Battlefield: Bad Company 2

[Malakili]

Yeah, I've stopped using Play Now all together.  The game feels SO much better on very low ping servers.  Maybe its the fact that the weapons aren't hitscan, but latency makes this game feel terrible compared to other games which might not play well, but are probably at least playable.

[Pennilenko]

Yeah, I've stopped using Play Now all together.  The game feels SO much better on very low ping servers.  Maybe its the fact that the weapons aren't hitscan, but latency makes this game feel terrible compared to other games which might not play well, but are probably at least playable.

What is hitscan?

[Malakili]

Yeah, I've stopped using Play Now all together.  The game feels SO much better on very low ping servers.  Maybe its the fact that the weapons aren't hitscan, but latency makes this game feel terrible compared to other games which might not play well, but are probably at least playable.

What is hitscan?

Hitscan weapons just check to see if the crosshair is over the target, and then if you shoot while that condition is met, the target is hit.    This is how, for instance, most weapons in MW/2 work.  In Bad Company 2, the weapons have bullet physics, so you have to learn to adjust ever so slightly for the travel time and gravity, which matters most at long range, but is noticeable even at mid range.  With bad latency, it can be really really difficult to hit anything.

EDIT:  Even without bad latency, I think this is the reason many people complain that the game doesn't feel real snappy or responsive sometimes.  If you are used to playing games with hitscan weapons, you get immediate feedback.  This way definitely "feels" different to play.

[Pennilenko]

Yeah, I've stopped using Play Now all together.  The game feels SO much better on very low ping servers.  Maybe its the fact that the weapons aren't hitscan, but latency makes this game feel terrible compared to other games which might not play well, but are probably at least playable.

What is hitscan?

Hitscan weapons just check to see if the crosshair is over the target, and then if you shoot while that condition is met, the target is hit.    This is how, for instance, most weapons in MW/2 work.  In Bad Company 2, the weapons have bullet physics, so you have to learn to adjust ever so slightly for the travel time and gravity, which matters most at long range, but is noticeable even at mid range.  With bad latency, it can be really really difficult to hit anything.

EDIT:  Even without bad latency, I think this is the reason many people complain that the game doesn't feel real snappy or responsive sometimes.  If you are used to playing games with hitscan weapons, you get immediate feedback.  This way definitely "feels" different to play.

I am pretty sure I like BC2's system then.

[Nightblade]

With BC2 you get a good satisfying feeling when you get a kill that hasnt been felt to me since the old Counterstrike days.

Nothing's more fun than hiding in a corner as a recon, and planting some C4 on an oblivious light tank and shotgunning the engineer who tries to flank you in retaliation... But there are some serious issues.

Sometimes, empyting a clip into someone doesn't kill them, even if your aim is dead on. I've had this happen to people I was shooting more times than I care to count, It even happens to me sometimes. I start getting shot from some angle; I look around frantically trying to find my attacking, after I should have been dead twice I find him, he runs in to knife he; I shoot him and he dies.

[HaemishM]

I've definitely taken to trying to play on low ping servers. The BF series has always been really sensitive to lag, more than any other FPS.

[Nightblade]

I've definitely taken to trying to play on low ping servers. The BF series has always been really sensitive to lag, more than any other FPS.

Good luck trying to find a decent ping on the east coast. Every server I've went to has had a ping of at least 100 with just one exception.

[Malakili]

I've definitely taken to trying to play on low ping servers. The BF series has always been really sensitive to lag, more than any other FPS.

Good luck trying to find a decent ping on the east coast. Every server I've went to has had a ping of at least 100 with just one exception.

I've been pining well to servers in Virginia. (I am in New York).

[HaemishM]

Yeah, it's very rare to find anything that pings under 100, and the ones that do are usually full.

[Malakili]

New patch out today.  Addressed performance issues mainly.   Played a bit a very noticeable increase in performance on my dual core  machine.

