Battlefield: Bad Company 2

[Nonentity]

Keys are available in all the usual places.

If you don't feel like paying for a key, snag one on http://www.fileplay.net/keys - just gotta make a free account.

[Jherad]

In-game:

We're fully aware of the current lag issues and are going to work non stop until the issues are resolved.

The sound IS great though. Fantastic atmosphere.

[Malakili]

In-game:

We're fully aware of the current lag issues and are going to work non stop until the issues are resolved.

The sound IS great though. Fantastic atmosphere.

I agree, the game looks, sounds, and feels good.  Its been a while since I played a "realistic" type shooter. (Not that this is realistic, but I've been playing TF2, so yeah).  It felt new enough to be interesting while familiar enough that I could figure out what was going by the end of the second round I played.

[waffel]

My only gripe (not sure if it's a gripe) is its so hard to see shit. Especially trying to snipe. The scope is all blurry and small, and you have all kinds of dust, explosions, flying debris all over the place. Thinking about it though it actually will be nice. Sniping isn't as easy as simply laying prone somewhere (oops, no prone) and having 100% clear shots on everyone.

[Malakili]

So, I can't play at all now.  I guess EA is having some serious server issues on their end and apparently they are working on it.  The game crashes when I go to the server browser, and when I click Play Now, it tells me I don't have a connection to the game server.  Lots of other people having this issue too, at least that is what I gather from the Steam forums.

[Nonentity]

I am super happy that there is no prone, honestly. No dolphin diving, and makes it easier to see annoying ass snipers (though the killcam helps a lot with that).

I did have one moment when I tried it over lunch when I got killed by two snipers crouching on the big gas pipe at the end, and then in the killcam watching them both get taken out by a single friendly sniper bullet. That was satisfying.

[Malakili]

Found a work around for anyone having the same problem as me:  Try to connect using the "Play Now" button - you will fail.  Thats ok.  Now, on the main screen in the lower right, go to servers (not multiplayer menu -> server list).  This seems to work for some reason.

Also - I am loving medic in this game. 

[NiX]

http://www.myinternetservices.com/ - Keys available here. Fileplay is out apparently.

[NiX]

My god. I miss this game so much. I've found it to be one of the few online games where you're more likely to find people to support you. Just got 10K in points because my squad mate kept the tank repaired and the infantry off our backs.

[Malakili]

My god. I miss this game so much. I've found it to be one of the few online games where you're more likely to find people to support you. Just got 10K in points because my squad mate kept the tank repaired and the infantry off our backs.

I think the friends list is broken right now, but if anyone wants to add me my name is "Zhenya"

I've had some good experiences with team work so far too, would be fun to play together with others too.

[kondratti]

http://www.myinternetservices.com/ - Keys available here. Fileplay is out apparently.

Thanks, got a key..

edit: nm, found it.

[Mavor]

 Seems to just hang at "loading" for me... hmm

[NiX]

Are you using the "Join now" button?

[Mavor]

 I actually don't see a "join now" button. Only order now. However, there is a "get beta key" button, but it doesn't seem to do anything.

[Phire]

Hur dur I think he was talking about the beta key website versus the actual game.

Game is awesome! I can't wait to get off work and jump back into it...although they have to do something about the mouse sensitivity, even at max it is really low especially on turrets.

[NiX]

Hur dur I think he was talking about the beta key website versus the actual game.

Game is awesome! I can't wait to get off work and jump back into it...although they have to do something about the mouse sensitivity, even at max it is really low especially on turrets.

You are correct. Dickbag.

Mavor - Keep trying. I never got it to say anything other than "Loading" and "We're being hammered right now", but still ended up getting a key.

[Nonentity]

4 out of 5 times I click 'play now' to be placed in a server, it puts me on a server in the UK. Really obnoxious. At least the patch fixed the server browser.

[Malakili]

Ok, so after playing a ton between last night and today, I'd like to write up a bit of a "beta so far" review.  Note: This is a gameplay review, so I won't be talking about any of the bugs from last night (server list related).

