Battlefield 4 PC Patch Arrives Next Week

[Josh Engen]

Battlefield 4 PC Patch Arrives Next Week

Next week's Battlefield 4 patch will address many of the game's most infamous problems.

Ever since Battlefield 4 hit the market last month, players have had their patience repeatedly tested. But the folks at DICE are hoping that all of the connection issues [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129267-These-Are-The-Battlefield-4-Bugs-DICE-is-Working-On] are a thing of the past. Next week, the developer will release a patch for the PC version of Battlefield 4.

"We are verifying the upcoming PC patch and making sure it is good to go," said DICE in a Battlelog post [http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf4/forum/threadview/2955064769163140123/]. "We are aiming to get this patch out the week of Dec 2."

The update will fix a handful of bugs--including the infamous one-hit kill bug--and will allow players to fine-tune their performance settings. Once the patch is released, we should see a significant drop in lengthy Battlefield complains on the internet. Though, many players will probably just find something else to complain about.

Battlefield 4's reputation has been severely damaged by all of the launch issues, and DICE has humbly accepted responsibility. "I am extremely proud of the people at DICE and everyone across EA that contributed to the development of Battlefield 4," said general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson in post on the Battlefield Blog [http://blogs.battlefield.com/2013/11/bf4-player-appreciation/]. "However, I am less proud to see that the game has experienced some turbulence during the launch period. While some platforms have had only minor problems, others have had more than their fair share of issues. Resolving the launch issues is our #1 priority."

Hopefully, next week's patch will be a step in the right direction.

Source: Battlelog [http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf4/forum/threadview/2955064769163140123/]

Permalink

 

[BrownGaijin]

See children? This is why you need to wait at least two weeks from the release launch date. What's that? Those are the two most important weeks of a games sales? Oh, children, how kind of you to give your money to buy a game that's filled with bugs. I'm sure the staff at EA will sleep better knowing that they can always rely on your generosity...

 

[rasputin0009]

If the game wasn't so damn fun, I'd be more pissed off at all the shitty issues. They also have some balancing issues to fix, too. But I rather them fix all the crashes first.

 

[Yuuki]

While it's nice of DICE to accept responsibility (it is partly their fault), EA still holds most of the blame. They once again released an unfinished game, knowing full-well it wasn't ready for release. Yet they have the NERVE to say they want to "change their ways and be liked by consumes" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/130075-Electronic-Arts-Wants-To-Be-Voted-Best-Company-In-America]...while continuing their bullshit practices. Yeah, not buying it, I'm with AngryJoe [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MknLARblrDQ] on this one.

A large chunk of QA testing simply didn't happen, there wasn't enough time. EA's goal was to release BF4 before CoD:Ghosts no matter what. [http://bf4central.com/2013/11/ea-pushed-battlefield-4-quality-control/]

Spoiler: That infamous conversation

I mean how ELSE did the insta-kill glitch make it to release? This is a glitch where approximately ~30% of the time, 1 bullet to the head registers as 2 bullets (or something similar). How was that NOT picked up during internal testing? Us poor players simply put it down to bad netcode, little did we know how bad the actual problem was until Jackfrags came along with this:


Call me cynical, but I fear that the latest patch could cause an increase in crashes/instability, and could pave the way for further bugs/glitches. This is EA's biggest fuck-up since SimCity.

 

[Metalrocks]

good thing i dint get it on day one. even i enjoyed the beta version a lot i was still hesitating to get it. i had a feeling that it will have problems like with BF3 by releasing a 6gb patch. i will get it eventually but when things have been really fixed.

 

[ron1n]

little did we know how bad the actual problem was until Jackfrags came along with this:

Jack spread word and helped popularise it along with others but was actually a player called Necriss and a bunch of aus community players that figured it out. Number of people on Cybergamer AU forums had suspicions of the bug since way back in beta but couldn't prove it. Was actually a relief when they figured it out, was starting to feel like I was crazy. There was simply no way bad netcode alone could have been the culprit for the insta-gibbing effect.

But yeah, honestly, I don't so much mind the bugs or the rushed release, as much as I do the terrible communications from DICE. They have absolute idiots like zh1nt0 posting useless replies on twitter and have ultimately treated the community with contempt.

It's becoming more and more common now too. SoE pulled the exact same shit with Planetside 2. Massive, obvious balance issues and bugs/problems and instead of just addressing everyone in a calm, mature manner, they try and act like everything is ok and attempt to win everyone over with lame double XP weekends or free nonsense items.

 

[Penguin_Factory]

"Though, many players will probably just find something else to complain about."

I think it's a bit disingenuous to characterize this as baseless gamer whining. I bought Battlefield 4 at launch and for quite a while after the game was only sporadically playable. Not because of connectivity and server issues- I expect that in an online game at launch- but because of crashes, glitches, freezing and massive performance issues, and *that* I don't consider acceptable. It's clear the game was released way too early, and as a result early adopters eager to get their hands on it were saddled with a barely-functional mess for several weeks.

 

[Matt Raven]

While the one hit kill "bug", crashes and terrible net code are a huge problem with BF4.
To me its major problem is the complete lack of balance and insane number of lock on kill devices. ( Some of which are broken as well )
There are more to come in the upcoming DLC's which will make a game where vehicles are meant to play a large part, simply mobile coffins.

Clearly the game was released early but you have to wonder if any of the developers actually talked to each other, when they each decided to add in something "really cool that kids will love!"

