Battlefield 2 to storm PCs in spring 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DICE reveals that the "next generation" of the Battlefield PC franchise will feature modern weapons and vehicles.
Today, in a Swedish-language press release, Digital Illusions CE (aka DICE) announced the successor to Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam. Currently carrying the working title of Battlefield 2, the PC shooter will be published by Electronic Arts under an agreement signed last year.
"Battlefield 2 builds on a new technical platform which will take us into the next generation of PC games," said DICE CEO Patrick Söderlund. Söderlund also said players of the game would notice a "marked improvement" in graphics and gameplay.
Battlefield 2 will be a different product from , the PlayStation 2 title announced last week. However, both games will feature the same three superpowers--China, the United States, and the newly formed Middle Eastern Coalition. Each power will have its own set of modern weapons and vehicles. The American arsenal will include the M4 assault rifle with the M203 grenade launcher, the Abrams tank, the Apache helicopter, and the Humvee.
According to DICE, Battlefield 2 will be released in spring 2005 -- By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
EA AND DIGITAL ILLUSIONS ANNOUNCE DEVELOPMENT OF BATTLEFIELD 2 FOR THE PC
Award-winning Battlefield Franchise Sequel Invades the Modern Battlefield
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 20, 2004 – Move out soldier! Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Digital Illusions today announced that development is underway on the sequel to the award-winning Battlefield 1942™ PC game. Battlefield 2™, scheduled for release in spring 2005, moves the franchise forward in time to invade the high tech frontlines of modern warfare. Powered by an all new game engine, Battlefield 2 brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors, Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam™, into the modern era with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.
In Battlefield 2, players will choose to fight for one of three military superpowers: the United States, China, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of any of the game’s 30+ vehicles to engage in major conflicts with over 100 players in some of the largest online battles on the PC.
Battlefield 2 features immense, richly detailed, destructible environments, from city streets to remote forests, in some of the most notorious hot spots around the world. Each map in Battlefield 2 adjusts in scale to support the number of players in the world, providing the ideal vehicle-to-player ratio and an optimized game play experience. Enhanced team play features allow players to enter the action on the front lines as part of a formal squad, or work behind the scenes in Commander Mode to direct the strategic assaults of their teammates. With in-game success, players increase their rank from recruit all the way to General and unlock awards, including new weapons, vehicle decals, medals, and more.
Additionally, Battlefield 2 showcases an all-new game engine and physics system to bring the modern battlefield to life like never before. The new material penetration feature measures weapons’ ability to fire through barriers based on their composition and players will need to know the difference between concealment and cover in order to survive.
Battlefield 2 is being developed by the original Battlefield 1942 Sweden based developer, Digital Illusions. Electronic Arts will publish and distribute the game for the PC under the EA GAMES™ brand worldwide.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Supposidly BF2 free demo will be released tonight for "paid support sites" like gamespy or fileplanet, and released tomorrow for all.
Game is supposed to be released for retail on June 20th or 21st.
Posted by BoondockSaint (Member # 67) on :
Wow...you're first post was 14 months ago!
Is it safe to say you'll be purchasing this one? Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
quote:Originally posted by BoondockSaint: Is it safe to say you'll be purchasing this one?
Purchasing? Nope, at least not sight unseen. Never going to purchase or pre-purchase a game I dont get to demo or see again. BF:V cured me of that. I've followed it, just havent posted all the news and video here over the last 14month. Its a different monster than BF1942/DC in a lot of different ways.
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
Well I will be buying it. 1942/DC gave me hours of enjoyment. I loved BFV also.
Posted by BoondockSaint (Member # 67) on :
I bought BF1942 and BFV but both seemed too chaotic for me.
I enjoyed myself, but wish they would "feel" more like CounterStrike.
Either way, I have gift cards I've been saving. So I'll probably be picking this one up too.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
quote:Originally posted by Klaus: I loved BFV also.
I liked it, not as much as DC, and then the support fell off the face of the planet. I'm not paying for a game that is still a beta version (BF:V). At least there is a free Demo. That is a big part of the success of BF1942.
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
Yeah, it was certainly no fun to suddenly blow up from a missle etc - but vehilcle combat really made those games great.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
I'll be trying it out there, as they are hands down the best server & hosting in the west half of the U.S.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
quote:Originally posted by Klaus: Yeah, it was certainly no fun to suddenly blow up from a missle etc - but vehilcle combat really made those games great.
One thing I am looking forward to in BF2 is dog fighting... "missle lock ftw baby" no more trying to lead, spray and pray.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
its out and its said to be very good.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Played for a few hours this morning. Very nice, clean, and fun. Said I needed to update my drivers but I didnt and it worked fine. Playing with 64 players on the csm server is nuts (209.221.142.115). All missles can lock, SAM's as well. Cobra Helo had bunker busters or something similar for the second weapon, just insane. Explosions and cuncusion effects are really cool. Controls seem pretty smooth and realistic I guess, you can shoot from vehicles like BF:V. Infantry combat is much better than the original BF1942/DC.
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
Very cool game. They took all the good things from BF 1942 and BFV and put them into this game. They also improved the infantry part of the game a lot - they added voice chat (CS) and voice commands (CS). There is a commander module but I haven't tried it yet so I won't comment.
Overall, the graphics and game play seemed smoother then the original. The effects when you get hit or a bomb lands near you are very cool (blurred vision etc). Weapon control was decent - I still noticed you have to lead people by quite a bit.
Vehicles worked just like in the original. Haven't been able to grab a aircraft yet - 64 player servers are awesome except for the 20 players on each side waiting for a plane to spawn.
The map in the demo is cool - lots of detail and different areas. I hope all the maps are this cool.
Download the demo if you haven't already (link in the private area).
Posted by Ender (Member # 55) on :
I think ill just wait until the retail version comes out. Plenty to do until then so im not in a hurry.
Posted by BoondockSaint (Member # 67) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ender: I think ill just wait until the retail version comes out. Plenty to do until then so im not in a hurry.
Ditto...
Finally got 54...now only 5,000,000 XP to go. Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Klauso, when u try again, make sure you try to join a "squad"... (you should really come over to the CSM servers, they have 2 now, and one has a P/W so we can keep teamwork efforts up, it will be all regulars).
Squad features turn the squad leader into a spawn point, so squads can all respawn together if leader can survive. Squad leader can tell his whole squad to attack a certain flag. Other squad members are green in the minimap, and you can see any enemy they see on the minimap.
Some pretty slick features to encourage teamplay for sure. I havent even looked at how the field commander works, but when there is a good one playing, they really add a lot to the battle.
A little different setup, but I like the new radio command system (Q button). Makes it a lot easier to ID enemy units precisely, and share the info on the minimap.
Posted by BoondockSaint (Member # 67) on :
Downloaded the demo last night...will give it a shot tonight.
Can you blow up buildings yet?
I always thought that was a stupid feature that if someone hid behind a wall the tank couldn't just blast right through it...
Posted by BoondockSaint (Member # 67) on :
Well...I'm not blown away.
It definitely looks better, and there's a lot going on, which is cool. But it still has that Battlefield "feel" to it.
I guess I'm such a CS junkie that I want every FPS to feel like CS.
Anyway, vehicles are cool, weapons are cool, combat is about the same to me...I feel like I miss way more than I should when I'm crouched, looking down the barrel and the guy is 20 feet from me...
The Q thing is real slick, but it doesn't look like it does anything...maybe people aren't listening, or maybe I'm not using it correctly.
I was a squad leader (on single player) and was giving orders...that seemed pretty cool.
Medics really seem to be the biggest change I've seen. They're actually used, and essential! I like how if you die and you're about to respawn but all of a sudden you see the little medic dude above you and you're saved!
I still can't believe that they haven't implemented destroyable environments...that would change things so much... It's like you can hide behind a small thin shed and a tank can't blast you...
Then again, I only played for about an hour, mostly single player. So we'll see what happens when I get on the multiplayer.
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
I also feel that the bullets fly all around someone right in front of your barrel - which is annoying. I was prone on a corner with the big machine gun waiting for people to run around the corner. I got killed almost every time when I unloaded - didn't seem to hit them at all. That part does suck.
Flying is a bit different - I was having problems with my twist joystick last night until I figured out it was set up backwards.... lol
Joe - what's the port of the server you play on? I entered the IP but it couldn't connect using the default port.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Well the reason you didnt see the Server yesterday is it was down for a while. EA thru a hissy fit yesterday, coming out with a statement that they were blacklisting servers that had unlocked two features included in the demo, blacklist from the server selection list that is, so there is some steam type action going on with "their" server selection screen. http://forum.cracksmokingmonkeys.net/viewtopic.php?t=3087
Basically sounds like EA is just a big greedy corp who give no kudo's or support to those that promote their product with their own time and money...
Its back up now, standard port.. Sometimes its passworded too, they were running 2, one passworded, one not. PW = csm
If you search CSM in the search window I have been pulling up both servers.
There is some interactment with the environment. If your standing behind even a thick wall, and a tank blast the other side, or gets it near you at a opening, the cuncussion effects do affect you, and you do take damage.