1.  Destructible Environments:  This actually plays really well. Sometimes with gimmicks like this you wonder how much it is just a selling point on the box, and how much it actually makes the gameplay better, and I am happy to report that this really makes a huge impact on the gameplay.  There is nothing like blasting your way into a building by blowing a hole in the wall.  It also means that nothing is safe really to hide behind.  They say this in the videos when interviewing devs and such, but its actually true.  There is a lot of difference in quality of cover though.  Wooden fences get cut down like butter, walls to houses offer some protection against bullets, but will crumble to explosives, leaving you exposed.  There are some other very hearty materials (thick concrete) that will break down but seem to stay up to some degree even under heavy shelling (can't tell yet if they can be totally destroyed at some point, haven't been able to test for sure).  Buildings CAN be brought down, but more often they are reduced to just their steel frames.    Lastly, if you bring down a building that houses an objective, that objective is lost, this provides a nice way for an offense to break a turtle, if they can get a tank into position to shell the building.

2.  Class Balance:  So far, this seems quite good, though time will tell if it holds up.   Breaks down like this, Assault, Engineer, Medic, Recon.  

Assault is your standard rifle user, he also gets a grenade launcher, pistol, and ammo pack, that can be dropped.  The ammo pack replenishes ammunition to yourself and teammates who stand near it.  It is very vulnerable to being knocked around by explosive damage though, so you have to keep tabs on it making sure you keep it near where you want it. (You can drop a new one after a short cool down, which causes the old one to disappear).  Rifles are only accurate in short bursts, but are quite deadly.  The ammo pack is vital to have as ammo gets used up quickly by all classes, so that makes this class a valid/important part of a team and isn't simply your standard "shooty" class or something.

Engineer is the specialist in vehicles, destroying and repairing.  He gets a RPG along side a weakish rifle/submachinegun (don't remember exactly what it is).  The RPG can knock out armor, or be used to knock down walls, and other bits of terrain.  He also gets a repair device (looks like some sort of power tool), that can be used to repair vehicles that are damaged (but can't repair ones that have been knocked all the way out).  Engineers are important for obvious reasons, as they are your prime means of taking out enemy armor, which can be deady.  However,an engineer that stays along side friendly armor can be even more useful, as a tank that is being healed is hard to take out for a single enemy engineer.

Medic's oddly enough, get a light machinegun.  Its fairly good for laying down covering fire or keeping the enemy pinned down, but isn't going to win 1v1 at close range very well.  In close range, take out the pistol and hope for the best.  He can lay down medkits that work like the ammo packs I mentioned for assault.  These are real important in terms of keeping your team up, and I've seen a few times when teams have had a couple medics lay down packs near each other and have makeshift rally points set up.  This can be a very effective strategy.  Lastly, medics get an AED.  When a team mate dies, medics will see a little heath monitor looking bar appear on their mini map.  If you get to them and use your paddles on them before they respawn (10 seconds or so), they will respawn right away at that location.  Furthermore, it prevents the loss of reinforcements that normally get used up by respawning (in the beta map, the offense has to take all objectives with 100 reinforcements, rather than within a time limit).  Vital for obvious reasons, and awesomely fun to play, I think.

Recon is your sniper.  I haven't played this more than a few lives worth so far to be honest.  Sniping seems tricky in this game, but I've been taken out a ton of times at long range by snipers who know what they are doing, so its definitely powerful in the right hands.  Very good anti-infantry, and can help defeat dug in defenses well, as if someone so much as pops their head out, a sniper can kill him in a single shot.  Recon also gets c4 charges, which can be planted, and then remotely detonated.  I haven't seen these used a ton yet, though I have a feeling it is mostly because people haven't best figured out their place.  I think defensive traps might be one, we will see.  Lastly, Recon gets sensors, which they can throw down on the battlefield.  They reveal enemy locations on the minimap if they are within range of the sensor, and everyone on the team can gets this information.   I've seen Recon players use this to set up a defense around their sniping spot, so they know if an enemy is coming to flank them.  I've also seen defense Recon players set up their sensors at the beginning of the round at key choke points.


