The Continual Problems with Battlefield 4

This year it was expected that DICE would make some major headway on the Modern Warfare market, and the release of Battlefield 4 was expected to give the Call of Duty series a real run for their money.

Unfortunately the Frostbite 3 engine – touted as a feature to draw in the audience - and the unstable situation of the online shooter has had the opposite effect. Many issues have plagued Battled 4 since its release on 29^th October and the unenviable ‘launch day blues’ have turned into launch week and now launch month problems as well.

We are now over 60 days since the title hit stores and the developers are still trying to fix problems reminiscent of a beta trial. It is exceptionally disappointing for players and creators as we all stare at the unfinished product with frustrated stares.

Unfortunately, a game pegged to be the best modern day shooter, has been bogged down by everything from standard connectivity issues to strange ‘one-hit-kill’ buts. Probably the most disappointing issue is that the single player game is also have problem; with campaign files going MIA and mid-level saves storing the user in a wall.

In fact, as of this morning, 22 major issues are being reported on the official website. 15 of which have apparently been fixed but a minority section of players are still reporting the same issues.

Sadly, the problems facing Battlefield 4 don’t stop there. Today, AMD announced that it was delaying the hotly anticipated free BF4 Mantle update that was due before the end of the year. The patch is tentatively re-scheduled for January 2014.

In an effort to resolve these issues DICE have pulled out from all future developments (relating to other products) until Battlefield 4 is deemed satisfactory. Who will judge that ambiguous benchmark remains to be seen.

The bigger picture here comes in the form of legal action being taken against the publisher by EA shareholders. They are stating that promises weren’t kept but, although this has made the issues more widespread, it is not something that directly affects the gaming community.

The offence we are suffering is something that EA has remained silent on and – in fact – it is this silence that has me worried and annoyed more than anything else. It’s the fact that the early upgrades option – where players could keep their DLC and progress – hasn’t really come into play. Those plagued by these issues have contacted EA and have been told that they needed to pre-order the next-gen versions of become a Battlefield 4 Premium Member. It’s a big betrayal to loyal fans and shows both a lack of ethics and a selection of false advertising.

As it stands, the Battlefield series has taken a series of issues, addressed them poorly and is now suffering reputational repercussions. What seemed like an opportunity to migrate some of the hardcore Call of Duty fans is not looking to have the opposite effect.

I hope 2014 brings some changes over at EA and ushers in a new ‘consumer friendly’ atmosphere and work ethic that would not only solve these issues in the future but actually mean that the consumers would be addressed directly when they have concerns.

Unfortunately though, if people keep buying these products (and I own the Xbox One version of the title) then the chances are publishers won’t change as they are still making a heap of money.