Diddums

I'm out. Just tried another match, complete fuckup. I'll wait until this is fixed, there's no point getting frustrated by a poorly developed game.

Well, there's no denying that the game is completely borked. I'd say about 25% of the games I get into seem to run alright. Just came out of a match where the sound was completely random. Sometimes it'd be silent, then you'd only hear helis, then only jets and tanks, then footsteps and helis, etc etc. Never the full package. The connection issues are beyond fucked. I've been running the type 88 all evening which has a 200 round clip size. I'm not exaggerating when I say it sometimes takes 25 rounds to kill someone, but I get taken out in what seems like a single shot. Add to that the fact that someone in the know once mentioned the word "netcode" and suddenly every single moaner is an expert who knows all about this and won't fucking shut up about the netcode. One day I want a game like this to flop again, except I want that someone in the know to say something like "cooties" so that we get all the whiners going "the cooties is fucked, gg dice". At least we'll get a bit of a giggle from it then. Off to try again, adios!

Issues are being addressed. Today, I can queue for a server, which I couldn't yesterday. I just logged on to a server and it was awful, so I'm trying a different one now. Let's see how it pans out.

So in the beta I'd come across someone who'd be using this, and he'd be insanely good with it. He'd be killing me behind cover, on roofs, etc etc. Yet when I gave it a go, I couldn't hit a thing with it. I'd get a few hitmarkers here or there, but that was it. Well, turns out I was using it wrong. It's not meant to be used as a grenade launcher, but as something different entirely. Here's how it works: The projectiles are little balls that explode, much like grenades. The difference is that these babies can explode mid-air. You don't have to pop them yourself, you simply lock on to something and let the gun do the rest. Now when you lock on to something, the ball will pop 3 metres behind that something. So say someone's hiding behind a wall, you lock on to the wall, and shoot just over it. The ball will go over the wall, and explode, in mid-air, right behind it, damaging the naughty rascal hiding behind it. I can't wait to give this a go later. Here's a video explaining it: There is some incorrect information in this video, because the ammo does in fact resupply from small ammo packs, just very, very slowly. I know this from personal experience. So give this a go, it looks like great fun!

Get a hold of me if anything goes wrong, I'll ring them up and hand out a can of whoopass.

Instead of turning Cyber's review thiread into a moanfest, I wanted to start a new thread where we can discuss the issues we're facing with the game. Now as mentioned in that thread, I couldn't redeem my gold battlepacks last night that I got with my pre-order. I did eventually manage, I had to restart Origin and do it in game as they simply weren't appearing in Origin. I also played a game or two after that and I got kicked from numerous servers, but eventually did find one that worked nicely, at least for a little while. Jordie jumped in at one point and I noticed he kept disconnecting too, dunno whether this was the game or him. This guy is one of the few people I actually listen to when it comes to BF4. He's got his head screwed on straight and explains a lot of what we're experiencing.

