Battlefield 3 players to get hefty 2GB patch tomorrow

Come this time tomorrow, PC gamers will be able to traverse Battlefield 3's virtual warzones without sunglasses. DICE is preparing a weighty 2GB patch that addresses a host of issues, including an adjustment to the blinding tactical flashlights. According to the changelog, tac lights will produce less glare over "longer ranges." There's a comparison shot below that demonstrates how much the lens flare has been scaled down at a medium distance.

The patch will also deliver most of the content for the Back to Karkand DLC along with dozens of other tweaks. The IRNV scope is now limited to close range, certain weapons are properly suppressed and conceal your minimap location, stealth air vehicles are less effective, firing a weapon on full auto is less accurate, miniguns are weaker against jets and helicopters, and 12g FRAG ammo is less effective with auto and semi-auto shotguns.

Server hosts can once again reduce the number of people required to start a round to one player in both ranked and unranked modes. DICE caught some flak when it increased the minimum to four players. The developer plans to introduce a "warm-up mode" in the near future that will allow gamers to play with scoring disabled until a certain number of people join, which will trigger the start of the "real round." The full release notes are below.

Although there is a consensus among PC players that it's superior to MW3, BF3 wasn't perfect when it launched. The game's forced browser integration is arguably its greatest blemish, but that'll probably never be changed. However, would you say DICE is doing a decent job patching issues thatcan be fixed? Have the updates improved your overall impression of the game? Are there any major problems that remain unaddressed?

Bug Fixes

• 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.
• 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

PC version of Battlefield 3 leaks onto torrent sites

With just over a week before its official launch in the U.S., DICE’s highly anticipated PC version of Battlefield 3 has reportedly made its way to various torrent sites. Gaming website Dark Side of Gaming says the download is 9.96GB in size and offers a fully playable version of the shooter's single player campaign.

There are no reports of console versions being leaked at this time. Also, those with pirated copies won't be able to access the game's multiplayer portion -- which is the real meat and potatoes of the Battlefield series -- as that requires a valid Origin account. Still, though the effect on sales might be limited, the leak will certainly upset DICE and game developers in general, as it seems it's no longer a question of if a triple A PC title will be leaked but a question of when.

Battlefield 3 is set to launch for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 25 in the U.S. and October 28 across Europe. Earlier today, DICE revealed the nine multiplayer maps that will ship with Battlefield 3 at launch. Details and design insights for each of them are available at the official Battlefield blog.

On the PC the game will handle up to 64 players and will take advantage of the latest computer hardware with support for DirectX 11 and 64-bit processors. As such the recommended system specifications are notably high. Be sure to check our Battlefield 3 Beta GPU & CPU Performance Test and get the latest graphics drivers from both AMD and Nvidia.

Battlefield 3 alpha Review

DICE's highly anticipated shooter Battlefield 3 will open up for testing in the coming weeks, the series' community manager Daniel Matros recently explained. There will be two trials: a "highly tech focused", invite-only alpha trial, and a more open beta trial for those who purchased a special-labeled copy of Medal of Honor Limited Edition.

The closed Alpha test is already underway and available only to a lucky few. DICE says it won't be distributing download codes on social networks at this stage, but those who want to improve their chances of being called upon, can sign up to the Battle field newsletter here and make sure that their 'Veteran status' is up to date -- for this you need to login to your EA account and link at least two previously purchased Battlefield games to your account.

The Beta phase will begin in September, and as mentioned above, access is guaranteed to anyone who purchased a copy of Medal of Honor Limited Edition with the "Battlefield 3 - Early Access Included" sticker on the box. Owners of that version will receive an invitation via a newsletter so be sure to opt in on your EA Profile.

The full game will be released for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and Windows on October 25, 2011 in North America and October 28, 2011 in Europe. There's been a bit of a controversy with news that the gamemight not be available for purchase on Valve's popular Steam platform, but that hasn't slowed down interest in the game. According to EA, Battlefield 3 pre-orders are currently at 10 times those of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at the same time prior to release

Battlefield 3 slated for release on November 2

Although DICE has been candid about Battlefield 3's features and development priorities, the company hasn't been quick to share a release date. We've only heard that the game is expected to appear sometime in the latter half of 2011, butCVG may have discovered a potential launch date. According to a screenshot published by the site, the French version of EA's Download Manager displays a release date of November 2, 2011 -- the same timeframe as COD: MW3.

Many question the accuracy of that date as it falls on a Wednesday instead of Tuesday, which has become the traditional release day for major game launches in North America. European launches usually occur later in the same week, often on Friday. The fact that the screenshot is in French adds another layer of ambiguity, as November 2 might be the EU launch while it's actually scheduled to land in the US on Tuesday, November 1. But again, this is all speculation.

As one of 2011's most anticipated PC titles, it goes without saying that we're pretty excited about Battlefield 3. DICE is developing the game in its new Frostbite 2.0 engine and has promised that the PC version is receiving the most attention. Battlefield 3 reportedly features co-op gameplay, four classes, non-superficial character customizations, more unlockables than Battlefield: Bad Company 2, as well as improved level destruction, character animations and war sounds.