Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 is a Battlefield game made by Digital Illusions CE, and is a direct sequel to Battlefield 2. It was released on October 25, 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Battlefield 3 was revealed on February 4, 2011 with a teaser trailer called My Life, and was the cover story of the March 2011 issue of GameInformer. The game was first showcased on March 1, 2011 during GDC 2011, which revealed unedited gameplay for the first time.

48-hour early beta access for Battlefield 3 was packaged with every Limited and Tier 1 Edition of Medal of Honor. DICE announced on February 3, 2011 that the release of Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2's Onslaught DLC were cancelled for the PC to concentrate all their workforce on Battlefield 3, and that they will make it their biggest Battlefield release yet, even going so far as calling it "the best Battlefield game ever." DICE also confirmed that the different versions of the game would not differ too much, but the PC version would be getting extra attention, in the sense that they would not limit themselves to the technical capabilities of consoles, and that the different versions were being developed separately.

A direct sequel, Battlefield 4, is currently being developed by EA and DICE and will be the next illeration of the Battlefield franchise.

Overview
Battlefield 3 includes both singleplayer and co-operative campaigns and features multiplayer gameplay similar to the classic Battlefield 2.

Jets made their return as pilotable vehicles, along with prone as an available stance. The PC version is able to support 64 players simultaneously in multiplayer; consoles, however, can only support up to 24 players. This also resulted in smaller multipayer maps for console versions of the game in that map boundaries for the Conquest mode were made smaller to prevent the action from becoming too far spread out. This installment uses a completely new engine, named Frostbite 2, the successor to the Frostbite Engine used in the Bad Company series.

With the help of the Frostbite 2 engine, Battlefield 3 introduces Destruction 3.0. An improvement over Bad Company 2's Destruction 2.0, version 3.0 allows for a much larger range of destructible objects alongside buildings for more realistic destruction. For example, when the player fires the AT4 into the hotel in the Fault Line, Episode II: Good Effect on Target trailer, the façade of the building shatters and falls to the ground. In the earthquake-prone city of Sulaymaniyah, players experience tremors and earthquakes that further display the capabilities of Destruction 3.0.

Audio was another focus for the game. There are audio cues that, for example, will let the player know if a tank is moving towards or away from them, or if it is having trouble climbing a slope. The developers had recorded real life sounds of vehicles and weapons from a military training exercise with their goal being to create "cleaner and brighter audio." As stated by Thomas Danko, voice over producer at DICE: "No FPS ever had this large amount of VO variations for Multi Play, not even close. Over 300 for the "Man down" event alone."

An article on Kotaku states that the single-player campaign was inspired by multiple war movies such as Generation Kill, The Hurt Locker, Black Hawk Down and the television series 24. It is also said that there is a focus on the game's characters' (including the player's) personalities and dialog. Additionally the date of 2014 was chosen to not politicize the story.

Missions

 * 1) Semper Fidelis
 * 2) Operation Swordbreaker
 * 3) Uprising
 * 4) Going Hunting
 * 5) Operation Guillotine
 * 6) Comrades
 * 7) Thunder Run
 * 8) Fear No Evil
 * 9) Night Shift
 * 10) Rock and a Hard Place
 * 11) Kaffarov
 * 12) The Great Destroyer

Gameplay Overview
The gameplay in the singleplayer campaign differs greatly from the multiplayer component, with numerous quick-time events (QTEs) that are spread throughout the levels. DICE stated that levels are a mix of sandbox and linear though many reviewers later commented that they were moreover linear. The campaign takes place in numerous locations across the world, but is mainly set in Iraq and Iran, the latter country of which plays an important part in the storyline. The gameplay in the campaign varies wildly, including tank combat, acting as a member of a sniper team, and acting as the rear pilot of a F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighter.

Plot
The campaign starts with a US Marine running across a street in New York City towards a break in a fence. He then climbs through the fence, and jumps down onto a train passing beneath him, ducking as the train enters a tunnel, and forcing his way into the train. The soldier grabs a gunman's pistol and fights his way towards the front of the train. There, he finds a green container and a final gunman. Before the marine can act, he is tackled and pinned by another man, who holds a revolver to his face demanding if he is alone.

The game then shifts to eight hours earlier with the arrival of two CIA agents, Gordon and Whistler in an interrogation chamber with the marine, revealed to be Henry Blackburn, handcuffed to a chair inside the chamber. The two then start questioning Blackburn, who goes on to talk about his knowledge of a person named Solomon, who he claims is a terrorist planning an attack on New York City. They then ask Blackburn about his involvement in Operation Swordbreaker, to where he then recaps his role in the operation.

Nine months prior, Blackburn's unit was tasked with finding a missing patrol. As they made their way through the city, they engaged in firefights with insurgents. After multiple firefights, a huge earthquake tore apart the city, knocking Blackburn unconscious. Blackburn then tells of how he escaped from the ruined city, where he was forced to fight his way through PLR lines to reach an evacuation site. It is soon revealed that, at the time, Faruk Al-Bashir and the People's Liberation and Resistance (PLR) had swept to power in Iran, following a coup d'etat in the country. The US had responded by sending in a Marine invasion force to remove him from power and crush the PLR.

Back in the interrogation chamber, Blackburn is told of the actions of Lt. Jennifer Hawkins, a pilot who had performed an airstrike over Tehran, which Blackburn's unit had been tasked with performing a Battle Damage Assessment on. The airstrike, which was aimed to kill Al-Bashir, had unfortunately failed, but the invasion continued, with a general attack on Tehran being undertaken. As Blackburn and fellow marines David Montes and Steve Campo reached their destination in the Metropolitan Bank, they discovered a nuclear bomb in a Russian suitcase in the bank's main vault. The group also discovered that two bombs from the suitcase were missing. Calling for support/evacuation from other Marine units, Blackburn's squad stayed in the bank, awaiting extraction.

Back in New York, Blackburn is told of how eight hours prior, Dmitri "Dima" Mayakovsky and two other GRU operatives, Kiril and Vladimir attempted to stop the bomb from being detonated. As the group chased down the PLR carrying one of the nuclear bombs, they engaged in multiple firefights in Paris. As the unit began to move down an alleyway following after the bomb carrier, a PLR insurgent fired an RPG-7V2, missing Dima and Kiril, but hitting a bus near Vladimir, sending him flying. As he landed, a large piece of shrapnel was found piercing his chest. Dima dragged Vladimir to safety, but he ordered them to go on without him, saying that he would "hold them off", eventually succumbing to his injuries. The two eventually caught up to the carrier, but found it to be a decoy. Moments later the actual bomb exploded at the EURONXT exchange, killing some 80,000 people.

Blackburn then tells the agents of how Sergeant Jonathan "Jono" Miller and Anvil 3 answered his unit's distress call from the bank in Tehran. As the Tank Battalion crossed Kavir-e to reach Blackburn's unit, 10 T-72 tanks arrived from behind a sand dune, and fired upon the Abrams. The Marines halted and engaged in "vehicle warfare" all throughout the desert. When Sergeant Miller and his crew finally reached Blackburn, their tank took heavy damage. He then decided to stay behind to provide cover fire via turret for the unit as they escaped. Miller is eventually overrun, attacked from behind, and knocked out by the PLR. The agents then show Blackburn the video the PLR released of Miller being executed by Solomon following a short monologue by Faruk Al-Bashir.