The class balance seems good, and all the classes are useful.  Recon seems the most situational so far, but because its a sniper, there are always going to be a few on every team regardless.  

Unlocks:

Unlocks happen with some frequency, sometimes giving you more options to choose from for weapons, or other times giving you upgrades (in "specialist" slots).  This is pretty standard these days.  You gain experience points, or whatever they are called, by killing people, defending objectives, attacking objectives, helping your teammates with your class specific gadgets, etc.  You are also awarded "pins" which give bonus EXP, stuff like "revive three people in one life as medic" you can get these as many times as you complete them, and usually give around 100 bonus exp per.  You get to see all the pins you've been awarded at the end of a round.  Teams are broken up in squads of 4 (or less than 4), and you usually gain extra experience points for helping your squad mates, which encourages squads to stick together.  I've seen some squads work really well together (even with coms), and I've seen some where people are all over the place, but I guess that is expected.

EDIT: Also, there are some "global" unlocks, so far I have one rifle and one shotgun that can be used by ANY class.  This opens up some interesting possibilities, like a shotgun using Recon who is more aggresive, tries to get his sensors behind enemy lines, uses c4 offensively, etc.  I haven't used them yet though.


So, there is only one map in beta right now, and its pretty fun, its a pretty standard attack/defend type mission, where the offense has 2 objectives at a time, after they take those 2, 2 more open up, until they've taken all of them, or until they run out of reinforcements.  I have to say, I am REALLY enjoying this mode so far (its called Rush, the map is called Valdez).  I really only have positive things to say about it so far, and while I had high hopes going in, its one of the games I've played recently that doesn't feel like a let down.  I definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in this kind of game.

Ask me questions if you have them and I'll be happy to answer.

[waffel]

Very nice writeup. Pretty much covers everything I've experienced so far playing the past 2 days.

I'm just going to add a few things.

First off, medics get a PKM. If you've ever played BF2 you'll probably  because the PKM was awarded to the Support kit. So far my experience with enemy medics is them strafing back and forth holding the button down spraying it. Since it has a 100 round clip (or did in BF2) its pretty cheesy. This is the only class that is able to spray.

The beta is limited to 3 unlocks per class. There are more (6 total) but they've had their points required jacked up (they require 100,000,000 points) Also, I believe the unlocks will scale better. At the moment you can unlock the first 3 within a matter of a few hours. I think once the game comes the 6 unlocks per class will scale so you get a few every week/month.

There are global unlocks such as shotguns, pistols, abilities for your vehicles, etc.  I'm also pretty sure you can pick C4 on the assault kit also, which makes it a bit more useful.

The nice thing about the unlocks (especially the global ones) is there is a lot of variety on how you play your kit. I play engineer a lot, so there are times when I want the classic RPG for taking out vehicles. Or, sometimes if I'm on defense I'll opt for the land mines (which take the place of the RPG) There is also a rocket launcher that does less damage to vehicles but more of a splash damage, which is great for buildings. Also, if I need more accuracy/long range ability from my main sidearm I'll pick a weapon that gives me that but does less damage. If I want to do a lot of close combat I'll opt for the pump-action shotgun or the auto-shotgun.

Because of this, I've seen snipers equip a machine gun and go into the front lines, using their sensor balls and c4.

You also have vehicles (ATVs that seat 2 people, two types of tanks, a chopper, and a UAV chopper) Vehicles seem pretty balanced, a lot of firepower, but they aren't as easy to use as in BF2. They have reduced viability, turning radius, and you have to account for bullet drop.