This update is about performance and stability again. We are not doing any changes to the game's datafiles.
Reduced input "lag"
On machines where the CPU would out-run the GPU, sometimes the GPU would queue up several frames' worth of rendering commands.
This could lead to the game having a high framerate, but input still feeling very sluggish.
Now there's a limiter on how many frames the CPU is allowed to be "ahead" of the GPU.
Control this setting via Settings.ini. Default setting: RenderAheadLimit=2

Performance optimizations with biggest improvements on dual-core machines
Fixed black "masks"
The soot on buildings with holes in them had a bugged renderpath. We switched that over to a more well-tested renderpath.
Improved hit-detection
We've gone through the hit detection logic, and client+server will now give more consistent results.
Fix for some "rubberbanding" issues
C4 should stay attached to vehicles and not rubberband around
Reduced spikes/dips in framerate
Various fixes for alt+tab related CTD on Dx9
More fixes for random CTD on Dx9
Fix for crash when you're in a vehicle that gets destroyed
There was a race condition in the code;
System 1 thought "oh hey, you're leaving vehicle X"
System 2 thought "the vehicle got destroyed, let's remove it"

If system 2 ran before system 1, chaos would ensue.
This was actually fixed in the retail version since a month, but it was only when we got detailed crash reports from the community that we understood *why* the Beta was crashing.
Likely bugs in this build
I wouldn't be surprised if it (still) has trouble remembering your settings between rounds. It would be nice to have that fixed too, but it's better to get a patch out now, and look at the settings issues afterward.

[HaemishM]

The new patch helped the performance on home computer a good bit. It's still on low and still a bit choppy in places, but it's playably choppy.

[stu]

Ughhhh. This gets released a week before FFXIII & two weeks before GoW III. Just not fair at all.

[Azazel]

Bear in mind that Multiplayer Battlefield is a long-term experience. You can stop playing for a week or two at a time to play through the 12-hour GoW campaign or the 80-hour FF campaign, then get back to it.

Back in the 1942 halycon days, I used to play a bit of BF most days, and also a bit of <other genres> as well, you know, a few rounds of battlefield, then an hour of your RPG or whatever. Works well.

[WayAbvPar]

I have been playing BF2 on and off for almost 5 years now. Totally right- you can pick up and play it whenever, and let it rot while some hot new shiny grabs your attention. Then, when you wanna shoot someone in the face, ol Faithful is there waiting for you.

[Yoru]

My team has developed some awesomely cheesy offense tactics. Our best realization so far has been:

UAV is hard to spot.
UAV flies.
C4 attaches to UAV.
Friendly fire does not hurt UAV.

...

UAV + C4. Fly next to point. Detonate. No more point. UAV still alive. Fly away, add more C4, repeat.

[Pennilenko]

My team has developed some awesomely cheesy offense tactics. Our best realization so far has been:

UAV is hard to spot.
UAV flies.
C4 attaches to UAV.
Friendly fire does not hurt UAV.

...

UAV + C4. Fly next to point. Detonate. No more point. UAV still alive. Fly away, add more C4, repeat.

They said that they have fixed that for release.

[kildorn]

As I understand it, the release "fix" is simply that it takes 8-10 bricks of c4 to blow a point instead of 4-5. I dislike C4 taking out a point in general. I'd be fine with C taking out a building which takes out a point, I just really really dislike the PC beta build right now where a few bored recons can take points with no warning/response window for the defenders.

[Yoru]

As I understand it, the release "fix" is simply that it takes 8-10 bricks of c4 to blow a point instead of 4-5. I dislike C4 taking out a point in general. I'd be fine with C taking out a building which takes out a point, I just really really dislike the PC beta build right now where a few bored recons can take points with no warning/response window for the defenders.

Yeah, this won't fix it, as we're a team of 4. 2 assaults with ammo kits out (one driving the UAV, the other driving suicide jeeps) and two recons with the expanded explosives kit. We can stick 12 pieces of C4 on something. Merely increasing the C4 limit won't stop us.

There's also some serious brokenness where stacked medics are concerned. On defense, we tend to be 3 medics, 1 assault (for the ammo kit and grenades). Unless an explosion somehow takes out all 3 medics, which is rare, the whole team is alive again after a few seconds. Medic chain-rezzing is pretty damn powerful.

[caladein]

This thread simultaneously makes me desperately want to play this game and avoid it all costs.