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

I guess that's another benefit of waiting a few months before jumping into the new generation: by the time I get a PS4, all of the bugs in the games I want to play will be ironed out, and I can start gaming without having to deal with all the frustrations everyone else is experiencing.

However, we are talking about Battlefield here. That game is never going to be truly fixed, my bet is that this is just one of many patches in a quilt of unbalanced weapons, crazy bugs, and bad netcode. It's a great game, I'm sure, but there will always be something wrong with it.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

Oh hallelujah! I'll actually be able to play it again without wanting to rip my face off.

 

[Yuuki]

While the one hit kill "bug", crashes and terrible net code are a huge problem with BF4.
To me its major problem is the complete lack of balance and insane number of lock on kill devices. ( Some of which are broken as well )
There are more to come in the upcoming DLC's which will make a game where vehicles are meant to play a large part, simply mobile coffins.

Clearly the game was released early but you have to wonder if any of the developers actually talked to each other, when they each decided to add in something "really cool that kids will love!"

There's exactly 1 type of lock-on launcher for a certain job though - fire'n'forget and hold-lock-on, for air and ground. I think this is the best job of launchers we've seen in any Battlefield game to date, there's such a massive variety and yet all are unique in their mechanics. All are balanced as well.

I see some helicopter pilots complaining about Stinger/IGLA, but they forget that the engineer has to sacrifice ALL of the following: ability to deal with ground vehicles, boats, destroy structures or fire at infantry. Hence almost nobody uses Stinger/IGLA outside very specific scenario (e.g. an insanely good pilot needs to be stopped no matter what), which is balanced. That being said, I feel Attack helicopters are way too weak and need a small armor boost + another chamber of rockets. Transport helicopters need to stop using marshmallows as minigun ammo, and the Mobile AA needs a flat-out reduction in lock-on range and a nerf in it's ability to slaughter infantry/light vehicles. Also DMR's suck balls.

Oh boy, I've dug up so many balance issues already XD

 

[Mad World]

complains on the internet. Though, many players will probably just find something else to complain about.

This comes off as cheeky. Do you take issue with the people who complain about the game? Trust me... many of those complaints are justified.

The game was release very unprofessionally and prematurely. From what I've seen of the singleplayer, it seems abysmal; it's as if virtually no quality testing was conducted. Additionally, multiplayer--which I have played to a considerable extent--was plagued (and, somewhat, still is) by numerous issues. Even after the most recent patch, audio issues still persist on certain maps (Golmud Railway, for example). This is not isolated; how did they not fix this yet?

Game better be pretty stable by this next patch; it costs 50 bucks, so it should have been working better. Games shouldn't have releases this rocky.

 

[Josh Engen]

complains on the internet. Though, many players will probably just find something else to complain about.

This comes off as cheeky. Do you take issue with the people who complain about the game? Trust me... many of those complaints are justified.

It was totally cheeky.

You're right, the complaints are completely justified (I own a copy as well), but complaining about EA was the internet's favorite hobby long before BF4 had problems. And many, if not most, of the complaints are hyperbolic and a little loony.

Most people don't write well-reasoned critiques, like you did. They flip out and make murderous threats. Those are the people I was talking about.

Either way, totally cheeky.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I wonder just how much QA is enough QA these days... I mean yes companies are competitive in their launches and make huge missteps sometimes in their haste for profit. However, is there really a catchall QA department that exists in reality? Bugs will get out, and probably be present on Day 1. Fixes for bugs may take different lengths of time, due to locating the bug and fixing the code (which may break something else). I'm not saying they're not culpable, not at all. I just wonder how long publishers can stay afloat if they were to put off release dates for more QA time. Also maybe change QA policies so they can have testers who actually care...

 

[Mad World]

It was totally cheeky.

You're right, the complaints are completely justified (I own a copy as well), but complaining about EA was the internet's favorite hobby long before BF4 had problems. And many, if not most, of the complaints are hyperbolic and a little loony.

Most people don't write well-reasoned critiques, like you did. They flip out and make murderous threats. Those are the people I was talking about.

Either way, totally cheeky.

Ah - I see.

If you're referring to their forums, I know what you mean. Many complain in immature and unhelpful ways. It's not a ton better than YouTube comments. I was quite upset by its release, but I'm grateful for the next patch. Bugs aside, I think that the game is amazing. Perhaps even the best I've played. Not much comes close it it. PlanetSide 2 would, I suppose. Titanfall also looks like a contender. But, with the amazing graphics, maps, animations, and scale, it really is great.

I just hope that people can see it for what it is. Even today, many have issues playing it - unfortunately.

 

[Zetatrain]

Well I hope this does fix a lot of things. My friend hasn't been able to play, because the game keeps crashing after a few seconds every time he enters a multiplayer match (might something to do with upgrading to windows 8.1). Good thing me and him picked the game up for half the original price on Black Friday, because we both would have been really pissed if we had spent $60+ on this game.

 

[Squilookle]

See children? This is why you need to wait at least two weeks from the release launch date. What's that? Those are the two most important weeks of a games sales? Oh, children, how kind of you to give your money to buy a game that's filled with bugs. I'm sure the staff at EA will sleep better knowing that they can always rely on your generosity...

So goddamned true. I have no empathy for those who preorder, only to find a lousy product. It's people like that which allow the whole problem to exist in the first place.

 

[Tien Shen]

Didn't know about the one-hit kill bug. What was irking me was the occasional freezings on some maps that was really ruining it for me.