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BF2 patch delayed by "office politics"

Published on 10th August 2009 by Joe Martin

The next Battlefield 2 patch will be preceded by a closed beta, though it's been delayed by office politics.

An associate producer at Battlefield developer DICE has commented that the next patch for the still-popular multiplayer FPS Battlefield 2 is being delayed by "office politics".

The comments were made on the official Electronic Arts forums (via Kotaku), though it doesn't go into details.

"We have a little bit of office politics to sort out," he said regarding the upcoming final version of the v1.50 patch for Battlefield 2.

"Once that's cleared up, we'll be good to release it," he continued. "Unfortunately I can't tell you what the office politics decision is about but it is worth the slight extra delay."

Details on what might be included in the patch were hazy at best, but the comments do refer to a planned closed beta for the patch, though no public beta. Whatever it is, it seems like it may bring some fairly big changes to the game.

We don't have any other information on the patch or the goings-ons at DICE right now, but if you have any thoughts on the matter then let us know in the forums. You can also get more information on the latest Battlefield game, Battlefield 1943 in our official review.

36 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

DragunovHUN 10th August 2009, 12:34

Slight extra delay? When did the last patch come out again? 2006?

SMIFFYDUDE 10th August 2009, 12:42

I suspect this patch will fix nothing. The game was released unfinished and is still jam packed with problems after the massive 500+MB patch was released. I recently went back to the game after a year off, and was quickly reminded of why I left, its just such an infuriating experience, from the title screen to the load times to the terrible hit detection.

Paradigm Shifter 10th August 2009, 12:50

Is it cynical of me to think that the 'office politics' is EA wanting DICE to stop supporting BF2 and go work on something new?

impar 10th August 2009, 12:53

Greetings!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter
Is it cynical of me to think that the 'office politics' is EA wanting DICE to stop supporting BF2 and go work on something new?

No. If it is, I am also a cynical. ;)

Combatus 10th August 2009, 13:01

I used the 1.50 beta for a few days after it was released - seems like a big advert for some Falcon game controller to me - the controls section had been taken over with it nearly! Was nice to see widescreen support finally though.

Stuey 10th August 2009, 13:08

I gave up BF2 quite a few years ago and haven't looked back since. "Office politics." They couldn't just say "unexpected delays" like everybody else? Such drama queens!

karx11erx 10th August 2009, 13:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMIFFYDUDE
I suspect this patch will fix nothing. The game was released unfinished and is still jam packed with problems after the massive 500+MB patch was released. I recently went back to the game after a year off, and was quickly reminded of why I left, its just such an infuriating experience, from the title screen to the load times to the terrible hit detection.

Could it be it's just your computer and internet connection? I never had any problems like these as long as I played BF2 and still consider it the best online (tactical) shooter experience I've ever had. I just stopped playing it because I had enough of it after having played it almost every night for over a year.

Anyway, having true widescreen support would be something already, and geez, where do you get another big patch for a title from three years ago, after its successor being on the market for quite a while too already? Thumbs up to Dice!

stuartpb 10th August 2009, 13:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMIFFYDUDE
I suspect this patch will fix nothing. The game was released unfinished and is still jam packed with problems after the massive 500+MB patch was released. I recently went back to the game after a year off, and was quickly reminded of why I left, its just such an infuriating experience, from the title screen to the load times to the terrible hit detection.

I have played BF2 since it's release and I also ran a BF2 clan for some time too. I never experienced bad load times or terrible hit detection. There were some bugs upon initial release, and patches were issued to address these problems, but I don't think the game experience was anywhere near as bad as what you are making out. If anything, the game suffered from people going on, getting their arses served to them on a plate by experienced players and then crying cheat. That is typical of any FPS though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by karx11erx
Could it be it's just your computer and internet connection? I never had any problems like these as long as I played BF2 and still consider it the best online (tactical) shooter experience I've ever had. I just stopped playing it because I had enough of it after having played it almost every night for over a year.

100% agreed. I have had some very good times playing BF2, and still fire it up every now then even now.;)

lewchenko 10th August 2009, 14:06

I thought the 1.5 patch had already been in beta for ages.... having seen servers up and running it, plus seeing it available for download, so Im not sure what they are on about.

EA/DICE have shown the public how to 'screw a franchise' down the toilet many a time, but the way they have handled the Battlefield series is probably their finest example of 'share holder let down' that I can think of.

So perhaps 1.5 will be a precursor to an announcement about BF3... which they recently said was 'Coming on fine'. One of the best tactical shooters of its generation, and EA/DICE lets the franchise rot in hell whilst they piddle around with Heroes/Bad Company/1943 Arcade version.

