- Old Battlefield games re-killed after EA s legal warning - 27 October 2017
All good things must end, and all that we love will turn to ash some day. The fan-run Revive Network, a community project to support and restore online play to several defunct EA games (including Battlefield 2 , Battlefield 2142 , and most recently Battlefield Heroes ) is closing its doors after receiving a warning letter from the monolithic publisher. They had a good run of 3 years in total, with nearly a million total sign-ups to their alternative master server service, but nothing can last forever. You can see Revive’s final message to their fans, as well as the text of the shutdown request on their Heroes revival site here . (more…)
- Battlefield 2 Project Reality mod adds the Falklands War - 28 November 2016
Project Reality is an ambitious user-made mod that's served to keep Battlefield 2's multiplayer component active since the closure of GameSpy in 2014. It's now launched its version 1.4 which adds the Falklands Conflict—a ten-week war between the UK and Argentina that took place in 1982. Featuring both the British and Argentinian armies, Project Reality's v1.4 adds authentic kit and weapons consistent with the conflict, including infantry weapons such as L4A4 Bren LMG, the Sterling submachine gun, and the Shorts Blowpipe, among others. Beyond firepower, both factions also have a "varied arsenal" of new aircraft and vehicles.  "Alongside all the new content; We are also introducing new gameplay systems such as the CLOS SAMs, retarded bombs and more," reads an update post . "Both factions will be playable on 2 maps; Goose Green, a 2x2km map focused on infant…
- Have You Played Battlefield 2? - 26 August 2016
Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time. I liked Battlefield 1942, but I loved Battlefield 2 . Trading World War 2 for a modern day setting, BF2 maintained the formula of large maps mixing open terrain and tight urban spaces with vehicles aplenty. …
- The story of Battlefield 2 s tumbling ball of murderous medics - 16 March 2016
Tom Francis is a former PC Gamer writer and current game developer who offered to give us his thoughts on some of the GDC sessions he's attending this year. You can follow the development of Tom's next game, Heat Signature, at its official site . My two favourite topics for talks by developers are AI and failure, so Tuesday s GDC talk entitled AI Disaster Stories was irresistible. The best story came from Tobias Karlsson, currently a software engineer at Microsoft, but who previously worked at DICE programming the bot AI for Battlefield 2. Like many Battlefields that followed it, BF2 has a medic class who can bring back the dead. If you re in the man down state, but haven t yet respawned, any medic can whip out their defibrillators, jolt your body, and bring you back to life—saving you a trip, and your team a point. When Karlsson was tasked with putting together a presentation to…
- Squad is a team FPS from the makers of Battlefield 2 mod Project Reality - 7 April 2015
Here's Squad, a standalone commercial game from the makers of Battlefield 2 mod Project Reality. In a stark departure from that project, this game is "an online, team-based military themed first-person-shooter where high levels of teamwork and communication are crucial to success". Wait, did I say 'stark departure'? What I meant was 'basically the same deal, only in Unreal Engine 4'. In Squad, players will form squads of up to nine people—those squads coming together to form teams of up to 50. As the developers put it, "systems honed over years of experience with the Project Reality series draw the focus away from the lone-wolf player and much more on the cooperation with other members". As with the Battlefield game, Squad will feature large-scale environments, but with a heavier focus on realistic simulation of things like ballistics and damage. There's also a base-building compo…
- End of days: GameSpy’s forgotten games and the gamers keeping them alive - 30 May 2014
Original image via Flickr user JD Hancock GameSpy began in 1996 as a fan-hosted server for the original Quake. By the early 2000s, GameSpy was the online multiplayer platform, adding dozens of games every year. More than 800 games have used GameSpy to connect players and manage servers. GameSpy's ubiquity spawned dozens of offshoots such as Planet Half-Life and FilePlanet. Even in the age of Steam, the GameSpy catalog remains an extensive library of the great multiplayer games of the past 15 years. That all ends tomorrow when GameSpy shuts down. More recent games, much-loved favorites, and games with even a modicum of popularity are being ported over to Steam-based servers to continue their lives. This is not a story about those kinds of games. This story is about the games that have become living museums to the Way Gaming Was from before Call of Duty became an annual franchise, before…
- Project Reality: BF2 update ensures life after Battlefield 2′s GameSpy shutdown - 27 May 2014
"Sights locked on GameSpy, sir." Armed forces are closing in on the notorious multiplayer sympathiser, GameSpy. The matchmaking system is due to be terminated with extreme prejudice this coming Saturday, plunging the games it uses into an offline darkness. EA have said that many of their GameSpy-enabled games won't be updated with a new matchmaking solution. For Battlefield 2, that's meant the battle for online battles must now be fought by fans. It's not just the main game struggling to stay connected; its mods are also at risk. Thankfully, the most popular of those mods Project Reality: BF2 has received a new update that will keep its multiplayer running. Project Reality: BF2 v1.2 does all the usual update stuff of fixing bugs and improving stability, but also provides a new master server backend, ensuring the mod will function after the GameSpy closure. In addition, it brings three n…
- Player community working on keeping Battlefield 2, Battlefield 1942 online - 16 May 2014
