[mattyb]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Played a Rush game last night on Kharg where I decided I'd try and get some Laser Designations. Turns out two or three people on my team were using Javelins. Awesome shit occurred.

That's all from Designations and assists. At one point later in the game their LAV just drove right up to the SOFLAMM to take it out. From that point forward they were about as interested in taking out my SOFLAMM as arming the M-COMs.

You can really piss the other team off with effective SOFLAM usage. Have you ever watched the Javelin squad stuff on YouTube? Some funny gameplay there.

[mattyb]

Been watching some of the BF3 heli vids on YouTube. There are a few people who really have perfected air superiority.

Anyone here doing well in aircraft?

[The Final Dakar]

I don't usually post on the weekends, but I have a few games I had to screen cap before they inevitably get washed away in the weekend's goodness.

First point of order, though. It appears all official EA and DICE servers have been shut down. I logged on last night and all official servers I had favorited were missing and a custom search only netted fake results. This is a ****ing travesty, and has EA written all over it. Given the dearth of servers running normal settings (let alone diverse map rotations) this is a kick in the face. Some asshat at EA must be grinning though, now that they aren't paying for hosting, but are being paid to use the very servers their non-paying userbase needs. Having their cake and eating it too. I want to vomit.

---

I logged on last night and jumped in some half-way done game on Grand Bazaar (~1000-600 tickets). Good lord. Once again, I am so back in on the Support Class.



Good god.


The next game was Op Metro. This is where I learned that they had maxed the ticket count at 1750. This game we actually were losing until the 1200 mark. At about 45 minutes I was ready to quit, but at the point, I had worked my way near to the top of the leaderboards.



That's 80,000 xp, an entire third of a "Prestige" in one game. In the previous game I had netted a Resupply Medal. I earned another this game, meaning I earned over 50 Resupply Ribbons. Yeah, it's very easy to get, but that's still sick. By the end of the game they were pushed into spawn and I found a spot in the buildings, deployed bipods, and was counter-sniping their snipers with the LMG. Unbelievable.


Later on Chris signed on. We continued to roll, including this final game of the night.



Midway through the game I checked my score and realized I had 40 kills. Using the PKP was so easy I hadn't realized. Hell, no one even comes close to my kill total. This game I had several instances of double, triple, and even quad kills (in a single mag), depending on whether I stumbled upon unsuspecting groups of enemies, or because I would deploy my bipods and just lay waste to advancing groups. I also netted some claymore carnage, which is a rarity.

I'm excited for more LMG carnage tonight.

[sek929]

I'll be on at some point during the night, not sure I want to play 1750 ticket rounds though...

With the news about the EA servers, I feel we are closer than ever on renting our own and naming our own rules. If we can get enough people to chip in we can rent for a full month.

[mattyb]

The last few games I've focused on flying stuff. Damn those helis are difficult. Fighters are easier to fly but I always find myself going too fast. Not been able to shoot anything down yet.

Got booted by an admin for manning the AA-gun.

Dunno if I like playing the same game for more than 30 mins, when your getting pwned it gets monotonous.

[mattyb]

Got booted by an admin while flying a jet.

On another server, got switched to the other team (we were winning by about 200 in 200% CQ). End of game and the Xbox freezes up. I remember having this problem before playing BF3, one of the reasons that I went back to MW3.

I'm trying to stick with this, but it seems everything is against me atm.

[mattyb]

And yeah 56 mins on one map is a bit long.

[mattyb]

Quad post FTW.

[The Final Dakar]

Well, the good news is we got the XP for that game we got booted out of by the admin. I still don't know why, but it's reason number one going player-rented only servers is BS.
Battle Report - Battlelog / Battlefield 3
The admin even lost too.

Oh, did some research:




Typical.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I'll be on at some point during the night, not sure I want to play 1750 ticket rounds though…

Neither am I. 200% rounds are the max, and conquest only.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

On another server, got switched to the other team (we were winning by about 200 in 200% CQ). End of game and the Xbox freezes up. I remember having this problem before playing BF3, one of the reasons that I went back to MW3.

I'm trying to stick with this, but it seems everything is against me atm.

Yeah, I get occasional freezes. Biggest thing I've found is don't use the xbox for long stretches without rebooting, and once the images of ribbons start disappearing on the end game screen you're on the downward slope.

[mattyb]

Got my first ban. No idea why, seems that people don't want you joining their public servers.