Anyone see the arty work yet... just devistating. Think the airstrikes in RTCW.
I've been messing with sensitivity a bit, my shooting definitly improved last night.
The helo's are nerfed in that they it takes 10 football fields to turn the damn thing around.
Re: the Q button. Point the big center circle at a enemy target, and left click, he's ID' in radio and on Minimap for all to see. If you get it right in the center, it even says "tank" or "helo". If your just in the circle but not centered it just says "enemy unit" and you see a red ? on the minimap. Some of the options around the center circle can be right clicked on for mor options.
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
Is it me or is the connectivity shaky at best? I can play for 40 mins then i get droped? other then that I am buying the retail version, I like the squad commands and the idea of support troops.
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
retail is cool, I have been playing the ranked servers, and have noticed horrable lag on the largest servers.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
The ranked servers will be EA junk, plauged with hackers just like before... I personally will not be playing on them just because of the way they're treating the people who put their own time and money into running BF games... Just my NSHO... great game, but EA can bite me.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
I dont think I'll be buying till next week, but glad to hear its good so far.
I guess right off the bat tho the Linux version is crashing the client side... More EA BS.
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
I crash to desktop or get droped, I have been playing on the ranked servers, I like the commander and squad functions. I want to see if you can use the unlocked weapons with that class in game.
Posted by Hauserdaddy (Member # 50) on :
Why are you not playing WoW Trany? Are you still playing SWG?
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
He knows if he starts playing Wow he will never leave the computer. One of these days he will break down
I got a copy of the DVD version last night - installed but haven't played yet. I hope it works.
Posted by Hauserdaddy (Member # 50) on :
Like you have time to play BF2?! You have to be on WoW all the time to answer my questions
Thanks Jeeves!
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
nope on the SWG, and I only play CS FT mod and BF2. I have to figure out how to tweek my settings so I stop getting timed out and horrid lag. My guess is it will involve retarding my video settings.
I know WoW is crack and my will is strong.
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
I dumbed down my video settings to medium across the board, and it seems to help a bit. Hopefuly the first patch will fix those issues. The mobile AA "tanks" are the shit, they kill troops, tanks, helos and anything you toss at them. I kind of like the rank and award thing personally. It took me 2 days to hit pfc. from pvt. the rank thing works if you apply for commander, if another player applies then you get bumped if they have the rank to pull. I could see the mobile AA being nerfed.
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
My video settings are set to high. Everything looks really good. However, when I first join the game I get a lot of "hitches" where the game pauses for a milisecond. It's like in Wow when you log on in Iron Forge - everything slowly loads and then it's smooth. I may dumb it down the medium setting see if that's any better. What is EA saying about graphical issues? Next patch?
I like the game play a lot. The squad part is my favorite. I am still trying to figure out some of the game - like where the fuck is the artillery that raining bombs down on top of me. Is this controlled by the commander? I usually play special ops - I have been heading for the opposite teams control trailer and blowing it up... What does that do?
The sprint function in this game is the best part!
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Klaus:
When you hit caplock when your a commander, it brings up a screen similar to the squad leader screen but with a few features on the side too.
SCAN ARTILLARY UAD SUPPLIES
Right clicking on your map brings up options too, and there is a series of icons at the bottom of the map too (these I havent figured out yet).
Scan is a satalite scan of the whole map, giving you a brief view of most all enemy positions. Nobody is safe from this, whole map gets shown for a second.
Arty are physically located somewhere near the home base of each faction, but are controlled by the Commander.
UAD (unmanned aerial drone) Is the little radar plane that the commander can deploy over an area and relay enemy positions to troops via minimap. Lasts for a min or 2.
Supplies.. self explanitory. If your a squad leader you can use squad commands to request a drop directly, which commander can just confirm to drop instead of picking the location himself.
SCAN/ARTY/UAD can all be disabled by destoying the Radar/guns/little trailer. They do respawn eventually, or can be repaired by a eng.
I'm having fun being the commander, but you can never hide to long in one spot cause the other commander can see you when he scans. You can zoom in on a area and its a really nice top view, like a photo with troops fighting and all. Fun watching arty rein hell down on a few guys who get blown into the air... Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
Have you tried the ranked servers?
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
Thanks for the tips Joe. I was just heading for the base or the flag the squad leader picked and blowing shit up.
My favorite is still playing anti-tank riding in a Bradley... When an enemy tank approches jump out and hit it with rockets while the bradley pilot shoots rockets.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
quote:Originally posted by Trany: Have you tried the ranked servers?