I also believe that the 1.5 patch will come with a new level as well. Will it be enough to bring a significant number of players back ? Doubtful. If they had supported this game properly from the start with free map packs and regular patches, it would still be vastly popular (and selling) now... but they didnt bother. A crying shame for sure. Yet despite all of EA/DICE's incompetence the game is still good to play.. even now. We played it last night on a Karkand map and had 4 fantastic rounds. Its still the Daddy.

Roll on BF3.

g3n3tiX 10th August 2009, 14:13

Maybe they will update the punkbuster stuff... it's been preventing me from playing (even though it's installed). Either that or looping sound big freeze of the game (on a i7 920/GTX 280...) I hope they fix that also. I bought it and can't play it, so I can't put my shiny Cyborg evo joystick to good use !

Rocket_Knight64 10th August 2009, 14:19

As I big fan of BF2, I'd hope it the freeing up of the booster packs to make them playable. Or it could be some equaly spectacular or dishartening. Who knows?

We have been waiting for this patch for 2 years. A few days is drop in the ocean. More so when you consider only 3 guys are doing everything apparently in thier own time.

reflux 10th August 2009, 14:39

I started playing this again yesterday and was fairly amused to find that even after three years they still haven't fixed the 'incorrect password' error I used to get playing it when it came out. The server browser is still slow and unhelpful and it often fails to connect.

It's a damn good game but I really wish DICE had finished it. It really lacks polish, even now.

C-Sniper 10th August 2009, 14:54

I have been playing with the 1.5BETA3 patch and I am loving it compared to 1.41 patch. They have fixed hitreg, and the loading times have been significantly decreased. So far I have also had no CTDs like I used to. Looks like we might have a winner of a game here after all these years.

SMIFFYDUDE 10th August 2009, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuartpb
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMIFFYDUDE
I suspect this patch will fix nothing. The game was released unfinished and is still jam packed with problems after the massive 500+MB patch was released. I recently went back to the game after a year off, and was quickly reminded of why I left, its just such an infuriating experience, from the title screen to the load times to the terrible hit detection.

I have played BF2 since it's release and I also ran a BF2 clan for some time too. I never experienced bad load times or terrible hit detection. There were some bugs upon initial release, and patches were issued to address these problems, but I don't think the game experience was anywhere near as bad as what you are making out. If anything, the game suffered from people going on, getting their arses served to them on a plate by experienced players and then crying cheat. That is typical of any FPS though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by karx11erx
Could it be it's just your computer and internet connection? I never had any problems like these as long as I played BF2 and still consider it the best online (tactical) shooter experience I've ever had. I just stopped playing it because I had enough of it after having played it almost every night for over a year.

100% agreed. I have had some very good times playing BF2, and still fire it up every now then even now.;)

The loading times probably is just my PC. Its the hit detection which I can't stand. I could go on any server with any ping and the problems is the same. An opposition player could be stood still just a few feet in front of me, and no matter how i fire my gun most shots will simply miss. Ive emptied whole magazines firing at people only to miss. I can take having my arse handed to me on a plate by people who are more skilled, so long as I feel the game isn't robbing me of an even playing field.

DragunovHUN 10th August 2009, 15:28

^No joke, i remember dumping a 100 round Beta C mag from an MG36 into someone's backside from 20 meters in BF2SF last year with perfectly good pings. NOT A SINGLE HIT.

And yes the load times are ridiculous, especially if you dare change any of the settings because then it'll rebuild the whole damn game the next time you load a map.

stuartpb 10th August 2009, 15:36

Try wearing glasses:D Just kidding. My remark about the sore losers wasn't directed at you, it was a general remark that there are alot of sore losers in any FPS. I haven't experienced any problem with the hit detection any more than in most other FPS's. I enjoy playing most of the classes, and the only trouble I have hitting anyone is with the damned bunny hoppers:D I like the fact that your stance will affect your accuracy in BF2, and using the different stances does have a dramatic effect, as it should do. Have you tried practicing using the crouch and prone positions, and if so did it make any difference?

The load times have never been an issue for me, except when changing gfx settings, but this is something I only do once. Once they are set, I don't keep going back and changing because I don't need to.

DragunovHUN 10th August 2009, 15:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuartpb

Once they are set, I don't keep going back and changing because I don't need to.

Unless the game decides to reset them for no apparent reason.

