SitRep: Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 launched to critical praise from game journalists, but as with most online-based games, once the public jumped into the fray several issues surfaced. EA's servers had trouble accommodating the heavy demand, and many people decried the new web-based Battlelog service. Now that the game's been patched a couple times, we checked in to see how the game is performing.

Triumphs

• Big Battles: Ask PC players what Battlefield 3's best feature is, and most will respond with "64-player conquest." Given how long DICE made the fans go without large-scale skirmishes (the 2005 release Battlefield 2 was the last modern military game in the series that accommodated this many people), this response wasn't a surprise. This is the way the game is meant to be played.
• Controls: As an 11-year veteran of the genre, DICE knows controls. Everything from the smallest handgun to the largest missile launcher feels great and responds well. The ground vehicles are easy to use, and the air support options are justifiably more difficult to control but not impossible to learn if you put in the time. 
• Audio: I don't think a shooter has ever had better sound effects. The violent explosions can be disorienting if you're too close to the blast radius, tank shells strike fear into the hearts of infantry soldiers, and the powerful thud you hear as a sniper bullet whizzes past your head is a great reminder to get your ass behind cover.
• Suppression: The introduction of suppression is a subtle but important improvement to the Battlefield formula. When you're under heavy fire, the screen blurs, causing you to think safety first rather than just sticking your head out of cover and blindly firing. It's also a great way to reward less talented players who are nonetheless helping another soldier get the kill shot thanks to their steady barrage of bullets. 

Problems

• Technical Difficulties: Perhaps the biggest problem facing Battlefield 3 is the number of players complaining in forums that they can't get the PC version to run more than a few minutes without the game crashing. The list of potential culprits  – firewalls, punkbuster, dated video card drivers, anti-virus software, etc. – is large enough that there are no clear cut solutions for many. Some game owners have given up trying to play until a new patch is released. Count me as one of the unfortunate people dealing with this issue. I spent two hours on the phone with EA customer support and we still haven't got the game up and running properly. This doesn't seem to be affecting the majority of players, but it's a convincing argument for the clean experience the console version offers.
• Party Pooping: The most common complaint I've heard about the console version is the poor party matchmaking. Players have spent many fruitless nights trying to get their Xbox Live party on the same side of the battle for a sustained period. These kinds of fixes are integral to DICE appeasing its community, and DICE says this is one of the primary areas it is focusing its attention moving forward.
• Interface: With all the beta testing DICE did for Battlefield 3, it's astounding that they didn't notice how annoying it is to have to wait until the next map loads before exiting the multiplayer mode. This needs to be fixed ASAP. DICE says it is looking into the issue.
• Softcore Hardcore: Bad Company 2 players who wanted a more realistic war experience chose to play the hardcore mode. It's back in Battlefield 3, with two unpopular changes. Some servers include killcams, and all of them include minimaps. That not exactly my idea of hardcore, and judging from forums I'm not alone in that feeling. DICE has heard your complaints, and says the option to turn off both should be available soon. 
• Battlelog: EA's browser-based home base for Battlefield 3 has had a bumpy launch. Since there is no Steam/Xbox Live/PSN import functionality it's extremely hard to find friends, the servers sometimes fail to sort when looking for a match, and only 345,000 of the 5 million people who bought the game have created a platoon (probably because you can't join matches with your platoon). DICE says the friend import functionality should be available at a later date.

Performance

Battlefield 3 debuted at the number three spot on the Xbox Live activity report issued by Major Nelson each week. It rose to the number two spot the following week, but has since dropped into the fourth slot behind Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops, and Skyrim. 

Balance

Battlefield games rarely have major balancing issues, and many of the more annoying issues that plagued other entries (like chopper circle strafing in Bad Company 2) are resolved in this iteration. One issue that bares mentioning, however, is mortar spamming. This support class gadget is a problem on many maps since soldiers can let them rip infinitely from the comfort of their untouchable spawn base. The only way to take them out is to counter-mortar, but in hardcore matches the overzealous spamming results in way too many deaths. Many players have complained about the over-powered infrared/night vision scope and flashlight attachment (that can blind enemies in broad daylight). DICE is aware of these issues and says they will be addressed in the PC patch launching tomorrow.

Best Maps

Overall the map selection feels like a step back from previous Battlefield games, mostly because DICE is trying to appeal to both its traditional fan base and new players more accustomed to playing close-quarters battles. The Battlefield 3 maps offer a variety of both, but far too many of them have control points positioned too closely together in conquest mode. This concentrates the battles so there is less long distance running to firefights – which isn't a bad thing – but too many maps devolve into corridor firefights at strategic choke points. Judging from the fan response in the forums, the maps that embrace the larger environments and include more vehicles – like Caspian Border and Kharg Island – seem to be the most popular. That's probably not a coincidence.  

Map Pack Timeline

You can never give a shooter community too many maps. The Battlefield 3 faithful get their first glimpse of new (old) maps when Back To Karkand comes out on December 6 (Xbox 360 and PC players get them the following week). Karkand is a greatest hits collection of popular Battlefield 2 maps (plus the best BF map of all time, Wake Island), so this should hold over the fans through the holidays. Then comes the real test for DICE. The studio didn't give Bad Company 2 fans new territories to conquer for six months, which resulted in a diminishing community as players left for new gaming experiences. To keep its base engaged, DICE needs to deliver more maps sooner than later. 

What are your experiences with Battlefield 3 thus far? Add your thoughts to the comments section below.