Quick recap: GameSpy, the online matchmaking client that supported a huge number of multiplayer games, is shutting down on May 31. If developers don t find a different solution by then, their games will lose online functionality. While EA previously gave us signs that it was working on finding such solutions for the old Battlefield games, earlier this week we found out that Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142, and Battlefield 1942 would go offline on at the end of June. But don t lose hope! The player community is making its own solutions. At least for Battlefield 2 and 1942. Members of the bf1942.sk forums are working on a replacement master list server which is currently running in a test mode. It will take some doing on your part, but if you want to keep playing the game online you can find instructions on how to do it on their site. For Battlefield 2, the good people at Blue Entertainme…
- EA list 24 PC games affected by Gamespy shutdown, including Battlefield 2, Crysis - 12 May 2014
Picture the GameSpy shutdown like a massive power-cut rolling out over an entire continent, plunging a significant portion of gaming's multiplayer catalogue into darkness. The hope is that some publishers have a backup generator, and will allow their games to flicker back to life via an alternate service. For EA, the shutdown is an excuse to retire some older games from active duty to dramatically shift metaphors and they've now announced a list of casualties that includes 24 PC titles. What isn't yet clear is whether they're planning to re-enlist the most popular games in a list that includes Battlefield 2, Command & Conquer 3, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2. "Since GameSpy s announcement, our teams have been working to evaluate options to keep services up and running," explains a new post on the EA blog. "Unfortunately, due to technical challenges and concerns about…
- Old Battlefield games will survive the GameSpy shutdown - 10 April 2014
The GameSpy shutdown just got a lot less depressing. When the online matchmaking client goes down on May 31, all the games that used it will stop working. We re talking about a lot of games, and so far only a few publishers have made official statements about how they re handling the transition. Today, EA said that we ll still be able to play the old Battlefield games. Thank goodness. The good news comes via the official Origin Twitter account, which responded to a question from a fan about the fate of Battlefield Bad Company 2, Battlefield 2, and Battlefield 2142, saying, We're working on transitioning those games after the shut down so you'll still be able to play them." @Tofugames We're working on transitioning those games after the shut down so you'll still be able to play them.— Origin (@OriginInsider) April 9, 2014 There are a lot of other games that are still at r…
- Project Reality 2 announced, turns the military FPS mod into a standalone game - 22 September 2013
The Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2/Arma 2 finally hit version 1.0 earlier this year, after eight years of development time. During that time, the game series it was modifying have moved on to bigger and more explodey instalments - several times, when it comes to Battlefield. Now, the PR Team have announced the mod's follow-up - and, excitingly, you won't need to rely on any other games to play it. Project Reality 2 is being built using CryEngine 3 to be "completely standalone", in contrast to the distinctly semi-detached nature of the original. Like the original mod, the aim with PR2 is to be one of the more realistic multiplayer shooters out there. As the announcement post reveals, "Initially, Project Reality 2 will be a small scale, infantry based FPS with a comprehensive weapon handling system that will aim to be as realistic as possible. Map sizes will be 1km and 2km with an…
- After Eight Years, Battlefield Project Reality Hits 1.0 - 31 July 2013
I haven’t played Battlefield 2′s Project Reality mod (or any Battlefield 2, really) in ages, but this is still a very exciting occasion. Eight years. That’s how long it’s taken one of the best-known mods out there to be deemed fit for 1.0 status . It’s been more than playable (DOUBLE PLAYABLE) for probably longer than I’ve been alive, though, and it’s proven succulent with delicious intrigues time and time again. In my experience, rigorous team play is the name of the game, and anything less is met with swift, pulpy, never timely (yet always right on time) death. (more…)
- Battlefield 2 mod Project Reality gets v1.0 release date and trailer - 31 July 2013
In the eight years it has taken Battlefield 2 mod Project Reality to hit its 1.0 milestone, DICE have released seven additional Battlefield games. Then again, they've got more money, people, and one of those games was Battlefield Play4Free, so there's probably something to be said for taking your time to nurse something towards completion. Project Reality will finally hit that mark this Friday, August 2nd, and its creators have released a trailer to round up its now complete feature list. If the mod's big features are the two new factions, additional maps and new game modes, it's the thousands of smaller tweaks that ultimately have a more dramatic effect. Project Reality - as the name might suggest - aims to create a more realistic Battlefield 2 experience, not only by rebalancing guns and equipment, but by upgrading and even removing parts of the base game. You can get an overview of w…
- What we want from Battlefield 4 - 22 March 2013
Article by John Strike Next week we'll catch our first proper glimpse of Battlefield 4, and if the picture on the press invite is anything to go by, DICE's latest in the supersized shooter series will stick with the near-modern-day setting. Also: it will have rain. Though I'm delighted by the presence of these delicately rendered drips, with over 700 Battlefield hours under my belt, and a clan to lead, I have a few more items on my wishlist. Spawn protection One of the most frustrating parts of Battlefield 3 is spawning and dying immediately in one of four equally infuriating ways. Firstly, you may spawn on a squad beacon that looks clear but has snipers watching it and deliberately not destroying it. Secondly you may spawn on a squad leader who’s about to step on a grenade. Thirdly you may spawn on a a flashing Conquest flag half-capped by an enemy that has every spawn place covered. O…
