By John Walker on February 25th, 2010 at 8:44 am.
I think it might be a sign of the utter beating the PC gamer has been taking over the last couple of years what a relief the Battlefield Bad Company 2 PC trailer proves to be. I want to hug DICE’s leg and never let it go. The PC version of the game (and let’s remember, a sequel to a game that never even had a PC version) appears to have been optimised for us in a thousand ways. From the obvious (and yet so rare) reworking of the UI to properly support the mouse, to the significant superiority of the graphics, the PC version is looking like the definitive port. There’s multiple monitor support, retuned weapons to support twitch combat, DX11 support with remarkable lighting and shadows, and perhaps most of all, 32 player battles over the Xbox’s 24. On the dedicated servers. Accessed via the PC-specific server browsers.
You can read lots more about the game in Phil’s very positive impressions of the beta. The full game is only a few days away, released in the US on the 2nd and the UK on the 4th March. And as a quick note to everyone else in the universe: this is how you port to PC.
25/02/2010 at 08:46 Anon says:
It would be nice if they would allow unofficial dedicated servers though.
25/02/2010 at 12:18 Nallen says:
I’ll be getting this me thinks :)
25/02/2010 at 08:54 Inanimotioon says:
i love this game!
the open beta is one map and limited weapons and i’ve probably clocked 40 hours on it. It’s everything I loved about BF2, plus destructible terrain (which makes everything better).
25/02/2010 at 13:31 Sweedums says:
yeh ill second that, iv played way more of the beta than i imagined i would, i just find it a damn good laugh… it might finally be the battlefield game to take me away from BF2 (not project reality though!… oh man, if the PR team made a PR mod for bad company 2… i think i would DIE)
my one worry about the game is that the multiplayer maps look a little small, and while i understand why (they were made for 24 players on consoles)… i just hope that eventually, they perhaps release some dlc with new maps that are larger for the PC version.. but hey, everything else seems top notch so far!
25/02/2010 at 08:57 MultiVaC says:
At first I thought “Wow, DICE is awesome!” and was happy about this video, but then I realized what a sorry state things are in when a GUI designed for mouse use is a selling point for a PC game. It feels like reading an ad for a car that triumphantly says “Includes Steering Wheel!”. It’s still a good job by DICE though, the game looks great.
25/02/2010 at 12:41 Kadayi says:
I think you missed the bit about 32 player support Vs 24 for consoles.
Also given the bad history console ports have, the developers taking the time to explain how they’ve taken something that was designed for a controller and redesigned it for M&K is no bad thing.
27/02/2010 at 09:23 datoo says:
I really don’t care about the 32 player thing. I love PC gaming but I actually prefer smaller game sizes. It’s more intimate that way.
25/02/2010 at 08:57 Flaringo says:
it’s pretty bad when things like this is considered a luxury…
25/02/2010 at 12:33 tapanister says:
Yes, why? Did you actually doubt that things were going from shit to zombie diarhea for us over the past few years?
25/02/2010 at 09:04 sigma83 says:
I remember commenting on the Mass Effect PC port back in, what, 2008? 2007? and saying the exact same thing Multivac is saying. What a sorry sad state of saffairs we’re in if stuff like this is considered ‘exceptional’ rather than ‘baseline standard.’
25/02/2010 at 09:05 destx says:
Shit, I hadn’t really planned to play this, but I might just have to buy it since they’ve actually put some effort into the PC port.
25/02/2010 at 09:14 Brumisator says:
This is strange considering the Beta feels like a console game through and through, with broken mouse acceleration, limited FOV, stuff like that.
Lookin’ good!
25/02/2010 at 09:26 megaman says:
Every time there’s news about BC2 I get tempted again. But I already have so many games to play! And still, my BF2 scars itch real bad …
25/02/2010 at 09:28 Morte says:
I for one am very happy ‘sorry state of affairs’ or not. I don’t care. I’m in a minority of one in this household when it comes to PC gaming; consoles is where it’s at for my tribe, and the market is reflecting that. So I’m grateful for anything.
So anyway
*quietly drops the supcom2 pre-order and replaces with Bad Company 2*
25/02/2010 at 09:30 GT3000 says:
I find your tribe hostile a belligerent. We will make war and you will perish.
PREPARE TO DEFEND YOUR WOMEN FOLK!
25/02/2010 at 10:20 SF Legend says:
Those women better have some good lamentations, if you catch my drift.
25/02/2010 at 13:20 Farewell says:
Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women!
25/02/2010 at 21:08 DMJ says:
I’ll get the sharp sticks.
25/02/2010 at 21:26 lethu says:
That is good! That is good.
25/02/2010 at 09:33 Skurmedel says:
I’m on the beta and while I’m mostly enthusiastic about it there are some things that I would like fixed. First, you can’t see your latency or FPS anywhere which is a rather obvious oversight. Another strange thing is that DICEs horribly crap server browser stuff is back from the dead (Battlefield 2) or something. And I think it’s running a bit worse than it should on my computer, but SupCom did in the beta as well and it got much better on release.
25/02/2010 at 09:56 mrmud says:
Yea, the server browser in the beta is terrible
25/02/2010 at 09:34 Magic H8 Ball says:
This.
Though I fail to see why they made a Battlefield with no Titan mode. Going backwards, I say. Backwards.
Any word on a demo?
25/02/2010 at 10:04 Flameberge says:
@ Magic H8 Ball
Yep. The demo’s already out. It’s called the “Battlefield Bad Company 2 Multiplayer beta”. Which is not a beta at all. Anyone who played it with more and one and a half braincells to rub together is well aware that it is a demo. Especially when viewed in light that on xbox live marketplace, the “Battlefield Bad Company 2 Multiplayer Demo” has the exact same content as our so-called “beta”.
25/02/2010 at 15:54 Heliosicle says:
actually, the demo on consoles only allows you to unlock 1 thing per class, and you can only go up to level 2.
25/02/2010 at 21:11 DMJ says:
I want Titan too. I don’t care that Titan mode wouldn’t fit in with the time period. If they can’t have flying Fotresses of Doom can’t they have aircraft carriers pootling around an island or something? Or maybe static bases which need to be assaulted. But the lack of Titan mode hurts, even if it isn’t a dealbreaker.
25/02/2010 at 09:47 Lobotomist says:
Judging from my time in closed beta BFBC2 will be a new cornerstone in FPS gaming.
Its without doubt best BF game (and that is saying much) and it simply blows out the water anything else including MW2/MW1 , even CSS.
Its the new PC classic emerging !
25/02/2010 at 09:56 eot says:
Optimized for PC? How?
Yes, it has a server browser but it is truly horrid and broken in too many ways to list here. The performance in the beta, as of a week or two ago, was really really bad for a lot of people, irrespective of settings. The hit detection is abyssmal! Oftentimes people manage to knife you because the shots don’t register when they’re running up in your face.
25/02/2010 at 12:46 Kadayi says:
@eot
They run betas for a reason. It’s called service testing and fee
dback.
25/02/2010 at 10:00 eot says:
“edit”
Looking at the video it seems like they’ve at least added sorting and a FoV slider. I know everyone and their mom was bitching about the FoV so it’s nice that they took that to heart.
25/02/2010 at 10:10 Zealot says:
I hope its also balanced for PC, if you catch my drift
25/02/2010 at 10:12 Spacegirl says:
I believe the beta is an earlier version of the PC Port, essentially. I remember reading that you WILL be able set your FOV in the retail, for one thing.
I think I’m probably gonna get this game (providing good reviews). I could use a big new awesome PC FPS, basically been stuck on the (Still fun) TF2 since it came out.
25/02/2010 at 10:23 Nimic says:
I’ll be buying this, then.
I’m not really against pirating a game here and there, but when someone puts an effort into the PC port, I feel they should be rewarded. Yes, this should perhaps be the minimum standard as opposed to a pleasant surprise, but fact is that that’s not how things are right now. So I’ll take what I can get.
25/02/2010 at 10:35 sigma83 says:
I would blame society at this point, but I will instead blame *spins wheel* large brown dogs.
Fucking dogs.
25/02/2010 at 10:36 Jim Rossignol says:
Amen.
25/02/2010 at 10:45 sigma83 says:
Oh go play some Quake. =P=P=P=P
25/02/2010 at 10:35 DXN says:
@MultiVaC: Seconded. But hell, I’ll take what I can get these days — and I’ve heard nothing but good things about BC2. Reckon I’ll be buying it!
