Battlefest Hits Battlefield™ Hardline
We are glad to announce that a new season of Battlefest – the celebration of our faithful Battlefield players – will hit newly released Battlefield™ Hardline. Kicking off on March 26^th 2015, Battlefest will bring over a full month of in-game happenings, competitions, Double XP events, and more.

If you are a Battlefield Hardline player, make sure to hit the streets this upcoming month to take part of the celebrations. Stay tuned to Battlefield Hardline News for all upcoming details of the celebrations.

Battlefest for Battlefield 4™

Of course we haven’t forgotten about you Battlefield 4™ players – there are plenty of Battlefest activities planned for you too. Check out the schedule below and stay tuned to Battlelog for upcoming info and details.

MARCH 31 – APRIL 15
EASTER SALE ON BATTLEPACKS AND SHORTCUT KITS
Battlepacks contain XP boosts, camos, knives and other in-game items. Shortcut Kits will let you unlock all the weapons of a specific variety such as grenades or assault rifles.

Now, you can get up to 50% off on Battlepacks and select Shortcut Kits in our Easter Sale. Restrictions and conditions apply. Check your specific gaming platform for details on the offers. Note that some variations on content and start/end times apply.

APRIL 15 – MAY 04
GOLD BATTLEPACK GIVEAWAY
XP boosts, weapon attachments, camos, and more: login starting April 15 and you will receive a shiny Gold Battlepack.

APRIL 22 –APRIL 29
“BATTLESTEAL” CONTEST
Time to get creative – and thievish. Capture your coolest “Battlesteal” screenshot, send it in, and you have a chance to be handsomely rewarded. Find full rules, terms, and conditions here.

APRIL 28 – MAY 04
ZODIAC COMMUNITY MISSION
Show off your skills in the “Zodiac” Community Mission to claim a truly special “Aries” Dog Tag…

APRIL 30 – MAY 04
DOUBLE XP WEEKEND
Ready to climb the ranks? Make sure to jump into Battlefield 4 between April 30 and May 4: your XP will be doubled in celebration of Battlefest.

Note that even more Battlefield 4 events will occur after Battlefest. At the end of May the Weapons Crate DLC will drop, containing 5 new weapons and the new Gun Master mode. Also, the Community Map project continues, letting you design a multiplayer level together with DICE.

Enjoy Battlefest!

* THIS OFFER IS BEING ISSUED TO YOU FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CREDIT, CHARGE, DEBIT OR GIFT CARD. BATTLEFEST IS FROM MARCH 31, 2015 AT 10AM PST THROUGH MAY 4, 2015 AT 2AM PST (“PROMOTION PERIOD”). REQUIRES BATTLEFIELD 4 (“PRODUCT”) ON APPLICABLE PLATFORM, ORIGIN ACCOUNT, INTERNET CONNECTION, AND (FOR CONSOLE PLAYERS) AN XBOX LIVE GOLD OR SONY ENTERTAINMENT ACCOUNT TO PARTICIPATE AND ACCESS IN-GAME CONTENT. DOUBLE XP IS AUTOMATICALLY ENTITLED FROM APRIL 30, 2015 AT 9AM PST THROUGH MAY 4, 2015 AT 2AM PST. ONE GOLD BATTLEPACK IS AWARDED FROM APRIL 15, 2015 AT 9AM PST THROUGH MAY 4, 2015 AT 11:59PM PST AND IS AUTOMATICALLY ENTITLED WHEN YOU LOGIN INTO THE PRODUCT DURING THAT PERIOD. COMMUNITY MISSION IS ACTIVE FROM APRIL 28, 2015 9:00AM PST THROUGH MAY 4, 2015 2:00AM PST, AND UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION, GOLD BATTLEPACK IS AUTOMATICALLY ENTITLED AT MAY 5, 2015 AT 9AM PST. ZODIAC DOG TAG WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR REDEMPTION ON BATTLELOG (FOR PC) AND BATTLEDASH (FOR CONSOLE) AFTER INDIVIDUAL MISSION IS COMPLETED. VALID WHEREVER BATTLEFIELD 4 IS SOLD.  MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

The Battlefield Hardline launch is on. And man, we can’t overemphasize how thrilled we are to share the final thing with you. Letting you throw yourselves into the Cops and Criminals playground that we’ve worked on – and perfected with your feedback – is a true rush.

There may be one or two questions when a game of Battlefield Hardline’s magnitude launches. And no matter what you might be curious about, we want to help you in the right direction. Our prime goal is to make your experience with the game as enjoyable as possible right off the bat.

Below you’ll find pointers on getting in the game, what game modes to try, gadgets and weapons, and links to various support sites. Let us know if there’s anything missing – and welcome to Battlefield Hardline.

When Can I Start Playing Multiplayer?

The servers for Battlefield Hardline will open on different times depending on platform and where you’re located. See below for the full list of times when you can hit the streets:

 

I’m a Battlefield Rookie – What Game Mode Should I Try First?

Hardline contains both a thrilling single player campaign and the all-out war glory that is Battlefield Multiplayer. If you don’t want to face the heat of multiplayer right away, start with the campaign and familiarize yourself with the controls, try the guns, and earn some Battlepacks.