I predict large piles of boosting, imagine what some ********s can organise with a server for 24 hours.

Did I mention that helis are really really ****in hard to fly?

Had an F-35, how do you make it hover?

[sek929]

What a night last night. 5 games, 5 wins...two of those absolute domination.

Not sure if I'll sign on tonight, I've been on bit much for the little ladies liking as of late.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Did I mention that helis are really really ****in hard to fly?

Switch your sticks to "south ball" in the controller setup. It makes flying helicopters sooo much easier.

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Had an F-35, how do you make it hover?

Hold the left trigger to reduce your speed. It will eventually go into hover mode.

[mattyb]

Cheers for the instruction.

I propose for the MacNN Gaming forum dwellers, my conspiracy theory :

EA sets up loads and loads of unofficial servers with odd names but that are actually controlled by EA stooges.

EA orders said stooges to behave like real bastards to people that join said servers. Kick, ban, switch people etc etc.

Waves of people sign up for rented servers to get away from shitty admins.

$$$ for EA and they don't even have to admin the game servers.

I wouldn't put it past them.

[The Final Dakar]

So, if you miss the CoD experience, play Squad Deathmatch. Tons of idiots that can't get kills, and if a team is tearing people apart with an LAV, no one switches to engineer to destroy it.

---

Weekend Notes

• Reached 25th Colonel. 1/4 of the way to the top.
• M249 Mastered
• Earned M98B service star
• Earned the Claymore service star
• Earned the Recon Service Time Medal
• Earned the surveillance medal

[Kevin Bogues]

Good gaming last night boys, Don't remember the last time I was able to run with some of NN crew for that long.

I'm actually a fan of Squad Death Match.... with a good group.
Played a few games of SQDM this morning, except for the 50 kill romp I had with the DAO (now in 2nd on my kill list?!), my team was not exactly helpful.


EDIT: any news on the Official Dice servers going MIA?

EDIT 2: are we only 40 posts away from the MW3 thread?...

[Kevin Bogues]

Talk about targeted advertising...

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

I'm actually a fan of Squad Death Match.... with a good group.

AFter last night I'm back to "only with four people".

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

EDIT: any news on the Official Dice servers going MIA?

LOLOLOL, nope. Still getting hammered on twitter.

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

EDIT 2: are we only 40 posts away from the MW3 thread?...

I did not expect this. Half the views, though.

---

I was rollin' with the snipers this weekend, and it looks like I managed to up my longest headshot this weekend – from around 200 -250 m to 328. fatty, I don't know how you haven't passed me yet.

Also, I had the quintessential game of rush that demonstrated why the stingers have been overnerfed. Just kept trying to lock-on to some guy in a heli and he just constantly would stay low to the ground, disabling the lock with Below Radar. Every time he popped up high enough for me to get a lock he'd just duck back down. The few times he did stay high enough for me to get a lock, he'd flare, and of course, I'd almost never get lucky enough to get two stingers off before his flares redeployed (and that's not counting on if they have someone repairing!). It was utterly obnoxious. You have no recourse, outside of a lucky RPG.

The only thing worse than a worthless jet is the ones that instead of shooting down enemy helis, use guided rockets and just wreck tanks, constantly disabling in one shot.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

The only thing worse than a worthless jet is the ones that instead of shooting down enemy helis, use guided rockets and just wreck tanks, constantly disabling in one shot.

I mentioned it to you yesterday but the Jet is the most frustrating vehicle in this game.
I spent two entire matches of conquest on Gulf of Oman spawning ONLY in the F35 with 0 kills. How are guided rockets an unlock?! The machine gun is weak, not only against other Jets but Heli's easily can track and kill you.

Ended up on game 3 getting three kills in the F35 (2 in one Heli, while hovering) and one lucky machine gun on a Jet at almost zero health.

[The Final Dakar]

Watch some vids. There are guys out there with both amazing control, sky awareness, and aim. They dominate the skies.

[The Final Dakar]

[The Final Dakar]

Bogues, how the hell can you stand to play TDM that much? It's arguably the worst game type, aside from Squad DM. Nevermind 500 tix games on Noshahr.

I started back up with the M240B last night. Jesus christ, with bipods that thing has near sniper-like accuracy. I may have to throw on an ACOG to see what happens.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Bogues, how the hell can you stand to play TDM that much? It's arguably the worst game type, aside from Squad DM. Nevermind 500 tix games on Noshahr.