25/02/2010 at 10:56 Heliocentric says:
I’m not quite as insistent as with total war games but i love battlefield mod support, any word on that?
25/02/2010 at 11:04 subversus says:
no mod support
25/02/2010 at 11:38 HermitUK says:
They’ve basically said it’s highly unlikely – They’re more interested in getting the tools to a usable state in time for BF3′s release, instead of making them compatible with BC2. Which sort of makes sense to me – BF3′s supposed to have been quietly in development for about three years now, so I’m guessing they’ll start the process of revealing and hyping it in the not too distant future.
25/02/2010 at 11:07 x25killa says:
Dice, I just want to say…. Thank you. Thank you for treating us PC Gamers with dignity and respect. It seems you cared about the PC support instead of making a rubbish and for that, I love you.
25/02/2010 at 11:41 rocketman71 says:
Still no LAN, and you have to pay to rent dedicated servers, you can’t make your own.
Better than IW’s shitty IWNet?. Yes. Caring for PC gamers?. Not that much.
25/02/2010 at 11:48 Dominic White says:
More players + more accurate, faster-responding weapons = Meatgrinder headclickfest 3000.
Lovely.
This is why I actually turned to the 360 for Modern Warfare 1′s multiplayer, because on the PC, you die waaaay too quickly. At least on the 360, you sometimes have a chance to return fire.
25/02/2010 at 11:58 Koozer says:
Weapons are less accurate than in Modern Warfare, that is to say you can’t just full auto at someone from 10 metres away and expect to kill them.
26/02/2010 at 01:36 Thants says:
Join a server with a lower max player count. Problem solved.
25/02/2010 at 11:49 HermitUK says:
FoV will now be customisable (within certain limits) now, for instance. And in the new PC features trailer, the Sniper Scopes no longer have the odd purple haze they did in beta. It’s good to see the feedback from the beta has gone into improving the final product. Roll on March
25/02/2010 at 11:56 Koozer says:
Er, it is a beta. Or least it used to be. It’s had a couple of hefty performance patches since it was released, and they’re considering testing a blanket 25% damage increase on weapons. They’ve also said the beta is an old build, and things like sorting the server list and FoV are all in the full game.
25/02/2010 at 11:59 Hunam says:
The weapons are all console chunky in both presentation and aim, it looks great, but it feels like a console shooter by design. By that I mean it’s just not precise enough, the weapon spread is massive in that broad strokes style that works on consoles because of the aim assistance and use of stick but when using a mouse just feels trying to make a ship in a bottle with a pair of spoons rather than tweasers.
25/02/2010 at 12:01 Koozer says:
But MW2 has stupidly accurate guns and that WAS designed for consoles. I like the inaccuracy in BC2, I actually need to aim now and not go full auto on everyone.
26/02/2010 at 01:39 Thants says:
He does say in the video that they tweaked the guns so our twitch skills won’t go to waste. I don’t know if that applied to the beta though.
25/02/2010 at 12:06 Schaulustiger says:
I thoroughly enjoyed the beta and with every day I’m more looking forward to the release. My experiences so far are absolutely positive: it runs great (at least for me), looks great, has a nice “epic battle” feel to it and provided tons of memorable moments on just this one map.
Most complaints I heard were from people expecting Battlefield 3 (which it is not) or something CS-like (which it is also not). And the last thing I’d say is that it looks and plays like a console shooter. I mean, it is arcade-y but should be one of the better PC ports after they fix some of the beta annoyances. Give me a higher FoV, a better server browser and some minor hitboy detection fixes and I’m happy.
Oh, one thing: it will probably not really be suited for competitive play. I took part in a beta cup with some fellow friends and have to say that at least the Rush mode is a horrible thing to play competitively.
25/02/2010 at 12:11 SirWhat says:
to those who think that weapons are too inaccurate or too accurate – this game is not about weapons accuracy. if i wanted that i would go play some mw or smth. this game is about neverending action.
bf2 was never about accuracy too. most accurate was g36e and it was never used in clanwars because cws never use unlockable weapons.