Blackburn then responds by telling the agent of how they later captured Al-Bashir, shortly following Miller's execution. After Blackburn and Campo provided sniper support for Misfit, they were then ordered to join them in capturing Al-Bashir. Shortly after, they found Miller's execution site where a small firefight followed. As the unit arrived at Al-Bashir's presumed location, they spotted him attempting to escape in a vehicle. Blackburn then quickly disabled the vehicle, and in doing so, incapacitated him. Blackburn and Campo then rushed Al-Bashir to a nearby mall to await extraction as the PLR closed in. At the extraction, Al-Bashir gave them information about Solomon, and his plan to detonate the two remaining nukes before dying. Campo and Blackburn then checked his cell phone for further intel.

Blackburn then tells of what happened as the misfit units moved toward Amir Kaffarov's villa with the intent of killing him to cover up the Russians' assumed involvement with the PLR. While riding in Growler ITVs, the unit was attacked by a Russian unit and engaged in a firefight. Shortly after, they proceeded on foot to the nearby highway, witnessing hundreds of Russians parachuting in. As Blackburn, his squad, and Cole reached the end of the highway, most of Misfit has been disabled. A Russian Su-25TM streaked overhead, strafing the Marines. After an initial confusion, it was revealed that the necessary anti-air weapons -- the FIM-92 Stingers -- were on the Growler ITVs that were at the head and rear of the convoy. They then made a dash for the ITVs at the front of the convoy, realizing it was too far to go back to the ones at the rear of the Convoy, moving from cover to cover as the Su-25 made passes at them. Finally, Blackburn obtained a Stinger and managed to bring down the Russian fighter. On the aircraft's last pass, however, he learned that Christian Matkovic and Campo were both killed. This lead Montes and Blackburn to separate themselves, and arrive at odds with Cole, who seemed undeterred.

Blackburn then tells of how Dima, Kiril, and Vladimir entered the villa hours before. After skydiving in and investigating a weapons drop, the squad entered a vehicle and proceeded to the villa. Upon being discovered, they drove just outside the villa and fought their way in. They then entered a variety of rooms in search of Kaffarov until they discovered an underground hideout and proceeded to fight their way through to him. They eventually reached a stairway leading up to a helipad, where Kaffarov's chopper was about to take off. Dima then sprinted towards them and grabbed onto the edge of it just as it was starting to lift off. Dima and Kaffarov then engaged in a fist fight before falling out of the helicopter, through the glass ceiling and into the pool below. Kaffarov begged for mercy and promised to tell Dima about any information about Solomon for his freedom, but was knocked out by Dima with a punch to the face.

Blackburn arrived at the villa with Cole and was ordered to scout ahead through the burning villa. He then discovered a knocked out Kaffarov at the pool house, and Dima holding what looked to be an MP-443. Dima then explained about how the nuclear WMDs were stolen from Russia, and that Solomon's next target is New York. Blackburn's officer, Cole, attempted to arrest Dima, but Blackburn is quickly forced to shoot Cole. Blackburn then proceeded to stop Solomon from destroying New York while Dima, Kiril, and Vladimir went to Paris to capture the other bomb.

Feeling Blackburn has given them enough information, the agents reveal that Solomon is actually a US asset. They then bring Montes in the room and try to persuade Blackburn to falsely confess that it was Dima who planted the Paris bomb and not Solomon. As the two men leave after receiving a call that a train has been hijacked, Blackburn and Montes take out Agent Whistler and a guard as they return. The two then escape and Blackburn jumps onto the train, and jumps through a window onto it. He then fights his way to the end until being ambushed by Solomon. The two then fight and Blackburn disarms him, using another PLR operative as a shield, destroying the train's engine.

After a short chase in the sewers, Blackburn proceeds out onto the streets of New York. Montes arrives with a stolen police car and picks him up, chasing Solomon to Times Square. In the end, Montes rams the car into Solomon's and both Montes and Blackburn barely escape. Solomon then leaves his vehicle and prepares to execute Blackburn. Montes then tries to shoot Solomon, but is shot and killed. As Solomon pulls the trigger, the cylinder is revealed to be empty. The two then engage in a short fist fight where Blackburn is able to weaken him, and then proceeds to bash his forehead in a piece of debris. He then finds the nuke, and quickly disables it.

The scene then goes to Dmitri Mayakovsky, now diagnosed with radiation poisoning from the explosion in Paris. Overwhelmed with what he had to do in the Russian military, Dima writes a suicide note and prepares to shoot himself. However, a knock was heard on his door and the screen went black before a shot is heard, leaving the player with a cliffhanger.

Co-op Campaign
The mode supports two players online (no split screen play), spans six missions, and is a standalone section, separate from the single player game. The missions revolve around minor operations by marines of Snake 6-6 as they encounter the PLR. Missions include ground, air vehicle, as well as tight urban arid warfare, causing players to work together to complete objectives. It is through this that players will eventually unlocked weapons for multiplayer.



Co-op gameplay first debuted at EA's Gamescom 2011 Conference. It featured DICE general manager Karl Magnus-Troedsson and EA Games executive vice president Patrick Soderlund demoing the mission Exfiltration. The gameplay showcased the the new thermal weapons, smarter A.I., teammate reviving, and spot mechanic from Bad Company 2.

David Spinnier, lead co-op designer stated that the levels have randomized elements that change each time a co-op level is played, making it a different experience every time. He also said that the missions will be shorter, to aid replayability.

Operation Exodus
In Operation Exodus, both players, and a convoy of six M1114 HMMWVs, are ordered to hold a defensive line around a nearby overpass to stop oncoming PLR insurgents. After the firefights start, several dozen PLR infantry soon advance up the street towards the convoy, where a BMP-2 soon follows. After successfully defending themselves and destroying the tank, the PLR renew their attack by attempting to flank from an alleyway to the west of the defensive line.

As the players kill the PLR infantry and RPG teams, another BMP appears. It is after its destroyed another wave begins to advance further down the main street (from the east this time), supported by a technical. Once this attack has been successfully stopped though suppressive fire, players are then extracted by a helicopter in the southwest.

Fire from the Sky
Two fireteams, callsign Warrior, are air assaulted into the village in which a high-ranking general with top-secret intel is being held captive with the intent of safely recovering him. Players serve as close-air support, offering overwhelming fire to allow the marines to move safely through the village to their objective.

As the two units meet heavy resistance on their way, they disembark from their UH-1Y Venoms, and the marines come under fire from two mortar positions. Once destroyed, the unit then advance towards two bridges leading to the compound where they are again pinned down by mortars. It is after they are destroyed that infantry on the roofs with RPG and small arms fire ensure a firefight with the marines.

As they come closer to their objective, they are again ambushed and forced to hold their ground as more PLR insurgents and two BMP-2s are deployed from the center of the village. Once neutralized, the marines work their way towards the building where the general is being held. Meanwhile, several BMPs and mobile anti-aircraft vehicles begin to advance to the complex in an effort to stop the recovery of the general. By this point, the VIP has been recovered and is extracted along with the marines in two UH-1Y helicopters in a clearing near the complex.

