The bug fix list for the latest BF2 patch is out. Patch is out now. What are you waiting for? Go get it Soldier!

Patch v1.21

BUG FIXES
– Fixed the Hmmwv with TOW crash on Battlefield 2: Special Forces maps
– Fixed the Battle Recorder crash
– Fixed the screen capture
– Fixed the issue with Pixel Shader 1.4 video cards
– Fixed the issue that caused heat seeking missiles to stick to oil towers
– Fixed the issue that caused heat seaking missiles to ziz-zag
– Reduced the maximum number of claymores that can be dropped to 2
– Fixed the Server Browser filter to enable search by map name
– Fixed the error in Client – Server communication causing sound, animation and other
sync issues.

The 1.2 version of the BF2Pro Mod was released today. Looks like some interesting tweaks to the Vanilla BF2. The BFPro mod for Battlefield 1942 did an excellent job of tweaking vanilla Battlefield 1942 by adjusting some things and adding some new stuff to enhance the game. I plan to check out the BF2 version to see if they have continued in that same vein. From the changes listed, it looks as though they have.

Short list of BF2Pro Changes

Full List of BF2Pro Changes

Download BF2Pro 1.2

Another Community Update from DICE/EA today that provides some details on what is being addressed with the 1.21 patch:

Good day soldiers, We want to let you know that we have been making great progress on patch 1.21 and are happy to share with you some of the issues that are being addressed. The patch will be tested in a limited beta starting the end of this week. Were working around the clock to minimize your wait on the release of 1.21 but at the same time want to make sure that the patch is thoroughly tested before it goes out officially.

Below is a list of the current confirmed fixes

* Crash bug when using Hummer with TOW in the Special Forces expansion pack has been fixed
* Screen capture is now working
* Performance issues with certain ATI cards has been addressed
* Server browser can now filter by map name
* Claymores – the number that can be dropped at any one time has been reduced to 2

Once again thank you for your patience and see you all on the Battlefield!

The team at DICE and EA

Glad to see that EA/DICE have recognized that there are some issues with the latest patch for BF2 and are working quickly to correct them.

Community Update – 2/20/06

Listen up Troops,

Although patch 1.2 included several fixes that we know were eagerly awaited, it unfortunately introduced some new issues. These are being addressed immediately and we are working around the clock to resolve those. Patch 1.21 (coming soon) will be tested in a limited beta with select Battlefield community members starting as early as this week. We’re doing this to ensure a clean release of 1.21. In addition, we have decided to postpone the Euro Force Booster Pack until sometime after the release of the updated 1.21 patch.

Stick to this web space for additional information soon.

On a more pleasant note, Battlefield 2 hit somewhat of a milestone last night with over 52,000 simultaneous players. This is the highest number of players we’ve seen at one time for Battlefield 2 and almost 4 times more than the peak number of Battlefield 1942.

Thanks in advance for your patience.

The team at DICE and EA

Thanks to DocJon for the reminder on this one.

Looks like yesterdays prediction on the 1.2 Patch was accurate. Here is the list of bug fixes and tweaks (click read more to see it all).

BUG FIXES & GAMEPLAY TWEAKS
– Dolphin Diving is no longer possible
– Players can no longer jump and shoot at the same time
– “Prone Spamming” is now fixed
– “Sprint exploit” is now fixed
– Helicopters now carry 8 missiles rather than 14
– TV-Guided missile now have a shorter range
– Damage decreased from M134
– Hit points on all air vehicles has been reduced
– AA missile lock has been improved
– All support kit weapons have been adjusted
– All Sniper rifles have been adjusted
– Sa80 has been adjusted
– G3A3 has been adjusted
– Reload while sprinting has been enabled
– Medic defibrillator paddles have been adjusted. They now reload while not in use.
– SCAR-L reload sound has been fixed
– Server setting to allow friendly fire to be off on mines without affecting other weapons.
– Server search filters now work properly
– Mines can no longer be destroyed with other explosives
– Bug in MP7 fire rate fixed. Ammo count increased and mag count and damage decreased
– Flash bang effect radius decreased
– Added unlocks for Sniper and AT kits
– Fixed a bug in terrain rendering with night vision, whereby terrain was still dark in dark areas.
– Fixed a bug whereby mods that are not bf2 or not xpack permutate shaders every time a level is loaded.
– Fixed a bug whereby non-xpack mods cannot use xpack shaders.
– Fixed bug in TV guided missiles of Havoc helicopter
– The LAV25 no longer shoots through penetrable materials.
– Vehicles no longer disappear when viewed from some vehicles with a HUD (e.g. Tanks).
– Performance gain found in static mesh rendering.
– Detonation radius from grenade launcher explosions has been reduced.
– Grenade launcher projectiles now have a minimum distance.
– Decreased Flashbang count from 4 to 3
– Replaced the existing Czech Flag with the correct one in the front end

Continue reading Battlefield 2 1.2 Patch Readme →

In an EA Community Update for 2/13/06 it sounds like the latest patch for BF2 will be out soon. Planet Battlefield is predicting tomorrow. Here is the entire update:

Community Update – 2/13/06

Listen up soldiers:

We have some great news for you regarding the upcoming patch. 1.2 is in the final stages of its release cycle. This means you need to keep an eye on this web space for further info and a release date.