25/02/2010 at 12:16 Dan (WR) says:
I must spend some more time with the Beta. It seemed like fun, but my old man brain struggled with two sides dressed in white running around against a white background. TF2 has spoiled me.
I never played Battlefield 2 but one of the things I remember liking about BF1942 and its open maps was that you could single-handedly make big contributions to your side with a bit of smart play. Based on the Beta, I worry that BFBC2 will have smaller maps that funnel the play.
25/02/2010 at 12:19 Lars BR says:
How would multi-monitor support work?
25/02/2010 at 12:28 Surgeon says:
The multi monitor support means ATI Eyefinity for ATI cards:
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity.aspx
http://www.tomshardware.com/gallery/bad_company_2_eyefinity,0101-239401-0—-jpg-.html
Nvidia cards will apparently be getting 3D Vision Surround support after the Beta.
25/02/2010 at 12:29 destroy.all.monsters says:
Given y’alls penchant for inserting music references I’d expected a Paul Rodgers crack.
Game wise I just hope it doesn’t blow.
25/02/2010 at 12:52 Jayt says:
I feel like an ass, but I’m still not happy with the dedicated server situation. Us PC gamers are a hard bunch to please it seems
25/02/2010 at 13:47 Wulf says:
Mmmh… I don’t think that’s so much true, but more that PC gamers, and computer users in general, are more used to being in control. Open source is just an extension for this, for example. The attitudes differ between computer and console owners due to the environment.
PC owner: I own the product, I can configure the product and make it mine, I should be able to do so.
Case in point for PC owners: Any OS.
Console owner: I can’t really change shit without custom firmware and I’m just fine with that, I only play games on that brick anyway, what of it?
Case in point for console gamers: Any console.
The only console to really change that was the PS3, as the PS3 had Linux support, but there were a few problems, there:
- I couldn’t access the PS3′s hardware through Linux, so it was impossible to even watch HD movies.
- Almost every damn official firmware patch seemed to break my Linux partition, badly.
So the PS3 made a bit of an effort, but objectively it’s just as restrictive as every other console out there, and as a PC user I find those restrictions somewhat smothering, and this is why I’m not a huge fan of console gaming myself.
The desire for dedicated servers? Quoth my own post: “I own the product, I can configure the product and make it mine, I should be able to do so.” The thing with dedicated servers is that we’re used to that, we’ve bought products in the past, and we’ve been able to set up dedicated servers and make them ours, configuring them how we like, running whatever mods we desire, and knowing that utlimately we are the lord of our own realm, our computer.
We also like knowing that there are servers out there which are run by people who work from the same ethos, therefore whenever we hop into a dedicated server there’s every chance that we might be in for a particularly interesting game, due to something a bit unexpected, or we could have the option to join official dedicated servers and get the exact game we’re used to.
So ultimately it’s a matter of control and choice, if there are only official servers to choose from and no dedicated servers which the player can run, then the player cannot own and make the server theirs, and the player further knows that there are no dedicated servers out there. So the chance of hopping into a game that’s slightly out of the ordinary and fun is 0%, the only online option is exactly what you’re used to.
This is why Valve are still my heroes of this sort of thing.
Every Valve game:
- Can be modded? Yes.
- Has really fun mods? Yes.
- Can be owned and configured to one’s liking? Yes.
- Has dedicated servers that players can run privately? Yes.
- Feels like something that we own and can make our own? Yes.
Given console leftovers, what developers are failing to understand is this. If they make all assets of the game modifiable then PC gamers will turn a console port into a PC game in no time, allow for dedicated servers beyond that and everyone’s happy, because it subscribes to the computer ethos.
Console gamers don’t really get much choice, and they’re used to that. PC gamers get all the choice in the world, and being as restricted as console users feels suffocating. I’d say it’s not that we’re difficult to please, but more that the cultures of gaming are different.
To wrap up though, I really hope they do do well with Bad Company, and even I may consider buying this one despite it not being my sort of game. That way, they may make an even stronger effort with the third iteration, because if with that we can have mods and our own dedicated servers, then they’ll have given us everything we’d want to be happy as PC gamers.
Closing thoughts: I wonder how long it’ll be before someone starts up a server emulator project, designed to emulate the servers being sold by DICE? That could provide for the dedicated server aspect, at least. If nothing else, PC gamers can be a resourceful lot.