Otto69 10th August 2009, 15:44

Office politics? At EA? I"m shocked, SHOCKED do you hear!

stuartpb 10th August 2009, 15:46

Never experienced that. The only time I have had to reset the gfx settings is when I have done a re-install after an OS re-install, and I think I had to do it once after a patch install too. That's why I have played BF2 for so long, because I have had very little trouble with it. I may be one of the lucky ones maybe?

Spiny 10th August 2009, 16:22

I liked bf2 but got fed up with the helicopter rape :(

sear 10th August 2009, 16:34

Office politics = they want DICE to focus on Battlefield 3, Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 1943 DLC. Seriously, that's it, and if you think it's anything else then you are deluded. Battlefield 2 is old news and EA would much rather prefer that DICE work on something that makes them money.

Brett89 10th August 2009, 16:57

What? They're still supporting this? I'm completely floored by this. Also agreeing with Paradigm Shifter on the first page.

Sifter3000 10th August 2009, 16:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiny
I liked bf2 but got fed up with the helicopter rape :(

Yo Spiny, check your PMs - you're a winner in the Asus comp, need some details!

Cheers :)

RallyRoach 10th August 2009, 17:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiny
I liked bf2 but got fed up with the helicopter rape :(

x2, plus the bombing runs. I understand its just the way the game plays, but some levels (power station, wake), where it was possible for a couple of pilots to keep the whole op-for confined to the aircraft carrier just got really old.

That and those damn boats were useless! At least give me a shoulder-fired heat seeker (like BF-Vietnam) to defend myself against those damn helicopters!

That being said, I love this game still. Nothing beats its mix of infantry/armor/special forces gameplay. You could play each map so many ways I still load it up. I do wish they had kept the in-vehicle radio from BF:V though, that was great.

leexgx 10th August 2009, 18:36

Its the 1.3 patch that killed off bf2 mosty, it had an server side crash bug that would keep the server up for less then 1-2 hrs at best

D-Cyph3r 10th August 2009, 18:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuartpb
I have played BF2 since it's release and I also ran a BF2 clan for some time too. I never experienced bad load times or terrible hit detection.

I'm not sure I can say this is a friendly way, so i'm not gonna try. You are a liar.

BF2's netcode was NOTORIOUSLY bad for hitboxes (just type "BF2 hitboxes" in youtube), and the loading times were HORRIBLE compared to other shooters.

I also played BF2 from day 1 and amassed well over 1500 hours over multiple accounts, being a clan leader and server owner for most of the time I played. If you really have played from the start you'd remember the mind-numbingly annoying memory leak problems around v1.21 (also the patch that introduced the, so far unfixed, red tag glitch).

BF2 was a fantastic game when it worked (why I spent so many damn hours and cash on it), but DiCE really did enjoy making the experience as infuriating as possible with patches that radically changed the way the game played, some of which include:

-Adding prone/unprone delays
-reducing C4 throwing distance to basically arms length, making a Spec.Ops players life very difficult
-Constantly playing around with the weapon modifiers. Remember when the PKM became a fully auto snipe rifle?
-Somehow making it so AT rockets have a 50% chance of going THROUGH HMMV's/Vodnicks
-Constantly tweaking AA from 1 extreme to the other. I think it was 1.22 that made it impossible to get off the USMC carrier in most larger maps as the coastal AA locked on practically as soon as you got in the hotseat
-Nerfing the BlackHawk miniguns to the point of pointless noise shooters because morons couldn't figure out how to use the mounted .50's or the AT kit
-The whole J10 superiority issue....

I mean, those are just some I can think of off the top of my head. Anyone who says they've played BF2 for a decent amount of time and not had problems is either ungodly levels of lucky or a liar.

EDIT: Or just has the patience of a saint. :p

stuartpb 10th August 2009, 20:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Cyph3r
I'm not sure I can say this is a friendly way, so i'm not gonna try. You are a liar.

BF2's netcode was NOTORIOUSLY bad for hitboxes (just type "BF2 hitboxes" in youtube), and the loading times were HORRIBLE compared to other shooters.

I also played BF2 from day 1 and amassed well over 1500 hours over multiple accounts, being a clan leader and server owner for most of the time I played. If you really have played from the start you'd remember the mind-numbingly annoying memory leak problems around v1.21 (also the patch that introduced the, so far unfixed, red tag glitch).

