Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

[SaladFork]

Greetings,

We recognize that this has been a very trying time for everyone who enjoys Battlefield 2 and are putting forth every effort to improve upon the issues that are causing some players frustration. The DICE team has been reviewing player feedback gathered from forums, email, and the ranker server providers in an effort to provide the best possible step forward from 1.3. While this work has been highly focused on bug fixing the team has also managed to put some work towards new content.

Some groups have noticed the testing of a new map “Road to Jalalabad” being run on our test servers. This map will be included in our next patch release and is not part of a new booster pack. Some of the items on the change list for this next step are:

• Reversion: Allowing unlocks on unranked servers
• Fix/Reversion: We fixed the issue preventing mod teams from running multiple game modes in one map list.
• Tuning: We have lowered the number of players needed to start a ranked game.
• Tuning: We have made some modifications to the vehicle drop feature introduced in 1.3. These changes should reduce the overall impact of ‘cartillery’ on game play.
• Crash Fix: We have located and fixed a crash connected to 1.3.

These are only a small portion of the fixes being worked on for our next step. We would also like to announce that we will be holding an Open Beta in early July for this next patch. We will have public servers hosted, Beta files available on mirror sites, and specific threads for feedback during this Beta period hosted on the EA forums.

As always keep your eyes on this space for all the latest Battlefield News.

-The DICE Battlefield Team

Sources:
E-mail from Colin Clarke (via A. Keeman - EA NL)

http://www.bf2rankedservers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6052

http://www.xbf2.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1223

And no, do not ask me for more evidence. Either believe it, or don't. I'm not going to be bothered to protect it or argue it.

~Salad

[Talus]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

OOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

[davelisowski]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Sweet! if they actually deliver on this.

[enfo]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

woah, thanks for the info, but i dont see the need to "lower the number of players needed to start a ranked game."

[SaladFork]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

woah, thanks for the info, but i dont see the need to "lower the number of players needed to start a ranked game."

I can think of a few, including getting ranked servers started up faster, thus resulting in less empty servers sitting around doing nothing.

~Salad

[imported_Squared]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Sounds good, they will even do an open beta, so that definatey gives me some hope they will finally get it tight before mass release. Fingers crossed they finally get everything sorted.

Thanks for the update Salad

[enfo]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

I can think of a few, including getting ranked servers started up faster, thus resulting in less empty servers sitting around doing nothing.

~Salad

true, i just hope they dont lower it too much

[Orphious2006]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Open beta testing???? Thats awesome!!!! Only question will be, will you still be able to just have 1.3 installed while you have the beta???

Unlocks on ranked servers? Kewl beans!!! I hope I will be able to sort for these servers!!!!! Is this a sign as the end of BF2...they are making sure everyone gets to use all the unlocks before the game officially dies.....Will there still be ranked servers once 2142 is released?

Lowered numbers to start a ranked game.......Here comes the debate about high point servers again!!!

Cartillery-----I bet they just fixed the hotel exploit and are disallowing cartillery to kill vehicles and artillery...

A new map??? WOOOOO WHOOOOOO!!! one we dont have to pay for!! Do ya think they are trying to make it to us for 1.3???? At anyrate....should be awesome!!!

[SaladFork]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Unlocks on ranked servers? Kewl beans!!! I hope I will be able to sort for these servers!!!!! Is this a sign as the end of BF2...they are making sure everyone gets to use all the unlocks before the game officially dies.....Will there still be ranked servers once 2142 is released?

Reread it, unlocks are now allowed on unranked servers. And not all of them, just the ones you have earnt. Patch 1.3 disabled the ability for unranked servers to query the stats database for player ranks or unlocks.

~Salad

[Kurt]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Excellent, good stuff. Fixing the server crash and sorting the vehicle drops is a damn good start.

A new map too - hurrah! (though I think we've earned it)

Interesting about beta-testing the new patch. There seem to be too few changes to make it worthwhile beta testing a patch so I wonder if there is anything else in there. None of the other patches were beta'd for BF2, 1942, etc so this is a pretty big step. Either they're finally listening to us and will make a point of beta'ing patches or there's a lot more in this patch.

Anyway, either way, nice to hear (finally).

[Auto-ER-]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Unlocks on ranked servers? Kewl beans!!! I hope I will be able to sort for these servers!!!!! Is this a sign as the end of BF2...they are making sure everyone gets to use all the unlocks before the game officially dies.....Will there still be ranked servers once 2142 is released?

...unranked servers.

[BryanG]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

OMFG I can't believe they finally got it.... Open beta, thats an idea!

This patch will be better than previous ones. Will take longer.

Kurt
Interesting about beta-testing the new patch. There seem to be too few changes to make it worthwhile beta testing a patch so I wonder if there is anything else in there.

EA
These are only a small portion of the fixes being worked on for our next step.

Duh!

[Orphious2006]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Reread it, unlocks are now allowed on unranked servers. And not all of them, just the ones you have earnt. Patch 1.3 disabled the ability for unranked servers to query the stats database for player ranks or unlocks.

~Salad

LOL OOOPS my bad!!! Unranked!!! Dang they almost brought a tear to my eye!!!

[Orion126]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

Beautiful, now they're listening!

New map and open beta..sweet!

[DrJambo]

Re: Community Update (6/16) - EXCLUSIVE

No mention of the infamous J-10....