Well, I really wanted to come to this thread this evening and say "guys it's not that bad, there are a few things but other than that the game is fine", but I can't. I wanted to love this game, I wanted to tell everyone that this would be the CoD killer and that for all your FPS needs, you needn't look any further. If I said that, I'd be lying. First off, there are too many technical issues to allow for an evening of smooth gameplay: Servers that crash, losing all your progress that match. Random disconnects. A screen that flickers black for a few seconds every few minutes. Losing progress, I hit level 6 4 times this evening. I hit level 7, then 8, then lost it all again. Battlepacks don't save properly, or the items you get in the battlepack aren't actually available in game. With my pre-order, I got three gold battlepacks. I entered the code, got a confirmation, and now over an hour later, they're still not in Battlelog. Battlelog itself is a pain in the ass. I can hit refresh, and see loads of servers with one spot open, click to play, full. Every single time. This isn't players joining, it was so procedural that this is without a doubt a glitch. You also can't queue for games, you have to find a server that has space and then wait for it to fill up. In game there are some issues that need addressing too: Jets are indestructible. I spent half a match trying to shoot down a jet with a mobile AA gun, keep going until smoke starts pouring out the thing, it'd disappear behind some mountains for a few seconds and we'd start all over again. I gave up eventually, there was simply no way to shoot this thing down. There are connection issues. Much like in BO2, I would empty a clip into someone, and they'd turn around and pop me. This isn't a one off either, this has been happening all night. I know I'm a shit shot but c'mon, not that bad. Pistols are overpowered. I shoot at a sniper, land 2-3 shots with the SCAR, he pops out his pistol and it's game over. 2 hits and I'm down. This might also be part of the connection issues mentioned above, but I most certainly noticed this more with pistols. It's not all bad though, here are some good points: The maps are awesome. They get a bit samey samey after a while, but that's what you get when all your maps are in the same country. The foliage is nice, loads of cover, and the water is beautiful. The ground vehicles are fun. Much more so than BF3. The boats are simply amazing. The attack boat thing, with a decent crew, is an almost unstoppable force. There are multiple levels of ammo and health kits. The first level is a small pack that can get used once, but I saw people throwing out the more conventional ones we're used to from BF3 too so I assume those get unlocked later on. The weapons so far are nice and varied, but my skill with them is atrocious. The graphics, maxed out on PC at least, are breathtaking. The levolution events will tire after a while, but they're a great addition. The Storm map gets a storm halfway through the match which changes the entire feel of the map, and makes sure that anything in the water has a much more difficult time. All in all it's a great game plagued by technical issues. I wish DICE the best of luck sorting out these issues though, as they are truly game breaking and undermine all the effort they put into developing this game. As it stands now, on PC, I give it a 5. When it works properly it's great, but it only works half the time. When the issues are all sorted, this will be a solid 9 for me.

Ladies and gentlemen, Please welcome Ironstar (IGN Gajic) to our server. He's a mate from another forum, I've known him for a while and he's a decent bloke. Just a heads up so you don't think I'm adding anyone willy nilly.

Multiplayer unlocks? You're telling me that if I endure through this tedium that I get stuff in MP?

Mkay, about 30 minutes into the campaign. It's a grind. It's boring, tedious, and boring. The whole thing is "get from point A to point SUDDENSURPRISEWEHAVETODEALWITH then on to point B. The levels are seemingly made of invisible walls, there is zero scope for exploration, nothing to find, no easter eggs, no secrets, nothing. There's no innovation, no mechanics or effects that make you go "hey, that's cool". It's just the same cookie cutter bullshit we've seen since forever and a good reminder why I don't bother with any multiplayer FPS campaigns. The last one I fell asleep in was Modern Warfare 2. Since then, I haven't touched one until today, and you know what? It's the same thing. Corridor action, shoot the bad guys, watch your team mate die, shoot down the random heli, bla fucking bla. Now obviously I bought this game for the MP element and not the campaign, the campaign is more to appease those who enjoy this kind of thing or for people who have no internet. But holy shit is it boring. With that out the way, the graphics are just wow. Playing with everything cranked to ultra, and it's beautiful. Really, really beautiful. In fact, it gets to a point where I feel like saying to the devs "ok, enough now, we get the picture". The lighting effects, dusty bits, textures, it all adds up to one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. Shame the gameplay is like watching paint dry. There's nothing wrong with the campaign, it's just that this whole genre needs a good shake up. Until then, I think we're just going to see the same copy & paste formula stuck into every SP campaign to help sell copies. Thanks Dice, but for SP shooter action, I'll look to the all time greats: Crysis 1, STALKER etc etc.

Check out the reviews thread in the BF section, I don't want to derail this thread more. Short answer: yes. At home, sweet as a nut. At work, not a fucking chance.

Tanks, mobile AA guns, quads, boats, jetskis, small choppers, big choppers, little birds, jets, etc etc. If you're walking too far, then it's time to learn how to drive or fly.