- Battlefield 10-year anniversary promotion discounts Battlefield 3 and other games to $10 - 20 September 2012
It's hard to believe that it's been a whole decade since we were riding on the wings of bombers and making car bombs with satchel charges in Battlefield 1942, one of the most influential multiplayer shooters of all time. To celebrate its storied run, Origin is offering six major entries from the series at $10/£10 a pop. Included in the promotion are Battlefield 3, Battlefield 2142 Deluxe, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Digital Deluxe Edition, Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam, and Battlefield 2: Complete Collection. No love for the series' World War II-based entries, unfortunately, but it's still a hell of a deal: five Battlefield titles for less than the launch price of BF3. Well, six, technically—but why would you buy BF:BC2 when its Digital Deluxe Edition is the same price? The deal is exclusive to Origin, of course. If you're hopping into BF3 for the first time, have a look at Armored…
- New Ravaged Trailer Flips Trucks, Birds - 5 April 2012
Remember Ravaged ? Judged on looks, it’s the result of a scintillating, sensual night of passionate discussion about how it’d be really cool if there was a multiplayer shooter that mixed Battlefield’s raging multiplayer with RAGE’s battlefields. And now, via the natural miracle that is game development, here we are. The new trailer comes as part of something big 2Dawn is “about to kick out the door” (read: probably the beta), and features so many explosions that we may well be in the post-post-apocalypse before this thing is over. Stick around long enough and you’ll also catch a faint, middle-finger-flavored hint of Duke Nukem in there because… I don’t really know. The rest looks quite nice, though. Dig beneath this post’s irradiated ruins to give it a watch. (more…)
- PC Gamer Digital Episode 7 – The Battlefield 3 Special – now available on Steam! - 5 January 2012
You're captivated by the elegant figure of an F/A 18 Super Hornet as it roars over the desert and—BRAP B-BRAP!—syncopated machine gun bursts ripple past your head and cut your gawking short. You sprint to cover in time to watch a tank shell devour your last entrenchment and spit out its dusty remains. Alone you're dead, but above you a UH-1Y Super Huey chops through bursting sun rays and scatters reinforcements like dandelion seeds (if dandelion seeds carried rocket launchers, of course). I do love hyperbole, but this really (virtually) happened to me. The emergent drama of Battlefield 3's large-scale multiplayer battles is hard to overstate, which is why we've dedicated the latest episode of PC Gamer Digital, which is available now on Steam, entirely to Battlefield 3 and the renowned Battlefield series at large. More details below! In this episode, you'll explore the present with a gui…
- EVE Online and Battlefield 2 listed as major inspirations for Planetside 2 - 13 July 2011
While talking with the dev team about Planetside 2 at Fan Faire this past weekend, SOE president John Smedley and Creative Director Matt Higby listed EVE Online and Battlefield 2 among outside games that have inspired their designs for Planetside 2. Smedley plays EVE Online regularly and frequently mentioned it as the major influence for the sandbox portion of PS2. Its influence is obvious in both PS2's time-based, offline skill progression system and the desire to have a single shard server, even if Smedley said that they probably won't be able to manage that until awhile after launch, when there are multiple planets. "We're probably going to end up with servers," he continued, "but we're going to experiment with internally to see what we can do with it." It's an interesting idea, and there's a lot of great potential in having the meta-game played on a single shard. It's easy to imagin…
- DICE: “Now is the time to make a proper sequel to Battlefield 2. Competitors are treading water” - 28 March 2011
DICE's General Manager, Karl Magnus Troedsson has described the upcoming Battlefield 3 as a "real sequel to Battlefield 2." Speaking to game.on.net, Troedsson also discussed the series tonal shift, and how the developer has taken on more community feedback this time around. Troedsson told the website: "We now feel like we are ready to make a real sequel to Battlefield 2. With Bad Company we introduced the franchise to next gen console. With Bad Company 2 we introduced co-op; we introduced single player. Now is the time to put all that together and make a proper sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2. The biggest change from Battlefield Bad Company 2 to Battlefield 3 will be the tone of the game, definitely." DICE's general manager says community feedback has also had a significant impact on Battlefield 3's design decisions: "It was hard to ignore the outcry from the community. The return of jet…
- 10 things we want to see in Battlefield 3 - 9 March 2011
The end of this year is going to be an orgy of exciting sequels: The Elder Scrolls 5, Mass Effect 3, and the tenth Battlefield game, Battlefield 3. It's a sequel to the third Battlefield game, Battlefield 2, which was the 1,940th prequel to the original, Battlefield 1942. It all makes perfect sense. The important bit is that it's not part of the Bad Company sub-series, whose last entry Bad Company 2 is what most fans are playing these days. That means it can handle 64 players, fighter planes are back, and most exciting of all: you can lie down. All these things were in Battlefield 2 but lost in the Bad Company games. If Battlefield 3 is going to be the culmination of all the things we love about the series, what else does it need? Rich, Tim and myself came up with ten demands and cut them together into a blackmail note using letters hacked out of Edge magazine with our Future-branded sa…