Exfiltration
Players attempt to work their way silently through an apartment to retrieve PLR defector, Hamid El Zakir, who defected due to his immediate family being taken hostage.

Once retrieved, players and Hamid head back to the convoy and begin to move down the road, defeating several ambushes by PLR and Iranian infantry. In a courtyard, the convoy gets caught up in a crossfire, where two marines are killed. Snake 6-6 is then forced to board the HMMWVs and man the M2 machine guns that had been left vacant. As the convoy continues on its way, an IED destroys the lead jeep and the convoy is again ambushed and forced to defend themselves. After sustaining heavy damage, players then bail from the HMMWVs, and take cover in a small room, where they, and the remaining marines hold off attacking forces. After several minutes, an AH-6 Little Bird arrives, providing cover fire while the marines and Hamid make their way to a UH-1Y Venom for exfiltration.

Hit And Run
Tied loosely to the events of the singleplayer campaign, Hit and Run takes place in an office building of a corrupt business in Paris that is a front for terrorism. It is the players job to fight their way to the top office floor, extract vital files, and escape.

At the start of the mission, players are given a few seconds to fortify the starting room with claymores, needing to work together and to look at things at a tactical approach to progress further. After descending into the lower floors of the building, players enter a quite corridor containing display cases with antique items. As the players proceed into the room, the PLR ambush them and a firefight erupts. Players must then fight their way to the parking lot below to the escape vehicle. Upon arrival, dozens of PLR are gathered around the vehicle and must be taken out. Players then enter the vehicle and drive out of the parking lot, on the streets of Paris above as the PLR closes in.

Drop 'Em Like Liquid
Two marine designated marksmen, begin amongst a Parisian police operation, where several PLR insurgents having been arrested. The two proceed into a sewer tunnel leading up to a back alley. After killing the lone guard in the sewer, they make their way up to street level, where they stealthfully eliminate duos of PLR insurgents on their way to the vantage point from whence they will support yet more marines.

Once in the apartment, players provide overwatch for the marine strike team, who will secure the hostages taken aboard a bus by the PLR. As the marines reach the buses and deploy flashbangs, the players are given the go to eliminate pairs of PLR guarding the hostages.

The strike team then begins to make their way towards the embassy, where even more hostages are being held. After a short melee with several PLR insurgents who had made their way up to the vantage point apartment, the players head back to street level, and from across the Seine river, support the marine strike team via elimination of unaware insurgent patrols. After a small troupe of insurgents discover them, they are forced to kill those few and make their way up to a balcony outside of a cafe.

Players then continue to offer sniper support to the strike team as they make their way to the embassy. Once their, they deploy flashbangs into the rooms where the hostages are being held. This subsequently causes Abu Muhammed to flee from a window on the first floor. The players are then quickly ordered to take him out.

The Eleventh Hour
The mission starts out with players dropping through a hatch in an elevator and immediately encountering a corridor filled with terrorists. A firefight then ensues as more reinforcements advance on them. It is not until after successfully neutralizing all enemies that players are able to proceed further down the corridor to a subway platform where they discover an armed bomb. As they attempt to disarm it, they are ambushed by more terrorists. After one of the players gives the other suppressive fire, they manage to defuse the bomb and escape the subway. Upon escape, they are informed that the leader of the terrorists, Abdul Rahman, is on site at the stock exchange.

They then arrive at the exchange, surrounded by police barricades. Players then push past the barricades and enter, causing many firefights to erupt throughout the building. Once they reach Rahman's saferoom, the two breach it and one of the players is grabbed by Rahman and taken hostage. The "captured" player, however, pushes Rahman away as the other shoots him, instantly killing him. They then positively I.D his body and recover the nuke he was attempting to arm, dealing a major blow to the PLR.

Multiplayer
The locations of the multiplayer maps, like the campaign, includes Europe, the Middle East, and North America. More specifically, the game  takes place in the cities of Paris, Tehran, and New York.

In the magazine GameInformer, it was also hinted of various tweaks, some of which were mentioned above, such as player count, prone, etc. There is an improved character customization system, with possibilities of limited personal soldier customization, although such a system would be limited to avoid players shooting at their own side. The "Commander" position of Battlefield 2 does not return, and it has been hinted that there will be open-access benefits for all players, as in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The streamlined four class system and killcams of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 continues, and a Hardcore mode is present in the game, whilst a better pre-game lobby will be implemented (for squads and parties). A replay mode has been hinted at, to allow players to capture one-off moments from games, and a co-op mode will be included.

Additionally, DICE confirmed at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo that the size of multiplayer maps for the console versions of the game would be scaled down due to hardware restrictions, possibly having relation to the smaller player count. Also made known was the fact that players would be able to fly around in jets to the full extent of maps, even in otherwise "out of bounds" areas. Another detail revealed was that the melee system was going to be considerably different than the standard knife stab. Battlefield 3 will instead have a quick-time event process that allows the player to throw left or right punches at an opponent, or counter an attack.

Classes
There are four playable classes in the game. Karl Magnus Troedsson at E3 2011 stated:
 * "Players will have a choice of four classes. For example, you have the classic Assault class, which goes in a destroys things and kills people. However, he always had to stay near his buddies. If he died, he would need to wait for a Medic to come. Now that didn't work out very well, and now, what we did is that we sort of mixed the classes together. So you can have a sort of assault medic."

The classes have also been tweaked in relation to their roles from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, whilst still utilizing the same four class system. The Medic class has been replaced by the Support class from previous Battlefield games. They are equipped with Ammunition boxes and a light machine gun, ideal to suppress opposing players with the new suppressive fire mechanic which causes them to have no health regeneration and debilitating visual effects. The Assault class takes on the role of the Medic in the team, similar to the Medic class in Battlefield 2, with an assault rifle as a primary weapon yet Medkits and Defibrillators for reviving and healing players, instead of ammunition boxes. Players can also opt for using a grenade launcher instead of some medical equipment however. The Recon has also been changed, with the speed of scoping in reduced and requiring players to hold their breath in order to fire an accurate shot. Claymores and C4 have also been given to Support. Recon players are equipped with either a bolt action or semi-automatic sniper rifle. The Engineer class retains its functions of Battlefield: Bad Company 2: they are able to fix friendly vehicles and are equipped with a rocket launcher, either an anti-armor or an anti-aircraft launcher, to destroy enemy vehicles. They also equip a submachine gun or carbine, which can have a Tactical flashlight to blind opponents.

For the Weapons and Gadgets' sounds, click here.

Game Modes
In terms of game modes, there are currently six available modes. All game modes except Conquest Assault and Tank Superiority are available in all nine multiplayer maps for the base game.

