EA promises continued support for Battlefield 4, ‘major’ netcode update imminent

By Will Fulton Published May 30, 2014

To stem cries of “too soon!” coming from fans concerned by the announcement of Battlefield: Hardline, developer DICE has posted assurances that the new game does not preclude continued support for Battlefield 4. Dedicated teams in Stockholm, Uppsala, and Los Angeles will continue to address issues and develop new content for the military shooter, released late last year. As Hardline is being developed by a separate team at Visceral Games (with help from DICE), there is little to no reason for concern about split attention.

That ongoing support for BF4 will include addressing fan requests, like the recently-added Squad Join and Loadout Preset features. There is also a major patch to netcode coming down the pipe to continue sorting out the connectivity and latency issues that plagued the game at launch. The developer has also launched and plans on expanding the Community Test Environment, which will serve as a laboratory for testing new features with the community.

In short, chill out, guys.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

Gaming

Battlefield 2042’s new season adds a map set in the developer’s homeland

Soldiers fighting on Battlefield 2042 Season 3 map Spearhead.

EA unveiled everything players can expect from Battlefield 2042 Season 3: Escalation ahead of its November 22 start date. The most notable addition is a brand new map called Spearhead, which is set in Sweden, the homeland of the Battlefield series' main developer, DICE.
Surprisingly, Spearhead is the first Battlefield map set in DICE's home country. The map is centered around two Nordvik manufacturing facilities in the Swedish wilderness, surrounded by very rocky and uneven landscapes. It looks like a map full of interesting terrain that will benefit some vehicles, like the brand-new EMKV90-TOR tank, more than others. Later in Season 3: Escalation, the Manifest map will be reworked to be less cluttered and more tightly designed, while a Breakaway rework will move the Oil Rig to a location much closer to where most action on the map takes place.

Of course, Season 3: Escalation is more than just a new map, battle pass, and some map reworks. A new assault Special named Rasheed Zain is an Egyptian soldier whose legs were amputated after a military accident and replaced with prosthetics. He wields an Airburst launcher and recharges his health very fast after getting a kill, making him great on the front lines of a fight.
The Rorsch MK-4 railgun, the NVK-S22 shotgun, NVK-P125 long-range pistol, the throwing knife, and vault weapons XM8 and A-91 spice things up on the weapons front. EA and DICE also teased that they'll finally start to rework Battlefield 2042's Specialist and Class systems toward the end of the season.
Battlefield 2042 Season 3: Escalation begins on November 22 across all platforms. The game will also be added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate via EA Play on that date. Later, the PS5 version of Battlefield 2042 will be free to try between December 16 and December 23.

Gaming

Battlefield 2042 Season 2 deepens progression with Assignments

Crawford shoots enemies with a turret he place in Battlefield 2042.

EA unveiled Battlefield 2042 Season 2: Master of Arms today, detailing the new content players can expect when it drops on August 30. Master of Arms features the new map, weapon, gadget, and Specialist content that players desire from a significant update like this, but this next season of Battlefield 2042 also deepens progression with a brand new feature called Assignments.

Battlefield 2042 is a multiplayer-only game, so having an interesting progression system is key to ensuring players stick around. Currently, players can increase their Player Level as they also make their way through a battle pass. The Assignments feature will now allow players to seamlessly work toward unlocking Vault Weapons, which are guns that were previously only available in Battlefield Portal or previous seasons.

Gaming

I recreated a perfect high school experience in The Sims 4

Two sims take a selfie at prom in The Sims 4: High School Years.

Some of my favorite Sims 4 expansion packs like City Living and Snowy Escape expand on gameplay elements and add in new features that make playing more fun -- like the ability to take your Sims to karaoke, live in apartments, and even take a snowboarding excursion. And the Sims 4’s newest expansion pack, High School Years, brings a bunch of new features into the game that are as refreshing as a glass of prom punch.

High School Years gives players a new world, Copperdale, that is home to a fully functioning high school, new pre-designed families, and new areas that were ripe for exploration such as the dockside amusement park and the combination boba tea and thrift store.