Beep beep! Battlefield 3 PC update live: Improved commo rose and minimap, lots of fixes, shortcut items live!

03.28.12  | 641 comments

The PC Battlefield 3 update is now live. It includes a smattering of fixes, tweaks, and additions. Read on for the full details.

Today, we rolled out the big Spring game update for Battlefield 3 on PC! The focus of this massive package is to make the game more stable, fairer, and more balanced. You can find a comprehensive change list in this earlier post. The ~1.6GB update is available now. Below are some of the highlights.

New and improved commo rose

This update sees a number of improvements to the commo rose on PC, partially based on feedback from the community. Some of the tweaks we have made are detailed below:

New global call-outs
We have added a number of new commo rose call-outs that you can make to the entire team whenever you want. Where you previously had to look at a Support player to get the option to request ammo, you can now use the commo rose at any time to request ammo, health, or repairs. Using these requests will trigger appropriate icons on the minimap.

Moved orders to commo rose
We moved orders so that they are now exclusive to the commo rose. This means that you will no longer accidentally place an order when you in reality wanted to spot an enemy standing near a flag, for example.

Improved mouse handling
The mouse movement is now always tracked from the center of the commo rose, to make navigation more intuitive.

Quicker activation
You now activate a call-out simply by releasing Q, which should be snappier than the previous implementation. 

Improved readability
We tweaked the layout and design of the commo rose to improve readability and give clearer and quicker confirmation of which call-out is currently highlighted.

Look for these flashing icons on the mini map. They mean your team mates are trying to tell you something!

The available call-outs in the commo rose is context sensitive and will change depending on what you are currently doing in the game – for example, vehicles and infantry each have separate call-outs. Each function should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the minimap for increased team play possibilities. Players should keep an eye on the minimap for these icons. If you see them flashing, a team mate is requesting aid via the commo rose.

Improved minimap
After listening to community feedback, we have implemented alternative new ways to display the minimap. You can now choose between Map, Satellite or Hybrid view mode.

Map mode shows the most important tactical geometries such as buildings, objects, roads and water.

Satellite mode displays a top-down photograph of the level for increased terrain detail.

Hybrid mode combines the Satellite view with a Map overlay, offering a mix of quick tactical awareness and terrain detail.

You can change the minimap mode on the fly by pressing [B] (this key is mappable). You can set your preferred default map mode in the Options menu, where you can also alter the opacity level for the satellite textures. See below for an example of how these map displays compare.

Select the minimap display that suits your map and play style.

Beep beep! We have horns!
Yes! We have added horns to all jeeps in the game! Nothing says “Get in and man the machine gun so we can take back the airfield!” like three short beeps of the horn. Just press [SPACE] to make your presence known to friendly forces. Warning: Beeping also heard by opposition. Suggest limiting beeping when in enemy territory to keep vehicle in working order. This feature is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday (activated by L1).

Giving all players IR flares
To balance the battlefield and give budding pilots a fighting chance from day 1, we are now giving IR flares to all players. These will be automatically available to you in all air vehicles in the game. So if you’ve had a hard time staying up in the air previously, it should be easier to dodge incoming threats from now on. We hope this small but significant change will mean more players take to the skies and mix up their play style. This feature is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

More awards for skillful heli flying
One of the balancing items we have done in this game update is to better reward skillful heli pilots. To do this, we have increased the pilot’s score for transporting passengers who make kills from the heli. The assist score for heli pilots is now 50 points/kill. In a fully loaded transport, four passengers who make 1 kill each will give the pilot a sum total of 200 points. This balancing change is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

Making the SOFLAM a passive income gadget
The Recon gadget SOFLAM (laser target painter) has been given a new feature. Now, when a Recon player places it and then leaves it, it will continue to paint targets entering its area of control, continuously giving the Recon player a passive points income. This means a Recon player can place a SOFLAM in a strategic position, then leave it to find a good sniping spot. Combined with fixing a few scoring error in the SOFLAM, it should now be a much more viable source of experience points for Recons. This balancing change is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

Suppressing is team play, too!
Another balancing change that reflects how we want every player to be able to contribute to the overall effort is the lowered threshold for achieving the Suppression Ribbon. From a previous requirement of 7, players now only need to perform 3 suppressions in a game to be rewarded the Suppression Ribbon. This means the Support Kit player can rack up scores by skillful use of his LMG. We’ve always know suppression helps  – now we are more generously rewarding those team players who help disorient the enemy so we can move in for the kill. This balancing change is also present in the PlayStation 3 update that went live yesterday.