Rush

 * Players: 24/32/48/64 (PC), 24 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Objective-Based All-Out Warfare.
 * Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
 * Victory conditions:
 * Attackers: Destroy all M-COM stations
 * Defenders: Deplete the attackers' respawn tickets
 * Description: The Attacking forces in Rush must advance through the enemy's defense lines, destroying pairs of M-COM stations. Once a pair is destroyed, it's time to move forward. The Defending team must hold the M-COMs safe until the Attackers run out of reinforcement tickets.
 * Notes: The Rush game-mode was confirmed at E3, where the Operation Métro trailer/map was revealed. The main essence of the game-mode has changed very little, with attackers trying to destroy M-COM stations and defenders trying to kill the attackers. However, in Battlefield 3 there are three main changes to the game-mode - only the M-COM charge can destroy the station, instead of the charge and explosives; if the attackers run out of tickets while the M-COM charge is still active, the game will continue until the charge is disarmed or the M-COM destroyed; and if the timer on an armed M-COM charge runs out when a defender is disarming the charge, the charge will continue until the defender disarms it or is killed. As an all-out warfare mode, Rush features a large variety of vehicle setups tuned specifically to that map’s landscape and features. Players can find all types of vehicles on Rush maps, including transport vehicles, armored vehicles, helicopters, and of course, jets. Rush offers a compelling objective based all-out warfare game mode for Battlefield veterans.

Squad Rush

 * Players: 8 (4 vs 4)
 * Focus: Squad-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
 * Victory Conditions:
 * Attackers: Destroy all M-COM stations
 * Defenders: Deplete the attackers tickets
 * Description: Squad Rush is a test of skill and tight team play. Two four-man Squads battle over two single M-COM stations and, just as in regular Rush, the Attacking team must destroy the M-COM objective before they run out of reinforcement Tickets.
 * Notes: Returning from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Squad Rush is a test to show which of two squads is the superior unit. Squad Rush is an extremely tight duel between two squads that borrows the main rules from the normal Rush mode, but in a much more confined setting. In Squad Rush there are only 2 bases with 1 M-COM station per base, meaning that every M-COM taken or defended in Squad Rush is vital to the victory or defeat of the game. There are no vehicles in Squad Rush, making the game-mode more about infantry skills and tactics rather than brute force and firepower.

Conquest

 * Players: 24/32/48/64 (PC), 24 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Objective-Based All-Out Warfare.
 * Goal: Capture and hold flags.
 * Victory Conditions: Deplete the opposing team's tickets.
 * Description: Conquest focuses on the capture and control of Flags. Once a team captures a Flag, its members can spawn in the Flag area. Each spawn costs the teams a Ticket and the first team that drops to zero Tickets loses. If one team controls more than half the Flags on the map, the enemy team will also bleed Tickets.
 * Notes: Conquest is the most classic of Battlefield game modes. Introduced in Battlefield 1942, Conquest has been as staple of the entire Battlefield series throughout it's entirety. Set over a series of large-scale maps, Conquest is the game mode best suited for the experience of all-out vehicle warfare. In Conquest, two teams fight for control of a number of flags by being the dominant force in the vicinity of each base. Capture and keep control of a majority of the flags and the enemy team will bleed tickets. Killing enemies will also reduce their ticket count, and the first team to run out of tickets loses. Conquest is a strategic and tactical game that often asks players to make important decisions on whether to attack an enemy base or defend one of your own. The limited forces available to each side will rarely be enough to hold each and every flag in the map, so in-game communication and quick thinking is necessary to be victorious.

Squad Deathmatch

 * Players: 16 (4 squads of 4)
 * Focus: Squad-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
 * Victory Conditions: The squad that reaches the designated number of kills first wins.
 * Infantry Fighting Vehicle is an advantage for team who acquires it.
 * Description: In Squad Deathmatch, four squads are pitched against each other in a close-quarter battle. The first squad to reach the required amount of kills will emerge victorious from the battlefield. Each battle feature an Infantry Fighting vehicle that must quickly be eliminated should it fall into enemy hands.
 * Notes: Squad Deathmatch is a larger and more dynamic variety of deathmatch that also features the inclusion of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The IFV can help break any stalemate in the game, as long as a squad keep it alive. The 4 squad setup means that there is a constant battle throughout the game to gain and maintain the lead. Sticking together, keeping squad members healed up, supplied, and vehicles repaired are the keys to victory. The squad that can combine the potent Battlefield mix of team play and combat prowess will be proven the winner.

Team Deathmatch

 * Players: 24/32/48/64 (PC), 24 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Team-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
 * Victory Conditions: The team that reaches the designated number of kills first is declared winner.
 * Description: In Team Deathmatch, two Teams are pitched against each other in a close-quarter battle. The first team to reach the required amount of kills will emerge victorious from the battlefield.
 * Notes: Team Deathmatch is of the true classics when it comes to multiplayer game modes, and a game mode that makes its first appearance in the Battlefield series. In Team Deathmatch, two teams of 12 players fight it out on tight knit maps with a distinct infantry focus – there are no vehicles available in Team Deathmatch. For that quick instant action fix, this is the perfect game mode. For players new to Battlefield, this is a good place to start. Once players get the hang of the infantry gameplay, they can move on to deeper modes that include the signature vehicle warfare for which Battlefield is known and loved.

Conquest Assault

 * Players: 24/32/64 (PC), 24 (Consoles)[30]
 * Focus: Objective-Based All-Out Warfare.
 * Goal: Capture and hold all flags.
 * Victory Conditions: Deplete the opposing team's tickets.
 * Description: Conquest Assault focuses on the capture and control of Flags. One team starts with all flags and no home base. If that team loses all flags they will lost tickets faster and will only be able to squad spawn. Once a team captures a Flag, its members can spawn in the Flag area. Each spawn costs the teams a Ticket and the first team that drops to zero Tickets loses.
 * Notes: Conquest Assault was first introduced in Battlefield 1942 and has been re-introduced in all four maps in the Back to Karkand DLC released on December 6th for all PS3 owners of Battlefield 3 and a week later on the Xbox 360 and PC. The gametype is currently exclusive to the DLC.

Conquest Domination

 * Players: 16/20/24/32 (PC) 16 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Team-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Capture and Hold All Flags
 * Victory Conditions: Deplete the opposing team's tickets.
 * Description: In Conquest Domination two Teams are pitched against each other in a close-quarter battle about 3 capture points. The first team that bleeds the opposing team to zero tickets will emerge victorious from the battlefield.

Gun Master

 * Players: 16
 * Focus: Free-For-All Team-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Level Up the Fastest
 * Victory Conditions: Reach the final weapon level
 * Description: In Gun Master you are in a race to level up the fastest through 16 weapons before winning by Knife.
 * Notes: Players must obtain a certain number of kills with a weapon to unlock the next rank. This gametype was released with the Close Quarters map pack. Ending the game in the top 5 is a requirement to unlock the M5K . It is based on the popular "Gun Game" modification for Counter-Strike: Source and helps to accommodate the smaller maps in the expansion.

Team Deathmatch Close Quarters

 * Players: 16/20/24/32 (PC), 16 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Team-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
 * Victory Conditons: The team that reaches the designated number of kills first is declared winner.
 * Description: In Team Deathmatch Close Quarters, two teams of 8 players fight it out on tight knit maps with a distinct infantry focus.
 * Notes: This gametype was released in the 1.05 update for the release of Battlefield Premium and Close Quarters. It has the same exact rules as regular team deathmatch albeit the smaller player count. It is not exclusive to players who own the Close Quarters expansion pack or members of Battlefield Premium and is available on all maps though players who don't have the said DLC cannot access the new maps.