BF2 was a fantastic game when it worked (why I spent so many damn hours and cash on it), but DiCE really did enjoy making the experience as infuriating as possible with patches that radically changed the way the game played, some of which include:

-Adding prone/unprone delays
-reducing C4 throwing distance to basically arms length, making a Spec.Ops players life very difficult
-Constantly playing around with the weapon modifiers. Remember when the PKM became a fully auto snipe rifle?
-Somehow making it so AT rockets have a 50% chance of going THROUGH HMMV's/Vodnicks
-Constantly tweaking AA from 1 extreme to the other. I think it was 1.22 that made it impossible to get off the USMC carrier in most larger maps as the coastal AA locked on practically as soon as you got in the hotseat
-Nerfing the BlackHawk miniguns to the point of pointless noise shooters because morons couldn't figure out how to use the mounted .50's or the AT kit
-The whole J10 superiority issue....

I mean, those are just some I can think of off the top of my head. Anyone who says they've played BF2 for a decent amount of time and not had problems is either ungodly levels of lucky or a liar.

EDIT: Or just has the patience of a saint. :p

Check my stats - stuartpb here's the link - http://bf2s.com/player/44332633/

From my stats:

PID (Player ID Number) 44332633
Enrollment Date 2005-06-21 12:24:00
Last Battle On 2009-05-27 20:21:00

Now let's get to the liar part, who the feck do you think you are to tell me that I am lying because I have had no major problems with the title? I did say there were a few problems that were patched out. Overall, I have enjoyed all my time with BF2 so why does that make me a liar? I suggest you learn some manners mate and stop throwing stupid accusations around.

EDIT: I also ran a clan called Bravehearts for around a year, and we had a dedi box from Hypernia, we did experience some probs on the server side, but they did get patched out eventually. and next time do your homework before you go making accusations on a public forum, because it may lead to severe egg on face!

TurtlePerson2 10th August 2009, 23:23

They're probably about to announce BF3 and they want to make it look like they've supported the product like Valve supports its games.

sub routine 11th August 2009, 08:25

I re-loaded this 6 months ago in anticipation of the patch. Looking forward to it, just hoping I can find some good servers again as you can get some real mongs in the game though *sigh*

B1GBUD 11th August 2009, 08:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by sub routine
I re-loaded this 6 months ago in anticipation of the patch. Looking forward to it, just hoping I can find some good servers again as you can get some real mongs in the game though *sigh*

^^that is so true...

I normally play in Gotland Servers.

I heard that the 1.5 beta patch introduces more bugs than it fixes.

I'm hoping they've addressed all the problems as I still like firing up the game for a quick frag....

My stats: http://bf2s.com/player/47201477/

WildThing 11th August 2009, 12:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Cyph3r

-Somehow making it so AT rockets have a 50% chance of going THROUGH HMMV's/Vodnicks

-Nerfing the BlackHawk miniguns to the point of pointless noise shooters because morons couldn't figure out how to use the mounted .50's or the AT kit

-The whole J10 superiority issue....

QFT! I'm glad it's not just me who had these issues. It is indeed most infuriating aiming perfectly with the AT only to have it pass straight through solid objects!

Rocket_Knight64 11th August 2009, 14:26

BF2 is a flawed gem. As much as things annoy me I still come back for more.

It certanly gives it character! lol

stuartpb 11th August 2009, 15:07

We used to have a player in our clan, and all he did was bitch about the game when playing. We used Vent, and all we could hear was him moaning because he had missed someone, or been killed, and blaming it on the game mechanics. The rest of us always found it strange how we were managing OK. In the end he got voted off the clan. I know there were, and are, bugs within the game, but it has never been serious enough for me to want to stop playing it, or to constantly bitch about them. I really have enjoyed the play I have had.

If anything made BF2 take a dive in popularity it was the way certain people played the game and ruined it for others. I have never been brilliant on BF2, but I can hold my own most of the time, and I take it for what it is, a game. Some people are ultra competitive and come on the servers hassling everyone else, both on voice and in-game.

leslie 11th August 2009, 20:27

I don't think EA has ever supported anything for this long.
The only office politics involved is EA screaming to stop working on it.

Combatus 13th August 2009, 00:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiny
I liked bf2 but got fed up with the helicopter rape :(

Infantry only servers FTW my friend

Rocket_Knight64 13th August 2009, 18:07

Bah! Nadespam central! :P

Your in game experiance really depends on the quality of the team backing you up.

Get a squad of clanners with reasonable air support and commander and they will wipe up. Get a bunch of gulls TK'ing for the jets while the flag is capped from underneath them and your in for a rough time. :( Alot of the problems with BF2 melt away with good teamwork, but its so hard to come by in the wild. Thats the real No1 problem with BF2, the players!