25/02/2010 at 12:52 vader says:
Keep in mind that the beta just has one map and one game mode. If my brain functions correctly I seem to remember reading that Conquest mode will be available in the final game. On much larger maps.
25/02/2010 at 12:53 vader says:
…and that was of course meant as a reply to Dan (WR)
25/02/2010 at 22:44 Web Cole says:
Don’t understand all these problems people have with the reply system.
Never happened to me.
KG
25/02/2010 at 13:09 Magic H8 Ball says:
Wait what? 32 players?
So, no Titan mode and half the players.
Backwardsss
25/02/2010 at 16:20 Nick says:
The maps are much smaller and more focused as well, its not really a battlefield game, its a bad company game.. by which I mean its the sequel to a console game not to BF2/2142 et al. It shares enough similarities in gameplay to be (in my opinion) great fun, but it is not quite the same experience as the other games, more like looking at them from a different angle.
Titan mode wasn’t that great anyway, it was just infested with gun spammers till the shields were down, then mine/grenade spammers.
25/02/2010 at 13:15 wqrjgcv says:
John, it’s sad but I agree with your statement on “the state of the PC” in respect to a PROPER PC port being hailed as a masterpiece! We’re moving to a more consolized game experience, with developers taking a liking to the couch rather than the comfy office chair, as well as to get a better bottom line. Latest victim: Supreme Commander (what an underwhelming demo). Makes me /:
Also, I second the motion to grab DICE’s leg and hug it <3. I think I'd like to send them an appreciation letter for making the games that I regularly enjoy the most (BF2 before BFBC2).
Completely unrelated is Blizzard getting a letter from me if they don't sell their game for 60 USD, upsetting the PC game standard (there is no damn reason to raise the price when more is sold online than in brick'n'mortar stores). SIGH, with activision's CEO, I don't think they will…
25/02/2010 at 13:15 clippa says:
The engine is horribly optimised and the controls are very muddy, mouse look is jerky and the game just feels like treacle (and this with a framerate never dropping below 50. I turn that horizon based lighting off as it makes it feel more “laggy”)
I love the game but it just controls like crap, There will be no toggle for crouch or sprint either and you have to run great distances in this game sometimes. I felt like I had carpal tunnel syndrome after playing for an hour the other night.
I really want to get this game but my brains just telling me no :(
25/02/2010 at 13:31 Max says:
As far as I am concerned its perfect except for the lack of “unofficial” dedicated servers.
However that might not even be that much of a problem, so I’m gonna wait and see.
25/02/2010 at 15:32 Nick says:
To be fair, in BF2 the vast majority played on ranked servers only – these were rented in the same manner. It is a bit odd, but it won’t have that much of an effect on most people.
25/02/2010 at 13:37 Tei says:
Buy this comment!.
- Digitaly Downloaded to your PC
- In english
- Include subtitles (in text format)
25/02/2010 at 13:57 Mike says:
Eh, the previous BF games never did. It was never really an issue.
25/02/2010 at 14:29 El_MUERkO says:
Preordered many moons ago.
Also my clan will have a heavily moderated server, search for ‘Halibut Hardcore’ at retail launch.
25/02/2010 at 14:47 Dejoh says:
Did not like jumping through hoops just to play the fricken demo. Had it loaded and ready to go, could not find key to play. (all keys gone) they say. I’ll wait to read the revues of the full game.
Besides, we have enough run and gun-pray and spray games where player don’t care how many times their killed.
25/02/2010 at 14:54 HermitUK says:
Beta. Not a Demo. BETA.
People need to get the distinction into their thick skulls. They may decide to do a PC demo after release, as they have done on the consoles, but the BC2 PC Beta was not a demo.
25/02/2010 at 14:43 Trousers says:
A thousand WIN to the fine sirs at DICE. This is how an FPS is supposed to feel and look. I can actually watch someone play and be entertained, as opposed to MW2.
25/02/2010 at 15:07 Dejoh says:
Roger- 10-4 . Just was intrested in trying the BETA out for a spin. Beta= smoothing out the bumps
Demo= buy it or dump it.