NOPE.. not gonna support EA trying to wring every last dollar from their customers and give a big ol' to the modding community that spent their time and money keeping BF1942 alive long beyond its shelf life (via DC that is)... They include shit in the config file, and are BLACKLISTING servers that alter the config file.... Bucho lame tools running EA.
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
Tis a shame, its only a game. EA is not some Nazi regiem.
I am still having connection issues, I have to screen my ports and see what needs to be opened.
Posted by Hauserdaddy (Member # 50) on :
WoW is calling Trany.....
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
Resistance is futile!
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
quote:Originally posted by Trany: EA is not some Nazi regiem.
No but their trying real hard.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
And if your playing ranked servers Trany, most people I know have serious lag there on the EA shit.. They're junk is junk.. That may be a part of your problem.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Klaus? Could you hear me last night? I kept asking, in VOIP and in text and you never responded.
Keep your mic hooked up for squad play.
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
It was hooked up but I haven't heard anyone in game yet. I checked my options and it appeared to be set up correctly - I will try again tonight.
Posted by Trany (Member # 31) on :
Joe, the lag is caused by video and network settings to my knowledge, I am going to play around with my ports and see if I can solve the issue. I have dumbed down my video settings to medium and have updated my drivers.
WoW is not calling me!!!!! I don't need another SWG or UO crack hit.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
EA/DICE have put out the 1.01 patch to BF2 to resolve a number of issues - in particular, the netcode issues which were causing major lag/warping in game.
Included a remade version of this popular BF1942 map. Battlefield 2 version includes a 64 player layout and is configured for multiplayer only.
- Server Favorites / History
There is a new tab in the MULTIPLAYER menu that holds a list of the last 20 internet servers you have connected to, plus a list of servers you have selected as favorites.
* Added a button to the other multiplayer tabs that adds the currently highlighted server to your favorites list. * Added buttons in the in-game server info menu (press TAB to access) that will add or remove the server you are currently playing on to / from your favorites list.
- Account Login Welcome Screen
After you login to an online account, a message appears that contains BF2 news and information which updates periodically.
- Stat Compare
By clicking the COMPARE button in BFHQ, you can search for another players name and load their current stats into BFHQ. Using the arrow buttons next to the name in the top-left corner of the menu, you can toggle between your stats and their stats.
You can also load a player's stats by double-clicking on their name in any leaderboard.
- Nickname Prefix
You can add a 6-character prefix (such as a clan tag) to your account nickname which will be displayed in-game next to your nametag in the score menu, in game messages, and above your player in the game world.
* This prefix does not change your account name or statistic information (e.g. the prefix does not appear next to your name on the leaderboards). * You can change this prefix at any time at the account login menu.
- Server Reserved Slots
You can define a list of player nicknames that will act as a "reservation list" for your server.
* The list is located in modsbf2settingsReservedSlots.con * You can add player names to the list by editing the file and adding the following text for each player :
reservedSlots.addNick
where is the player's registered account name, not including a nickname prefix (see above). * You can define the number of slots to set aside for reserved players in the dedicated server launcher, or with the setting sv.numReservedSlots in your serverSettings.con file. * The number of players on the list and the number of reserved slots does not necessarily have to be the same.
- Mod Support
There are several new changes that improve support for mods.
* When connecting to a server that is running a mod that you have installed but not activated, it will be automatically activated and you will load into the server. * Added a filter on the server browser for servers running the currently activated mod. * Fixed dedicated server launcher to properly handle launching mods. * Improved support for mods sharing archives with bf2
- Improvements to in-game HUD / Map
* The viewable area of the spawn menu / commander map is now scaled based on the out-of-bounds area so that only the playable area takes up the majority of viewable map space. * The names of CPs are now displayed on the spawn menu / commander map and minimap * The minimap zoom level now changes dynamically depending on the type of vehicle you are in. If you zoom in or out manually, that zoom level is remembered for that vehicle type next time you use it. * The names of players in your vehicle are displayed in the HUD when someone enters the vehicle or switches positions. * There is a new element in vehicle HUDs that displays the reload time for countermeasures (smoke and flares). * Flags for each team are now displayed below their ticket count on the minimap to make it easier to tell what team you are assigned to.