Tank Superiority

 * Players: 16/32 (PC), 24 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Objective-Based Vehicle Warfare
 * Goal: Capture and Hold the Flag
 * Victory Conditions: Deplete the opposing team's tickets.
 * Description: Tank Superiority pits two tank platoons against each other as they fight for control of the single flag on the map.

Scavenger

 * Players: 16/32 (PC), 24 (Consoles)
 * Focus: Objective-Based Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Capture and Hold All Flags
 * Victory Conditions Deplete the opposing team's tickets.
 * Description: In Scavenger two teams are pitched against each other to find weapons and help the team control all capture points. The first team that bleeds the opposing team to zero tickets will emerge victorous from the battlefield.

​Capture the Flag

 * Players: 24 PS3/XBOX & 64 PC
 * Focus: Objective-Based light armor/Infantry Combat
 * Goal: Capture the Enemy Flag While Defending Your Own
 * Victory Conditions: Timer+Tickets
 * Notes: This gametypes was originally in Battlefield 1942 but will be made available with the release of the Endgame expansion pack.

Air Superiority

 * Players: 24 console/PC
 * Focus: Objective- Based Air-Vehicle Warfare
 * Goal: Conquest, capture points and hold them
 * Victory Conditions: Drain enemy tickets to NIL
 * Notes. Originally introduced in Battlefield 1943, this gametype will be made available upon the release of the Endgame expansion pack.

Attack Helicopters and fighter jets are available in Rush as well as in Conquest and Conquest Assault. Hardcore and infantry-only options are also present (Note that the The infantry-only option only removes all classes of vehicles except transports, such as the HMMWV, RIB, etc.)

Ranks and Unlocks
There are 45 regular ranks. After rank 45 (Colonel), Colonel service stars are introduced, requiring 230,000 points for each. There are 100 Colonel service stars in all, for an overall total of 145 ranks. In comparison to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ' s multiplayer, Battlefield 3 has 10 times the unlocks over weapons, weapon attachments, gadgets and an unlock tree for vehicles alone. In addition, unlocks are more spread through the ranks, instead of ending after rank 22.

There are also Battlefield 3: Ribbons and Medals (similar to BC2's Pins and Insignias) with examples being Rush Ribbon, Shotgun Medal, etc.

A new feature in Battlefield 3 are "Service Stars." These are added to the player's weapon skill badge, kit, vehicles, and their overall rank, and allow for further promotion.

Weapon unlocks obtained from the co-op campaign are carried over to Multiplayer.There are currently over 50 weapons to unlock, and also each primary weapon contains three attachment slots ranging from foregrips to optics. Weapon accessories are unlocked per weapon unlike in Bad Company 2. Unlocking an attachment such as a Red Dot Sight while using one class still enables it for every other class that can use that weapon. However, the attachment will not be available on other weapons until it is unlocked.

DICE stated that it will take over "100 hours" to unlock everything for a kit in Multiplayer. They also said that there are over 20 vehicles at the player's disposal with the vehicles split into 12 different "classes".

Assignments
Assignments were first mentioned via the Battlelog and were introduced in the Back to Karkand expansion pack. Players must complete a series of tasks for each assignment to unlock either new weapons, camos, dog tags, or other assignments. For example, a player must get 10 heals and revive 10 people to unlock the FAMAS. There are currently a total of 60 assignments, 10 BtK, 10 CQ, 5 AK, 10 AM and 25 Premium. More assignments are expected to be added in future DLC. Excluding Armored Kill, whether a player is playing the base game or any expansion pack, the game will automatically track their progress. That means that a player can fulfill the criteria for any assignment on any Battlefield 3 map, as opposed to just the maps of the expansion the assignment came from.

Factions
There are currently two multiplayer factions; The Russian Army and the United States Marine Corps. Like with previous Battlefield games, their default kits are equipped with faction-specific weaponry until others are unlocked.

New Features
Battlefield 3 includes a number of new and/or improved multiplayer features:


 * Destruction 3.0: With Frostbite 2.0 comes the Destruction 3.0 engine. This engine allows debris that can injure/kill players and micro-destruction, as well.
 * Suppressive Fire: Firing at an enemy with the shots going near them, the enemy's health regeneration stops and resets, their accuracy drops, and the edges of their screen become blurred. While suppression is most effective with the Support class and their LMG's, any weapon is capable of suppressing an enemy.
 * Disable Vehicles: Vehicles can now be disabled before they are destroyed. This makes land vehicles immobile (but turrets are still operable), while air vehicles become extremely difficult to control. When a vehicle is disabled, it can be repaired, but will also slowly bleed health.
 * Vehicle Health Regeneration: Vehicles now slowly regenerate health when damaged. Repairs from an Engineer are still far more effective, and regeneration is cancelled if the vehicle is disabled. Vehicles will start regenerating when they are under 75% health (server option).
 * Console Server Browser: At Gamescom 2011, DICE confirmed that all consoles have a server browser option.
 * Immense Customization System: DICE claims that there will be years worth of unlocks and specializations to use in multiplayer.
 * Each kit (all weapons, gadgets, attachments, etc.) will take roughly 100 hours to unlock
 * Over 80 vehicle specializations (one secondary weapon slot, one gadget slot, and one upgrade slot)
 * Pistol variations available
 * Weapon Fire Modes: Returning from Battlefield 2, the player now has the option of choosing what fire-mode some weapons can fire in, instead of a single fixed mode.
 * Prone: The ability to go prone returns from Battlefield 2. The player is also able to dive, though there is a delay in the ability to fire as the player does so.
 * Scope Glare: If a player is using a high power scope (6x and above ) and is aimed in the direction of another player, a visible glare/glint shines off of the scope. This was added to balance the addition of the prone position.
 * Commo-Rose: Also returning from Battlefield 2 is the Commo rose, or communication rose.
 * BattleRecorder: A feature to record gameplay and screenshots.
 * Colorblind: A feature originally exclusive to PC players that changes the colors of teammates, squadmate, and enemies to better differentiate between them and adds a black border.

Open Beta
An Open Beta for Battlefield 3, announced at E3 2011, ran across the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC starting September 29, 2011 and ending October 10, 2011. The maps featured were Operation Métro and gamemode Rush (the same as in the Alpha trial), and Caspian Border in 64-player Conquest gamemode (PC only). DICE, during the announcement of the Beta, stated that there would be no level or unlock cap in the Beta, allowing players to unlock any weapon in the game.

Owners of Medal of Honor: Limited Edition and Medal of Honor: Tier 1 Edition, as well customers who pre-ordered Battlefield 3 on EA's Origin service, got 48-hour early access to the beta. This early access was originally intended to be a closed beta for owners of the special editions of Medal of Honor, although for an unknown reason this was changed to the early access.

Glitches and Bugs
Battlefield 3's game modes contain several glitches and bugs.