25/02/2010 at 15:38 jackflash says:
I actually paid full price and pre-ordered this guy, something I rarely do for any game any more. While I miss the more full featured communications sytems of BF2, this still brings back the fun of that game, and the graphics and audio are incredible.
25/02/2010 at 15:43 KDogDaddy says:
Great solid teambased shooter that opens up more tactical gameplay infused with fresh variety and environments.
Let’s face it….for someone with ANY experience with any vehicle based shooters, the gameplay of COD:MWII got old after several weeks.
Granted BFBCII (the beta atm) has it’s list of issues, but from past experience with Dice I would say it’s shaping up to be a great all around title.
25/02/2010 at 15:57 Blackberries says:
That video may have just about convinced me to buy this game. Which is kind of sad when you think about it.
Props to DICE.
25/02/2010 at 16:11 Monkeybreadman says:
Love the game. Clearly a warm up for Battlefield 3
25/02/2010 at 16:27 ChaK_ says:
clocked about 60 hours.
on one map…
I feel insane
25/02/2010 at 16:46 Walsh says:
I liked that they took a step back from MW2′s crazy pipelined unlocks. If you play a class you like, you eventually unlock everything for it vs you must use this gun all the time to unlock it’s features.
I’ve also clocked like 40 hours in it, so much fun.
25/02/2010 at 16:48 Walsh says:
Also, I was on the prone outrage bandwagon but I’ve found I don’t miss it. There’s enough foilage and stuff that you always feel like you can hide, of course until all the trees covering your position are blasted away.
25/02/2010 at 16:59 Mad Doc MacRae says:
Ugh, I probably can’t get used to any online game that requires me to set up an email based account that isn’t my already existing Steam account.
25/02/2010 at 17:07 Jad says:
A good PC port of a console game, you say?
BUT HAVE THEY TAKEN OUT THE COUCH REQUIREMENT?!
25/02/2010 at 18:09 JDE says:
This is ridiculous, that a game which asks you to pay extra and/or preorder to be able to play it competitively is being hailed with such praise. Did you not read what they are doing? If you buy the game early, every vehicle you get in will have increased armor and firepower as well as a motion tracker so that you can never be snuck up on. On top of all that you get a tracker which sticks to other vehicles so everyone in your squad can hunt them down and obliterate them (because they don’t have increased armor, firepower, and have a motion tracker). Then you get two extra weapons so that no one can even stand a chance when it comes to facing you. Aren’t you sooooo cool for having the money to buy the limited edition game? Not only that, a new player has to play the game for a long time and level up to get a weapon that holds a candle to everyone else who has already done so because they have more free time.
25/02/2010 at 19:47 Kryopsis says:
JDE: “Aren’t you sooooo cool for having the money to buy the limited edition game?”
Everyone pre-ordering Bad Company 2 gets the limited edition by default. That’s not even counting the fact that you can acquire all these items by playing the game.
26/02/2010 at 14:20 JDE says:
So by playing the game, you can get the increased armor and firepower ect. ect. That is available in the limited edition? It wouldn’t really be a limited edition then. Can you send me a link to where you read this?
25/02/2010 at 19:00 JDE says:
@JDE
Those unlocks you mention, they’re unlocked in game as you progress for everyone else, the pre order crowd just have a little head start with them.
25/02/2010 at 19:15 DrGonzo says:
Any news on optomisation? I tried the beta, and found it ran like shite on my dual core. I was pretty frustrated by this. I understand it is only a beta and could simply have been because of that.
However, my cpu is fine in everything BUT Bad Company 2, I simply cannot afford to spend 100 quid on a new one for one game. I cancelled my pre-order due to this but if I get any news that it will work on a dual core I will re-order straight away.
26/02/2010 at 03:21 y3k-bug says:
DICE released a patch for the beta about 3 days ago that made a rather large increase in performance on dual core boxes.
27/02/2010 at 08:34 Upsetface says:
The patch solved nothing.
Feel free to visit the BC2 forums if you need proof.
27/02/2010 at 08:42 Nick says:
It made the game playable for me, unfortunatly others milage varied – previous to the patch I had 20 FPS, was smooth post patch.
25/02/2010 at 19:37 Flimgoblin says:
They’ve also implemented an intimacy filter, so that being too close to your screen doesn’t cause the big burly shooty man game to feel all uncomfortable.
