1.03 Battlefield 2 Patch in the next 2 weeks

Just got word of this patch's imminent release in a newsletter from EA

and as i am bored on a sunday morning i thought i would post the body of the email

to me it seems like it will fix a good majority of the problems.....we hope,

here it is

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A Message from EA/DICE about Battlefield 2™

Hi everyone. Thanks to all of you, Battlefield 2 has seen great success around the world.

Since its launch, we've tried to give Battlefield 2 all the support it deserves by releasing patches with the fixes and improvements you've asked for. Unfortunately, we haven't lived up to the standards we've set for ourselves. So all of us at EA and DICE are working extra hard to make sure that your Battlefield 2 experience improves dramatically in the coming weeks.

Towards the end of August, we will be releasing a new patch called 1.03. This patch is currently underway and will undergo thorough testing to avoid the problems that have occurred in the past. To make sure you're up to date until then; make sure you have installed the latest upcoming 1.02 update, which you can download here.

Here are just a few of the fixes you can expect to see in the 1.03 patch:

* Server and Client performance improvements.
* Improved Server Browser – added Favorites and History Lists.
* Point-farming prevention - game will stop Support/Medic/Engineer point farming exploits.
* Squads - locked squad leader will get a message if someone wants to join.
* Many HUD improvements - see the names of others in your vehicle, zoom level changing depending on vehicle, map zoom depending on map setup (16, 32 or 64 player map) etc.
* Teamkilling changes – the logic of how teamkills are tracked will be changed.
* Gameplay tweaks - the way transport helicopters work will be tweaked.
* Additional scoring changes - players who destroy an enemy commander's assets will be given points.

There are over 140 fixes and improvements in the 1.03 patch and we're looking forward to everyone moving to 1.03 to get the best Battlefield 2 experience on a level, cheat-free playing field.

We also know that there is still an issue with availability of slots on Ranked Servers. We're all delighted that this new feature has been so popular, but we know that many of you are finding it hard to get onto a ranked server, especially at peak times. We are taking big steps and investing heavily to ensure that everyone can experience this side of Battlefield 2. New official servers have gone up in Europe and the U.S. this week and you will see many more going up in the coming weeks. Our vision is to make sure you never have to wait to get onto a ranked server.

Thanks for being such great fans of Battlefield 2. We've been listening to you and we're determined to make Battlefield 2 the best online shooter experience out there. We hope you like the changes that are coming.

- The Battlefield 2 Team

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for me, the most important change that they are promising has to be....

Many HUD improvements - see the names of others in your vehicle

i was really angry that this feature wasnt included in the original game, it should help lots with communication

they are also promising to upgrade the server browser....lets hope it really is an upgrade

Pete

* Point-farming prevention - game will stop Support/Medic/Engineer point farming exploits.

Whats that all about?

It's possible for two support players to sit away from the battle, taking turns to waste ammo and then rearm each other for points.
Medics can do the same- if one person allows himself to die on the edge of the map (i.e. killed by the game when it warns you not to leave the battlefield) he can have a buddy constantly revive him for points, only to be killed again instantly a second later. Repeating the process 100 times probably takes less than a couple of minutes but gets the medic at least 200 points..

End of August is in 2 weeks?

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Originally Posted by klarrix

It's possible for two support players to sit away from the battle, taking turns to waste ammo and then rearm each other for points.
Medics can do the same- if one person allows himself to die on the edge of the map (i.e. killed by the game when it warns you not to leave the battlefield) he can have a buddy constantly revive him for points, only to be killed again instantly a second later. Repeating the process 100 times probably takes less than a couple of minutes but gets the medic at least 200 points..

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Ah. Don't see why anyone would buy the game and not join in the battle

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Originally Posted by utdmleach

Ah. Don't see why anyone would buy the game and not join in the battle

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If you did it on a ranked server you get points that give you promotion and the ability to unlock extra weapons

Why a favourites option wasn't included from the start is beyond me.

I think they were trying to tie everybody in to using gamespy, what do you lot think?

Yes, that would explain the half arsed attempt at a browser. It's APPALLING

it would be nice if it didn't automaticly get the browser list before u selected filters.

If you guys haven't disabled intro and game videos hen I heartily recommend it! It's taken a LOT off my loading speeds and the browser loads much quicker, even in-game.

I'll be glad that the patch will sort out all these things (the black hawk thing really bugs me) but I'm considering 'farming' for the knife kills badge cos that's a biotch to get :(

disable how?

Rename the intro, license, dice and another file from .bik to summint else

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Originally Posted by Dougal

Rename the intro, license, dice and another file from .bik to summint else

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Yeah I did that a couple of weeks ago - makes a huge difference in loading times.

Just don't rename the menu ones. Theres two or three u don't rename IIRC>

I have no idea why the loading times dramitcly decrease.

Its not todo with the BIK player not loading, because it still loads the movies for the menus/

I have bought the game and just downloaded 1.02, its amazing at the problems that have occurred from this game.

