BF3 Patch news and updates

Patch notes for Nov 22 patch
Major client update for the PC version Battlefield 3 as well as a server-side update for all platforms.

The update will be made on Nov. 22nd 7:00 AM UTC / Nov. 21st 11:00 PM PST.

We’ll share release timing on the console patches as soon as we are clear on the timing, these take a bit longer due to console certification process.


---- Client-Side Changes:

-- Visuals, Stability and Performance Fixes:

• General performance and loading time improvements
• “Black Screen” fix for an issue occurring on some PC Configurations
• Stereo and Rendering Support for Nvidia and AMD Graphics Cards
• Adjusted the “stuttering” encountered on some PC configurations.
• Fixed several Crashes when joining MP and Co-Op sessions
• Fixed multiple problems when using multiple monitors (Eyefinity / Surround).
• Fixed visual corruption issues on certain Nvidia Cards
• Improved loading times for certain textures
• Added console command “GameTime.MaxVariableFps” to limit max FPS
• Added console command “UI.DrawEnable” to hide UI for screenshots / videos

-- Balance and Gameplay Adjustments (PC)

• Fixed a problem with high speed mouse movement
• Added back some missing Growlers on Kharg Island Conquest Large
• Added back EOR sound for SQDM and TDM
• You should no longer be able to damage a friendly vehicle when sitting in an open position
• Grenades now drop to ground if you get killed while attempting to throw it(note the affect this will have on Hardcore mode!)
• Spawn protection now should work in Conquest. You should no longer spawn on points too close to enemies
• You should no longer spawn too close to enemies in TDM and SQDM
• Combat areas on Kharg Rush tweaked in order to disallow defenders to access the carrier ship after 1st base is taken and being able to enter the AA gun
• Fixed a problem with revived players not suffering suppression
• Fixed a problem with the camera when being revived in COOP
• Added joystick deadzone setting
• Fixed sound for when climbing ladders
• Fixed an issue with some weapon sounds in first person
• Fixed a swim sound loop error
• Increased the damage of Helicopter Miniguns, AA guns, and Jet Cannons against infantry
• Increased the damage of Helicopter Miniguns against jeeps.
• Reduced the physics impact of AA guns and Jet Cannons, players under attack from these weapons should no longer lose control.
• Increased the damage of the 44 Magnum slightly.
• Increased the range and minimum damage of the .357 Round from the MP412 Rex.
• Increased the range of all .45cal and 9mm weapons.
• Slightly increased the range of the P90 and MP7 and PDW-R.
• Slightly increased the range of the 5.56mm PDW-R and decreased the minimum damage at long range.
• Slightly increased the minimum range of the Mk11, SVD, and M39 EMR 7.62mm rifles.
• Decreased the maximum damage and maximum range of the G3 and SCAR-H 7.62mm weapons.
• Reduced the damage from FIM-92 and SA-18 IGLA missiles against aircraft.
• Increased the damage and range of the 40mm BUCK rounds.
• Reduced the damage .50cal weapons do against Helicopters.
• Updated T90 canister shell tweaks to match Abrams canister shells
UI Changes (PC)
• Added round duration and ticket summary at EOR
• Advanced squad polish – should be more intuitive
• Significant changes to the Join Squad functionality (see below)
• Fixed a problem regarding keybindings while playing
• You should now get a better error message when being disconnected via Battlelog

---- Server Update Highlights

R9 includes many changes. Server-wise, it is most notable for fixing many server crashes, adding an unranked option,

locking the following variables on ranked servers

(vars.roundStartPlayerCount [which must now be four or higher],

vars.roundRestartPlayerCount [which must now be two or higher],

vars.idleTimeout [locked to 300],

vars.idleBanRounds [locked to 0],

vars.playerManDownTime [locked to 100],

vars.bulletDamage [locked to 100],

vars.miniMapSpotting [locked to true],

and vars.allUnlocksUnlocked [locked to false]).