The two most surprising aspects of BC2 is the sound and how well the destructible environments play. For the sound, I knew they put a lot of work into it but wow. Every gunshot, explosion, vehicle, and bullet whir sounds so realistic (as realistic as I can imagine since I've never been in a war) It really, really sets the mood of the game and immerses you. As for the destructible environment, it plays great. Buildings getting shot up and losing walls, trees being topped by gunfire and grenades, vehicles exploding and their burning wreckage providing cover for a few minutes.

Overall its a pretty fun experience. On top of the typical replayability of a FPS, you also have a variety of guns, maps, vehicles, unlocks, and ways to play your kit which keep things different. I'm hoping for a bit more open maps which make better use of squad play and vehicles but they'll be in the retail release.

[LK]

Wait, an unlock every week / month?

I think I stopped playing BF2 around the time I had my third unlock and the next one required an exponential increase in time investment to unlock.

[Malakili]

Wait, an unlock every week / month?

I think I stopped playing BF2 around the time I had my third unlock and the next one required an exponential increase in time investment to unlock.

That number seems like total speculation.  Also, one thing I will note is that the unlocks don't seem to be drastically over powered, this isn't MW2 where suddenly you are facing people who are dual wielding automatic shotguns, so even if you don't have all the unlocks you aren't totally hosed.  Or at least, that is how it seems so far, I can't speak for all the "top end" stuff, but it doesn't seem to be going in that direction, because what I have are some pure upgrades, but definitely some side grades (like one LMG I got does less damage, but has a faster rate of fire than the default, so its not just a straight upgrade).

[Nightblade]

The biggest problem I have with this game is how sluggish it feels. No, not simply from a performance point a view, but how the mouse feels and how the input feedback feels.

Mind you, this is from someone who downgraded back to XP because the mouse in Windows 7 felt like shit, with no apparent way to fix it. (Well, that was one of the reasons, the main being Windows 7 deciding to boot up with a black screen and a cursor at random times).

Crouching feels weird, aiming feels weird... Its difficult to put into words; but it just feels off even after messing with the sensitivity settings.

In TF2 or L4D2... Or even CoD4 I feel good smooth feedback, and I can maneuver quickly and easily. In this game, it feels like I'm trying to swim in molasses sometimes.

[Malakili]

The biggest problem I have with this game is how sluggish it feels. No, not simply from a performance point a view, but how the mouse feels and how the input feedback feels.

Mind you, this is from someone who downgraded back to XP because the mouse in Windows 7 felt like shit, with no apparent way to fix it. (Well, that was one of the reasons, the main being Windows 7 deciding to boot up with a black screen and a cursor at random times).

Crouching feels weird, aiming feels weird... Its difficult to put into words; but it just feels off even after messing with the sensitivity settings.

In TF2 or L4D2... Or even CoD4 I feel good smooth feedback, and I can maneuver quickly and easily. In this game, it feels like I'm trying to swim in molasses sometimes.

Can't really relate personally, so unfortunately I can't really offer much in the way of suggestions.  Has it just been a while since you played a game like this and it feels odd and you'll get used to it, or do you think its more fundamental than that.  Then again, I've never been very finicky about my mouse settings, I use the default in almost every game unless its way towards the extreme either way.

[Nightblade]

The biggest problem I have with this game is how sluggish it feels. No, not simply from a performance point a view, but how the mouse feels and how the input feedback feels.

Mind you, this is from someone who downgraded back to XP because the mouse in Windows 7 felt like shit, with no apparent way to fix it. (Well, that was one of the reasons, the main being Windows 7 deciding to boot up with a black screen and a cursor at random times).

Crouching feels weird, aiming feels weird... Its difficult to put into words; but it just feels off even after messing with the sensitivity settings.

In TF2 or L4D2... Or even CoD4 I feel good smooth feedback, and I can maneuver quickly and easily. In this game, it feels like I'm trying to swim in molasses sometimes.

Can't really relate personally, so unfortunately I can't really offer much in the way of suggestions.  Has it just been a while since you played a game like this and it feels odd and you'll get used to it, or do you think its more fundamental than that.  Then again, I've never been very finicky about my mouse settings, I use the default in almost every game unless its way towards the extreme either way.

