UPDATE 30/06-2011:




UPDATE 29/06-2011:




UPDATE 27/06-2011:



UPDATE 26/06-2011:


Box art revealed for Battlefield 3 Limited Edition: Physical Warfare Pack:
Updated with packshots:





There is Special Editions, Battlefield 3 Steel Book Edition.

Gamers who pre-ordered the game through Swedish retailer MediaMrkt will receive the Steel Book Edition exclusive to Sweden. Edition includes the Strike at Karkand expansion pack and all the other Limited Edition benefits. It will come in a metal case. As for know its only planned for release in Sweden, but Dice/EA have not tuled out other countries yet: So there is still hope!



According to DICE, consoles will support 720 output!


Thats the answer Rendering Architect at DICE, Johan Andersson gave via Twitter to a fan who asked: will Battlefield 3 be in 720p, or 1080p/1080i for consoles?


This is taken firectly from hes Twitter account posted few minutes ago!


Dice Johan Andersson twitter account:
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


UPDATE: New information today about how the game will run on home consoles and it has been confirmed the game will not hit 60 frames-per-second. 30FPS on Consoles! The game will run lower due to technical restraints of the current technology level of the home consoles!


NEW UPDATE: DICEs Rendering Architect Johan Andersson has claimed that engaging and varied gameplay is more important than having full HD resolutions.


Andersson stated the fact:


Name a single FPS game that runs at 1080p on any of the consoles? Would have to do huge gameplay cuts.

But he really does get the truth out here:


"""We think huge levels, lots of players, great fx, destruction, vehicles & varied gameplay is more important than 1080p"""


I agree totally on this one; Gameplay is much more important!


720p screenshot:


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


1080p screenshot:


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


Other screenshots:





UPDATE 21/06-2011:


Developer: DICE
Publisher: EA
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Beta Date: September 2011 (Multi-Platform)
Development Stage: Pre-Alpha
Game Engine: Frostbite 2.0
Audio: All new recordings
Motion Capture: EA Sports ANT

More about the game engine:

Click to View Content

Frostbite 2:

The bleeding edge technology created for Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 leaps ahead of its time with the power of Frostbite 2, DICEs new cutting-edge game engine. This state-of-the-art technology is the foundation on which Battlefield 3 is built, delivering enhanced visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and character animation utilizing ANT technology as seen in the latest EA SPORTS games.

In-depth feature on the Frostbite 2:

Click to View Content

Animation
The DICE team set out to animation to the next level. ANT technology (previously used in FIFA) now lets us create more believable behaviour than ever before in shooters.


Scale
Simply put, in Battlefield 3 you will be able to engage in some of the largest maps ever created. If you like close quarter combat we have that too.


Destruction
Destruction is enhanced on both a macro and micro level. Chips fly off blocks of concrete used for cover, while whole facades and buildings collapse in screeching clouds of dust and debris.


Rendering
Frostbite 2 now enables deferred shadng, dynamic global illuminatoin and new streaming architecture. Sounds like tech talk? Play the game and experience the difference!


Audio
Building on acclaimed High Dynamic Range (HDR) audio from previous Battlefield games, Battlefield 3 builds on the best-in-class legacy with a brutally realistic soundscape.

Computer Specs used to demo:
Video card: GTX 580

Preorder Bonuses:

Back to Karkand Expansion Pack
Physical Warfare Pack (UK)
Type 88 LMG (Exclusive Weapon)
DAO-12 Shotgun (Day 1 Access)
Flash Suppressor (Exclusive Weapon Mod for SKS sniper rifle)
Flechette Ammo (Exclusive Ammo)
Physical Warfare Pack (US)
TBA

Expansions:

Back to Karkand
Four re-mastered BF2 maps
Wake Island
Strike at Karkand
Gulf of Oman
Sharqi Peninsula
Classic BF2 weapons and vehicles
Unique rewards
New achievements and trophies

Locations:

North America
Europe
Middle East

Game Modes:

Campaign
Co-Op
Multiplayer (Conquest, Rush, Team Deathmatch, and more?)
Regular and Hardcore modes

Military Forces:

US Marines
PLR (Peoples Liberation and Resistance)
Russia

Game Features:

64 Player Multiplayer (PC) and 24 Player Multiplayer (Consoles)
Battle Log (social networking)
Real-time Stats Tracking (updates within seconds)
Talk to other players
Create Platoons (clans)
And more
Dedicated servers through Server Providers
DX 11 Support
Eyefinity Support
Features land, air, and sea vehicles (Tanks, LAV, Transports, Helicopters, Jets, and etc)
Supports lone wolf and teamplay

Unconfirmed Community WANTED Features:
Battle Recorder or any In-Game Recording
Commo-Rose
Mod Tools
Public Server Files



New to BF Gameplay Features/Mechanics (or things in older BF games not in BC2):

