Hey Gents, 
 
Though Im not new to shooters per se, im very new to Battlefield, and well... the evidence is clear.  I played a few matches online today and got my ass completely handed to me.  There's alot of game mechanics Im not really familiar with, and the scale and scope of it will definetly take some getting used to.  Id like to know as a newbie how to best approach the learning curve this game has.     Should I mess with the default button layout, or should I "call of duty" it up to make it more familiar?  Is there any EASY way to learn how to work the vehicles, from what I hear.. they're quite difficult to steer.   Does anyone actually use the squad system?  Do people actually fill their roles? (like if im support, than do people expect me to give them ammo and what not?)   
 
These are some of the things im interested in getting some more information about.  
 
 
For reference here's a list of shooters ive played online for a significant amount of time, in order.  Last time I played blops was forever ago (online anyway), and gears 3 was fun, but everyone is so awesome at that game that I lost all desire to play online.
 

• Socom 2
• Socom 3
• Socom Combined Assault
• Socom Confrontation

• COD4 
• COD WAW 
• MW2 
• BLACKOPS 

• GOW2 
• GOW3

@TheLastNeo said:

Usually I'll play a run and gun approach, with maybe like 25% sniping/recon stuff, even though im terrible at it. Also for the record, I purchased the ps3 version. Thanks guys.

Welcome to the franchise. I think that the best advice that I can give anyone playing Battlefield - assuming that you are playing in either Rush or Conquest mode - is to try to get used to teamwork. Ideally, you could hop on your mic and back up your squadmates to attain objectives, slaughtering the other team and earning copious points the whole while. However, such situations are few and far between (not to mention the dearth of mic'd players on the PS3 - the console which I play on as well). Your best option is to try sticking with your team - or squad, if they're any good - and take objectives. This may seem somewhat counter-intuitive in an FPS environment, but it is both the most enjoyable (read: "shooting fools") and effective (read: points and many guns) way of playing Battlefield; the winning team goes for the objectives, and there are usually enough respectable players on both teams to realize this, so you'll find that this is usually where the action is anyway. Sticking with team-mates also provides the important benefit of showing you some of the effective strategies and weaponry in the game, and - most importantly - they may occasionally save your ass from being roasted by the other team in a firefight (although there are those who will frustratingly just watch you die as well).

Teamwork in BF3 can make or break your match: if you try to wipe out the other team by yourself without doing anything to support your team you will die often and contribute little to your team's potential victory; sticking with your team and taking objectives will get you more points and lessen the chances of getting outnumbered by the other side.

Last point: find a class and loadout that you're good with and stick to it - there is no best class in BF, but you may find the one that you're better with. Trying different things is fine, but it's more fun and effective to play what you know until you can start carrying over that skill into other approaches. But, please, for the sake of a better online world, if you can help your team-mates with supplies (i.e. ammo or health) or support (i.e. spotting or repairs) please do so. The foregoing also applies to vehicles: find what you're good at and stick with it.

check out this guys channel, he plays on PS3 and PC and his videos are pretty good for the new player. maybe u can pick up some tips to help you

http://www.youtube.com/user/oplim77

The best games are the ones when you don't kill a single opponent and just get points for repairing/healing/doing the objectives. It's so satisfying having a better score than the guy with thirty kills and two deaths.

@Titus said:

The best games are the ones when you don't kill a single opponent and just get points for repairing/healing/doing the objectives. It's so satisfying having a better score than the guy with thirty kills and two deaths.

This entirely. Spawn on your squadmates, drop health and ammo packs [ammo especially for other engineers. They have a wrench icon and RPG ammo is always in short supply] (you get even more bonus points if you resupply/heal squadmates). Heal vehicles, shoot RPGs at opposing vehicles.

I find that tanks are the easiest vehicles to use effectively. They're also very valuable to your team and shouldn't be wasted. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll be quickly destroyed in any vehicle, so maybe try to occupy a less crucial role, like the gunner. GPBmike wrote two excellent guides that go a bit more in depth and cover more points than I have here. And as he says, regardless of your role, spot, spot, spot.