Honestly I kinda like TDM, depends on the map type and i've been doing well, also its giving me a chance to check out other weapons in a more fast paced killing environment.

As far as Noshar games I was using the DAO in full sprint, not something I could do forever, but good times non the less.

Biggest beat down i've been a part of...
Conquest on Operation Metro - 700 Tickets


-----
Played a few games on Recon and sniping trying to finish off an Assignment and with the size of the maps, bullet drop, and vehicles I have a new found respect for anyone sniping with success in this game (Fatty and Dakar this means you).

I think i increased my measly headshot distance to 153m


Assignments Progress

------

Also Unlocked my third Award (Assault, Suppression, and Resupply)

[sek929]

My longest headshot is only 120m. I play more as a counter-sniper than a guy who is going to perch himself in the rocks a half mile away. My main focus when sniping is to make life miserable for the other teams snipers and encamped troops...also to keep the other team as pinned as possible in CQ domination situations.

[The Final Dakar]

Good run last night Didn't realize the losing streak we had was only two games, felt way longer. Both were close, too (Under 50 tickets).

Moment of the night: Metro, running to block the Americans from retaking C, our team clears out the flag area when some guy bursts out from the locker room, guns blazing, and gets put down instantaneously by sek, who happens to be right there, with to quick 1014 shots. The silence afterwards was deafening.

[sek929]

I was just about the last guy you wanna see when you are emerging from a cramped doorway.

My best moment of the night was during our loss of Wake Island. Had a chopper (the good one) tearing up the area around B. He came back for a pass and I aligned myself directly in his path and let an RPG fly, leading him a good 40 feet or so, blew his ass right out of the sky.

It was reminiscent of my amazing rocket race shots of yore.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I was just about the last guy you wanna see when you are emerging from a cramped doorway.

I don't know if he prefired or what, but if it had been action movie that guy would have screaming as he ran out. It was just too much.

Originally Posted by sek929 

My best moment of the night was during our loss of Wake Island. Had a chopper (the good one) tearing up the area around B. He came back for a pass and I aligned myself directly in his path and let an RPG fly, leading him a good 40 feet or so, blew his ass right out of the sky.

It was reminiscent of my amazing rocket race shots of yore.

Apt comparison.

My parallel is when they fly a little too low and I'm in the tank. One shell and they are goners. Its particularly enjoyable on Noshahr with the little birds.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by sek929 

My best moment of the night was during our loss of Wake Island. Had a chopper (the good one) tearing up the area around B. He came back for a pass and I aligned myself directly in his path and let an RPG fly, leading him a good 40 feet or so, blew his ass right out of the sky.

I had a similar shot with the RPG during one of our previous game. I can't remember the name of the map (Its the one with the cave in the middle). A helicopter started firing at me so I ran behind a cargo container. Lucky for me our team deployed a SOFLAM, I could see his way point even though he was out of my line of sight. This allowed me to time my shot as he came around the corner. BAM!

[The Final Dakar]

So a gun that has just a suppressor and a sight has better aimed accuracy than one with a foregrip & suppressor?
(Asked by @KILLAnthonyMan)
Alan answers: “The short answer is Yes. The long answer is Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss. The explanation though, is more interesting. A foregrip carries a small aimed accuracy penalty, if you’re trying to get the best absolute accuracy you can with the weapon, a suppressor will give you better aimed accuracy. However, combining the Suppressor and the Foregrip will give the weapon the same accuracy as if you had no accessories, while also reducing recoil. It’s my recommendation that you only forgo a foregrip (see what I did there?) if you demand the absolute best accuracy you can obtain. Generally, inside 100m a weapon with a foregrip is still plenty accurate to hit consistently on target, and it will be easier to control.”

This is why the FAMAS sucks now.

[The Final Dakar]

So, I got my first server ban last night. Played two games of Squad Rush (Attacking, Defending). Won both. Didn't use any shotguns. Next map loads "You have been banned from this server." Well, then.

---

Played a pair of 1000 tickets games last night on Seine and Tehran. They were actually quite fun; While we were pretty easily winning, the opposing teams were constantly making pushes and capable of capturing any of the flags at given time – a few times they even managed momentary all-out dominations. I wouldn't want to do it often, but they were a good time.

---

Working on Service Stars for my classes and the Recon class is just stupidly set-up. Second most experience required to Star and arguably the most likely to suffer from the lowest SPM. Currently I have the most play time on the recon class and it's a full service star behind all the others. Frustrating.