25/02/2010 at 20:16 DarkNoghri says:
Hmmm. I tried the beta, which just ended, as I recall. While gameplay seems fun, performance for me was rather cruddy. If there’s a demo, I might try that, but I’m not optimistic.
AMD X2 5600
ATI 4850
4GB Ram
And I get (guessing) 15-25 fps. Raising/lowering the resolution didn’t seem to do anything, meaning it’s CPU limited. Checking the task manager, it’s pegged both cores at about 100% load, also. It just doesn’t run well for me. :(
25/02/2010 at 22:19 Starky says:
The X2 is starting to show it’s age is why, even with a nice overclock on those (say to 3.5Ghz – which is unlikely as if I recall those chips are poor overclockers) you’ll struggle on the latest games.
You might want to think about upgrading, if you have an AM3 motherboard, just pop in a nice quad core and you should be fine.
Assuming that ram is DDR2 800 at least, then your CPU is the massive bottleneck without a doubt.
25/02/2010 at 23:28 DarkNoghri says:
Unfortunately, it’s not an AM3 motherboard, so my options are limited. I’ve known for a while that my CPU was a problem, but I still think of the darn thing as new, even thought I’ve had it for over two years now.
Although, upon checking again, it looks like there are a couple AM3 chips that are supported with certain BIOS updates. Huh, looks like I can actually get an Athlon II X4 635. That appears to be the best chip my motherboard supports, and that’s actually an AM3. Yay for backwards compatibility. Annoyingly, that’s really not all that fast compared to some of the new Intels.
25/02/2010 at 20:41 Davie says:
Yay! Good to see we have another company on our side. Military shooters usually bore me, but I might have to try this one.
25/02/2010 at 21:29 blah says:
When did you last try the Beta? The latest patch improved dual core performance greatly!
I went from averaging 22-25 FPS to 40-45 FPS, and minimum FPS was 28-30 FPS (before the patch it was 16-20 FPS). The game used to use only about 40-50% of my CPU, but now after the patch it’s a full 100% load when the game’s running.
Using an E6600 overclocked to 3Ghz. Just remember, not everyone gained the same framerate boosts. Your mileage may vary.
25/02/2010 at 21:29 blah says:
That was reply for Dr Gonzo. Surprise surprise, the reply system fails me yet again! :(
26/02/2010 at 00:31 Soobe says:
Optimized for PC?
I respect that, so I just pre-ordered : )
26/02/2010 at 01:03 PixelCody says:
This warms my heart.
It shouldn’t because the stuff they’re doing is so basic and integral to the PC experience that it’s a wonder other companies have let their interfaces/server browsers/graphics options fall by the wayside.
Props to DICE/EA for making a point out of this and reminding other developers that THIS STUFF MATTERS!
26/02/2010 at 01:47 Thants says:
Looks good. Maybe I’ll pre-order it with the money I saved by canceling Supreme Commander 2.
26/02/2010 at 06:24 Magic H8 Ball says:
If half the enemy in the Titan are sitting in corridors spamming nades, you just roll over the map and take all the silos.
The genius of Titan mode was that there were multiple paths to victory and that it gave the player so many options – you might do some frantic shotgunning in the Titan then switch to flying a gunship or camping a silo with a sniper if you felt like it.
You know what we really need though? Battlefield 1142. Which would be just like Battlefield 2142, except in steampunk.
27/02/2010 at 08:57 Upsetface says:
Steampunk Battlefield? That’s an awesome idea.
I was thinking where Battlefield could go after doing WWII, Vietnam, modern warfare, and the near future.
26/02/2010 at 20:22 Max says:
Isn’t it sad how exciting it is that Dice is including these features? These shouldn’t be selling points of the PC version – they should be standard features that all developers should be expected to include for any PC FPS.
27/02/2010 at 08:32 Upsetface says:
Haha, this article amuses me.
BC2 is poorly-optimized trash. Sloppy, unoptimized ports are the real problem for PC gamers. I don’t care about how easy it is to use a mouse if DICE can’t even squeeze 70 FPS out of the latest PC components (as compared to the junk from 2005 in the 360).
Shame on lazy developers.