I have the defaults set in TF2 and L4D2, in CoD4 I set the mouse settings a little lower than usual and it feels pretty much the same as the aforementioned titles. I use a driverless Deathadder with the latest firmware (Drift Control off). I don't really know what you mean by "this". An army shooter? CoD4 is a army shooter too and I have no issue with it.

Maybe mouse smoothing is on or something; I'll have to do research. Also, the button presses feel weird and slow as well. From changing weapons to crouching; everything has this annoying delay to it.

[Mavor]

 More likely then not, there will be some mouse options (smoothing and other) in the .ini file that you can play around with. If that doesn't work, then it's simply the way they coded the game (aka, coded it for a gamepad with velocity-oriented turning.. can't flick a gamepad you know). If that is the case... then you would have to wait for some sort of game mod. Even then, if its coded directly into the game I doubt you can do anything to fix it.

 I have ran into this mouse feel problem only when dealing with xbox360/ps3 ports onto PC. Definitely ruins the game experience for me too.

[tgr]

Or it's a DirectX/DirectInput issue, or whatever. I know I didn't have any problems with ArmA2 on XP, but a friend of mine had horrible delay on Vista. ArmA2 came up with an update which fixed the lag, could be BC2 has the same issue.

[Malakili]

The biggest problem I have with this game is how sluggish it feels. No, not simply from a performance point a view, but how the mouse feels and how the input feedback feels.

Mind you, this is from someone who downgraded back to XP because the mouse in Windows 7 felt like shit, with no apparent way to fix it. (Well, that was one of the reasons, the main being Windows 7 deciding to boot up with a black screen and a cursor at random times).

Crouching feels weird, aiming feels weird... Its difficult to put into words; but it just feels off even after messing with the sensitivity settings.

In TF2 or L4D2... Or even CoD4 I feel good smooth feedback, and I can maneuver quickly and easily. In this game, it feels like I'm trying to swim in molasses sometimes.

Can't really relate personally, so unfortunately I can't really offer much in the way of suggestions.  Has it just been a while since you played a game like this and it feels odd and you'll get used to it, or do you think its more fundamental than that.  Then again, I've never been very finicky about my mouse settings, I use the default in almost every game unless its way towards the extreme either way.

I have the defaults set in TF2 and L4D2, in CoD4 I set the mouse settings a little lower than usual and it feels pretty much the same as the aforementioned titles. I use a driverless Deathadder with the latest firmware (Drift Control off). I don't really know what you mean by "this". An army shooter? CoD4 is a army shooter too and I have no issue with it.

Maybe mouse smoothing is on or something; I'll have to do research. Also, the button presses feel weird and slow as well. From changing weapons to crouching; everything has this annoying delay to it.

There is definitely a mouse smoothing checkbox in settings, make sure it isn't checked first.  Are you sure you aren't playing on laggy servers?  It sounds a little like you are talking about simple network lag.  By "this" I meant a shooter than strays a bit more towards the tactical.  While it is still an action game and not anything like a sim, it definitely has more of those elements than TF2/L4D/CoD.  Especially since a lot of weapons in those games use hitscan, and this game doesn't, that could be one of the reasons shooting feels odd.  Doesn't explain crouching etc.

[Jherad]

Also, one thing I will note is that the unlocks don't seem to be drastically over powered, this isn't MW2 where suddenly you are facing people who are dual wielding automatic shotguns, so even if you don't have all the unlocks you aren't totally hosed.  Or at least, that is how it seems so far, I can't speak for all the "top end" stuff, but it doesn't seem to be going in that direction, because what I have are some pure upgrades, but definitely some side grades (like one LMG I got does less damage, but has a faster rate of fire than the default, so its not just a straight upgrade).

Definitely sidegrades as far as assault goes - better accuracy+damage, lower rater of fire, or replacing HE grenades with smoke etc.

[waffel]

Wait, an unlock every week / month?

