Select BF veterans who are signed up for the official newsletter are currently testing an Alpha build of 'Operation Métro Rush'. More and more clips show up on youtube. FYI
 
If you are giddy for BF3, it's worth taking a stroll over to youtube and do some searches. You'll find something for sure.

Here's a taste to get you started (likely going bye-bye quickly)...
 
    

Hooray for an equippable knife.

I would fucking love it if that 'step was in the final game. Makes the action 1000x better.

Apparently people are getting 60+ FPS out of a HD 5850 with the Alpha Build settings. Good news indeed!

Following are the lasted HD direct feed Alpha build testing leak videos. It looks fantastic. Stuff like the equipable knife and grenades (as well as quick knife and grenade), outdoor and indoor fighting. Sniping and M-Com disarming. Digging the UI. Looks nice and clean and has a nice sharpness and pop to it. Only the overly long death animation at the end of the first video doesn't sit right. There's no ragdoll reaction to subsequent hits, which is very irritating.

Gargh, want.

Equipable knife and granades? Is this really what excites BF fans? Why not hope for a great game, and not just a game that isn't COD?

I loved BF2 (one of my fav. pc games of all time) and I'm def. gonna get BF3 (for PC), but this infatuation with something being different, for the sole purpose of it being different comes of as a bit pathetic :-/

To be honest, none of the trailers or gameplay demos they've put out so far have really done any convincing for me, but these videos get me kinda excited.
 
Color me cautiously optimistic.

Heard a few good things concerning graphical requirements to, hope that stays true.

Hopefully won't be another Crysis, where it takes a good while before you can even afford to play it, then realise it's a pretty average game any ways.

Have high hopes for BF3.

@Krisgebis said:

Equipable knife and granades? Is this really what excites BF fans? Why not hope for a great game, and not just a game that isn't COD?

I loved BF2 (one of my fav. pc games of all time) and I'm def. gonna get BF3 (for PC), but this infatuation with something being different, for the sole purpose of it being different comes of as a bit pathetic :-/

Maybe people prefer equipable knife in the first place? and are glad of it's return. Everything doesn't have to be a jab at cod.

I really just need there to be more to this game than graphics. I will be playing it on 360 so its all about gameplay for me

Damn, I regret not torrenting the 'Frostbite 2 leak' now (even thought it probably was fake). 
 
EDIT: Dedicated servers are pretty much confirmed and hosted by i3d.net.

Shotgun Ironsights have been spotted. Stars system for weapons has been spotted. No more crippling grey filter for out of bounds warning. The good news keeps rolling in. Oh - and here's another official trailer...
 
  

@emergency: Why would they prefer it? It's clearly a step backwards. 2 button presses, compared to 1 (and does the exact same function).

@Krisgebis said:

@emergency: Why would they prefer it? It's clearly a step backwards. 2 button presses, compared to 1 (and does the exact same function).

In cod you can run about with a gun then run up to someone and stab them just like that instantly. At least in BF3 you have to physically take it out which takes time..

After looking at these videos and others, it just seems like Bad Company 2 .  The squad arrangement looks like BC2;  can you even name your own squad as in BF2?  Enemy squad leader has a ray of stars on his head, "I'm SPETHCIAL" . Stupid.  They should remove the stars and apply a special patch on the uniform, and through visual iden.... whatever, too complicated for today's gamer. It's all about the mindless aspect of gaming.
 
I don't know what all the fuss about about ANT is, the animation system from EA sports in BF3, I don't think I saw a significant increase in fidelity of the animations. The gameplay looks faster, so where is the time to appreciate animations? At this gameplay rate, the animations seem no different than BC2.
 
Looking at the videos.... I think people will have a hard time saying "I remember that from BF2" when looking at BF3 .  They will say "I remember that from BC2" when looking at BF3.  
 
Picking up enemy kit sound is louder than firing a weapon.
 
The ranking point system is too 'center-stage' . Maybe they will have an option to disable +100 , +50 , savor kills, assist, etc.. ?  
   
 In fact, the more and more that I see the videos it seems that BF3 is in fact a sequel to BF:P4F.   Sure, BF:P4F lacks the fidelity of BF3, but the points system that drives the gameplay in P4F has a big role in BF3.  Ribbons and rewards... "OMG you are so super special in the video game (in real life you are a piece of shit, but that's neither here nor there)"  ... "I paid $60 to get pat on the back and be told I'm special because in the REAL, no one ever tells me I'm special :(   " ... HAHA .

The participants aren't select Battlefield veterans.. there are many people with vet rank 6 through 8, and they didn't get shit 
 
it's completely random, based on nothing. If anything, its based on NOT being so much of a vet. Most people who got it have crappy PCs, low veteran rank and are former COD players

@emergency: BF series has big levels, when you finally get up close why would you force people to hassle around with the controls?