When you face off in multiplayer, there are seven unique game modes to choose from and we hope you’ll try them all. If you’re unsure where to kick off, you can’t go wrong with Hotwire. If you played the beta you already know about this fast-paced mode, where the cops and criminals fight over a series of marked cars. These rides are basically mobile control points, which you need to take control over. Expect glorious chaos on the streets as the two fractions face off.

And What Class Should I Choose First?

If you’re new to the class system, choose one of the four and try that out for a few matches before switching. Try starting with the Operator class and learn how to keep team mates and yourself alive with the First Aid Packs. Play around with the class-specific guns and gadgets and get a sense of the rock-paper-scissors gameplay foundation that Battlefield rests on.

Any Other Good Beginner Tips?

• Playing Battlefield Hardline earns you in-game cash. Make sure to spend it to unlock new weapons, gadgets, and attachments.
• Spend some time at the loadout screen and tinker with the weapon and gadget setup for your agent. Find a combo you like – and don’t be afraid to experiment.
• You’ll unlock Battlepacks throughout your Battlefield Hardline career. Open these in Battlelog or the in-game menu as they contain helpful items like XP boosts, weapon camos, knives and more.
• The zipline and grappling hook are two great gadgets that will let you move around the Battlefield more efficiently. Find a slightly glowing ledge of a building, fire the grappling hook, and climb the rope to waste some snipers. Ziplines let you move quickly to a lower part of the map – just look out for enemies sabotaging them during your ride…
• When you spawn in to the streets, be aware that you can spawn into vehicles or on team members. You don’t need to respawn in your base the whole time.

Where Can I Get Game Support?

Where Can I Get Game Support?

• Battlefield on Facebook
• Battlefield on Twitter
• Tips, Tricks, and Strategy
  • Strategy
  • Mechanics
  • Maps
  • Gadgets
  • Modes
  • Vehicles
  • Episodes
  • Gameplay Highlights and Tutorial Videos
• Support
  • Account Related
  • Report Issues
  • Suggestions & Feedback

When Can I Find Reviews of Battlefield Hardline?

Curious what the critics have to say about Battlefield Hardline? You can find out beginning Tuesday, March 17^th at 12:01 AM EDT, though you may have to wait a little longer depending on the outlet.

For a game with a deep multiplayer experience like Battlefield Hardline, the reviews process for media outlets can be complex. Servers are not populated enough to generate the true launch experience you as fans are used to having when the game is live, especially when you have 64-player modes that are core to the experience. We have held private events around the world for many outlets so they can begin testing (about 12-15 hours), and provided retail copies so reviewers could play through the single player campaign from home and begin testing multiplayer in the live environment. However, because the game is not available yet, it may be hard for those reviewers to find full game lobbies, though we are trying to coordinate as much as possible.

We have no doubt that some outlets will begin posting scores right when the game launches while others will wait until servers have been live for a while to ensure they are judging the experience in the environment in which everyone plays the game. If you have questions about your favorite outlet, we recommend you reach out to them directly.

In the meantime, there are a lot of impressions about the game coming out from players in the EA Access trial, and press and influencers who have had early access to the full game. Check them out if you can’t wait.

Dev Team Chats
It’s our constant ambition to connect the Battlefield Hardline developer team with the community – before, during and after launch. For the launch days, we’ve set up Twitter Q&A sessions with select members of the Visceral team. This is your chance to ask questions and give feedback to the talents behind Battlefield Hardline – and we really hope you’ll be there. Full schedule for these chats below:

• Tue. Mar 17 @ 11AM PT – Deploying to the Streets with Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis
• Tue. Mar 17 @ 3PM PT – In the Interrogation Room with Creative Director Ian Milham
• Wed. Mar 18 @ 11AM PT – On the Streets with Lead Multiplayer Designer Thad Sasser
• Thurs. Mar 19 @ 11AM PT – Behind the Scenes with Systems Designer Ben Gaciu
• Fri. Mar 20 @ 11AM PT – Getting the Low Down with Multiplayer Producer Zach Mumbach

 

Fans of the explosive and frantic Obliteration mode can now try out an exciting new twist of the mode: Squad Obliteration. Added in the Winter Update, Squad Obliteration scales down the player count of the original mode to a 5 vs 5 size – making it perfect for competitive play.

We know that the Battlefield 4 community loves challenges, so in honor of this occasion we’ve prepped a Community Mission for you.

We want you to collectively score 1 billion points in Squad Obliteration.

This mission is active between March 4, 9 AM PST and March 9, 12 AM PST. If you reach the magic 1,000,000,000 you will receive a Gold Battlepack for your efforts.

So hit Squad Obliteration, play the objective – and go for the billion!