I think I stopped playing BF2 around the time I had my third unlock and the next one required an exponential increase in time investment to unlock.

That's how it was in BF2. To get every unlock for every class it required a few months of play.

That way was fine. Unless people are expecting to unlock every gun within a week or two, which seems extremely dumbed down.

[Malakili]

Wait, an unlock every week / month?

I think I stopped playing BF2 around the time I had my third unlock and the next one required an exponential increase in time investment to unlock.

That's how it was in BF2. To get every unlock for every class it required a few months of play.

That way was fine. Unless people are expecting to unlock every gun within a week or two, which seems extremely dumbed down.

I frankly just don't care to be honest.  If people approach it with the "I need to max out myself inorder to play 'for real'" mentality, then they are insane anyway.  Just play the game, unlocks will come when the come.   Approaching it any other way is insane, this isn't an MMO.

[waffel]

Well there are currently people playing in beta that spend all round on a rock sniping. The problem is the ranking system. People shift from playing the game for fun and completing the objectives of the map to playing simply for points.

I could go on a rant on how the ranking systems in modern day FPS games turn it into a MMO-style grindfest but that's probably for another thread. Unfortunately, the ranking system is here to stay. I personally don't have a problem with unlocking a new gun/ability, whatever as I play, its cool when it happens but I'm not going to play any different. My gripe is the people that DO care that shitup the games I'm in. Sniping nonstop, not helping the team, hanging back in a tank the whole round. However, based on what I've seen in BC2, the people that do the best are the ones that go into battle. Kill streaks, knife kills, objectives, etc etc all give points. Hanging back in a tank or sniping only gives you a small amount of badges/awards. Hopefully the poopsockers figure that out.

[LK]

My god. I miss this game so much. I've found it to be one of the few online games where you're more likely to find people to support you. Just got 10K in points because my squad mate kept the tank repaired and the infantry off our backs.

That's one of the things about vehicles in game... it's a focused objective someone earns a clear benefit in helping protect. Protecting an HQ, a flag, or a checkpoint isn't as gratifying as protecting something that will fuck up the day that gets down the business end of it.

So, yeah, I imagine I'll be a repair type.

[Malakili]

That's one of the things about vehicles in game... it's a focused objective someone earns a clear benefit in helping protect. Protecting an HQ, a flag, or a checkpoint isn't as gratifying as protecting something that will fuck up the day that gets down the business end of it.

So, yeah, I imagine I'll be a repair type.

Its needed too, because a well supported vehicle is bad ass in this game, and an unsupported one is basically RPG fodder.  The difference is night and day.  You have some support, and repair, and you'll need multiple people to take it down, if its just some lone guy driving around and shooting, a single engineer can blow the vehicle up.  I love things that encourage teamwork, and you are right hat vehicles are definitely one of them.

[Strazos]

I still haven't figured out how to snipe in this one; it's obviously not using hitscan...and there's just so much going on sometimes, it can be a bit distracting.

[Malakili]

I still haven't figured out how to snipe in this one; it's obviously not using hitscan...and there's just so much going on sometimes, it can be a bit distracting.

I was trying it a bit earlier.  You have to account for movement and gravity.  Its tough, and I'm not very good at it, though I was finally getting the point where I could at least kill stationary targets.

I actually like that sniping is hampered by the fact that so much is going on, there are particles, etc.  It gives non snipers a much better chance to close distance or flank without being seen, meanwhile, good snipers can still be a big asset to their team.  Seems to circumvent the traditional "Noob cannon" problem.

Incidentally I was just in a game where someone was complaining sniper rifles were over powered, and I just told them the trick is not to expose yourself to sniper fire or try to kill them with an assault rifle at long range.    As we've mentioned before in this thread, a lot of people seem to be approaching the game with the idea that is it MW2 with vehicles, and are finding out the hard way that twitch skills aren't all that counts here.   Even as someone who plays and enjoys twitch games (though I think MW2 is WAY overrated in that department), I like BC2 a lot for what it is.