Gah.

[Malakili]

This thread simultaneously makes me desperately want to play this game and avoid it all costs.

Gah.

While the C4 issue is legit, and probably my least favorite part of the game, its damn fun to play anyway.

[LK]

This thread simultaneously makes me desperately want to play this game and avoid it all costs.

Gah.

While the C4 issue is legit, and probably my least favorite part of the game, its damn fun to play anyway.

Same could be said for Modern Warfare 2 were it not for Commando Tact Knifers, Double Shottys, and glitches (previous two aren't glitches).

[kildorn]

The game is a ton of fun when nobody abuses C4.

There was some muttering about making C4 hurting MCOMs into a server flag as well. But overall, it's a lot of fun when nobody plays the "I'm going to be a dick because lol" with c4 spam. My other favorite is one dude hides, recons chain spawn on top of him, spring towards mcom tossing c4, detonate as they get gunned down. Even with 5 people defending against c4 rushes, it'll eventually deal enough damage to win the point. Sigh.

edit: supposedly on consoles, the MCOM can be repaired. That and 15 bricks of c4 to blow would be Fine.

[Nightblade]

This thread simultaneously makes me desperately want to play this game and avoid it all costs.

Gah.

While the C4 issue is legit, and probably my least favorite part of the game, its damn fun to play anyway.

Same could be said for Modern Warfare 2 were it not for Commando Tact Knifers, Double Shottys, and glitches (previous two aren't glitches).

Except this is exclusive to one gameplay mode, where as the problems you list extend to everything... Then there's the whole shitty online multiplayer experience thing.

[Jimbo]

Putting a bunch of C4 on a jeep, ramming it into something and jumping right before you hit, then trigger it, is pretty standard tactic.  Of course you could repair the blown up stuff and friendly fire was standard on BF2 servers...

edit: that standing, I still bought the game, ya pre-order unlocks!

[WayAbvPar]

I see that waiting for a Squad discount via Steam has got me exactly no where. Except missing out on a month of free beta play  Would like to buy it tomorrow, but I have so many other games I am neglecting...torn.

[Azazel]

The price seems to have gone up, too. Unless that's just for us Aussies.
When is this thing unlocking?

[fuser]

I see that waiting for a Squad discount via Steam has got me exactly no where.

Don't feel bad, they still have yet to release it for preload.  

Edit:
The beta/preorder has switch to live game. Restart steam to start your download at a stellar 0bytes/s. Is there any way to switch mirrors in the new beta client? 

[rrazcueta]

I see that waiting for a Squad discount via Steam has got me exactly no where. Except missing out on a month of free beta play  Would like to buy it tomorrow, but I have so many other games I am neglecting...torn.

Can you still buy the four pack? I'm totally down.

[Azazel]

[Nightblade]

After playing MW2 for the past few days, the return to this game is like night and day, especially since the release has a few nice fixes in it. Instead of running around taking turns crotch punching one another, you actually have to think about your actions, you don't die when someone breaths on you either.

[rrazcueta]

I just got a gaming PC like last week. I had no idea what the scene was like. :(

[Azazel]

Um, yeah.

WAP was talking about his wait for a 4-pack to appear having been in vain. As in the 4-pack he was waiting for never happened. Which is why your post got a /facepalm when you asked if you can still get it.

 

[Furiously]

The server browser doesn't show ping....

The game is almost too photo-real.

[Jimbo]

Installed, entered limited edition codes, & online multiplayer is screwed up.  Won't show the ping, won't let me add veteran status from other games, won't let me connect to games, & doesn't load my limited edition gear.  Why the fuck do companies keep screwing up PC launches!  I swear I'm going to go to Xbox360 only soon.

[ffc]

In beta I would mash Select as I moved so I could spot people before realizing they were there which felt really out of balance.  Retail has toned spotting down which makes me happy but I don't understand how the changes work.  Sometimes a person or vehicle is right in front of me and I can't spot them.  Maybe there is a spotting timer or cooldown now.

I went into the sound option menu and set it to "war tapes."  I'm not sure what happened but my surround sound headset sounds more full as a result.