GAMEPLAY CHANGES
- Many criteria for ranks and awards have changed. If you are immediately eligible for a new promotion, unlock, badge, award, or ribbon, it will be awarded the next time you receive points on a ranked server. - Only 1 player in a vehicle will get credit for or speed up capturing a flag at a CP. The other passengers must exit the vehicle to increase the speed of capture or receive capture score. - Commanders no longer accrue a TK when artillery hits teammates. - The commander's supply drop now has an icon on the minimap and a 3D- map icon in the world. - Auto team balance no longer moves players to the other team if they are a team commander or a squad leader. - The wrench repair rate on helicopters has been decreased. - You now receive 1 support point for destroying an enemy commander's artillery, UAV or Radar station. - If you have received a point for healing, repairing, or resupplying a teammate, you will not receive another point from them for the same action for a set period of time. - Singleplayer enemies use the knife more effectively. - New engine sounds for the T98 tank. - New engine sounds for the China/MEC light jeep. - New cannon sounds on APCs.
BUG FIXES
- Fixed physics of vehicles against soldiers so that soldiers are not killed so easily by moving vehicles. - Fixed a physics issue that can cause you to be stuck when falling into shallow water - Fixed an issue with soldier armor when spawning on a squad leader in a vehicle - Fixed some objects that caused vehicles to take massive collision damage - Fixed erroneous message stating that you punished a TK when auto- punish is OFF on the server. - When a vehicle explodes due to external forces, the driver is no longer mis-credited for the kills. - Added turret movement sounds to several vehicles. - Fixed an issue that caused crosshairs to stay on the screen when switching camera views. - Fixed an issue that caused the time limit status of the server not to be sent to clients when it is changed by the server. - Fixed server setting sv.allowExternalViews. Setting this to 0 will disallow external views. - Added setting for interfaceIP to the server launcher - Changed automatic TK banning to ban by cd-key instead of IP address - Improved the stability of secondary position turrets to reduce jerkiness during movement. - Fixed spawning on squad leaders to prevent players from spawning where they should not. - Fixed issue with auto team balance not sending new players to the team with less players. - Set T90 top hatch armor to "Front Armor". - Set some wheels on jets and helpcopters to stronger armor to prevent them from being destroyed instantly by AT missiles. - Adjusted wheeled vehicle engines on hills to improve climbing. - Changed the Commo-rose behavior so that player does not leave crouch when using it. - Passwords entered to join password protected servers are now cleared after use. - Improved PLAY NOW functionality. - Fixed some memory usage issues in the front end. - Fixed an issue allowing color changes in player name text. - When you click on a server in the server browser, the information from that server is updated to be more accurate. - Fixed a crash in the Ranked Linux server when communication with stats back-end ceased. - Improved the behavior of AA missiles when locked on an enemy. - Fixed an issue where parachuting soldiers could not be healed. - Added the server port to the SERVER INFO tab. - Removed the SERVER INFO tab when playing singleplayer - Fixed an issue causing some soldier & vehicle control keys to be used for in-game menus. - Added new soldier artwork in BFHQ - Added name of video director to credits
Posted by Cremator (Member # 8) on :
I don't know if any of you play anything but WoW these days, but if you do play a little BF2, you can find me through bf2tracker.com as:
romak3
*chirp* *chirp*
Yeah, that's what I thought...
Posted by Klaus (Member # 66) on :
I still log on once in awhile to BF2. I will see if I can find you.
Posted by Jomama (Member # 56) on :
Have they done any updates since my last post in bloody october... I hate fucking EA and thats just the bottom line... never again will I give them money for a unfinished game...
Posted by Cremator (Member # 8) on :
Yes, they are patched up to 1.12, but it's still has issues. Mostly the problems are with the Special Forces expansion. When you buy SF, you have to re-patch to 1.12 as SF is only 1.09(?). But anytime you want to play a BF2 map, the game must restart itself and vice-versa for SF. Also all the SF maps run like shit with lag. I read that SF was developed by a different team, so that may account for some of this, but it's still inexcusable. Having said all that, I still enjoy the game, but my remaining quibble is with the rank-to-unlock. Right now I suck ass, and I notice that many times my ass is handed to me by an unlocked weapon. This means I have to tough it out, post shitty stats and just keep playing (as cannon-fodder) until I can unlock the more powerful weapons for myself. This is frustrating as I don't have much play-time these days. The game would be far less appealing without the VoIP and some buddies to squad-up with. Also they have announced two more expansions, one due in Feb. But I will not be purchasing these unless I hear REALLY good things about them, as I am disappointed with the SF exp.
![[lol]](graemlins/lol.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
So I'll probably be picking this one up too.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I like how if you die and you're about to respawn but all of a sudden you see the little medic dude above you and you're saved! ![[brd]](graemlins/brdflick.gif)
to the modding community that spent their time and money keeping BF1942 alive long beyond its shelf life (via DC that is)... They include shit in the config file, and are BLACKLISTING servers that alter the config file.... Bucho lame tools running EA.