Enjoy that M249, Bogues. One of the best guns in the game.

[Leonard]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

So, I got my first server ban last night. Played two games of Squad Rush (Attacking, Defending). Won both. Didn't use any shotguns. Next map loads "You have been banned from this server." Well, then.

I can see that happening alot, if these are servers rented by players. The admins are going to boot good players that are on the team opposing them and bad players that are on the admin's team.

If you rent a server, do you have the option of making it a private server? Ie. invite only? Or something like that.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Enjoy that M249, Bogues. One of the best guns in the game.

Was having mild success early on but after the foregrip and a decent scope, its a beast.

-----

Just played a 500 Ticket TDM on Grand Bazaar, insane... Won 500 to 490, but the best moment was near the end we were tied, I switched over to assault (w/ my good friend the KH2002), my team is holding the long arched hallway, i throw a med pack and while alternating between 10% and 100% health I grab 5 quick kills and another 5 or 6 assists, out of ammo I switch over to the trusty M1911 and fire off another 3 kills.

EDIT: also grabbed my Savior Medal during that run, ended up being a 32k game

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

Was having mild success early on but after the foregrip and a decent scope, its a beast.

You should have played it with the IRNV before they nerfed it.

[The Final Dakar]

Alright, I've been avoiding posting this all day, but I noticed Battlefield's twitter is stonewalling, rather than denying, which seems lend credence to at least the first part.

New DLC, Content Service, and Double XP Weekend | BATTLEFIELDO

We've got some exclusive (unofficial, but from a very reliable source) news and some new dates for you all. It looks like EA/DICE is rolling out a premium content service, and are also planning to drop 5th expansion after their previously announced End Game DLC. In addition, there will be a DOUBLE XP WEEKEND this weekend, May 12th - 14th!

If this means I can level Recon twice as fast as normal, I'm all in. Though, the natural question is, will this screw up SPM?

Battlefield Premium : June 4th
Battlefield™ Premium will land you a number of content drops with unique in-game items not available anywhere else. First out is the one-of-a-kind Premium knife and black dog tag, plus a set of soldier camos, weapon camos, dog tags and Assignments that will make sure you stand out and get more personalization options.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhggggggggggg

[The Final Dakar]

It's official. (The DBL XP)
Twitter

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Alright, I've been avoiding posting this all day, but I noticed Battlefield's twitter is stonewalling, rather than denying, which seems lend credence to at least the first part.

New DLC, Content Service, and Double XP Weekend | BATTLEFIELDO

If this means I can level Recon twice as fast as normal, I'm all in. Though, the natural question is, will this screw up SPM?


Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhggggggggggg

Battlefield Premium will include....
Official Dice Servers w/ actual rules and regulations!

[Stogieman]

Double XP Weekend (May 12th-14th)*

* Only official DICE and EA servers are allowed to award players with double xp.

Battlefield Premium? If it is anything like COD: ELITE then I'm staying away.

[Stogieman]

Also, 5th expansion pack comes out March 2013. As much as I love this game, I doubt I will still be playing it next year.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

Double XP Weekend (May 12th-14th)*

* Only official DICE and EA servers are allowed to award players with double xp.

That's incorrect. Only ranked servers.

[Stogieman]

It was a joke.

[The Final Dakar]

It's EA. The joke hits a little too close to home.

[Jawbone54]

I dropped in on one of Bogues' games today to see him clean house on the opposite team (and kill me at least twice). I'm completely worthless in TDM.

[Jawbone54]

Battlefield Friends: Vehicle Spawn (YouTube)

(bit of NSFW language here -- sent to me by my BF3-lovin' friend)

[Jawbone54]

1-0 MVP.

Holla.

[sek929]

Just played a 1700 ticket game of CQ on Metro. Game froze when the opposing team had 15 tickets left. What the F***??

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Battlefield Friends: Vehicle Spawn (YouTube)

(bit of NSFW language here -- sent to me by my BF3-lovin' friend)

It wasn't that good... and then I caught my self trololoing the first time I was jihad jeeping on Caspian (side note: drove straight at a tank and he somehow choked, and didn't kill me or destroy the jeep before I took him out. It was unreal).

[The Final Dakar]

Alright, gonna post my weekend notes and then I may quad post to follow. Got a lot of games in this weekend and quite a few stories.

Weekend Notes

• Lost connection to EA Online several times and the entire network crashed yesterday afternoon. EA – we offer double xp but we can't get enough servers online to deal with the traffic.