Campaign

 * When enemies are killed, there is a high probability that they may remain in the shooting position. However, this has since been fixed by patch 1.01.
 * Major A.I.s, such as Cole, who must be followed to proceed may freeze when going into cover or checkpoints, causing the player to restart the entire mission to get past that point.
 * Occurring with the bug mentioned above, A.I.s, like Montes and Campo, will run to the exact same position, stop, and "phase" into each other.
 * Dead A.I.s or objects may float in the air or get stuck in other objects and vehicles. Also, during some A.I. animations, the characters may have the bug of freezing in the air with their model being idle. This occurs in several instances of the game where there are many NPCs, one example is in the last scene of the mission mission, The Great Destroyer, where there are many civilians.
 * Like other Battlefield games, the game may freeze up during gameplay or in the menus.
 * On the mission Operation Swordbreaker, sometimes the game will freeze and the characters won't move making it unplayable.
 * Some maps are unable to load properly, especially in large levels like Kaffarov, in which the map will not continue, including the scripts and enemies. Restarting the mission fixes this bug.

Multiplayer

 * On some of the Back to Karkand maps, bullets will not penetrate certain railings.
 * Players may fall through or get stuck in a map (rocks, pits, etc.)
 * Like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, when exiting a vehicle too fast, the player may shoot his/her weapon, though only visually.
 * Guns may not reload when pressing the reload button the first time or they reload but without the reloading animation.
 * Players will get killed by a random "Bad Luck" glitch. This has supposedly been patched though has still been experienced on the Xbox 360 and PS3.
 * Lagging and disconnecting from EA servers commonly occurs.
 * Player's bodies may get stuck in walls or moving vehicles once killed.
 * Opposite to a glitch in Bad Company 2, after winning a round the music played is the losing music even though the player's team clearly won. The same applies to the opposing team.
 * A green or white screen may flash during gameplay.
 * Like other Battlefield games, the game may freeze up during gameplay or in the menus, forcing the player to restart the system.
 * Players may sometimes spawn with their arms raised such as when free falling, with out their gun showing. The player can still shoot but the gun won't appear until switching weapons.
 * After parachuting, a glitch may appear where the player's gun does not appear and the player can only turn 90 degrees.
 * In-game, the leaderboards may only show the top player on the other team and vice-versa when there are obviously more then one player on a team, though your team can still see everyone on their team in the leaderboards. This has been largely fixed.
 * Players can exit a vehicle before hitting a teammate, killing them but only labeling it as "Bad Luck". This is one of the most unpopular glitches in the game.
 * When flying a jet out of bounds, the pilot may eject but die under the map.
 * When viewing ribbons after a round, the Assault class icon will only lightly flicker where it should be.
 * Getting killed while looking trough an IRNV scope may cause the killcam to remain green as if viewed through the scope. The same can apply to the post-game menu.
 * A player can sometimes noclip through houses and floors.
 * When in the spawn menu, if looking at the leaderboard and pressing circle, the game will freeze. This is currently only known to occur on PS3.
 * When using certain weapons like the M4 or M16A4, the unlock meter will not be displayed properly, showing no bar progressing through it. The same happens when using a faction-specific weapon on the opposite faction (e.g. M27 IAR as Russian or RPK-74M as American).
 * Squads can sometimes have five people in them though the game still shows four next to the minimap.
 * There may be two squad leaders in a squad.
 * Players can sometimes get shot and killed by an enemy while in a tank even though the tank is unharmed.
 * While vaulting over certain walls or railings, the player will perform the animation, yet he/she doesn't move to the other side but always gets pulled back to the same spot from before.
 * Awards will sometimes repeat themselves yet have no point value aside from the original.
 * When in the spawning menu after getting killed, if a player gets revived then they may have the spawning menu still on their screen. The player can still move around and shoot like normal but the spawning menu does obstruct their view. If they get killed and revived again, then the menu will disappear and the players screen will be normal.
 * The picture of a rented server may be black out when in a loading screen.
 * As of May 31st, 2012, if any player uses the FAMAS in a match, then no data will be recorded whatsoever at the end of the match and cannot be recovered. This has greatly angered many players and has been fixed via the June 1st server update.
 * When a player is killed, their body may stay standing until they respawn, thus causing some confusion.

Co-op

 * Players may be unable to revive teammates. This glitch was experienced in "Hit and Run" before the garage.
 * When being shot down, the player may still keep their main weapon out.
 * Like all other modes, the game may freeze in the menus or in-game.
 * In Exfiltration, after leaving the jeep for the last time players may be unable to move or switch weapons only aiming, firing, jumping, and crouching respond. This glitch has so far only been documented on PC.
 * After being revived, a player may be glitched into being unable to see or aim their weapon as well as being unable to fire it. Picking up another weapon or being downed and revived again will not fix the problem. So far it is only known to occur on Exfiltration on the Xbox 360 and PC.

Limited Edition
The Battlefield 3 Limited Edition was formally announced at GDC 2011. A post on the Battlefield Blog confirmed that it would include early access to Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand (see below), at no extra cost.

People who pre-ordered via the EA Store received a unique version of the 870 Combat shotgun and an exclusive beret for use in Battlefield Play4Free, although the unique shotgun only differs aesthetically, and stats-wise is exactly the same as the normal 870 Combat available from the game's store. Also, pre-ordering from EA's Origin Digital Download or Gamestop included the Physical Warfare Pack (which includes the Type 88 LMG, DAO 12, Flechette ammo for the DAO-12 and a flash suppressor for the SKS), the Back to Karkand expansion, and pre-loading the game, which meant the game could be downloaded before release and played as soon as it is released. 48 hour early access to the Beta was granted to everybody who pre-ordered the Limited Edition from the EA Store.

Anyone who also owned a new copy of the Limited edition was given early access to the Mass Effect 3 demo in January 2012.

Premium Edition
Battlefield 3 Premium Edition was announced on August 14th, 2012 at Gamescom 2012. It is set to be released in September 2012 at a price of $69.99/€69.99.

It includes Battlefield 3, Battlefield Premium along with all of the services features, and the Multiplayer head start kit. The head start kit will include access to 15 more weapons in advanced along with gadgets and vehicle upgrades. Premium Edition will be released almost a year after the initial release of the game which sparked controversy similar to the ultimate edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. It will allow for players to purchase previous content in the game for a much lower price making other players feel cheated.

Downloadable Content
Battlefield 3 featured many different pre-order bonuses in the form of DLC, available through different retailers. The first map pack, Back to Karkand, has also been announced. A post on the Battlefield Blog hints that there will be more downloadable content to be developed following the game's release, all more or less the same size and quality as Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam. Niklas Fergraeus, lead designer of Back to Karkand, states: "Well, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2, we did a lot of experimenting with DLC, and I think that we learnt a lot along the way. The goal is that any content for Battlefield 3 will be of the same quality as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam." Other sources state that Battlefield 3 will have three times the DLC of Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Exclusive Pre-orders
Players who pre-ordered the Battlefield 3 Limited Edition from worldwide select retailers got exclusive access to eight multiplayer dog-tags and SPECACT skins. They were released on the Playstation store on January 16th, 2012 in a bundle for $2.99 or 240 Microsoft points and were released a week later to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Dr. Pepper Promotional Offers
During Dr. Pepper's limited-time promotion that allowed consumers who bought 20 oz. bottles of Dr. Pepper to enter codes on the bottom of bottle caps on the official Dr. Pepper website to get exclusive in-game content in EA games, Battlefield 3 was also given special promotional DLC. This consisted of:
 * 5 promotional dog tags
 * A PlayStation Home avatar (PlayStation exclusive)
 * 2 avatar items (Xbox 360 exclusive)
 * A special "Dr. Pepper" soldier camo

A single code only unlocked one item (ie. one code= 1 dog tag or 1 avatar item).

On January 16th, 2012, DICE and EA released all of the rewards (excluding the avatar items) along with the 5 Amazon pre-order exclusive dogs tags and the pre-order exclusive SPECACT skins on the PlayStation store, dubbed the "Promo Bundle" for $2.99. It was released on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace a week later for 240 MSP ($2.99) as the "SPECACT Kit & Dog Tag Bundle".

Act of Valor Dog-tags
A Download code for five dog-tags was released exclusively for gamers 18 years or older in North America on launch day. To obtain the codes, players had to watch a trailer at the Act of Valor website for the new movie, Act of Valor, (released on February 17th, 2012) and sign into EA. The download codes for the tags expired on March 31st, 2012.

Vehicle and Weapon Shortcut Packs
On March 30th, 2012, along with the 1.04 update, DICE released 10 shortcut packs for weapons and vehicles. They unlock all: weapons, attachmets, gadgets, and vehicle perks. The packs include:
 * Kit Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items unique to the four playable classes
 * Assault Kit Shortcut: Unlocks all Assault weapons, attachments, and gadgets
 * Recon Kit Shortcut: Unlocks all Recon weapons, attachments, and gadgets
 * Support Kit Shortcut: Unlocks all Support weapons, attachments, and gadgets
 * Engineer Kit Shortcut: Unlocks all Engineer weapons, attachments, and gadgets
 * Vehicle Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items for all vehicles
 * Air Vehicle Shortcut: Unlocks all Air vehicle items
 * Ground Vehicle Shortcut: Unlocks all Ground vehicle items
 * CO-OP Shortcut: Unlocks all CO-OP weapons and their attachments
 * The Ultimate Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items from all other available shortcut packs

Physical Warfare Pack
Players who preordered Battlefield 3 Limited Edition from select retailers such as Gamestop in the United States, GAME in the United Kingdom, and Origin got temporary exclusive access to the Type 88 light machine gun with deployable bipod, a flash suppressor for the SKS sniper rifle and flechette ammunition for the DAO-12, as well as the DAO-12 and SKS themselves.

Having sparked widespread controversy because it would deprive players that will not receive the pack of some in-game content, DICE addressed the issue and announced that it was a time-based exclusive. It was released for free on the PlayStation Store on December 15th and later for the Xbox 360 and PC on December 20th.

Back to Karkand
Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is available for free to anyone who preordered the game. It is a multiplayer expansion based on Battlefield 2 content. It includes four classic maps (Strike at Karkand, Sharqi Peninsula, Gulf of Oman and Wake Island 2014),[1] [2] newly enhanced with Frostbite 2, as well as three new vehicles (the F-35, DPV, and BTR-90), 10 new weapons, and five new acievements/trophys. Conquest Assault is also reintroduced on the map Strike at Karkand. All new weapons, including the MK3A1 Jackhammer shotgun and the MG36 machine gun are unlocked through Assignments.

Unlike the base game, all maps in the expansion take full advantage of the Frostbite 2 engine such as tall buildings capable of being destroyed. On December 1st 2011, via Battlefield Blog, the Back to Karkand DLC was offically announced to be released exclusively for all PS3 owners on December 6th and one week later for PC and Xbox 360. The pack was heavily updated in the 1.04 update based on community feedback. Some updates include giving Wake Island five bases in Conquest Assault instead of three. All owners of the expansion had to redownload the content because of the update.

Close Quarters
On March 7th 2012, Battlefield 3: Close Quarters was announced to be released in June which would then be followed up by two other map packs. The pack introduces high definition destruction so that furniture, plaster, etc. can be torn to pieces and so that debris will pile up on the ground. The expansion contains four new maps, which will "drop you into frantic and relentless infantry combat where the tight level design and vertical gameplay that creates a highly competitive environment." It also contains 10 new weapons, assignments, two game modes (Conquest Domination and Gun Master) and dog tags. It was announced on June 11 via the Battlelog that the pack would be released on June 19, 2012 for non-premium players.

Armored Kill
On March 7th 2012, Battlefield 3: Armored Kill was announced along with two other expansions. It will release in September 2012, following the release of Close Quarters. It contains new vehicles such as Tank Destroyers, ATVs, and Mobile artillery. Another vehicle is the AC-130 Spectre; though players will not be able to pilot it, it can be captured and manned for field advantage. The expansion also includes assignments, dog tags, the Tank Superiority gametype, and four new maps including the "''the biggest of map in Battlefield history". ''This is the only Map Pack that does not include new weapons.

Aftermath
On May 30th 2012, Battlefield 3: Aftermath was revealed through a leaked fact sheet pertaining to Battlefield Premium. It was officially revealed to be released before End Game at the EA Press Conference in December 2012 at E3 2012. Aftermath contains high speed action in post earthquake Iran, which will include torn up roads, buildings reduced to rubble, and makeshift barricades. Aftermath features three new vehicles; two of them are modified versions of the Humvee and Vodnik, while the third is a militarized van. Unlike Armored Kill, the expansion includes a new weapon (classified as an all-class gadget), the XBOW. Lastly it includes the game mode Scavenger, an infantry game mode that requires players to search for better weapons to stay alive.

End Game
Battlefield 3's fifth expansion pack, Battlefield 3: End Game was announced on March 7th, 2012. The expansion is set to include four new maps, each inspired by a season, new vehicles suach as motorcycles, as well as a new dropship system to provide support. It will also reintroduce the  classic  Capture the Flag  and   Air Superiority  gametypes. Its was announced at E3 2012 to be released in March of 2013.

Battlefield Premium
Battlefield Premium was revealed on May 30th, 2012 through a leaked fact sheet. It not only revealed Battlefield: Aftermath but also the content the package would give to members of the service such as: The package was revealed to be released on June 4th, 2012 for a onetime cost of US$49.99/£39.99/€49.99/AU$79.99.
 * Unique camouflages for player models and their weapons
 * Unique knife and dogtags
 * Early two-week access to all future DLC's.
 * Increased Platoon Emblem Layers
 * Ability to save up to five battlereports
 * Unique assignments
 * Exclusive bonus content, videos, strategy guides, events, etc.
 * The ability to reset your score per minute, kill-death ratio, accuracy and win-loss ratio.
 * Access to exclusive double XP weekends
 * Having priority in server queues.

Marketing
In a similar fashion to Battlefield: Bad Company and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3 was heavily marketed since it's official announcement, thanks to a marketing budget of nearly US$200 million from owner Electronic Arts. The first set of trailers after the Teaser Trailer was the introduction of the Fault Line series, starting with the Battlefield 3: Gameplay Trailer and ending with the full twelve minute Battlefield 3: Fault Line Gameplay Trailer, as well as a developer commentary by Patrick Bach and being the setting of the Battlefield 3: My Life Trailer, which has commonly been shown as a TV advert during popular TV events such as the FA Cup final in the United Kingdom. {C {C During E3 2011, the Thunder Run trailer was unveiled, alongside two gameplay trailers set on the multiplayer map Operation Métro. Following the huge success of the three trailers after E3, a new trailer, the Caspian Border gameplay trailer, was released after being shown at Gamescom 2011, showcasing jet and vehicle gameplay. In late September 2011, during the build-up to the Open Beta, a new trailer, set to the rap song "99 Problems" by artist Jay-Z, was revealed to be a new TV ad. The final three trailers for the game were released in the week before its release - a multiplayer trailer, a story trailer, and a live-action/gameplay trailer - each being well-received by the gaming community. In the live-action/gameplay trailer, a new tagline was introduced - "Is it real? Or is it Battlefield 3?"

Criticism
However, despite the positive attitude towards the trailers, the marketing from certain senior EA executives and staff hasn't been met without some criticism. A number of high-level EA staff began attacking main rivals Activision and, in particular, the Call of Duty series, saying, on several occasions, that Battlefield 3 would soundly defeat the Call of Duty franchise, or words to that effect. However, Activision employees, including publishing boss Eric Hirshberg, responded negatively to these statements, saying EA's attitude was bad for the industry as a whole.

PS3 Owners vs. EA Lawsuit
At Sony's E3 2011 press conference, EA announced that for all PlayStation 3 players, each new copy of Battlefield 3 would come with a free copy of Battlefield 1943 for free. This had caused many people to buy/pre-order the the game, greatly boosting the game's overall sales. Slightly before the release of the game, it was revealed via Battleblog and Twitter that Battlefield 1943 would not come with new copies of Battlefield 3 for PlayStation 3 for free in the disc. This decision was made as it was reputed by DICE that many of those who had pre-ordered Battlefield 3 already owned Battlefield 1943 and had been playing it for years. To compensate for this, EA and Sony announced that all PSN users would get a week early access to Back to Karkand. In spite of this, several PlayStation 3 owners filed a class action lawsuit against EA. Edelson McGuire, head of the group, alleged that EA ”misled and profited from thousands of their customers by making a promise that they could not, and never intended, to keep”. The group stated they weren't upset over the retraction of the offer but by what the group calls a “shoddy makeup deal”. This being that the new content given was not exclusive to PS3 owners. EA has since apologized for this and later issued codes for PS3 users to download Battlefield 1943 (The service is now shut down) in response to the lawsuit, and also kept the one-week early access deal as well.

Reception
Battlefield 3 has received generally positive reviews from critics at launch. The game currently holds scores in Metacritic of 89, 85 and 84 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, respectively. It also holds scores in GameRankings of 86.82% for PC, 84.71% for PlayStation 3 and 84.80% for Xbox 360. Critics praised the game's nice graphics, realistic audio and enjoyable multiplayer. It was criticized, however for its many bugs, glitches, and boring singleplayer campaign. DICE moved quickly, however, and the game is now practically bug-free.

GameSpot gave the game an 8.5 out of 10, saying that "Battlefield 3 may not offer much beyond the multiplayer, but there are so many ways to contribute and feel like a powerful soldier that after hours and hours of playing, all you'll want to do is play more."

IGN gave the game a 9 out of 10, saying that "Regardless of the narrative missteps or the occasional glitches, Battlefield 3 offers an unforgettable, world-class multiplayer suite that's sure to excite shooter fans, whether they fired their first bullet in Battlefield 1942 or have just now heeded Battlefield's call of duty."

GameSpy gave the game a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars, saying that "It would be a shame for such an amazing interactive entertainment experience to be marred by technical issues. In the long run, though, it won't matter, because once players step out of that troop carrier and see the sun shining in their eyes like never before -- once they see the light -- they'll understand what a special game Battlefield 3 is."

Soundtrack
The sound track for Battlefield 3 has been changed somewhat from previous Battlefield games, but returns to the "classic" Battlefield theme tune that was missing from Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The entire soundtrack features a more techno-feel to the music, and can be heard throughout the game.

Novel
The novelization of the game, Battlefield 3: The Russian, written by respected author Andy McNab, takes place during the Global War of 2014 but there noticeble differences and it tells Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky's point of view as well as Henry Blackburn's. The novel also contains many differences in the story.

Trivia

 * A single-player mission was probably first hinted at in Game Informer.[16]
 * The Marine on the cover of Battlefield 3 is portrayed by Dennis Lennartsson, who also portrayed the U.S. Army soldier on Bad Company 2's cover art.
 * One lighting probe from Frostbite 2's lighting system contain(s) more lighting information than an entire level from Bad Company 2.
 * This is the first non-EA Sports game to utilize ANT, an animation program that powers EA games like FIFA, to create realistic third person animations and smoother transitions for AI and multiplayer characters.
 * Sounds such as weapons firing is unique in different environments, at different angles, and at different distances.
 * A developer's console is present.
 * "Fault Line Series - Episode 1: Bad Part of Town" was released the morning of March 2, 2011; 1 day after a reveal event by EA and DICE showcasing 15 minutes of gameplay.[17]
 * Unlike previous installments weapon reloading differs when a changed magazine is empty or when it still has rounds in it.
 * For the first time in the Battlefield franchise, the player is able to see their body, as one can see in the gameplay trailer when the character jumps down from a ventilation shaft.
 * When Battlefield 3 got 800,000 likes on Facebook, the 12 minute, full-length trailer originally supposed to be uploaded on April 17 was released early. The producer's commentary was released on April 22.
 * According to a GamersSpot article, the dinosaur at the beginning of the E3 demo and Thunder Run trailer was placed in response to a 4chan thread in which a supposed Activision sales manager wondered why their Call of Duty game didn't sell as well on PC as it did on consoles, with several responses saying it was due to a lack of dinosaurs. Gustav Halling, a gameplay designer for Back to Karkand, tweeted about it.


 * A tweet by senior gameplay designer Alan Kertz stated the detail in the shell casings are different based on US and RU weapons. He later tweeted that shotguns and personal defense weapons would be all-kit weapons.
 * In the Multiplayer of Battlefield 3, the player can actually engage in a small kill animation when attacking an enemy with his knife. If successful, the player will stab the enemy and snag the dogtags hanging around the victim's neck.
 * Vaulting, and the player being able to see their own legs and arms, was inspired by Mirror's Edge, a game that was also developed by DICE
 * On September 20, 2011 DICE officially announced the Battlefield 3 Beta Date.
 * On the back of the online pass in the Battlefield 3 case, there was a possible teaser for a new Medal of Honor game. This was later revealed to be Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
 * Battlefield 3's version of the infamous Wake Island is much larger and "darker" than in earlier counterparts.
 * Due to the current conflicts in Iran, Battlefield 3 is considered illegal to own or sell in Iran with Iranian officials calling some of the maps disrespectful to the history of Iran's culture.
 * Players who own Battlefield 3 will automatically unlock the Swedish SOG Spec Op soldier in Medal of Honor: Warfighter and a bonus Daniel Defense Mk18 for that particular soldier.