• EOD Bot exploit fix
• Several crash fixes
• Anti-stat padding measures taken, disallowing ranked servers to run obscure settings
• Improved team kill kick configuration
• Support for unranked servers. Unranked servers do not report players' scores to Battlelog, but server administrators can freely control all settings


-- Share your profile and stats with new Battlelog functionality

• Ability to share your Profile and Stats pages to Facebook, Google+, and Twitter
• User Profile and Stats pages on Battlelog can now be accessed without being signed in to Battlelog if you know a user's URL
• Single sign on from Battlelog to Origin. If you're not logged in to Origin and join a game server, Battlelog will automatically sign you in to Origin in the background and join the game server


-- Quick notes on Squad changes in the Nov 22 update

• Removed FIND ME A SQUAD option
• Allow players to join empty Squads alone, thus having 1/4 squad members
• Change order of options to LEAVE SQUAD, INV A FRIEND, SWITCH TEAM
• Disable Privacy flag when 1 man squad
• Reset Privacy flag from Private to Public when squad drops to 1 player
• All occupied Squads will now show up colored blue on the Squad Selection screen
• Players who choose not to join squads will also show up as Blue in the "Not in a Squad” line
• Squads that are currently empty will display as white -- if you wish to join an empty Squad, you can choose the first one marked with white text


-- A detailed look at Squad refinements

A detailed look at Squad refinements

Today's PC client patch features numerous tweaks to Squad functionality and is part of our ongoing efforts to make it easier to play with friends and Platoon mates. These changes will also be implemented for consoles when we release the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 updates shortly. Stay tuned for the exact date of the console updates.

First, we need to look at how joining with Squads and Platoons affects the balance of teams. Initially, servers are commanded to equal out each side, so joining with friends can impact that balance while joining with Platoons further hinders this. As a result we have made some adjustments to the in-game Squad management screen.

For PC, you are now able to highlight the various Squads and select which one you wish to join by selecting a Squad and then clicking the Join Squad button. Please note that the Squad Privacy option still allows 2 man Squads which, during 64 player sessions, can lead to players with no squad position –- the number of people with no Squads will be shown at the bottom of the Squad selection list.

After the patch is applied to consoles (in the near future) you will be able to join Squads by cycling through the list and selecting which Squad you wish to join.

Restart Origin to start the download 483.7 mb

Ugh!

This is very frustrating news. Just when you get your server rockin the way you want it they screw it up by locking some of the var's.

The idle is really a kicker. Bullshiaaaaat!

From what I am finding out also IM if you want to be on QM with a 32 man server you have to have an 8 start value. Nice... real nice DICE.

BF3 version R9 seems to still have most of the crash bugs that R8 had, and Battlelog is frequently dropping servers from being shown, on top of this, due to problems on the EA web side of things. All hosts are reporting these problems, with the issues acknowledged by EA/DICE, and we are currently awaiting fix ETAs from them.

We're also seeing a lot of customer concern about the new hardcoded 4 players to start and idle limit. We and other RSPs have been providing this same feedback to DICE.

BF3 version R10 (888890) has been released by DICE for limited testing. The changelog for this new version contains two items:

* vars.idleTimeout and vars.idleBanRounds commands are now controllable on ranked servers
* Crashfix when a player is reviving another player

The crashfix should reduce crashes quite a bit, as we see it frequently (and saw it frequently in R8, as well).

If you are interested in testing this update, it can be applied to your server via a generic repair operation. If your server is on a managed dedicated server or VDS, you can trigger this repair through the "Managed panel" page; if you have a normal shared server, you can contact us, and we can run this repair for you.

If the patch works well, DICE will give the go-ahead for a full rollout. At that time, we will begin our standard process of updating all servers as they empty out.

R10 has rolled out on the 2 conquest servers. the last one will be updated once it empties.

Im pretty happy with where we are right now. Our severs seem to be somewhat stable and R10 is suppose to help even more.

With Karkand right around the corner I think we are in damn good shape.

