Battlefield vetarans here!

[LA_MERC_Onji]

This post is to raise awareness of an awesome game coming out. Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

This is the sequel to BC1 that was a console-only battlefield game. This one will be released simultaneously on PC, 360 and PS3.

I wasn't too excited about it when it was first announced fearing that it was a watered down version of BF (no offense console peeps) but they are going all out with this one. It has all aspects of what we love about battlefield: Vehicles, Squads, huge maps, classes etc. Its on a newer engine than BF2 was on, and the buildings and terrain are now destructible. It excludes what eventually made BF2 intolerable to play (cough.. JET RAPE..cough) lol

Its supposed to have a pretty damn good single player experience too.

I'm really hoping we can get some more life around here with this title. If you do plan on getting it, try to get it on steam. That way you dont have to worry about disks or patching etc. We'll be able to have everyone on our friends list and see where they are playing blah blah. http://store.steampowered.com/app/901297/

Anyway, I've shilled enough. Videos speak louder than words. Start with the top one, and work your way down.

13 mins of multiplayer footage:
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Silgle player trailer:
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single player footage:
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I'll post more interesting stuff as it comes up.

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

Reporting for duty, Sir! I need to cancel my GameStop pre-order and pick it up on Steam. The video is astounding. I played BC1 on the 360 and loved it. Like Onji said, Dice has really taken it up a notch with BC2. They've already worked out a lot of their engine bugs with BF1943 for the PC, so I expect this one to be pretty smooth. I'm looking forward to some good squads.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Andyconda WILL own it and WILL be playing. I'm glad we finally have a next generation BF2 game coming out. The video's are kick ass. I can't wait. I will be promoting this in a huge way.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

I am willing to give it a shot, and I will get it through steam too, since the freinds network on steam seems to work real well in keeping everybody linked up and playing on the same servers and such.

BTW,,, the Game play looks awesome... and since I just recently upgraded my graphics to a BFG 280 gtx wth an 8800 gts as the phsy-x card.. Im sure it will look freaking great on my setup :)

Ohhh BTW... WAZZUP CONDA!!! dont be a stranger :)

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Andyconda WILL own it and WILL be playing. I'm glad we finally have a next generation BF2 game coming out. The video's are kick ass. I can't wait. I will be promoting this in a huge way.

Whoa....who is THIS cat?

hahaha. I will be adding another GTX285 to my system and will be buying this. Sweet. I need to get another mobo though. Any suggestions? I am running the Phenmo II Black edition quad and a 750sli board. My graphics and mobo are XFX and I want to clock the proc a little.

[LA_MERC_sLingbLade]

interested, but I have to upgrade to run it, If we have some folks that will play on a regular basis I will commit. And OMG Andy is in the house, is this a dream, have I had to much to drink? Im confused :)

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

I'm on a E8400 CPU / Nvidia 9800GT / 4 GB machine which falls between the minimum and the recommended. Hopefully it will play okay. I guess I'll find out during the beta. If not then I guess it'll be decision time. Probably would be a good time to do the move to Win 7 on my home machine.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

found 2 goodies. man the sounds in this thing are awesome:

Official Battlefield Moments - Episode 1
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Official Battlefield Moments - Episode 2
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[LA_MERC_sLingbLade]

Sick!

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Okay, I'm in on PC. System details? Good to see this post and good to see some familiar old faces in this thread! Thanks Onji!!

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

The PC Beta is suppose to start tomorrow night. If you pre-purchase from Steam now, then you will get access to the beta (plus your copy of the game will be kept up to date like Onji mentioned). I'm pumped about this game. I know I may take a beating until I get up to speed, but this is going to be good. Heck, given the amount of time I put into BF2 I can justify the cost up front.

Man, the Episode 2 video above is just amazing. The guy dropped the entire building with C4! Sick!

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Yea that C4 Trick was freaking killer... I like the destructive environment... adds a whole new level to the game :)

Not to mention the sounds and graphics... This could be fun :)

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

I will be picking this up for PC as well. Oh yeah it will be on like doney kong!!!