Even if that was the goal, just make the knife animation cause a delay before it kills. Same thing as BF:BC2

@Evilmetal said:

After looking at these videos and others, it just seems like Bad Company 2 . The squad arrangement looks like BC2; can you even name your own squad as in BF2? Enemy squad leader has a ray of stars on his head, "I'm SPETHCIAL" . Stupid. They should remove the stars and apply a special patch on the uniform, and through visual iden.... whatever, too complicated for today's gamer. It's all about the mindless aspect of gaming. I don't know what all the fuss about about ANT is, the animation system from EA sports in BF3, I don't think I saw a significant increase in fidelity of the animations. The gameplay looks faster, so where is the time to appreciate animations? At this gameplay rate, the animations seem no different than BC2. Looking at the videos.... I think people will have a hard time saying "I remember that from BF2" when looking at BF3 . They will say "I remember that from BC2" when looking at BF3. Picking up enemy kit sound is louder than firing a weapon. The ranking point system is too 'center-stage' . Maybe they will have an option to disable +100 , +50 , savor kills, assist, etc.. ? In fact, the more and more that I see the videos it seems that BF3 is in fact a sequel to BF:P4F. Sure, BF:P4F lacks the fidelity of BF3, but the points system that drives the gameplay in P4F has a big role in BF3. Ribbons and rewards... "OMG you are so super special in the video game (in real life you are a piece of shit, but that's neither here nor there)" ... "I paid $60 to get pat on the back and be told I'm special because in the REAL, no one ever tells me I'm special :( " ... HAHA .

That sure is a shitload of hate towards unlocks and rewards...did you expect there to be none? Cause if so you are deluded. It looks more like BC2 cause it's the much more recent one of a similar engine...so a lot of that stuff remains.

This leaked footage has done accolades more for me than every trailer DICE has released for this game.

Looking very nice indeed. Why is it that any of MP game-play / trailers for this only ever show someone blowing up that same 3 story corner building. Its kind of making me feel skeptical about just how impressive their new frostbite destruction really is.

@Evilmetal: It's not a milsim. BF has never been a milsim. Its roots are deep in 3D action FPS MP gaming. There are milsims around for those want them. What you're complaining about is just crazy talk for the most part.

@emergency: Why would they prefer it? It's clearly a step backwards. 2 button presses, compared to 1 (and does the exact same function).

The participants aren't select Battlefield veterans.. there are many people with vet rank 6 through 8, and they didn't get shit  it's completely random, based on nothing. If anything, its based on NOT being so much of a vet. Most people who got it have crappy PCs, low veteran rank and are former COD players

Everybody who got a key did sign up for the veteran's program (and BF newsletter) 

and has been selected by strictly technical aspects depending on their hardware setup

So, 4 player squads, eh? 
Nice one, DICE.
 
Get the this shit outta my face. Its sequel to BC2 not BF2.

Proper 1080p youtube embed player of the most recent official BF3 MP trailer...
 
  

@Evilmetal said:

@SeriouslyNow: They want to lower the 'complexity' and make the game accessible to many people; since I assume BF2 was complicated. If this is the case, I find the whole points system and unlocks to be complicated. Why should one play for hundreds of hours to use a weapon he or she likes? This system is itself making the game inaccessible.

More crazy talk. COD MW also has an unlock system and that game is definitely accessible. Will you please start making sense or go away? I don't care which you choose just choose one and stick to it.

Latest Leak. Now let's see what we have here... there's still some yankiness to that vault animation and not all facades are destructible as it seems. Hopefully they'll add more environmental destruction to those houses.
 
      

@Krisgebis said:

Equipable knife and granades? Is this really what excites BF fans? Why not hope for a great game, and not just a game that isn't COD?

I loved BF2 (one of my fav. pc games of all time) and I'm def. gonna get BF3 (for PC), but this infatuation with something being different, for the sole purpose of it being different comes of as a bit pathetic :-/

It has a different feel to it. It makes the knife something more than a buttonpress and an arm moving across the screen quickly resulting in someones death. I mean the one-button-knife still exists but I'd say that the equippable knife adds to the more "up close and personal" type of thing a FPS knife should be. Well, I think a knife should be as such.

I think they have the best of both in this game.

I can almost certainly say they don't have it to be different. It was how it was back in BF2 and they still want to cater as much as possible to the BF2-nostalgia without making hindering it from being a great modern shooter.