New to the game? Get a flying start with our new shortcut items

Today, we are also offering 10 different shortcut items for sale for Battlefield 3 on PC. If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect way to gain some ground on the veterans online. Or if you’d love to get your hands on those AA missiles for jets instantly, this is for you.

The 10 shortcut items are available now from Origin and include:

Kit Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items unique to the four playable classes
Vehicle Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items for all vehicles
The Ultimate Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items from all other available shortcut packs

We hope you enjoy the contents of this game update. As always , had to the Battlelog forums or discuss the update with us right here on the blog. See you on the battlefield!

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  • Kaputtski 04.04.12 at 06:22

    Shortcut Bundles = Corporate Greed. Congrats Dice, you have now alienated and insulted most of your “mature and intelligent” fan base by ruining BF3 with shortcut Bundles.

    Instead of focusing on quality game play refinements, you now to pander to children whose hands are in their parents wallet by homogenizing what once was a great team based, strategy driven game franchised and turned it into something akin to Mario’s kart. I have lost complete respect for your company and as a long time gamer in his 50′s I can confidently state, that as a result of your new revenue stream generating scheme, I will NEVER purchase another Dice product.

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    • 6xSnake6x 04.04.12 at 11:20

      I have to agree that this scheem is very low. I don’t care what they’re making out of it, that’s not the point. It’s that, this is not a free to play game. What next, hats ? strap-ons ? we already have camo and dogtags. So no matter how many ways you cut it, it’s not a positive thing. Looking at the bright side, maybe they’ll put some of this in some proper patching.

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    • Agouri 04.05.12 at 11:55

      Spoken like a true gentleman, you put into words what any of us with just a fucking OUNCE of intelligence feels.

      Gaming died the moment Marketing people started going in it.

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  • Rahan9595 04.04.12 at 03:43

    Put back up my old clan together (started years ago with Tribes, Tribes 2, MOH, COD, Raven Shield, etc…) especially for what was the best shooter in a long time. Rented a server too, playing several hours a day.

    They all gave up within a week since last patch was deployed. I’m trying to keep up and even though I get pretty much the same kind of scores as pre_patch, the fun is gone.

    This game is now a huge camping party.

    The blur, I can handle. The recoil too. But this dumb random bullet spread has killed this game.

    The spawn points are also messed up, and not on Kharg only.

    Want to promote teamplay ? When you finally manage to find a decent squad working together on a public server and finally manage to push forward and clear an area, it’s just to see an ennemy spawning right behing you and kill every one, with little chance of firing back thanks to that great RBS effect.

    Want to promote teamplay ? Where is squad/team VOIP ?

    You have to do something, and quick. Not in June with the DLC. Everybody will be gone by then and all private servers not renewed.

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    • 6xSnake6x 04.04.12 at 11:30

      I also see people in my friends list not logging on anymore. And you know a game has gone wrong when it drives people away from it. And yeah, you can manage with all the bad things, but it shouldn’t be like that. They say the community complains but they keep playing, and from here they draw the conclusion that the game isn’t broken enough to drive people away. In any case, never have I seen so much negativity surrounding a game.