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Well guess if im going to get on it I better get on it...
Whipping out the Credit Card.. look out Steam here I come :)

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

I made the purchase yesterday on this. Looks like an awesome game to spend some on that is for sure!

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Panama Canal Multiplayer footage:
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[LA_MERC_Onji]

PC Beta footage!
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[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

Pre-Ordering my copy tomorrow. I might snap some FRAP footage if i can get beta access. Anyone who pre-orders gets access to the beta right?

These maps are freakin huge!

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Anyone who pre-orders gets access to the beta right?

yup

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Got it last night, looks like we got 3 to 4 that may be playing the beta?

If so, we need to get on steam later and have a go at it.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Hey guys *important* !

If you did not pre-order yet, you can still get in the beta. This site is giving away 10,000 keys starting in about 30mins.

Try to be there and get one!
http://www.fileplay.net/

those of us that already in the beta should still attempt to get an extra key for our comrades :)

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

I just got a Beta Key from a different program! w00t!

Can you add clan tags like in old BF and BF2?

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

They usually have a place to add your clan tag, so you don't need to have it in your username. It should work very similar to BF2 (after the first big patch).

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

Yep it does. Username Skitsvelvet Clantag: LA MERC = LA MERC Skitsvelvet w00t!

Wasn't sure if we wanted to put _ in the tags or not.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

I have a Beta key if someone needs/wants one.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Tech I will take it from ya.

That way when I prebuy it I can play this weekend. Stace gets home on Sat @ 12:30 after being in Orlando for 5 days.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Ouch...yeah, you're gonna need game time! Hahaha...ahem. will email you the code.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

I haven't gotten home yet to see if my pre purchase I made last night is going to work, but as of when I went to bed i didn't have the ability to pre-load or anything like that... and there was no mention of a Key when I bought it.. So can someone tell me what I should expect when I get home to see if I Actually do have access to the Beta version?

[LA_MERC_goose]

Can't play ... won't finish loading the game. Probably system requirements not met. Oh well maybe soon.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

I haven't gotten home yet to see if my pre purchase I made last night is going to work, but as of when I went to bed i didn't have the ability to pre-load or anything like that... and there was no mention of a Key when I bought it.. So can someone tell me what I should expect when I get home to see if I Actually do have access to the Beta version?

restart your steam client and you'll have a new uninstalled game called bad company 2 beta, just start it up and it'll start downloading. after that just dbl click to play. you dont have to worry about a key.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Purchased.

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

Purchased.

Woot! Everybody check the in-game friends list tonight when you fire up the beta. I'm not sure when, but I'll be on there tonight as some point. Got to get my trigger finger working again.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Hey guys, if you did not purchase the game yet and was not able to acquire a key, I was able to get 5 extra keys, so let me know if you need one.

Also I uploaded the client incase you couldn't get it as well. Please dont pass this link around outside of merc, thanks
(if you prepurchased through steam you dont need the client, just restart your steamclient and you'll see it in your list, you can install the beta from there)

http://64.91.80.238/BFBC2_PC_ClosedBeta_RC1_511270_Client.zip 1.5g

Just download it, unzip it and run the setup.exe to install.

Once you get the game started up, it'll want you to create an EA account, if you already have one from playing BF2, you can use that one. At that point it'll ask you for your key.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Got it Downloading as I type.. so we shall see :)

[LA_MERC_FragFood]

Downloaded, installed, weirdo keymapping and configuration completed.

Forgot - Bug(?) already found, need confirmation:
1. Start game
2. Select "Play now"
3. Log in as needed
4. Hit "Server" slider on right side of screen
5. Server thing works first time, hit "Main"
6. Hit "Server" slider on right side of screen again

Mine kicks me to desktop as it's doing the search (yes, I KNOW there aren't any servers ATM). Does this consistently.