@Evilmetal: Also, why the hate? Sure now that it'd been mentioned I'd appreciate a way of turning off the score-popups but It hasn't- and still won't bother me. And quit being an elitist complaining about how it's trying to cater to the more "simple" people. I'd say much of what had been [in BF2] has been streamlined and those things removed were probably not worth (important enough to the mainstream audience) the time to figure out a good way to integrate it in the game.

Apparently people are getting 60+ FPS out of a HD 5850 with the Alpha Build settings. Good news indeed!

Man, I've had my doubt but that game... is looking pretty good.

So many guns I was hoping for...  I can't wait for this game!

@Seppli: I don't think it's faster at all, and why would it be? Unless they make the quick-knife animation longer then the animation when it is equiped.

I don't think knife-fights will work the same way as in BF2. In the videos we see a specific interaction animation when a guy gets knifed, and to make something like that possible we should expect a lockon. I don't think they'll go the same route as MW with teleport knifing though.

Any updates on how to get in.? sure the vet stuff is cute .. but like the MOHLE people better get in soon. The Bad company crowd are not the BF core audience to the 1942-desertcombat-BFV-BF2-3expansions crowd. 
 
the Vet system doesn't reward the right people imo.. hurry up with the MOH invites i say .. today was the first time i new about this vet system...  console game BF comunitey > BF PC only fans who perchased a subpar game for invite.... this aint right!!!.. but yer game looks good all the sam.. just dont teir out the invites to much.. 
 
MOHLE should have happend same time and Vet.. imo imo. .. have fun

@Seppli: I don't think it's faster at all, and why would it be? Unless they make the quick-knife animation longer then the animation when it is equiped.

I don't think knife-fights will work the same way as in BF2. In the videos we see a specific interaction animation when a guy gets knifed, and to make something like that possible we should expect a lockon. I don't think they'll go the same route as MW with teleport knifing though.

@Seppli said:

Apparently people are getting 60+ FPS out of a HD 5850 with the Alpha Build settings. Good news indeed!

That's fucking GREAT news.  Awesome!  All this gameplay coming out is awesome!

Ahhh. The knifing animation is so GOOD. Loved the knife in Bad Company 2 and it looks just as brutal and inevitable in this one.

@xobballox said:

@Seppli said:

Apparently people are getting 60+ FPS out of a HD 5850 with the Alpha Build settings. Good news indeed!

That's fucking GREAT news.  Awesome!  All this gameplay coming out is awesome!

Of course the alpha ain't maxed out options-wise and it's just 32 player infantry focused Rush mode. Large-scale 64 player maps with all types of vehicles will certainly be somewhat more taxing. Wonder if they'll manage to keep system requirements somewhat level between the maps and modes depending on scale.

2.0 quad is kinda low.. wonder how that would compare to a 3-4ghz duelcore hmmm.. is OC what we have.. left worthwhile.

So why didn't they call this Bad Company 3? The UI is striking similar, the weapon feedback is very similar, many of the sounds (especially the dude screaming) seem to be held over, etc. Is this just due to it being alpha build footage and this is all temporary stuff, or maybe it's due to the engine similarity? I'm being completely serious. This just feels a lot more like BC2 than BF2 to me so far. Someone reassure me.

Again, I'm not saying it looks bad, I'm just saying BC3 may have been more appropriate naming.

The first person sprinting animations are fucking great, especially for the pistol.

So why didn't they call this Bad Company 3? The UI is striking similar, the weapon feedback is very similar, many of the sounds (especially the dude screaming) seem to be held over, etc. Is this just due to it being alpha build footage and this is all temporary stuff, or maybe it's due to the engine similarity? I'm being completely serious. This just feels a lot more like BC2 than BF2 to me so far. Someone reassure me.

Again, I'm not saying it looks bad, I'm just saying BC3 may have been more appropriate naming.

@Seppli: So you are presupposing that the quick knife animation is longer than the equiped knife animation, but could a presupposition really be considered an argument? How do you know that this will be so? The "put weapon down"+"slash with knife" animation could be timed exactly as long as the "knifestab" when equiped.

It also comes down to the cooldown timing vs. the taking weapon up again animation and wether it'll be cancelable. I can't see why they would change the timing for it, from a gameplay perspective. Take the easiest one, that gives you the desired options and balance the game for it.

So why didn't they call this Bad Company 3? The UI is striking similar, the weapon feedback is very similar, many of the sounds (especially the dude screaming) seem to be held over, etc. Is this just due to it being alpha build footage and this is all temporary stuff, or maybe it's due to the engine similarity? I'm being completely serious. This just feels a lot more like BC2 than BF2 to me so far. Someone reassure me.

Again, I'm not saying it looks bad, I'm just saying BC3 may have been more appropriate naming.