation.

"We are intent on providing Battlefield 3 players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game," said Mahathavorn, "and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers. We hope to work out an agreement where Steam can carry Battlefield 3."

Hope.

Electronic Arts' relationship with Steam has been strained, as of late, due to an apparent change in Steam's policies regarding downloadable content. An exclusivity agreement over such content for Crysis 2 had Crytek's shooter pulled from Steam. When Dragon Age II: Legacy released last week, Dragon Age II came down from Steam, too. It's likely the same policies were going to be in place for Battlefield 3, too, which is why EA can confidently say Battlefield 3 will not appear on Steam without changes.

"EA offers games to all major download services," said Mahathavorn. "Unfortunately, Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. No other download service has adopted these practices.

The complete list of other digital retailers where Battlefield 3 will eventually be available is lengthy, and it's not as though EA is positioning Battlefield 3 as an Origin-only exclusive. The complete list, which includes everything from Amazon to Best Buy, is available at the official Battlefield 3 website.

"We are intent on providing Battlefield 3 players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play the game," said Mahathavorn, "and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with consumers."

For the moment, that doesn't include Steam.

Since EA started having issues with Steam, Valve has been--and continues to be--silent.

A post on the EA forums has thrown a bit more detail into the blaze of speculation surrounding Battlefield 3′s failure to appear on Steam. While we’re still not precise sure what it is in Steam’s terms of service that preclude it’s inclusion it is, as many speculated, down to how Steam restricts DLC and patch distribution on their service. The author of the post explains: “EA offers games to all major download services. Unfortunately, Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. No other download service has adopted these practices.”

More on EA’s own policies appear here. I don’t think expect this will be the end of this particular power struggle.

Greetings, humans. We have a new competition for you, and it’s a little different from the norm. In fact, it’s far better than the norm. (Well, unless you’re afraid of flying. Then it might be worse, I guess).

The prize, for two lucky readers from the UK, is three days and two nights in Stockholm, Sweden, during which you’ll get hands-on time with early code for Battlefield 3, meet and interview developers EA DICE, stay in a five-star hotel and also visit a local range to fire some real guns as well as BF3′s virtual ones. You can still shout ‘dakkadakkadakkadakka’ as you do so if you wish, but honestly, it won’t be necessary. Real bullets, see.(more…)

The terms "alpha" or "beta" mean less to most players than "get to play it early," which will be the case in September for anyone interested in Battlefield 3 who purchased Medal of Honor: Limited Edition.

DICE has published some clarification on the Battlefield 3 blog to help provide some answers.

The studio is currently rolling into the alpha phase, which is a private and invite-only period meant to test very specific aspects of the online experience. Having purchased Medal of Honor won't help you get into this one, but that doesn't mean you don't have a shot. DICE recommends signing up for the Battlefield 3 newsletter and ensuring your Veteran status is current.

Then, cross your fingers.

What you should really be looking forward to is September's beta. A newsletter recently went out reminding players of the beta, but if you didn't receive that newsletter, there's still time to opt in via your online Electronic Arts profile. There doesn't appear to be a cut-off period, so long as you've got a copy of Medal of Honor in your possession with a Battlefield 3 sticker.

Naturally, that offer doesn't extend to used copies of the game.

Test out a theory for us. Do you have a Bad Company 2 rank higher than 30? Then head on over to the Battlefield 3 Alphatrial page, and see if you’re eligible to download the alpha for the forthcoming game. Some deduction work by RPS spy Phill suggests that those who have the big three-o or higher seem to be amongst the lucky few who get to play the game already. Those below do not.

Or are these the fevered imaginings of a dangerous loon? Let us know. We might be onto something.