* THIS OFFER IS BEING ISSUED TO YOU FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CREDIT, CHARGE, DEBIT OR GIFT CARD. REQUIRES BATTLEFIELD 4 (“PRODUCT”) ON APPLICABLE PLATFORM, BATTLEFIELD 4 WINTER PATCH UPDATE, ORIGIN ACCOUNT, INTERNET CONNECTION AND (FOR CONSOLE PLAYERS) AN XBOX LIVE GOLD OR SONY ENTERTAINMENT ACCOUNT TO PARTICIPATE AND ACCESS IN-GAME CONTENT. GOLD BATTLEPACKS ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENTITLED WHEN YOU LOG INTO PRODUCT THROUGH BATTLELOG FROM MARCH 11, 2015 AT 9AM PST. EA ONLINE PRIVACY AND COOKIE POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.EA.COM. SEE APPLICABLE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT AND DISCLOSURES ON WWW.EA.COM/1/PRODUCT-EULAS. VALID WHEREVER BATTLEFIELD 4 IS SOLD. CODE MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

 

A few weeks back, we kicked off one of our most ambitious undertakings yet: the Community Map Project. In this venture we will build a Battlefield 4 map together with you, the community, from concept to release.

The Road Towards Production

The project is currently in the concept phase, as illustrated below in the roadmap. To complete this first step, we need your help to decide on things like map location, setting and themes before we head into production of the map.

After launching this project we’ve received many great concepts, ideas and feedback. The level of contribution from you has us even more excited about this collaboration! Unsurprisingly, everyone’s idea of the perfect map is different, but by reading through and absorbing the CTE forums and Reddit posts, we’ve identified some clear trends.

Urban vs. Rural Settings

One of the most asked for settings could be summarized as “urban”. Urban – as in bigger cities and towns – is something that doesn’t fit within our High Level Framework.

The term “terrain based” used in the framework was meant to disqualify urban concepts and we want to clarify why.

Urban maps are rigid, expensive and performance heavy. This means we would have to spend much more time optimizing content instead of perfecting it for gameplay and balance. It also makes it much more difficult to have consistent and good destruction, purely based on performance and memory. An example of an “urban” map is Siege of Shanghai.

In contrast, a “terrain based map” (Golmud Railway is an example of one) is our internal way of describing a rural map, mainly featuring terrain and free-standing buildings. This type of map is immensely flexible and easy to work with, allowing us to make bigger changes faster and to iterate more on the map based on your feedback.

DICE LA team members analyzing a community poll in our Community Map filtering process.

Choose a High-Level Setting

The idea is to gradually narrow down the concept, going from a general to a more specific understanding of what the map will be. Through internal meetings, we’ve identified popular concepts, grouped them up, and ended up with this top three:

• Jungle
• Desert
• Mountain

It’s time to make your voice heard in the first official community decision for this map! Hit the link below to access the poll and pick your favorite setting from our top three.

Community Map Poll #1 – High Level Setting

David Sirland, Producer
Thomas Andersson, Creative Director
DICE LA

DICE is committed to constantly improving Battlefield 4 to make your multiplayer experience as entertaining, intuitive, and reliable as possible. Based on great feedback from the community, the Winter Update is now here – filled with various improvements to Battlefield 4. Let’s dive right into the tweaks we’ve made.

Get the Complete Patch Notes (PDF)

Netcode Improvements
Major improvements have been made to the Battlefield 4 network layer. Making the “Netcode” better allows for a more exact multiplayer experience for all participants, and this has been done in various ways. For instance, we’ve done long range network updates by adding a cone to the High Frequency Update (30hz), illustrated in the image below.

Other Netcode improvements we’ve done:

• Network prioritization and filtering has been improved. This now prioritizes health/damage, enemy players and vehicles above all.
• Vehicles now use a larger (front) hemi-sphere shape for collision improvements
• Aiming down sights, or zooming in sitting in a vehicle or on foot, utilizes an even longer range cone for better target acquisition at a distance

Required bandwidth close to cut in half: Players with less stellar network connections should get a significant improvement, now able to use the High Frequency Update.

Squad Obliteration game mode
We’re adding a new competitive game mode called Squad Obliteration with the Winter Patch. In this mode the fast paced, objective based gameplay of the original Obliteration is scaled down to 5 vs 5 size – balanced and perfected for competitive play. Here are the major differences from the original Obliteration mode:

Squad Obliteration/Obliteration differences

• No vehicles, no parachute spawns
• Secondary base spawns are made available
• First team to destroy two out of three bases wins the round
• Bomb carrier position is only known to the enemy team if spotted

Quickmatch Changes

We want it to be a smooth and intelligent affair to jump straight into a Battlefield 4 match using Quickmatch. That’s why we’ve added new presets and servers to enable you to play it your way. Here’s what we’ve added to Quickmatch.

• New player gating: New players can now matchmake into special servers until reaching rank 10, giving them a chance to learn playing Battlefield 4 against other new players.
• Ranked Preset support: Players now have the added option to Quickmatch into Ranked servers as an addition to the Official preset available in the past.
• Premium Playlists: Three new playlists are added catering to various play styles and including maps from all expansions and base game combined.

We believe these updates and changes will make Battlefield 4 even more enjoyable in multiplayer, and we’d like to thank you once again for suggesting these tweaks to us. Keep the feedback coming, whether it’s for these updates or anything else, and thanks for reading.