So I got started with Battle Field two . [Archive]

butlershouse

28th May 2006, 14:13

So heres my experience so far.

You should bear in mind that I am a Xbox Live subscriber.

Of Course I could be going off on completely the wrond tangents but the purpose of this post is not to highlight how new I am to online gaming but to spur readers to say .. Hey .. heres the easier way to do things.

so First off I installed Battlefield 2 and GameSpy.

I figured I should create my game spy account before launching BF2 so I dutifully created my account 'AWittyremark' and verified it via email. I let Gamespy scan for my games and selected BF2. At this point it mentioned that my copy had a patch available and I could download the patch. Cue yet another sign in process and yet more software to install. So currently I am waiting in line for the patch to download from FilePlanet. Becuase yes I have not purchased GS or FP subscriptions.

Meanwhile back to BF2. I dropped into the game and had a quick single player mission to get some basic feel for the performance and the run time of the game.

So I hopp back out and add the TCP/UDP rules to my firewall so that the games can see my PC inside this natted connection.

I went then to the Multiplayer section of the game and proceeded to try and either Create or Retrieve my account. But no amount of Variations on my profile, email address or password is getting me an account created !

So thats as far as I got today. 30 minutes in and im still not ready to play ... sigh .

Okay to balance this :

Yes I own a Xbox with an XBL account so yes I spend £6.00 a month to have access to online games. And yes if I dont keep my game activity current there are regular enforced patch and update requirements before I can start playing , and yes I had to configure my router to enable all of that ! meanwhile though its still pretty idot proof to get started in the multiplayer verse..

Anway .. I am going to wait for the 400mb or download to complete and im going to have a quick game of fear whilst I wait!

back later for more updates as I get online.

Baz

28th May 2006, 14:25

why not just grab the patch from the multiplay ftp, instead of waiting for file planet?

Boffykins

28th May 2006, 14:32

How would he know to do that though? Very informative post.

butlershouse

28th May 2006, 14:38

Bazz.. because I did not know to do this and if you check my postings ive been wondering where and how to get started and by posting like the above ( more updates to follow once I let the file planet do its thing ) then im sure to get people say things like ... ohhh theres a much easier way to do that !

Thanks for the comments Baz, could you post the links or some more info and ill almagamate this into this and possibly other threads like it when im done.

Nik

kr-dm1

28th May 2006, 14:47

Sooo... The easier way is to spend £400 (rough guess, i dunno how much XBox360's cost atm) on a console that I can't upgrade, will likely be performing under the level of PC's in a year, and that charges £50 for games and a monthly sub on top of my internet bills to play games with a gamepad ? Unless I missed the keyboard and mouse for the XBox, i think i'll stick with actually being able to kill things in games, even if it does take a few extra seconds to setup :p:

Plus, having not installed Gamespy for Battlefield2, I don't think your gamespy account is actually the same one you'll use to login to BF2. Could be wrong though, but you might wanna try making an account through the BF2 interface, unless you've already done that, in which case discount this paragraph :) Also, for patches and stuff you might wanna have a look at Fileshack (http://www.fileshack.com). Free registration that'll let download speeds upto 500kb/s, and the queues are shorter in my experience :) Hope this is some help for you

Edit:: Or Multiplay FTP as Baz said, which is here: Multiplay FTP (ftp://ftp.multiplay.co.uk/)

Freelance

28th May 2006, 14:48

i think your post sums up quite well why pc games could be hard to pick up for an average/non-technical person. drivers, patches, incompatibilities, logging into accounts, retards on public servers, bugs, all before you can start learning the game. compared with a console/xbox live it's a mess.

Baz

28th May 2006, 15:32

How would he know to do that though? Very informative post.

multiplay.co.uk, main page, 3rd post down http://www.multiplay.co.uk

or Gaming tab > file server http://gaming.multiplay.co.uk/ftpfiles.php

or google multiplay bf2 patch 5th post down (http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=multiplay+bf+patch&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

common sense i should have thought, especially considering he's already posting on the multiplay forums!

