New server update balances gunship, adds option to remove minimap + more

A new server update for Battlefield 3 is rolling out tomorrow on all formats, bringing more balancing tweaks to the Armored Kill gunship and the long awaited option to remove the minimap in Hardcore mode. Read on for the full details

You should see this update in effect starting 08:30 UTC October 11th (click link to see the corresponding time where you live). It usually takes ~6 hours on consoles for these updates to be rolled out to all servers worldwide. On PC you should see these updates in about 24 hours on a majority of the servers.

NOTE: During 08:00-08:30 UTC on October 11th (click link to see the corresponding time where you live) both Battlelog and the game back end will perform scheduled maintenance. During this time, you will not be able to play Battlefield 3 on PC or consoles.

October 11th server update change list

Gunship balance tweak in Rush mode
The Armored Kill gunship received major tweaks already in the last server update. We are now further tweaking it based on community feedback. It now only respawns after the attackers have destroyed an M-COM in Rush.

Rationale: The gunship has been a bit overpowered and spawning too fast in Rush, especially on servers running modified vehicle spawn times. This tweak makes the gunship only spawn for the attackers after each crate, except the initial spawn on round start. In effect, this means that after the gunship is destroyed, a new M-COM needs to be destroyed before the gunship can respawn at all.

Gunship balance tweak in Conquest mode:
The gunship will always have a 60 second spawn delay in Conquest no matter the server spawn delay setting.

Rationale: The gunship has been spawning too fast on servers running modified vehicle spawn times, making it hard to regain control of the flag controlling the gunship. This tweak will make the gunship spawn every 60 seconds independent of server settings.

Option to remove minimap in Hardcore mode
We now allow disabling the minimap in Hardcore mode.

Rationale: It’s been a requested feature from the community to be able to remove the minimap in hardcore mode. We are now adding a new preset on consoles for server admins to use called “Hardcore no map” which disables the minimap and keeps the rest of the Hardcore settings intact. On PC, you disable the minimap with the server command “vars.minimap false” that is now permitted on Hardcore servers. Enjoy!

Improved server stability:
Improved connectivity between game servers and the back end, significantly reducing the number of times a server times out and kicks players.

Knife take-down fix:
Fixed so that there can be multiple knife kills at the same time on a server.

Rationale: We had a bug where only one knife take-down could take place at any one time on one server. If you attempted a knife take-down at the exact same time as someone else on the server, the take-down animation wouldn't play, and your opponent wouldn't take any damage. This has now been fixed.

MVP Premium member score fix:
Fixed so that MVP and best team is calculated using normalized score (removing the advantage Premium members sometimes received in obtaining these ribbons)

Rationale: Earlier, Premium members would get an inflated chance of becoming MVP/best team during Premium exclusive double XP events, since these ribbons were calculated based on total score. Using base values all across the board now removes this artificial advantage.

Kill list fix:
Fixed the bug where a kill was listed as a vehicle kill when the player actually killed someone with a mine or similar weapon. Another where this would occur was if you fired a Javelin, then entered a vehicle before the Javelin hit its target.

Radio beacon exploit fix:
Fixed the radio beacon exploit where you could place it above the roof and then spawn on it to access areas that are not meant to be accessible. This glitch was reported on Operation Metro and has been removed.

Ladder/vehicle entry fix
Fixed so that players can no longer enter vehicles while climbing a ladder.

Crash fix
Fixed a rare potential crash issue when loading a new map.

Credit to Jaamaw for posting a headsup in our quick chat regarding the server update.

 

Wraith, Boone and myself will be thoroughly testing this.

 

I think we should run the no minimap var. That would be TRUE hardcore

 

Slowride is going to be so disappointed.

 

-takes a quick but earned bow-

 

Where credit is due my jolly good chap!

 

Knife take-down fix:Fixed so that there can be multiple knife kills at the same time on a server.

nice, but there will still be knife fails. While that bug was part of the problem, it was not the only issue




Death to the mini map!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The mini map shall burn in hell!

 

I still have to play devil's advocate for the minimap. Yes, the argument that its a crutch is true, but BF3 has a broken leg. The number of gadgets and vehicle perks that would become completely useless alone are enough for me to advocate that we keep it turned on. I just think it will simplify the gameplay in an already simplified game.

 

It would render prox sensors and radar useless. So it will be a bit harder to be an in your face tanker. But that's good news for infinrty playabillity. And good tankers will still be fine useing other perks along with situational awareness/tactics. Snipers, on the other hand, wont be hit as hard. Sure, they wont have a map that shows a red dot when someone is in tugs range, but they will still be alerted by the beep... as it should be.

it will also make choppering more challenging. With the mini map, if someone spots a tank or the AA a mile away, a TV can be sent across the map at it. With no minimap, both gunner/pilot must then rely on their eyes or info from comms to find target. Might sound odd from a chopper whore, but I'm all for greater chalenge.