Vista 64 Ultimate
AMD Phenom II 780 @ stock, 'cuz someone didn't send me their old heatsink
8GB DDR3 main mem
ATI 4870 PCIe / 1GB RAM
Running 1600x1200, high graphics in game

UPDATE - Nemmind, they know about it already. Bug reports go to combattesting.com

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

Flew the Blackhawk and man it was like old times. Hooked up w/ another squadmate in a Bradley. It took a concerted effort to kill us. Killed lots of them before they got us.

So freakin cool!!

Friiends list ins't working though so resubmit your request.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

hey guys our teamspeak server took a crap or something, i have an alternate one up here if yall need it:

64.91.80.238
pw: letmein

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Cool, Need to make a note of that, sice BF is all about squad play.. Lonewolfing it just dont work.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Cool, Need to make a note of that, sice BF is all about squad play.. Lonewolfing it just dont work.

there is supposed to be voip built in, but when i talk noone talks back so i cant tell if it works or not, or if people just dont like me lol

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

we need to try and get on the same server, thats the only way your going to know whats working and whats not.

Not to mention I was lost as crap on the Snowy map last night... couldn't find the enemy for nothing... the in game map is really poor right now.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Yeah I hope they fix the friends list. One time i logged on and had 2 people in my list, the next time it was empty. It is beta though, so I'll give em a chance lol.
As for the map, i think once you get your bearings its ok. I just head for the a or b points to cap or defend, and shoot the red things lol

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

FragFood and I were on the temp TS server that Onji listed for a while. Made all the difference in game. Some type of voice comm is a necessity (either TS or in-game VOIP) so that needs to be worked out.

It's all pretty confusing at first, but I'm now starting to understand the unlock and award system. I'm also getting a mental image of the map and a day of play, so that will just take some time (like every other game that comes out like this). Yeller, you are not alone on the lost feeling. The biggest problem at the moment is not knowing the keymapping. Sure I've got WASD down, but all the other keys are a mystery.

I was trying to put my finger on the different feel of the game, but the sound is very different from BF2. I think they really tried to make it feel more like a real battlefield, so you have a lot more ambient now going on from distant explosions. You also get that hollow sound when an explosion happens nearby. Movements don't seem to be as crisp as BF2. I guess it's the head bob thing that's going on.

On the good side, the graphics really are great. I wish I had the hardware to turn all the settings up. Fewer classes I think will be a good thing and it seems to be more customizable in terms of load outs. We just don't have many unlocks right now. The game got a lot more fun after I started to learn the map. I even picked up 16 dog tags from knifing people. By next week, the network side should be much more solid. They probably dropped a turd when everyone started playing and their servers started to overload.

It's all going to be good.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

A patch just hit:


The RC2 contains the following fixes:

Front end:
Fixes server browser crashes. Server browser more resilient against corrupt online service data, and better support for large number of servers.
Several server browser ping issues resolved.

Windows XP stability:
Fixed crash on windows XP at end of round, exit game and display mode changes and.
Proper window style / mouse confinement when starting game maximized on XP .

Options dialog:
Mouse sensitivity setting gives more effect.
Mouse sensitivity loaded on game startup.

The update to RC2 will be 8.4Mb

When you next start BFBC2 you should get this message (Steam users can update through Steam).

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Downloading the link form Onji and I have a key from Tech.

I have a 3.0 Ghz Quad Phenom II and a GTX285 1024MB VRAM Hope this can push the graphics. If not another GTX285 will be headed my way for a physics engine.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Started a FrontPage thread. Though it was appropriate. ;)

I like the enthusiasm for the new game. Makes a guy want to drop $50 on a new game.

[LA_MERC_Heater]

I need a key...I want in on this game!!

[LA_MERC_Onji]

I need a key...I want in on this game!!

sent :)

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Started a FrontPage thread. Though it was appropriate. ;)

Great idea, thank you sir!

[LA_MERC_Heater]

Thanks Onji!!

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

so what's everybody's name so I can add them to friends list?