Annoyingly tho, i was offered a job away from home so i won't be able to play BF2 or go on my computer :(

In CustomPCs (the newest one about best dream pcs) there is an ok article explaining how EA have pratically made only one server provider provide the entire servers etc for the maps and gaming, which cuts out jolt and other companies. Not a fair system, and i believe that would contravene the competition commission policies, altho i guess it is not affected as EA is candian/america iirc?

Ian

It is a big shame that Multiplay are the only official providers.

they are using this to their advantage by charging LOTS for servers, minimum 3 mnth contracts and all that.

I do like the URLgamestarter program though.

MUCH nicer then the ingame browser (get it from ftp://ftp.multiplay.co.uk )

If you need to run any command line args from it drop me a line and I'll show you how (it defaultly only runs bf2.exe)

I just hope they sort out the ranked server issues, in that some of them don't update. I know this was an issue with some of the multiplay servers, but I was on one last night and after gaining enough points for a new rank, plus basic assault and basic transport badges - IT DIDN'T SAVE ANY OF THEM!!!!!!! I confess, I did swear a lot at the computer, and then turned it off, sulked for a bit, then went to bed.

It's a crakcking game, but as ever with EA it seems, there are problems.

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Originally Posted by Fatboy

I just hope they sort out the ranked server issues, in that some of them don't update. I know this was an issue with some of the multiplay servers, but I was on one last night and after gaining enough points for a new rank, plus basic assault and basic transport badges - IT DIDN'T SAVE ANY OF THEM!!!!!!! I confess, I did swear a lot at the computer, and then turned it off, sulked for a bit, then went to bed.

It's a crakcking game, but as ever with EA it seems, there are problems.

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Did you stay till the end of the round? I've only had troubles when i've quit out before the end.

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Originally Posted by MasterFlash

Did you stay till the end of the round? I've only had troubles when i've quit out before the end.

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Yep, left at the end of the round. Been looking on the web this morning, and it looks like it might be a question of waiting...EA are struggling with demand:

"Community Update - 6/23/05

Battlefield 2 Stats and Rankings Update
The retail release of Battlefield 2 has been a resounding success so far, with 25,000+ players competing online simultaneously at this afternoon's peak. Needless to say, the passion that players have for Battlefield 2 has blown us away, and while we have been able to keep up with the demand for slots on Ranked servers (thanks to our many partners worldwide) we have run into some issues in processing the data from the nearly 400 Ranked servers we have deployed. As many in the Community have noticed, stats updates are taking about half a day to be reflected within BFHQ at this time. EA, DICE and GameSpy are all aware of this issue, and we are working promptly to make headway against the back log while also ensuring that this issue does not recur once the game has reached shelves all across Europe tomorrow. Rest assured, however, that we will keep pace with the demand for Ranked servers, as necessary, though we may slow down deployment slightly this evening as we clear out the backlog of stats snapshots.

We want to emphasize that no snapshots have been lost and once we have this issue addressed, all players' progress will be accurately reflected in BFHQ. We thank the Community for their patience as we solve this issue.

This is [EA]Mike signing off for the rest of the Battlefield team"

I'm just crossing my fingers, it says it's taking about half a day, but I reckon that's more likely to take longer as more and more people get the game and go online with it.

The slots available in ranked servers is a problem though, I search for "not full" ranked servers and they generally come back with full ones anyway. It's a minor annoyance, as is auto-balancing, as me and a friend play online together and frequently end up on opposing sides.

Use www.multiplay.co.uk for official server finding and use their URLGameStarter program to get rid of the in game browser.

When you select the link, BF2 starts, you login and it takes you straight to the game, no hassle of anythin

It's safe to disable all videos in the folder however it does leave you with a rather ugly grey background. I'll be researching how to make .bik files and report back with a link for a nice black or image single screen.

(it speeds up loading times because you don't have 250mb of video to load)

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Originally Posted by scotty6435

It's safe to disable all videos in the folder however it does leave you with a rather ugly grey background. I'll be researching how to make .bik files and report back with a link for a nice black or image single screen.

(it speeds up loading times because you don't have 250mb of video to load)

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250mb :eek:

So do i just rename them or can i delete them?

I wouldnt delete thm, Ive put them in a 'video_backup' folder.

Job done :)

I'm trying to save HDD space :o, you think i'll ever really need those backed up?

I personally would keep them, but I guess if you run into any problems you could re-install.

Might even be able to copy them directly from the cd/dvd

i just tried this, ran the game but it said the server refused my connection, so i replaced them, and it still refused it.

just reinstalled and its still doing the same :(

You sure you have patched correctly?

no :) just reinstalled again, patched and its working fine again. slightly worrying moment where it said "database error" as i tried to retrieve my account, but its wasnt anything important, was getting worried there

Doesn't remember my password for somestupid ass reason.

Did that to me the first day I got it- after re-typing it about 4 times it suddenly decided it would remember it again and has been ok since...


This game is weird.

Hopefully we won't get to the 1.99 patch

/me starts touching every piece of wood in 10mile radius