27/02/2010 at 08:38 Gareth says:
Two words.
Beta code.
27/02/2010 at 08:43 Upsetface says:
I call BS on this.
The game went gold weeks ago, and is available at certain retailers right now (Target, apparently). A beta released a few weeks prior to the discs getting pressed better perform well. If this were a real beta, and not a pre-demo, I would accept your argument. How dare you claim that anything with a “beta” label has an excuse for its mediocrity.
However, there is no way that DICE would have been able to make any significant performance tweaks prior to final release. Thus, the retail version will most likely perform as poorly as the beta client.
I suggest avoiding this disaster of an engine until (or if) it gets some good post-release patches.
27/02/2010 at 09:36 Gareth says:
Sorry, didn’t mean offence with the remark, no need to take it quite so personally. I guess it was a bit blunt, sorry about that too. In all honesty, day 1 patching is so common nowadays, punching out a gold disc with bad performance just to keep schedule is far from unresolvable. Delaying shipping, distribution, marketing and general PR because the FPS is a bit iffy doesn’t happen anymore. I’m not claiming that it’s a good thing, just that in business terms, it’s a manageable thing.
Also, what makes the code in the beta the same that’ll be in the game when it launches? It’s clearly a different codebase to an extent, given the limitations; I wouldn’t put it past DICE merging the SVN for the two versions, to an extent, and pushing out final optimisation via patch, as well as including fixes not present within the beta builds.
EDIT: From the BFBC2 forums – proves my point that they are in fact, two seperate code bases, so one isn’t entirely reflective of the other.
27/02/2010 at 09:41 Upsetface says:
Ah, a misunderstanding.
I want to love this game but the performance of the beta really disappointed me. Console ports are far too CPU-dependent, and I worry that us dual-corers will be unable to run the game well, even with high clocks, new chips, and good GPUs. If the E8400 (overclocked) can kick Crysis Warhead to the curb, why should the Frostbite Engine (BC2) cause problems for it?
27/02/2010 at 09:52 Gareth says:
Gotta be honest, I played the beta, it killed my PC on even low settings and I didn’t go much further than that. It’s not exactly the best rig out there, but it runs Crysis and usually anything else I throw at it, albeit with settings turned down a little, tweaked here and there. I kinda just assumed that my PC was a bit rubbish, seeing as I’m in the line for a full on upgrade… well, a new PC really.
27/02/2010 at 10:00 Upsetface says:
Mind-boggling:
PCs that run Crysis and Crysis Warhead well do not run Bad Company 2 as well. Come on DICE.
01/03/2010 at 03:06 Kebab says:
This is one of the worst articles I’ve seen here.
What about the field of view (nausea anyone?) Classic sign of a console port.
What about the mouse lag (always from console ports.)
What about the insanely low fps on even high end rigs?
01/03/2010 at 10:13 Magic H8 Ball says:
What about no prone, what about half the player count, what about the vehicle’s armor being magically affected by the soldier driving it.
And so on.
But hey, it’s not Battlefield, it’s Bad Company, mirite?
We should be happy there’s a 4:3 resolution support.
(There is 4:3 support right?)
01/03/2010 at 16:07 yeahda says:
Is there a single person here claiming low performance on retail version, or is it all beta talk? You do know what a beta is, right?
Complaints about FOV, did you not watch the video? You will be able to change the FOV.
01/03/2010 at 22:25 Reapy says:
It’s awesome that there is excitement about 10+ year old pc fps game features. :(
03/03/2010 at 15:39 Hmmm... says:
I have E8500, Windows 7, 6GB ram and 4870. The Beta ran smooth at 1920*1200 and everything maxed out so I dont get that you guys get so bad fps on lower resolutions…
03/03/2010 at 21:01 Jason Moyer says:
If a company doesn’t include something like adjustable FOV, everyone whines about it. If they proudly include in their feature set, everyone whines about it.
On a total side note, I just installed the retail version and I love EA. The installer actually gives you the option of either using a disk check or online authentication, which is something that every SecureROM game should have had from the beginning (I’m a fan of the authentication, but I know a lot of people hate it).
04/03/2010 at 06:19 Magic H8 Ball says:
And then we have whiners like you who don’t know what whining means.
It’s a nice setup we got here.