Client R3 + Server R11 is due next Tuesday

MikaelKalms
Enlisted: 2011-10-22
2011-12-02 12:45PM , edited 2011-12-02 12:48PM by MikaelKalms
Quote
Hi all,

We will release an update to the PC version of BF3 on Dec 6th -- that is, Tuesday morning around 8AM GMT , 3AM EST , next week. This coincides with an upgrade of many of our central systems which will be down for some hours starting around that time.

It will be both a client update -- approximately 2GB in size -- and a server update.

The client/server combination will be incompatible with older clients/servers. All players will be prompted to download the update once it has been released. All RSP companies will begin upgrading their servers at the same time.

The client update is large because it contains most of the content for Back to Karkand. This is not ideal, so we aim to make potential DLC content in the future as optional downloads.



Bugfixes:
Fixed a problem with spawn timer now showing blue border on startup and lost spawn point
Fixed a problem where player who joined queuing on End of round got spawn screen stuck on screen, but unable to do anything with it untill next round loaded
Fixed a problem where camera would change to 3rd person on killcam when killcam was turned off in server settings
Fixed stat references on several dogtags
Fixed for surveillance ribbon not counting TUGS
Fixed a missing combat area lines on the minimap for Grand Bazaar conquest small
Moved a tank spawn in US base on Caspian Border so it would not be destroyed by a falling tree
Fixed a problem where placing C4 with the russians soldier was playing US faction VO
Fixed a problem where TV guided missiles could be shot into its own helicopter and destroy it
Fixed a problem when attempting to fire lock on weapons without a target
Tweaked the chat, it should now be a bit easier to read
Fixed several vehicles that did not properly shoot rockets and guns towards their predictive sights
Fixed the G17 Supressed Laser not working properly
Added alternate HUD colors to help colorblinds
Added a network interpolation setting. This allows users with good bandwidth reduce latency, but might increase some stuttering. The user can find what works best for his connection by tweaking the slider.
Increased the Spawn protection radius on TDM
Fixed a problem with smoke on land vehicles, Missiles should now miss more often
Fixed a problem where users could end up with IRNV scope in any vehicle
Fixed a problem where player dies if vaulting over a ledge and into water while sprinting
Fixed several crashes and increased general stability
Fixed a problem where the user was unable to revive two players that have the bodies one over the other
Fixed so you can assign an axis and use as a digital input. This makes it possible for the player (on pc) to assign one of the sticks on a gameped to be used for throttle/brake.
Fixed a problem with the Kill camera acting up when suiciding from parachute
Fixed air radar was showing to much. now lasertagged, heatsignature above threshold, enemy missiles and capture points are only visible on air radar
Fixed a problem where the game would enter a technical hang if the user pressed pause menu and tilde at the same time
Fixed a problem where you could get green flashes on screen
You can now reassign cycle weapons
Fixed so the weapon zooms automatically after bipod deploy is gone when using zoom toggle
Fixed a problem where the parachute would stay stuck in air if the owner was killed


