Battlefield 4

[ArithonUK]

Article here is quite good. Describes the Alpha/Demo level of BF4 and what gameplay is like.

[Chaosphere]

"Battlefield 4 plays like it could be a bigger, prettier and more tactically complex iteration of BF3."

Yup.

[ArithonUK]

While this video is about the PS4, and NOT BF4, it shows an impressive feature (0:45). The ability to select a friend and see what they see on the server they are playing on before joining them in-game.

[video=youtube;OFwBsPR8AVw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFwBsPR8AVw[/video]

Why can't BattleField 4 do this? BattleLog. Same reason that on BF3 team communications are vestigial, server browsing is slow 'n' clunky and half the time you launch a game nothing happens or you get "EA Connect (0)".

It's probably not know by DICE, that in the English language a "log" is a slang term for a particularly large turd (or poop) that won't flush. No irony there then.

BattleLog is a great statistics website, but it is totally unfit for purpose as a game browser for a first person shooter. Aside from the huge limitations of what can be done in a browser, it takes you OUT OF THE GAME. How much time have you spent on loading screens in BF3? Try running BF:BC2 or BF2 on the same PC and compare. The mere necessity of loading the game as well as the map slows everything.

As more and more "of the same" (DLC overlap, BattleLog, huge price tags, same faults) are announced with BF4, it just becomes more obvious that BF4 is a BF3 expansion pack with engine tweaks, much as Unreal Tournament 2004 was to Unreal Tournament 2003. Take out the graphics tweaks and the new maps and you have, under new wallpaper, the same game.

While I appreciate DICE has to make money, they've made very little effort to address the complaints made about BF3, other than re-instate the commander. And they are asking a LOT of money! Given that the "Deluxe" edition is £54.99 (EUR 69.58) then each of the five DLC packs will cost at least £11.99 (probably more) that takes the actual full price of the game to £107.95 minimum. Also, as I've said on another thread, if you pre-order or buy the "deluxe" version you get "China Rising" DLC. So if you buy Premium (for a "cheaper" set of DLC's and the other perks), you'll pay for twice for one DLC pack.

Remember, this is not a new game, just tweaked release of the same game - BF 3.1. For what DICE and EA are charging, they either expect lower sales, think we're all brainless chumps ripe for the taking, or plan on dropping the price over a short period and want to grab as much cash up front before people lose interest or word of mouth kills the game. Look at Sim City. It's now cheaper on Origin than it is on Amazon!

You'd think they'd learn. Look at the sudden burst of BF3 players when the Humble Bundle (you have 6 days to go) sold BF3 and a pack of other games for $5 (£3.50-ish). We've had a full dMw server all week and a huge influx of new players. Because they all upgraded their PC's? No, because the price was right!

DICE should either give us what WE want at a price THEY like, or give us what THEY can knock out quick, but at a price WE like. Currently they're just trying to sell their cake and eat it. Old game re-skinned at new game prices.

I'll probably end up with BF4 as a birthday present (they've always released it around the same date) but eleven years after getting BF1942, I feel that the franchise has forgotten its roots.

I'd make DICE's current crop of designers and developers play BF1942, the Desert Combat Mod and BF2 and say to them "Beat that if you can!".

[TommyGuner]

Here, here!
And BattleParticularlyLargeTurd sounds divine!

[TeaLeaf]

I'd settle for the £5 lan server expansion pack, then it will have my attention again.  Slightly.

Nice post though Arithon.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

[ArithonUK]

I'd settle for the £5 lan server expansion pack, then it will have my attention again.

Yes, on reflection a "Modders SDK and LAN server DLC" would make buying the game for £107 actually worth it!

[DannagE]

Ordered it anyway.  I said I wasn't going to get BF3 and I did and so did everyone else and I've enjoyed playing it. Same pattern seemed to be happening for BF4, so I have just taken the plunge...as I am sure everyone else will too eventually

[TeaLeaf]

I just bought BF3.   I'll probably follow the same pattern too - I'll get BF4 when the 8 chargeable DLC packs and 3 chargeable content patches are in a $3.99 Humble Bundle :boxing:

I honestly do wish the game luck, but I fear they are strangling their own audience at the moment with their charging policy.    They've yet to fix things from earlier releases and re-charge for minor improvements and updated versions of old maps - I'd much prefer to pay once for a version that actually worked as intended.     Unfortunately each time they re-charge their 'franchise fanbase' decreases in size a little more.   Eventually it will be a dead game as they will have chased off their own supporters.

[JonnyAppleSeed]

I agree the starting price for bf4 is on the high side if you want it on day zero. Scary if you need more than one copy
 
I think i managed to get bf3+premium for about £40 and tbh the fun and time I have had from it has made it good value imo. I have paid just as much in the past for games that I didn't enjoy. I just hope the price of bf4 will drop to this sort of level

[DannagE]

£31 from Tesco for the disc and first dlc pack. Plus club card points ;o

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4

[Snokio]

FYI: Official 'Parcel Storm' Multiplayer trailer:

[video=youtube;3_xaIv7Wo1A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_xaIv7Wo1A[/video]

[Gone_Away]

Surprisingly I did that.. I thought the water fight would be naff.

[ArithonUK]

DICE have Tweeted the minimum and recommended specs. for BattleField 4. My 2010 rig matches the "recommended" specifications.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2367[/ATTACH]

[TommyGuner]

DICE have Tweeted the minimum and recommended specs. for BattleField 4. My 2010 rig matches the "recommended" specifications.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2367[/ATTACH]

Lol to whoever dev said that next-gen consoles will surpass PC-gaming in everyway. Any PC built in the past few years will be somewhere between these specs. (As PCG would agree)

[TheDvEight]

I laugh in the face of those specs



Just realised windows 8:g::crying: