Yesterday, a massive patch weighing in at roughly 1GB was released for the PlayStation 3 version of Battlefield 3. Hundreds of adjustments were documented in its patch notes, some of which were significant and have breathed new life to the game. However, the list of changes go beyond what was seen in the official patch notes, and sometimes the undocumented stuff is the most interesting.
MP1st have compiled a large list of additional adjustments that were included in yesterday's patch but didn't make it to the official patch notes. See below:
Graphical Tweaks:
- No blind colour mode, but all the icons seem to be much easier to see
- Possible slight camera and animation changes: Heli’s and jets seem to explode and break up a lot more smoothly
- More saturation
- Less blue tint
- Easier to see icons
Audio Tweaks:
- Can hear footsteps, reloading as well as voiceovers much more clearly
User Interface Tweaks:
- Minimap has more focus on team function icons (heal, repair, flags)
- Icons for vehicles on spawn screen
- Easier to see what spawn point is selected on map when selecting spawn
- Other squad leader objectives are marked on flags
Movement Tweaks:
- Much better responsiveness (Even better with AA turned off)
- Noticeably faster repositioning from prone to standing or crouching position
- No more “supercrawl” or “superworm”
Vehicle Tweaks:
- Moved AA on Kharg (US on carrier, Russian at air strip)
- Faster vehicle spawn (Mainly air vehicles)
- Attack helicopter on non-B2K maps respawn in 30 seconds instead of 80 seconds
- You can fly through poles from half way and up
- Can spawn into AA guns
- Jets guided missiles can take out a tank and nearby infantry in 2-3 hits
- Below Radar has been buffed
- Stinger takes about 2 or less seconds to lock onto and fire, missiles seem to move slightly faster, 1 hit disable
- Havoc is noticeably easier to control
- All air vehicles now start with flares as a minimum
- Scout heli on Sharqi Rush added for attackers
- Jeep horns have been added
- Ground vehicles can be locked onto even when no person was or is in it
- Jets have reduced bullet damage
- Multiple players spawning into same jet/heli seems better
- Air radar is reduced in effectivity, only jets and helicopters are visible and if one uses ECM jammer or below radar, they’ll be invisible on the air radar
Equipment and Attachment Tweaks:
- Laser marker or maybe guided missile range seems to have been increased
- Red laser designator can be seen from tanks and heli’s as well as SOFLAM’s now
- Tactical light nerf
- Greater recoil when suppressed
Squad Tweaks:
- Can change squad without leaving the current squad.
- Visible squads now only at 3: Can create new squads
- There is a much longer period in which you can be revived
Ribbons and Medal Tweaks:
- Nemesis medal reduced to 30 ribbons
- Suppression reduced from 7 to 4
- MCOM Attacker reduced from 3 to 2
- MCOM Defender reduced from 4 to 2
- Anti-Explosive increased from 2 to 3
- Air Warfare reduced from 6 to 5
Match and Map Tweaks:
- Can now quit between rounds
- Shorter game start countdown
- No minimum player count: Players can move around right away, points begin to count after 8 players join
- Match Making option in multi player, seems to be for esport/organized scrims on custom servers
- Separate customizations for US and RU
- 5-flag Wake Island: Conquest Assault
- Added ladder to Sharqi TV tower
- On Grand Bazaar Rush, the attackers get a tank after the first set of objectives, instead of the second
- Changed the out-of-bounds: Noshar Canals
Server Tweaks:
- Custom Servers, read here for server prices, more servers to come during the week
- Over 1000 ticket custom servers on console
- Conquest Assault browser filter added
Other Tweaks:
- Additional Dogtags have been added (A-91 and M26 dog tags. As well as a tag for the game ‘Syndicate’)
- US Assault/Medic’s arms are now darker-skinned to reflect character model
- Shortcut bundles added (read here for more details)
The movement tweaks section is the highlight of the bunch since many users have complained about jerky movement and less than stellar aiming functionality. The rest is just icing on the cake, and LOTS of it. Some of these changes go a long way toward balancing the competitive experience, and shorter game start countdown means you can play more games in less time. Nothing like adding efficiency to your Battlefield diet.
DICE have stated that they plan to release the patch on the Xbox 360 and PC as soon as possible, so most users will have to wait to experience this titanic patch. But hey, it's about time the PS3 gets some FPS love.