Click to View Content

3D Spotting (new form, TBA)
4 man squad, including a Squad Leader
Squad Respawning details
Displays countdown timer of how long until a squad member can respawn and on who
Squad spawning only on Squad Leader
Bipods
Just zoom in next to a mountable environment and bipod automatically deploys
Reduced aiming angles, but more accuracy
Death screen stats
How many you killed? How many times youve killed them and they killed you?
When you die you can see how much health your killer has left
Drag fallen soldiers to safety (single-player only?)
Equip-able knife and quick-knifing
More dramatic animation
2 knife swipes to kill from the front (think Counter Stirkes right mouse click)
Falling debris can injury/kill soldiers
Currently does no damage to vehicles except for soldiers exposed to the elements
Firing modes: Single, Burst, and Auto
Hold breath while in sniper scope
Mega swaying after you let go of hold breath key
More sway in general use
Hold down left mouse button to revive players
Can opt out of being revived
After a medic uses defibrillators on a dead solider they then get the option to revive or die and respawn (Think Brinks revive syringe)
Immobilizing vehicles
Vehicles will become immobilized prior to explosion to allow crew members to escape or an engineer to repair
Kill Cam (new form, TBA)
Mantling over objects
Mounting weapons to any flat surface
Picking up kits button is different from arming objectives
So you dont pick up a bunch of dead soldier kits next to an MCOM without ever arming it (BC2)
Prone
Balance Check: A snipers scope will reflect sunlight giving away their position
Balance Check: Going prone and leaving prone will take some time (no dolphin diving)
Shooting out light sources to darken environment
Sliding
Steal enemy dog tags via stealth knife kills
Dog tag customization
Suppression
Blurs screen and other effects to discourage enemies from firing back
Weapon attachments
Disorientate enemies with attached flashlights

Classes:

Rifleman Job is to be a frontline soldier and medic. Carries an assault rifle.
Engineer Job is to destroy enemy vehicles and repair friendly assets. Carries a sub-machine gun.
Recon/Sniper Job is to provide long range support and set traps with explosives. Carries a sniper rifle.
Support Job is to provide suppressing fire and ammo resupply. Carries a machine gun.


Review from Beta Testers:


"""While the gameplay, banstorleken and partly the pace felt like Bad Company series was everything that the regular Battlefield series. In situations where I am Bad Company 2 easily could have killed an entire group by simply holding down the trigger and sweep once across the room I found myself now in a room for four easy cursed Romanians. We played mainly against a bunch of testers from Romania.The spread was too large for me to kill one of them and they were probably all shot injured, but none died. You will therefore need to aim for more than three in Battlefield Bad Company 2. However, it is a little more forgiving than Battlefield 2. I found a good balance."""


"""Something that many appreciated is that the prone has returned. Thus, one can lie down again. Me playing Battlefield 2 found some concern in that when it was used too much, creating a very boring firefights where people jumped and threw himself down on the ground. Also looked very stupid out.You can not do in Battlefield third You can not swing around how much any time soon once you are lying down. If you turn too fast around the picture begins to shake when you have to start moving your whole body. If there is any object in the road, it will also completely stop. Much better balanced than before, I think."""


UPDATE 22/06-2011:


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


Snipers gets bipods; Many weapons actually will have it, and you can deploy it on many various surfaces!


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


Twitter user: Any news on if BF3 will have a theatre mode and/or the ability to upload videos?

Matros: no comment on battlerecorder


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


So, did he even ask about a Battlerecorder? Nope. Seems too be DICE expression for Theater Mode for me;


Battlefield 3 has earned over 20 E3 awards 2011.


Update 25/06: Battlefield 3 will feature 4 man squads like in Bad Company 2, but, according to DICEs Alan Kertz, who once again confirmed some new info via Twitter, squad spawning has changed compared to Bad Company 2. 4 man squads is the perfect size based on playtesting for both balance and working as an integrated teamplay unit.

Demize99 on twitter: Squad Leaders can spawn on any squadmate, squad members can only spawn on the Leader. Keeps pace up without tons o spawns.


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


UPDATE:


[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


BF3 will have 4 classes; Assault, Recon, Engineer and Support


From a tester perspective:



Kits
The kit layouts were something like this. No limitations.

USMC
Assault M16A4(4x scope), M9, Frag Grenade, Medic Box, Defibrillator
Engineer M4(ironsight+weapon light), M9, Frag Grenade, SMAW, Repair Tool
Support M249(4x scope), M9, Frag Grenade, Ammo Box
Recon M110(bit more powerful scope, dont know exactly), M9, Frag Grenade, C4


RUS
Assault AK74M(4x scope), MR-444, Frag Grenade, Medic Box, Defibrillator

Engineer AKS-74U(ironsight+weapon light), MR-444, Frag Grenade, RPG7, Repair Tool

Support Pecheneg(4x scope), MR-444, Frag Grenade, Ammo Box

Recon SVD(bit more powerful scope, dont know exactly), MR-444, Frag Grenade, C4

Random stuff
-Sprint. There seems to be unlimited stamina. You can strafe(slightly) while sprinting, which is pretty nice.
-Weapon lights. Can be turned on/off via a hotkey(L). Blinds people at close range. Other players lights are seen as a glowing dot at long range.
-Vaulting. When approaching an obstacle you can press space to climb/jump over it. This seemed to work on everything I tried it on. You can not fire while the animation plays(around 1 second). Jumping is still ingame if for some reason the vaulting isnt working on something.
-Deviation. Deviation feels pretty good for a vanilla game. As always its stance-dependant. When hipfiring its accurate enough to take out people close to you, but thats it. When aiming down the sights you can kill people are range quite effectively. Snipers/marksmen are most accurate, assault rifles in the middle and undeployed machine guns last, however deployed machine guns felt more accurate than assault rifles. When jumping you get maximum deviation, and it takes a second or two to settle again. When going prone you get this animation thing that moves your view around a bit, but the crosshair stays tight. I tried it against a wall, and since the animation is not random its easy to compensate and fire at the intended spot while going prone. So prone diving works pretty much. However it may just be that they havent added the deviation increase yet.



A new fresh interview with DICE developers:


The interview is in swedish, but its subtitled in english. Just press the CC button in the bottom right corner; I do not know if this have been posted before. Nice information!







Patrick Bach quote:





PSM3 a UK based Playstation3 Magazine hit shelves with a very nice article about Battlefield 3: