Brief update

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:06 PM

Hey guys
I have been out of the office (although it doesnt mean I stopped working on BF2 1.50) for the last two weeks on semester. However... Emil hasn't and has been hard at work on the update after your feedback. So here is where we are at; there hasn't been any MAJOR issues in the Beta 3 that we have had reports of.

So whats changed since the Beta 3 started?
The screens below will help explain.

Black cross hair on the TV guided missiles
Widescreen FoV on widescreen resolutions

When I get back into the office next week there will be some last minute checks (no more fixes (unless something is broken that I didnt expect) or changes) and all being well the update 1.50 will be finalised and released officially.

Thanks for your feedback during the Beta phases. Its all gone a long way to make this one of the biggest changelogs that Battlefield 2 has had since launch.

JGrasli · 16-07-2009, 07:09 PM

Thank you for fixing the widescreen fov. Very good!

And its nice to see the TVG fixed too. But I hope it wont make it hard to aim at darker maps..?

But.. no fix for the spawntimes on the hardware on Wake? Whaaat?

RaptorUK · 16-07-2009, 07:10 PM

Cheers, you boys did well, I lost faith but never again, but please try and fix the alt/tab crash.

RaptorUK · 16-07-2009, 07:12 PM

Cheers, you boys did well, I lost faith but never again, but please try and fix the alt/tab crash, crosshair looks excellent and will work well on all maps.

Yeah, wake spawn times, how many times did I remind you BAZA!!!!

Soduka · 16-07-2009, 07:14 PM

Thanks. Too bad my suggestion about adding a second black hawk spawn on Wake didn't make it, but still, thanks for everything.

Seeker03 · 16-07-2009, 07:15 PM

Finally after a long wait

Thank you

Soduka · 16-07-2009, 07:16 PM

Oh Baza, mind updating the Battlefield Tracking thread with everything that has been done/will not be done, so we can look at the change log fully?

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:18 PM

Alt+Tab is pretty much impossible to fix. Its all about resource use of the machine and what the game does with it. All we know is that it appears to be around the rendering part of the game and since its been there since BF2 v1.0 its not something we can fix at this point

The new HUD with black grosshair works great on all maps due to the white tint to the background of the HUD you'll be able to aim just fine on darker maps while the black cross hair makes it easier to aim on brighter maps. Win win situation and another of the fixes that would never have come about without your feedback.

JGrasli · 16-07-2009, 07:20 PM

Ok. Win win

Btw Baza, make sure to have this fixed for Final please. I know it says fixed but still..

Quote:

Community/Custom games shows BF2 and Special Forces as version 1.4 instead of 1.5 - Fixed but didnt make it to Beta 3

RaptorUK · 16-07-2009, 07:21 PM

ALT/TAB has worked perfectly up to beta 3 so something has gone wrong somewhere, it only happens when you have AA enabled, disable AA and no crash so something dodgy there, regarding wake hardware spawning, any answer on it?

Ok got the answer, even if it does screw the USMC over in 99% of games. Poor design decision if you ask me, it maybe intentional back then but this is now and I see no reason why it cant be changed when the community knows its screwed up.

Quote:

Army hardware takes too long to spawn on Wake Island - Design decisions made this intentional

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soduka

Oh Baza, mind updating the Battlefield Tracking thread with everything that has been done/will not be done, so we can look at the change log fully?

Done
So its that list plus everything in the Readme.txt file.

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaptorUK

ALT/TAB has worked perfectly up to beta 3 so something has gone wrong somewhere, it only happens when you have AA enabled, disable AA and no crash so something dodgy there, regarding wake hardware spawning, any answer on it?

Apparently the Wake spawns is design intentional. Thats the only information I was given by the guys in the know.

We didn't change anything in the renderer between Beta 2 and 3. In fact nothing since BF2 v1.41.

Soduka · 16-07-2009, 07:26 PM

Thanks. The only obvious bug I can think of that is plainly wrong and easily fixed is the Wake Game Mode description when loading the map. It says the map is "headon", but that implies the Chinese have an uncapable base as well.

It should be "Assault".

Quote:

<mode type="gpm_cq">
<maptype players="64" type="headon" locid="GAMEMODE_DESCRIPTION_headon">Unlocalized test for this mode on this map</maptype>
</mode>

Should be:

Quote:

<mode type="gpm_cq">
<maptype players="64" type="assault" locid="GAMEMODE_DESCRIPTION_assault">Unlocalized test for this mode on this map</maptype>
</mode>

It just bugs me is all.

NOS_Fogger · 16-07-2009, 07:27 PM

Good news Baza THX!

Now if you could do something for US PC gamers?