I want to extend a huge thanks to our community for helping us grasp the issues that have made your gameplay less than optimal at times. We are very happy with the improvements in this patch and sincerely hope you are all pleased with the work we’ve done.

AJ Marini

Im pretty sure that my wife wont appreciate that as a Valentines Day present, but I sure would!

Battlefield 2 Statistics program was released today. This promises to extend the BF2 ranking system to unranked servers, and LANS and customize it. The main features are:

* Your Own Private Ranked Server wich is capable to produce:
In-game awards, ranks and unlocks and Stats to appear in BFHQ.

* Your Own database hosted on your server, and fully in your control.

* Your Own WebStats System installed locally, to view and compare
your stats with other clan members or players.

* Centralized Database – to see and compare your stats against other
players.

* You control ranks, score and other in-game ranking parameters.

In other words we are giving you the opportunity to install a Ranking System
where ever you want it : clan server, lan parties and public Servers.

This is a truly cool idea. One of the things that I miss from Battlefield 1942 was having server specific stats and rankings. I loved checking in to this site every day after pwning Atomm, ephil, Racer and Tuna and having the numbers there for all to see (evil laugh).

The Desert Conflict Mod Team has released the .2 version of their CTF mini-mod. The first release was excellent, and while I havent played the new version yet, I am looking forward to finding some populated servers.

Head on over to the Desert Conflict site and grab the download off of one of the mirrors listed.

If you have the .1 version of the mod installed you should delete that one prior to installing the new version.

An update regarding the forthcoming 1.2 Patch for Battlefield 2 was provided in the EAUK Forums today. Sentience(who is AJ Marini the EA Community Coordinator for Battlefield 2) posted a topic that contains both good and bad news. From that post:

First, I’ll start with the bad news to get it out of the way. We have held onto the 1.2 patch a little longer than we had initially planned. We really felt that it was important to delay the patch and take care of some of the issues that have had the community concerned. This means that it will be released sometime in the next two or three weeks. This, unfortunately, means that the Euro Force Booster Pack will be delayed as well since it relies on the patch. Look for Euro Force to be released in the latter half of February now.

Also, another bit of bad news is that the new feature that allows player to pick up deployed mines with the G key is being held back. In the end, we felt it just wasn’t complete enough for public consumption. We at DICE apologize to all of you who were eagerly awaiting this feature.

I hope that the reasons for the delays are seen as positive by you, the community, and therefore I list these reasons as the good news portion of this update.

The following issues were addressed:

– Being able to pass through walls using a spinning tank turret has been fixed. It has also been addressed on all rotating vehicle positions just to be safe.
– The disappearance of tank projectiles and grenade launcher projectiles during online play has been improved and should occur less frequently
– The distance for throwing hand grenades, ammo packs, and health packs has been increased.

And finally…

– The Red/Blue nametag bug has been addressed

Regarding the last point, what we have done is make the code more secure to try and prevent any cases where this bug may occur. Since the fix has been in place, we have had no reproduction of the bug in testing.

As for me, Ill trade a couple of weeks in patch development for a smooth transition into a better game. Getting rid of the Red/Blue tag will go a long way towards making this game more enjoyable. Add this to getting rid of the bunnies, dolphins and noobtubers, and the other tweaks to game play and I am getting downright excited!

Feeling lazy tonight so A quick cut n paste job on this one. EA updated the community on the upcoming patch today and alleviated some confusion about how the booster packs fit into the Battlefield 2 series of games. Here is the community update in all its glory:

Community Update – 1/18/06

Listen up Soldiers!

By now, you have all seen the list of fixes in the next update (1.2). We are still trying to nail down a few final items and put the final touches in place.

Heres a list of additional items to look for in version 1.2:

* UAVs are now visible in the world so if you are being scanned, you can know about it and take action against it.
* Rank progression is no longer limited to the enlisted ranks. All officer ranks are now available.
* Bug that allowed players in vehicles to contest a flag from outside the flag radius is now fixed.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to clarify some confusion stemming from our updates.

The first item is on the topic of grenades. Players will still be able to toss grenades while jumping. Although the ability to fire while jumping has been removed, players will still be able to initiate a grenade toss prior to jumping and follow through with the toss, thereby gaining themselves some extra distance. We understand that there will be some adjustment in tactics required when the patch comes out but we are confident that the community will quickly come to grips with the new tactics.

The second item is on the topic of the booster packs. We have not created the maps as a separate expansion pack requiring a separate server. The booster packs will increase the content of the base game and thereby may be run on a server in regular rotation with the original maps.

Hope that clears up some of questions you’ve all been asking.

[EA]Mike and the rest of the Battlefield Team

EA Community Update for 1/18/06