Freelance

28th May 2006, 17:51

this sort of thing is what may push me onto vista. MS say they are going to give pc games a big kick up the ass with things like live anywhere (a server browser that doesn't suck?), DX10(no more vendor specific capabilities, either it's DX10 or it's not), fast install/play of games (can't remember the name. the installer initially puts the bare essentials on your pc, then starts the game and continues the install in the background) and general integration in vista.

i really hope they do it right and get decent vendor support so it works with more than 2 publishers

butlershouse

28th May 2006, 18:13

Well I was not having a negative dig at PC games..if you check my postings here you'll see that I have been asking this type of question and lurking around for advice. What I decided was it would be more consrtuctive if I post my experiences. Bear in mind that my day job is managing linux and windows servers so im not exactly PC illeriterate here. What im finding is a barrier to entry based on knowledge and I figured it easier to post how im doing and then see how people respond. Which so far has been HELPFUL , so I appreciate that . I think XBL is a wonderful DEVICE for just getting on with gaming but its not very UK Centric and this forum is.

Anyway im back from the 'Rents so im going to review the download and proceed.

kr-dm1 yes I used the Bf2 interface for both witty and butlershouse as profiles and they are all resulting in a error message that does not indicate the next best action. e.g. im confused as to what to do next.

if im this far down the track with BF2 can you imagine the articles Im gonna have to write for CSS <grin>

TheDon

28th May 2006, 18:27

if im this far down the track with BF2 can you imagine the articles Im gonna have to write for CSS <grin>

CSS is a walk in the park to get running compared to BF2. You just install it create your steam account and bam, steam does the rest.

This is the problem with pc gaming though and why alot of console gamers don't like switching to pc. If a game needs patching you need to go off and find the patch from one of the many download sites, if you were new to pcs and didn't have a clue where to look for patches etc then gaming on a PC is a nightmare compared to a console. With consoles everything "just works".

Baz, now assume he doesn't know what multiplay are, that you can even get patches from anywhere else but the "official" sources, and imagine the headache that a fair proportion of pc gamers have when they try to play their games online. His post wasn't about him specifically, it was a more general post about anyone who isn't involved in any pc gaming communities or anything, just your average joe user who goes to buy a game in pc world, brings it home, and then has a nightmare trying to get it running online following the information given, compared to how easy it would have been if they had of bought that game for a console instead.

The PC gaming market definitely needs to buck their ideas up if they want to rival consoles, so many people will always stick with consoles because they buy a game and it just works. Steam was a step in the right direction, but it needs a much bigger step to even begin to close the gap of ease of use for pc and console games.

Freelance

28th May 2006, 18:52

one thing i really have to give valve/steam credit for is being the sole source of their patches and (most of the time) their servers handle the pressure. compare that to pretty much every other publisher, you can't really expect a good speedy download from the first party on patchday, so it's pretty much that publishers rely on third parties to distribute their patches for them.

PCs in general seem to be stuck between being simple to use (which is how they seem to be sold to the general public) and having a certain knowledge barrier to climb over to use them effectively. i think either extreme would be good, but the middleground creates problems

Cypher

28th May 2006, 19:05

As well as the above mentioned download sites...

I'd have thought that the Battlefield2 site would've been a good place to look tbh
It was fairly simple for me..
Install... ...create an account ingame... then patch and play

butlershouse

28th May 2006, 21:39

So .. I finally was able to install the patch , and I created the account . TheWittyRemark and I got to go online. to be told that a patch was availble for my version of BF2 !... Now finally I am online and I have even less clue where to start and what all those glyphs mean on the server sign in page . Yes im sure there is documentation online but where ? Im going to see if I can fathom the Multiplay servers and add them to connect to from my game ( not saying anything about MP here im just new to this geddit ! )

okay .. ive done enough for tonight with luck I might be able to get onto a server later and see what occurs. !

kr-dm1

28th May 2006, 22:27

Yeah, the patch box'll come up whate'er, just have to close it :) A good start would be hitting multiplayer and putting EA UK BF2 Official in the search box. Mash enter and it should load the EA UK server list. The symbols'll probably be the server type and what game its playing. Red 2's are original Battlefield2, while the green 2's are SpecForces servers. I guess EuroForce'll probably be blue 2's. Either way you'll be able to filter it by your current mod with one of those check buttons at the bottom. But thta should get you started on one of the EA UK publics, always likely to be someone there to play against :)

Lord Grim

28th May 2006, 22:46

im sorry but i dont understand why it isnt straightforward.