Balance Tweaks:
Fixed several weapons so they are properly suppressed and hide the player on the minimap when fired.
Tweaked Tactical Light so it is not as blinding over longer ranges.
Tweaked the IRNV scope so it is limited to usage only at close range.
Reduced heat masking effectiveness of Spec Ops Camo.
Fixed a bug where Ammo spec would give additional 40mm grenades instead of Frag spec.
Increased the number of additional 40mm grenades from Frag spec.
Fixed so AT mines only live for 20 seconds after a player dies to prevent infinite mines. (We want to make a different fix in the future, it’s in JIRA).
Increased the Time to Live on sniper caliber rounds to allow extreme distance shots.
Fixed several weapon descriptions, calibers, and fire rates. The weapons themselves have not changed.
Fixed so the M9 and MP443 pistol can be equipped by the opposing faction when it is unlocked at 100 kills.
Fixed Laser Guided Missiles missing their targets if the target is moving too fast.
Reduced the effectiveness of Stealth on Air Vehicles.
Reduced the effectiveness of Beam Scanning for Jets.
Reduced the damage done to Armored Vehicles and Infantry from AA guns.
Increased the damage RPGs and Tank shells do to AA vehicles.
Slightly decreased the accuracy for all weapons on fully automatic, burst fire is now preferable at mid to long range.
Increased the effective accuracy of long bursts for LMGs when using a bipod.
Slightly increased the range of the 44magnum bullets.
Increased the close range damage of 4.6x30mm and 5.7x28mm bullets.
Increased the reload time of the Mortar from 3.5sec to 4.8sec and increased the time it takes before a shell hits the ground.
Reduced the aimed accuracy bonus given by a Suppressor for the MP7, P90, PP2000, PP-19, and UMP45.
Increased the range and FOV for designating targets with the SOFLAM and vehicle Laser Designators.
Decreased the effectiveness of 12g FRAG ammo when equipped on semi-automatic and automatic shotguns.
Slightly Increased the power of Fighter Jet Cannons against all vehicle targets, especially Helicopters.
Decreased the power of Miniguns against Jets and Helicopters.
Increased the power of Stingers against Jets.
Flares reload times for Jets and Helicopter Gunners have been increased.
Tweaked the AN94 so its burst fire better conveys the real world advantage offered by this weapon.
Added Single Shot to the AN94 as an available fire mode.
Slightly increased the recoil on the M416 and removed the Burst Fire mode (this weapon incorrectly had burst fire, which was not authentic).
Tweaked the spawns for TDM on Kharg Island, Grand Bazaar, Caspian Border, Seine Crossing, Operation Firestorm, Damavand Peak and Noshahar Canals
Moved a tank spawn in US base on Caspian Border so it would not be destroyed by a falling tree
Tweaked the Gas station Capture area on Conquest on Caspian Border
Tweaked the max vehicle height on Noshahar Canals



Also, it will once again be possible to reduce the number of players required to start a round to 1 both in ranked and unranked mode. We changed it back after getting a lot of negative feedback from both individuals and the RSP companies.

Our plan is to introduce a warm-up mode, where players can move about and play the game, but with scoring disabled; then, when the number of players goes above the threshold -- that's when the real round starts.

Interesting read about DLC being able to run in regular map rotation.I hope this is true.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/battlefield-3s-back-to-karkand-will-be-part-of-regular-map-ro/

Edit

I just googled it and this is being reported on many sites

Well thats an interesting twist..

well the IRNV haters win some...
"Tweaked the IRNV scope so it is limited to usage only at close range."
and lose some...
"Reduced heat masking effectiveness of Spec Ops Camo."

Reminder At around 3:00 am Tuesday All BF3 servers will go down for the update. Also the client update will be ready to download at that time

3.9GB update (WOW!)

I hope my Karkand maps are buried somewhere in there.

If DLC content can be placed in "regular" map rotation what will happen to the people who haven't purchased the DLC. Would they just be dropped when a DLC map started to load?

Anyone know how much the Karkand DLC will run?


McKilla76

$14.00 if you do not have the limited edition

MikaelKalms
Enlisted: 2011-10-23
2011-12-09 16:44
BF3 PC Server R12 will be released on Tuesday. Exact timing to be confirmed; I will update this post once it is confirmed.

We will have a downtime for the master servers. The RSPs will begin updating their game servers at this point. Those admins which have had their servers updated to R12 can then add the Back to Karkand maps to the map rotation.

There will not be any client update - all that was taken care of last week.


Server R12 manual is available here: http://static.cdn.ea.com/dice/u/f/bfbc2/tmp/BF3_PC_Server_R12_893642_Docs_ServerAdministrator.zip [static.cdn.ea.com]




Changelog
* General crashfixes
* Fixed problem where kits would remain on the level for a long time (>10 minutes); this would eventually make the server keel over
* The Back to Karkand maps are included


Notice that there are two variations on the Conquest gamemode. The differences are mainly to do with the flags. You will see a "#2" after the map name for a server that runs the second Conquest variation.

Game servers can mix and match B2K and non-B2K maps. Players who have not purchased B2K will be warned if they attempt to join a server with B2K maps in the rotation. Quickmatch will not send those players to servers with B2K maps in the rotation either. The guiding principle here is: if possible, avoid having people get kicked from servers.