• Speaking of servers, they have apparently confirmed they will be bringing official servers back online and have pledged to keep a minimum amount permanently. I was saying to Bogues they quite obviosuly pulled this shit over last weekend so they could plead ignorance, but I love that they claimed they removed them to satisfy "demand" for rental servers. I guess they don't know how to add servers anymore. (See above)

• Double XP weekend: A wretched hive of scum and villainy. I don't understand why people who obviously stopped playing the game flocked back, but you've never had so many worthless people on your team. Usually lobbies are dominated by Colonels, but it was quite the opposite this weekend.

• This weekend was also a good opportunity to level vehicles, but alas, no good chopper pilots were found. Spent most of mytime on Infantry maps working on Recon (my most played class) just trying to get it caught up to the others.

• Earned the Javelin service star.

• Mastered (500 kills) this week: The PKP Pecheneg, M240B, M4A1, P90, and the M93 R

• Obtained the Russian and USA Service Time medals (100 hours)

• Obtained Support Class Mastery (5 stars). It's my least played class.

Edit:

• sek joins the ranks of officer.

• Ran into an entire squad running the DART glitch. Impossible to kill. And they still lost the game.

• Got banned from a second server yesterday. Once again playing Squad DM. Not using shotgun. Again, no idea why.

• Did 3 or 4 "Prestiges this weekend (27/28 to 32.5)

[The Final Dakar]

Friday Night

Crosbie, Jawbone and I are in a marathon game of Grand Bazaar (200% tickets). Right from kick-off we're behind, and it is a real grind. Our team occasionally makes headway, but it's one step forward, two steps back. It's a lot of green patches and they're either incompetent, terrible, or both. Repeatedly I find out LAV sitting at spawn, and as much I'd prefer to fight on the frontlines, I repeatedly jump in, as it's our best hope for victory. Once I do, we begin to stem the tide, but we remain thoroughly behind by ~100 tickets. One time a random jumps in the LAV before I can. He gets the the damn thing stuck on a fence and it has to be destroyed. As we start getting late into the game I begin instructing Jawbone and Crosbie to stay at captured points while I gain new ones in the LAV, as every time we leave a cap, our team can not be trusted to hold it.

Around 300 tickets to go, we begin to get fresh blood in the lobby. The game gets noticeably chippier and we begin to hold to caps to their one, reversing the bleed. At 250 to go we look to tie and pass when they drive their LAV into B and begin massacring the team. No one has an answer and it appears no one wants to switch the engineer. Then their LAV shows up at C< and I realize it's not their LAV at B – they've somehow acquired ours. Again, our randoms have failed us.

An opportunity to take the lead squandered, we bleed down towards 100 tickets before "our" LAV and theirs is finally destroyed. Once they are out of the way, however, our team finally surges to take control of B & C, and again, the tide is turned. We pass the other team at less than 100 tickets remaining, and when it's all said and done, a game where we were behind from 750 onward we win by 60 tickets. I've never worked so hard for a win, but it did taste sweet in the end.

[The Final Dakar]

Saturday Afternoon

Rush, Caspian Border. Bladek, Bogues and I decide to coordinate – I designate targets with the SOFLAM, Bladek on Javelin, and Bogues keeping him in ammo. It's a rough go as I do a poor job of finding a good spot for the SOFLAM, but we put enough pressure on the chopper that it begins to hide in their spawn. After that they try to counter-SOFLAM, but that proves unsuccessful as I counter-designate. Ultimately, our team fails to hold the first set of M-COMs, and we have to retreat from Conquest cap A to Conquest cap D.

I set-up shop again at M-COM set 2, but it becomes clear my efforts are wasted. We quickly lose A again, and I switch over to TUGS to help keep an eye on B. From there we begin an all out war as their Chopper begins to ferry people in uncontested, but Bladek keeps their tank mostly at bay with the javelin. As my TUGS get destroyed, Bogues keeps me fresh and we roam the perimeter, me on the P90 him on the M249.

Hell breaks loose several times, once resulting in the water tower collapsing and killing me. Twice our team disarms B, but we persevere and the other team's tickets begin to dwindle. Chaos ensues when they make a last ditch attempt with the transport chopper, but our team cleans them out quickly and their last push with less than 10 tickets left is a few jeeps that are quickly put down. We win, having fought off 60 or so tickets on a single M-COM, each squad mate and class integral to the win.