I'd like you to KICK Gordon in the JUNK the next time you see him and tell him it's from us!

buard4vrhc4odd · 16-07-2009, 07:28 PM

Is this the last patch, or if something goes horribly wrong will there be an update?

Also is there a website we can have a graph that shows the number of people playing BF2 over a period of time?
It would be interesting to see what kind of effect the official release has on the BF2 community.

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOS_Fogger

Good news Baza THX!

Now if you could do something for US PC gamers?

I'd like you to KICK Gordon in the JUNK the next time you see him and tell him it's from us!

Hahahaha, is that for BF1943?

JGrasli · 16-07-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazajaytee

Done
So its that list plus everything in the Readme.txt file.

Yeah there's a lot to put in the changelog. Remember the G36E HUD fix (crosshair bug), fix for pickup kit crash etc.

As for another thing in the readme, it says the order how to update etc - it says 1.50 Full. Afaik there is no full version of the patch, only incremental. So for the filename of the patch, remember to have "incremental" in the name:

BF2_Incremental_Patch_1.41_-_1.50.exe

RaptorUK · 16-07-2009, 07:31 PM

So Baza you think it fine for the USMC command to be able to arty the Z10 all round with no chance of it taking off, you see how flawed their intentional decision is, they probably did not expect the PLA to dominate the map the way they do, no reason not review it and say yeah we made an error there, lets change it, after all the PLAYERS say it is not right.

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buard4vrhc4odd

Is this the last patch, or if something goes horribly wrong will there be an update?

Also is there a website we can have a graph that shows the number of people playing BF2 over a period of time?
It would be interesting to see what kind of effect the official release has on the BF2 community.

Its not been decided if this will be the last update but as always, should the worst happen then we will sort it out as soon as possible.

You can view player numbers for BF2 at anytime here (its not a graph but its player numbers): http://archive.gamespy.com/stats/

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaptorUK

So Baza you think it fine for the USMC command to be able to arty the Z10 all round with no chance of it taking off, you see how flawed their intentional decision is, they probably did not expect the PLA to dominate the map the way they do, no reason not review it and say yeah we made an error there, lets change it, after all the PLAYERS say it is not right.

I see the argument and know its valid, I'll put it to the designers and see what they say about it. As you probably already know, how a game/map is designed to be played originally is never how it gets played when its public

Bazajaytee · 16-07-2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGrasli

Yeah there's a lot to put in the changelog. Remember the G36E HUD fix (crosshair bug), fix for pickup kit crash etc.

As for another thing in the readme, it says the order how to update etc - it says 1.50 Full. Afaik there is no full version of the patch, only incremental. So for the filename of the patch, remember to have "incremental" in the name:

BF2_Incremental_Patch_1.41_-_1.50.exe

Good point, that readme was written back in June 2008 (yep thats how long I have been working on this update for

) when we were hoping there would be a full and incremental update. As you point out, there will only be the incremental update.

The pickup kit crash is in the fix list here on the forums. I'll add the G36E HUD fix now.

JGrasli · 16-07-2009, 07:36 PM

The USMC artying the PLA chopper is not the problem. The problem is the F-35b spawntime etc which is too long.

buard4vrhc4odd · 16-07-2009, 07:37 PM

Patches are used to keep players rather than gain additional players from other games. Perhaps even bring back former players.

Battlefield 2 has not had a patch in over a year, the player base at the moment is consistent and enjoys the majority of what Battlefield 2 is at 1.41.

Battlefield 2 is a 4 year old game and so is not going to be so appealing to new players, as such the patch should focus on keeping the players it has.

The prone deviation penalty is quite controversial. Evidence is this poll, the previous poll about staying prone for 0.7. And feed back from my clan. I am not saying its not wanted, but that its very controversial and there is not a huge majority one way or the other.

The patch should focus on keeping existing players because this is a 4 year old game. By creating a controversial game play change it is going to drive some players away from the game. It also will not bring in many new players because people like new material and a 4 year old game is not top priority for players looking for a new game to play.

Thus this deviation change is going to have a negative impact on the number of BF2 players.

Dont make me say I told you so when it is too late. We'll see in a month after the release.

Soduka · 16-07-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazajaytee

Good point, that readme was written back in June 2008 (yep thats how long I have been working on this update for

) when we were hoping there would be a full and incremental update. As you point out, there will only be the incremental update.

The pickup kit crash is in the fix list here on the forums. I'll add the G36E HUD fix now.

So what's the deal with that? I guess your license for RTPatcher expired and EA isn't willing to foot the bill for another copy?

RaptorUK · 16-07-2009, 07:38 PM

So Baza can we expect 1.50 official next week all going well, need to get shot of them god dam server crashers..

16-07-2009, 07:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
JGrasli Forum Guru Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,008	Thank you for fixing the widescreen fov. Very good! And its nice to see the TVG fixed too. But I hope it wont make it hard to aim at darker maps..? But.. no fix for the spawntimes on the hardware on Wake? Whaaat? Last edited by JGrasli; 16-07-2009 at 07:11 PM..

16-07-2009, 07:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
Seeker03 Forum Guru Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Where do I live? Gender: Male Posts: 2,177	Finally after a long wait Thank you __________________

16-07-2009, 07:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
Bazajaytee DICE Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Age: 30 Gender: Male Posts: 1,731	Alt+Tab is pretty much impossible to fix. Its all about resource use of the machine and what the game does with it. All we know is that it appears to be around the rendering part of the game and since its been there since BF2 v1.0 its not something we can fix at this point The new HUD with black grosshair works great on all maps due to the white tint to the background of the HUD you'll be able to aim just fine on darker maps while the black cross hair makes it easier to aim on brighter maps. Win win situation and another of the fixes that would never have come about without your feedback. __________________ Associate Producer Battlefield 1942, Battlefield Vietnam, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Follow Battlefield on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OfficialBF2 and http://twitter.com/OfficialBF2142 and http://twitter.com/OfficialBFBC2

16-07-2009, 07:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
RaptorUK Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Age: 32 Gender: Male Posts: 502	Cheers, you boys did well, I lost faith but never again, but please try and fix the alt/tab crash.

16-07-2009, 07:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
RaptorUK Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Age: 32 Gender: Male Posts: 502	Cheers, you boys did well, I lost faith but never again, but please try and fix the alt/tab crash, crosshair looks excellent and will work well on all maps. Yeah, wake spawn times, how many times did I remind you BAZA!!!!

16-07-2009, 07:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
Soduka Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 909	Thanks. Too bad my suggestion about adding a second black hawk spawn on Wake didn't make it, but still, thanks for everything.

16-07-2009, 07:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
Soduka Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 909	Oh Baza, mind updating the Battlefield Tracking thread with everything that has been done/will not be done, so we can look at the change log fully?

16-07-2009, 07:27 PM	#14 (permalink)
NOS_Fogger Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Detroit, Atlanta & Rio de Janeiro Gender: Male Posts: 303	Good news Baza THX! Now if you could do something for US PC gamers? I'd like you to KICK Gordon in the JUNK the next time you see him and tell him it's from us!

16-07-2009, 07:28 PM	#15 (permalink)
buard4vrhc4odd Rookie Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 305	Is this the last patch, or if something goes horribly wrong will there be an update? Also is there a website we can have a graph that shows the number of people playing BF2 over a period of time? It would be interesting to see what kind of effect the official release has on the BF2 community.

16-07-2009, 07:31 PM	#18 (permalink)
RaptorUK Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Age: 32 Gender: Male Posts: 502	So Baza you think it fine for the USMC command to be able to arty the Z10 all round with no chance of it taking off, you see how flawed their intentional decision is, they probably did not expect the PLA to dominate the map the way they do, no reason not review it and say yeah we made an error there, lets change it, after all the PLAYERS say it is not right.

16-07-2009, 07:36 PM	#22 (permalink)
JGrasli Forum Guru Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,008	The USMC artying the PLA chopper is not the problem. The problem is the F-35b spawntime etc which is too long.

16-07-2009, 07:37 PM	#23 (permalink)
buard4vrhc4odd Rookie Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 305	Patches are used to keep players rather than gain additional players from other games. Perhaps even bring back former players. Battlefield 2 has not had a patch in over a year, the player base at the moment is consistent and enjoys the majority of what Battlefield 2 is at 1.41. Battlefield 2 is a 4 year old game and so is not going to be so appealing to new players, as such the patch should focus on keeping the players it has. The prone deviation penalty is quite controversial. Evidence is this poll, the previous poll about staying prone for 0.7. And feed back from my clan. I am not saying its not wanted, but that its very controversial and there is not a huge majority one way or the other. The patch should focus on keeping existing players because this is a 4 year old game. By creating a controversial game play change it is going to drive some players away from the game. It also will not bring in many new players because people like new material and a 4 year old game is not top priority for players looking for a new game to play. Thus this deviation change is going to have a negative impact on the number of BF2 players. Dont make me say I told you so when it is too late. We'll see in a month after the release.

16-07-2009, 07:38 PM	#25 (permalink)
RaptorUK Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Age: 32 Gender: Male Posts: 502	So Baza can we expect 1.50 official next week all going well, need to get shot of them god dam server crashers..