BF3 server version R16 begins rolling out
Dec 18 2011 11:16:27 AM PT BF3 server R16 (895921) was released to us by DICE this morning and we are beginning its rollout. This release is said to contain a fix for the bug causing 75% of our crashes right now, which relate specifically to players interacting with major things in the world as they're appearing or disappearing (such as the AA guns in Golf of Oman and Wake Island). It also contains one other small change. DICE talks about this patch a bit in a BattleLog forums post.

Enlisted: 2011-10-23
2011-12-18 16:57 , edited 2011-12-18 17:07 by MikaelKalms
We believe that we have a good fix for the #1 cause of server crashes in BF3 PC.

A few RSPs will be trialling the server during this evening/morning. The new server update will be rolled out by all RSPs during Monday if no gotchas are found.


Changelog
There's only one to speak of; the afore mentioned crash fix.


Ninja changes
There's one. We'll tell you about it on Monday or Tuesday. First one to pinpoint it before then wins a beer.


Remaining crashes
There is one other crash which we see a lot of. Ít is an internal resource leak in the game server. The leak is reset at the end of each round; so, high ticket count servers are more susceptible to this than normal ticket count servers. I suggest not running your servers with a ticket count higher than 500 until we have sorted this out.


The first part in solving a bug is finding out how to reproduce it reliably. Thanks to rtm00se for pointing out how to do so in this thread: http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/forum/threadview/2832654347802283936/1/2832654347802308640/ [battlelog.battlefield.com]

so are we going to drop the tic count to 500 then?

I doubt it as the 1000 count server has no B2K maps and has been running 3 days without a crash

All servers have been patched except the Air Maps and B2K Rush. They will be patched once they empty or I restart the servers.

Added a Squad Enforcer plugin today. It automatically puts players into a squad.
Enjoy

That oughtta help promote teamplay within the public circle... Nice work Iron!!!

Patch R17 rolled out on our servers today.
There is no change log as this was a security update to plug the hole allowing the global kill hack we have been seeing latley.

InterNAP has notified us that they will be updating their intelligent routing software between 10pm and midnight CDT on 3/27. They anticipate that "customers may note brief route re-convergence and latency during the upgrade which should only be 15 - 20 minutes".

The PC Battlefield 3 update goes live tomorrow. March 29, 2012.
Improved commo rose, minimap, lots of fixes, & new shortcut items!

http://blogs.battlefield.com/2012/03/beep-beep-battlefield-3-update-goes-live-on-pc-tomorrow-improved-commo-rose-and-minimap-lots-of-fixes-and-new-shortcut-items-live/

Servers have been updated to R20.

servers have been patched to R-21


This is some of the content that the R-21 patch, fixes and tweaks.
This patch took place already after server restart which is done.
This goes for both servers.




BF3 server R21 (933688) has been released to us by DICE as a required patch that needs to be applied right away, and so we will be applying it to all servers in a coordinated fashion within the next 60 minutes (which will also require them all to be restarted, unfortunately). R21 is a minor, server-side-only release with the following changelog from DICE:

- Fixed AA missiles not doing damage to vehicles moving at very high speeds.
- Fixed TV Missile doing much more damage than it should (it is no longer a 1-hit kill)
- Tweaked tank armor strength
- MAV elevatoring fix, round 2; proning on the MAV will still disable it
- RCON admin.say command can send to individual players
- A few invalid map+gamemode combinations in maplist.txt could crash the server on startup; these combinations are now rejected instead
- RCON vars.serverDescription was not returning anything in R20 if the string was not set; this has been changed to return "" instead
- RCON player.onChat now reports the target player subset

here is the R-22 server patch



BF3 server R22 (940924) is now available, though DICE is not yet advising a full rollout. This version is described by DICE as having "internal changes, in preparation of future feature updates". We have made it the default version for new servers and those being repaired, and we will likely start our standard process of applying the patch to empty servers late tonight, if our further testing shows that it does not introduce new bugs or issues.