Put in DVD. Install, follow instructions. Load game. Click multiplayer. Crap, need a patch. Download it from whereever. google, or any decent games website or god forbid the official website thats linked when it says you need it. run it. load game again. go to multiplayer. find a server and play.

not so hard.

frankly if you cant figure it out im not sure people want you on the servers, theres enough retards as it is. heck if a 8 year old can figure it out im sure you can.

sorry its not like im in a good mood atm :)

butlershouse

29th May 2006, 06:17

Grim ..

Your quite right .. im not sure why its not straight forward either.

Here I am a Unix and Windows Sysadmin so im pretty familiar with some pretty fscking esoteric stuff.

Your not wanting me on your servers where your playing is EXACTLY the reason why I am asking questions, highlighting documentation deficencies and checking that what I am doing is correct for the required operations. The last thing you or potentially other players want is someone turning up who has not demonsrtated a keeness to want to learn and implement the correct procedures to satisfy the groups requirements for acceptance.

Im comng at the with a OSS philosophy here , and as such I am sharing through documentation my experiences. Having experienced Xbox Live which is frankly a seamless and coherent environment which can even provide balanced and ranked matches , I want to create documentation here which can help other lurkers and new players.

So this is not a thread griping about how difficult subject X was. It is instead , hopefully, a thread which enables me to gather experiences ( my own and other players ) and document them to enable the next player to quickly assimilate the facts and implement the correct attitude in online play.

Im all for heckling someone who has not read the documentation and checked their facts. its just I ( i think I mentioned this ) have been asking where this type of documentation was.

Bear in mind that it appears many games have many different ways of implementing Multiplayer environments. Some are good, some are bad, but all of them will not include in the manuals the current ( patched ) experiences of players and administrators and moderators alike.

Cheers

Nik

butlershouse

29th May 2006, 13:46

SO . I got online and played ... finally <grin.

Heres what I did.

I allowed the server udpate to run and then typed Multiplay into the server box and it gave me all the servers for multiplay.

Now I just scanned through and looked for a server that was not to densely populated since theres a better chance I was going to get on .

My first couple of Attempts resulted in connecting and then playing and then ... server lost connections !.. quite a few in fact[sigh]

Eventually though I managed to get connected though some peoples army vs america and although im sure my VOIP was working I heard no one chatting or planning or talking.

I can say however I managed to capture a few flags and survive a few firefights so i dont utterly suck.

In retrospect PC multiplayer simply feels BIGGER than Console gaming although that said greater space can result in less action which for someone practising their movement and interactoin means you dont get hammered everytime.

Cheers to all whove contributd ill write this up ( from the above posts ) and hand it to the BF2 admins if they want to use it. Certainly we could do with pointers to aid the others...

Nick

Cypher

29th May 2006, 14:17

Just to point something out...

As soon as you put the disk in the drive, or find the icon on the desktop...
you'll have a button saying "Play BF2 Online Now!"
Click that..and it automatically loads the game and connects you to a random (official?) server :P

But you may want to get ingame beforehand and change your settings.

As for VoIP, with the exception of one guy who wouldnt shut up.. I cant say Ive ever heard someone using ingame VoIP.
Usually I jump on a Teamspeak server with some mates

kr-dm1

29th May 2006, 14:18

VOIP only works in squads I think, or I've forgotten it being used outside of them, but insquad makes more sense, saves everyone getting barraged by instructions relating just to the squads :p: The latest patch introduced quite a bit of server instability, which could be why you lost your connection those times.

But seen as you've got onto it now, GL in your future games :)

butlershouse

29th May 2006, 14:22

Cypher I tried that button three times over the period of a coulpe of days and it didnt work . I just got a no servers found type of message. Besides its quite clear from the forums that many people dont enjoy playing in games with inexperienced or unfamiliar players. Many new gamers want to be able to manage their arrival in a game in such a way as to ensure that can learn how to play the game. Or , possibly I am being way to over considerate of my fellow gamers.