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  • SerbianBear 04.03.12 at 23:26

    great now im going to have to buy jet unlocks so i have a standing chance against spawn killers who have bought all the upgrades… question dice, do you enjoy pissing off your community or is it just an unintentional thing

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  • DeadHell 04.03.12 at 18:06

    Shortcut bundles aye? Making extra money where you can then :/
    I thought the whole point of BF was to rank up with experience…

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  • War_or_Peace 04.03.12 at 16:52

    The gun balancing is bad!!! All guns in real life are NOT equal. To change the mechanics of these weapons after months of players mastering their weapons of choice, is bad. Ive put many hours into this game. To (sell away) the weapons I put many hour to unlock is unfair, at the same time changing the mechanics and the accuracy of all guns only give a slight advantage to the newbie player, because now the veterans have to relearn these guns and newbies can have the same guns too??? I always thought you have to earn your stripes, not buy them. Stop trying to nerf things for new players. If you have certain whinny players complaining about certain guns being overpowering or vets just kicking their asses. Then find another server with rules against them or tailoring to your rank. I always bragged about the realism in Battlefield 3 to MW3 players. I may have to reassess that. I AM NOT GOING TO BE BUYING THE FUTURE EXPANSIONS IF THIS KEEPS UP!!!!! THIS PATCH SUCKS AND IS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    • standard_Zol 04.03.12 at 20:17

      I agree that War_or_Peace, i think they are going for many without of satisfying existing customers with A REAL patch, who already have payed for a product. On a top of that they have released a patch what more likely fits newbies players than an expert ones. It WAS a best game of 2012 until last patch, can’t call it a long term strategy.
      If they will keep it up i will spend my money somewhere else….HD map pack, how about fixing cheater issue??

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    • 6xSnake6x 04.03.12 at 23:37

      I agree man. I kept putting hours into this game after the patch. Mostly playing rush or conquest on maps without attack helicopters (the one that has the missiles and shiet). And I keep trying to adjust to the guns, and find new strategies, new attachment combinations. But no matter how hard I try, whether I win or lose, kill or get killed, it ALWAYS FEELS WRONG ! This game just feels so bad now it’s so goddamn frustrating I can’t get over it ! (heck, that’s why I keep posting here). It’s just not the same, it’s like I’m playing another game, that is completely pathetic and unsatisfying; And I keep going back to it because I want it to be Battlefield 3 (like I remember it from, not so long ago). I mean it still looks like Battlefield 3, but is it ? really ? REALLY ? Cause from a game that was fun fun fun and had a few issues (BTW REVIVE IS STILL SO GODDAMN BROKEN !!! AARGH UBER RAGE) it turned into “oh we’re all anal probes and so we want to make the game shit cause that’s how hardcore we are ! we don’t believe in fun, fun is for pussies, we need stupid amounts of suppression and all sorts of other stupid stupid dumb dumb retard derp”. End of rant, I’m cool now, I’m chillin’, easy. Yeah so, see y’all on the battlefield 8-}

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  • rpsx 04.03.12 at 07:05

    why do consoles not have a commo rose? so easy UX-wise. just select button tap = spot, hold = commo rose, then rotate a stick to select. would fit so easily. communication is key to this game, yet it’s missing for consoles. why?

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  • air^Snake 04.03.12 at 05:05

    errrrr…I like the new map?

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  • BH22 04.03.12 at 01:30

    To all the “professional developers” don’t get hurt patting yourself on the back quite yet have you happen to noticed that 41% of the people that have commented on the last Battlefield 3 patch disagree with it ! (these stats are from this forum by the way not something I have came up with on my own ). Here is an idea that developers should try some time, test the patch before launching it as to find out what improves the game and what hurts the game in general. So we do not have another complete an utter failure. We all know in this economy people need a source of income but do not justify your job by destroying something that has been called the best game of 2012 just to say see you have asked for a patch now receive it so we can tell you how much you will enjoy it as we professionals understand much better than you gamers what you really want, trust us we know you will eventually fall in love with it as we have! I respectfully call BS on this failure of a patch that EA/Dice has shoved down our throat!

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  • Trillseeker82 04.02.12 at 22:36

    +1 for 6xsnake6x that’s the way it schould be done. And why changing weapons to ballance others.
    have played for 3 monts with this gun and now it’t shoots like if it’s the first time

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  • Trillseeker82 04.02.12 at 22:27

    +1 for 6xSnake6x

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