Battlelog and Feature Requests

Battlelog

When Battlefield 1942 was given away for free on Origin, a week ago, I decided to give it a try. I haven't played this game in years, and I completely forgot all about it. 

When I started it, it came back me - the server browser was extremely clunky. I wasn't much of a multiplayer gamer back then and apart from Quake 3, I didn't really much else. I didn't know any better.  

When I first played the alpha version of Battlefield 3 back in 2011, I was surprised to learn that I needed to launch the game from the browser. I am not opposed to change, but I found the idea a little ridiculous. I did not want to launch a game from the browser. I wanted to be able to start the game, get into the multiplayer mode, and then browse the servers from there, just like I did with all the other games.

Having spent a lot of time with the game, I think different. Fact is, I now find the server browser extremely useful, and I do believe this is the way to go for the game. For whatever reason, DICE haven't been very good at making server browsers, and I am glad they went this route. It works very well for the most part, and joining games with friends is extremely easy. 

In my opinion, this is the best server browser out there. I hope they continue to improve it.

Much needed features

1. Ability to configure display options, controls, and such through battlelog or through a utility. 

I don't see why this is impossible, I mean its already possible to set the loadout through battlelog, so being able to configure other options would be perfect. 

Of course, it goes without saying that the ability to change the settings from within the game should still exist, and must not be stripped out! 

2. Make the communication tool work better.

The little chat window at the bottom shows there is someone online when they aren't; the voice option doesn't work at times. There is definitely a lot of room for improvement for this tool. 

3. Error messages such as this shouldn't exist! 

Game disconnected, something went wrong. 

If these features make it into the Battlelog for the launch of Battlefield 4, that would be perfect! 

My Most Anticipated Games

I wanted to talk about some of the games I am looking forward to the most.

Battlefield 4

There are absolutely no details known about Battlefield 4 at this point. This is all we really know about it.

Battlefield 4 beta

I can only hope that DICE doesn't make this a consolized game. Battlefield 3 wasn't, so I have no reason to believe that Battlefield 4 would be any different. 

It would be interesting to look back months from now at my thoughts, and realize how right or wrong I was. 

So here is my optimistic prediction: 

Battlefield 4 is going to be the best Battlefield game ever. The single player campaign is going to be brilliant, and there will be no quick time events! Every PC gamer is going to be raving about how great  it is. 

Then there is the multiplayer. Its going to put every other online FPS to shame. The destruction in this game will be awesome. Johan Gidlund-Montén and his team will do an awesome job. It will surpass BF3, and I will spend over 400 hours on that game. 

It will be the editor's choice at PC Gamer. 

There. It has been said. I will revisit this once Battlefield 4 is out. Hopefully, I won't be completely mistaken. I was kind of hoping Medal of Honor Warfighter will be a good game, but that turned out to be very mediocre, if the reviews are to be believed. Of course, I am not going to take a chance and purchase the game to see if the reviews were wrong. 

There are certain facts about the game that are very unappealing to me - quick time events in single player, lack of destruction in multiplayer and in the campaign are a couple of reasons I can think of. 

Crysis 3

Crysis 3 2560x1600 Wallpaper

I don't know what to think about this game. I made a rather lengthy blog about things I disliked with Crysis 2. Hopefully, Crytek was paying attention to their fans. I thought Crysis and Warhead were one of the best games ever. I know a lot of people will disagree with me. 

Those games had all the design choices that I love in a FPS game.  

Quick save, manual save, tons of graphics options, lengthy single player campaigns, superb visuals, no quick time events, to name a few. Its almost as if, someone asked me my idea of a perfect game, and went ahead and made it. I cared very little about Crysis before its release, but once I played the demo, I totally loved the game. 

Crysis 2 on the other hand, was a disappointment. Its not that the game looked particularly bad, or played bad, but the fact that it was designed to appeal to the Call of Duty crowd was what made it unappealing to me. 

So, lets predict Crysis 3:

It will still try and appeal to the Call of Duty crowd, much like Crysis 2. The multiplayer will be quickly forgotten. There will be quick time events (this makes me sad), and there will be no quick save in the PC version. 

I think the game is going to be alright, but it will not live up to Crysis in my mind. 

Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider 2013 HD Wallpaper - 1920x1080

This one looks interesting. I played the first five Tomb Raider games, and at the time, I really liked them. However, I did not enjoy the rest of the games. I played the first level of Angel of Darkness, and that was enough for me. 

I really looked forward to Tomb Raider Legend, and for the most part, it lived up to my expectations. However, the boss fights were very lame, and are made for the console. As a PC gamer, I did not enjoy them, and I eventually gave up on the game. I hope to revisit this game someday and finish it. 

I couldn't be bothered to play the other two games - Anniversary and Underworld. 

I like the direction they are taking the new game in. It seems less like an arcade game, and more like a serious survival adventure game. 

I predict, that the game is going to be pretty good. The PC version is going to be solid as well. The interface is going to be a console like, but still functional. Hopefully, the checkpoint saves will not make the game too frustrating, and the boss battles won't follow the unimaginative tedium I have seen in Tomb Raider Legend. 

Battlefield 3 Desktop

I wanted to create a Battlefield 3 theme desktop setup, when I bought the Battlefield 3 version of the Razer Imperator. 

Battlefield 3 Desktop

Battlefield 3 Desktop

I have been a fan of the DeathAdder for the longest time, but the Imperator surpasses it in terms of features and comfort. The Battlefield 3 logo is a nice addition. I would never consider paying more for a mouse that serves as an advertisement, but I was surprised to find it for $10 less than the regular version. 

Considering that I love Battlefield 3, there is no reason for me to not get it!