Cypher

29th May 2006, 14:58

Hm ok, odd, works too well for me :\ Miss-clicking and loading up a server I dont want.

If you're trying to learn to play. I'd reccomend sticking to unranked (without the ^ rank insignia) servers until you've got the basics, then move onto the ranked ones (earning points to increase your rank and unlocking more weapons).
From what I've experianced though... playing on the EA official servers, you get a vast differance in skills.

Whenever I'm playing... ill either join a pal via xfire or pick one of the more active servers from the listing. I'm not too bothered if I do/dont know people, I'll either create or tag along with a squad

banger

11th June 2006, 02:50

useful links:

www.gameshadow.com

games updater/ and drivers subscription is yearly.or u can leave it unsub and get the latest patches for games with continue developer support.

www.eagames.com (http://www.eagames.com) and get the ea-downloader. this sort out the patches for bf2 and gives you some videos to look at

enjoy!!!

:deg:

butlershouse

14th June 2006, 18:14

I really appreciate people posting here .
I think for many its been a while since they were new to online gaming . Since I have come from a XBOX live environment where everything is done for you its usefull to have these learning experiences and input from you all.

I will, i promise, deliver on the documentation based on my experiences...

butlershouse

14th June 2006, 18:25

So let me round this off .

Ive been playing for a few weeks now. and I no longer totally suck .. I usually manage to keep myself in the middle of the scoreboard when the game ends. I make a concerted effort to join squads and to fulfill my chosen role with the dynamics of the game .

e.g.

as a sniper not grabbing the plane
as a medic , actually ensuring i am near to clusters of combat to lend aid.

Now i can use the filter to locate Multiplay servers.. but how do I go about making a connection between people here and my online play ? are there only afew servers to connect to ? should it be a time and date sort ofthing ? . .

so thats the last part i guess.

JeRkY

15th June 2006, 10:55

The people here will play all over the place, not every one here plays as one large group. They all belong to different groups clans or teams and play wherever.

If you want to play along side forum users, grab your self some one that posts in the bf2 section a lot and introduce your self, odds are they wont bite your head off.

You may also want to consider joining a clan. there are a couple that have done recruitment posts on these forums. And its probably the easiest and best way to keep up with a regular group of players.

Personally me and the rest of the Multiplay BF2 team play on un ranked servers/random multiplay customers servers and EA UK servers (as many of the team are EA UK admins). But most commonly the team will be in a locked unranked clanserver having a match.

So it really depends on you, if you want to play casual, just grab some ones attention and get chatting, if you want to play more seriously, join a clan...theres plenty around, some play for fun, other require certain standards of skill etc for entry and play to a higher level.

LozB

3rd July 2006, 11:26

a most enjoyable read. either a very clever troll for EA BF2 or someome who (unlike most on this forum) thinks about the content and construct of the thread before posting...

i wish GL with your BF2 gaming.. i would recommend joining a casual clan (thats what i did) we played most nights and its adds so much more fun to the game with voice chatting via ventrillo . Teamspeak etc.

butlershouse

3rd July 2006, 12:06

Loz,
thanks for your comments. I think Wubster, Lumpy, Bootz and a few others will vouch for the non trollness of this and other postings. Given the ownage I recieved at the hands of Armin and others at i27. Ive found coming to Multiplayer environments with PCs to be quite a bit more ( not impossible or a struggle though ) work than with Xbox Live.

As a Linux , Mac and Windows user I have always been amazed that XBL remains quite the unchampoined success of the online gaming world. Despite comments about consoles and console gaming the XBL aspect is in my opinion a unqualified success in introducing a player to online multiplayer environments.

Match this with my experiences to date with BF2 ( okay im allowing for the 1.3 patch issues ) and I had really wanted to post my comments with the view of the beginner and the new user.

I really really must however get around to writting up my notes and thoughts. Im personally still a little befuddled with all the icons and notifications in game and on the server screens. And it still seems to be hard to join in on a game with a Friend , outside of Xbox Live that is ..

Anyway back to work !