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

Oh, and if you're looking for me. I'm under Dr Feelgood not Shadow

[LA_MERC_Onji]

so what's everybody's name so I can add them to friends list?

here are the ones i know so far:

-Onji
-Yellowdog
-Fragfood
-Olddogsparky
-Skitsvelvet
-LA_MERC_Wetzny
-LA_MERC_Goose
-Drifter
-Tugboats (my boss)

Be aware that the friends list is being really stupid right now, but they are supposed to be working on it.

We've been meeting up on teamspeak to coordinate what server we'll be playing on etc.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

thee_rook w/ LA_MERC tag

I am having issues d/l'ing the patch. That and I am having wierd video issues in game. White screensof death.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Yea, at this time the Friends App in game is real flaky, at this point I dont think its doing any good with getting players hooked up with other players.

The T/S server is where you need to be if your wanting to hook up with other Mercs or friends of Mercs.

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

The game is fun and is going to be a winner. That being said, the Friends List is definitely borked at the moment. This is a beta, so I'll cut it some slack. Still, it's tough to get on the same server at the moment. TS is good, but with the server browser acting wierd (not showing the same servers for everyone) it's just tough to squad up. Maybe when their people get back into the office this week, they'll drop in some more hardware and maybe fixed a few bugs. I'm looking forward to the next code drop. At least I hope that it starts firing on all cylinders this week.

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

Yeah the server browser kicks me to desktop a lot.

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

I've been sort of waiting for Dice to get the friends list fixed, but that hasn't been the case. I guess they realize that they have a early March release scheduled for this title. Regardless of that, I'll probably be signing on a little more to play the rest of the week. When I'm out there, I'll sign into our teamspeak server. Seems that's the best way to communicate now.

Frag and I killed a bunch of folks last night in game. Padded our armor score quite nicely camping the first base. Got a good chunk of repair points as well.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Fanmade video of the demo, its very cool:

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[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Sweet how the guy took down the whole building with grenade launcher at the end.. then went around to finish off who came out. :)

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Gonna roll into a server tonight. Looks to be around 830-9pm CST. Look for me, I'll be the one shot or stabbed.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

Just fyi, they took the servers down today for maintenance. They are back up now, and I dont know what all they did, but it looks like the friends list is working much better! I can see friends in actual servers and stuff.

Tomorrow they are supposed to have an actual client update, so more fixes there too I hope.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Cool :)

I like friends :)

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Tried out the friends app last night, I was able to link up with Wetzny and join the same server through the friends link, worked pretty good.

Much better than trying to dig through server names trying to find the same one.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

I will try it out again in a couple days. Kitchen Cabinents should be in this weekend and countertops next week. It is sheetrocked and getting taped today. I will Venetian plaster and tile the remaining of the week.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

How not to be a noob at BC2

This is hilarious and informative :) (has some bad language at times just fyi)

<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AYHGn00C" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>

This is the console version, but it still applies to us pc players (instead of backbutton hit 'q' :)

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

Nice! I am definitely back at noob level. Man it sucks how much WOW dumbs down your other game skills, lol.

Sitting at home today after a bad case of the Flu. I've been down with it since Thursday night. Ugh, i hate feeling like this.

At least I can work from home.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Good one!! Now for the PC version please! :stick

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Humm, I like the tutorial :)

[LA_MERC_Onji]

New beta client update is out, just performance tweaks:


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"
o 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
o We've gone through the hit detection logic, and client+server will now give more consistent results.
* Fix for some "rubberbanding" issues
o 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.

-Mikael Kalms

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

Thanks for the heads up Onji!

I will say that having the Friends List working is huge improvement. I'm still waiting for the "Team/Squad doesn't have a clue how to advance/defend" bug fix.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Friends list is working, if you're playing the Beta please check for requests.

Thank you, that is all.

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Thanks for the heads up Onji!

I'm still waiting for the "Team/Squad doesn't have a clue how to advance/defend" bug fix.

LMAO! good one Doc :)

[LA_MERC_Onji]

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[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111