Giggle giggle.

Took delivery of my preorder last night. After a very slow install I finally got a few games in. No issues as far as technical stuff goes, I had no freezes, no rubber banding, nothing. The game seems fairly well balanced so far, I really like the default rocket launcher. The vehicles are a blast, I think they're much more influential in BF4 than in BF3. Sniping is awful, although the C4 is fun to mess about with. I'll keep at it, I'm trying to learn how to snipe without having to zero in every time I want to take a shot because that's just fucking stupid. People don't stand still whilst you fiddle your scope, so I'm going to learn to snipe without it. Having said that, I brought my PC in to work today so I could play a bit if it was quiet, which it now is. To say that the game is unplayable is an understatement. The rubber banding really takes bouncing around to a whole new level. I've also had a few crashes, which I suspect are also something related to the connection at work. I should probably point out that at home I'm wired but at work I'm wireless. The folks on the BF4 forums seem to think that this is purely server side but if having a wired connection helps with the server shit, then that's fine for me. A side effect of all these technical issues is that the community is bitchier than the Kardashians in heat. I turn the chat window off when I play, because it's just filled with hatred and rage. There's really no point participating in any team effort at the moment because if you slip, you'll get LoL levels of flaming. The sound of the game needs working on. Sometimes I hear choppers that are miles away, sometimes I can have a chopper hovering above my head and not hear it. Now I'm not one for listening to my surroundings so for me to notice this speaks volumes really. I've only played the MP so far, haven't bothered with the campaign yet. Seeing as the game is completely unplayable at work, I might give the campaign a go, or go back to BF3 for the day.

Anyone picking on Dylan picks on me. He's my homie, stop bullying the poor fella.

It's in my mailbox at home. I also found out today that I'll be alone at work all weekend as my shift partner is ill. That's 2x12h shifts, at work, all by myself. Guess who's PC is coming to work? I just hope the internet here is decent enough to play on.

It's plenty big if you click on the picture Thanks for sharing, nice one.

Kick 'em in the nuts, it's what I do!

Folks, please remember that Sennex and myself do this in our free time. It's not our job, we don't get paid for it, we do it because we enjoy it. With that in mind, if you have any issues, please report it via the forum, and not in game. When we're online, it's to relax and wind down, not come from a day job to continue working on a server. If you report anything via PM on the forum, we will be made aware of it and we'll deal with it when we have some time. Also, I'm expecting you guys to put in some effort too. If you log in and your stuff is gone or you lost it to a bug or whatever, then do a bit of research and come to us with a bit of info for us to work with. This isn't a playground that Sennex and I host, it's a community server. This means that we're all meant to help out to keep things running smoothly. If something goes wrong, see what you can do to fix it before you come to us. Some folks don't seem to realise how much work it can be maintaining a server. We also look after a website, a Teamspeak server, one of us has kids, we both have jobs, etc etc. I think you get the picture. I'm also looking for a new admin. Not someone who'll just take the title and chill out, but someone who's willing to learn how these things work, how to manage mods, restart servers, etc etc. I don't just need an admin, I need a team player. I'm going to start being a bit more strict now as some folks seem to think that our only purpose in life is to babysit this server, when said folks are perfectly capable of going "hey man, x just happened, and according to y site, it could be z". Don't just come to us and go "it broke, what now?" Apologies if this came off as a bit harsh, but I need people to start realising that this is a community effort, not a show hosted by Dave & Bart that you guys are allowed to play on. Thanks for reading, I love you all, and stay classy fellow Minecrafters!

Press ctrl+Z

Fuck, KYLA, GRAB THE CASES, THEY'RE ON TO US!

Seems like people love you more than they love me Arris. Imma go cry now. Thanks.

Your basement looks mighty sexy.

BAHAHAHAHA Brilliant. You're a class act Ceppy. I'd have trolled the shit out of him.