Tanks (MBTs) - Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs)

Good luck. As with any shooter, getting to know the maps is at least half of the battle.

The LAV-AD is the best tank in the game. Use it whenever you can.

@TheLastNeo:

Play to the strenghts of your kit (class), weapon, gadget and vehicle. Don't try to force your playstyle regardless of your gear. Adapt your playstyle to it. A bolt action sniper rifle is not suited for rushing like a shock trooper for example. Such things.

Always try to achieve harmony between your goals and your gear. In vehicles, don't overstep your boundries. Also - you cannot carry a team on your own. If a team is proven worthless, leave for greener pastures.

That's the basics of having a good Battlefield mindset.

It's been mentioned elsewhere but I recommend simply reminding yourself to be patient. The competence curve in this game is steeper than most and you're going to find things turning out badly for you quite a bit in the early going. Don't get frustrated and start charging around corners or over barriers without a sliver of situational awareness. It just breeds more frustration and will turn you off to what is actually a very rewarding and fun game.

I agree with all of what's been mentioned above and wanted to second the idea of sticking with vehicles until you get your bearings and learn the maps. Engineer and Assault are good new-to-the-game kits to run with.

Enjoy!

The rank up system is a very slow burn. Kinda driving me nuts.  I obviously blame cod for its absurd and constant rank up system.  I guess I just want some decent rifles to play with (well, attachments etc), and I know that I just have to put in time with the game.. but man, it really makes you work for it.

@Titus said:

The best games are the ones when you don't kill a single opponent and just get points for repairing/healing/doing the objectives. It's so satisfying having a better score than the guy with thirty kills and two deaths.

So true. I love seeing myself sneak into the Top 10 with 2 or 3 kills. Hahahha

@Rudy said:

@Titus said:

The best games are the ones when you don't kill a single opponent and just get points for repairing/healing/doing the objectives. It's so satisfying having a better score than the guy with thirty kills and two deaths.

So true. I love seeing myself sneak into the Top 10 with 2 or 3 kills. Hahahha

I was greatly amused a couple of nights ago that I got the MVP and Ace Squad ribbons in a match of Conquest with 4 kills, 6 deaths and ~2200 points. Goes to show that on Consoles, having just one squad in a match working very well together can win your team the match - and quickly!

@Polydeukes: Honestly the team work / squad based gameplay that this game kind of forces on you (somewhat) has really been an awesome surprise. I didnt realize how much of this was such an integral part of the game, as I didnt do a ton of reading up on the game. I just knew I didnt want to get COD this year, and wanted something different.

It brings me back to the glory days of Socom, and constant clan gaming / tournaments / etc. Good times.

If you're going to play a sniper, don't immediately run to the obvious sniper spots.  They're obvious to the enemy too.  Unlink Call of Duty, or most other shooters, these places are not good defensive positions with solid walls on three sides.  Go ahead and spend five minutes climbing up that crane, but you're probably only going to get one kill in before somebody picks you off.

Start off exploring the area around your spawn and the boundaries of the maps. Then start becoming familiar with approaches to the various objectives and the map interiors. You'll start to learn where the action is and maybe a lot of good spots you might otherwise miss. You may even run across a sniper or two to knife. And when you're on a map boundary you've at least elimated 180 degrees of danger. Then try to get into a squad with a high rank player and spawn off them and watch what they do. Good players tend to be in a lot of fire fights so this can get you killed a lot too but your squad mate shouldn't be complaining if you keep spawning off them and dropping health packs or ammo. Land vehicles are easy to drive but there is a definately learning curve for the aircraft. Remember that you are playing to have fun. That seems to be forgotten sometimes...

Same as those other games, its all knowing the map and where threats can come from. Just ammend to your skills the Q button (or whatever it is on your console of choice) to spot, spot, spot. Spot before you even shoot. If you are playing on a console, rebind your buttons so that spotting is easier to access. I think its on the select/back button or some shit by default which is FUBAR. Then just vomit ammo packs/health packs at anyone you see that isn't otherwise meant to be lead-hosed.

The vehicles are easy to control, people seem to have trouble with the helicopters but they always felt natural to me. There is a co-op mission you can play from the get-go that is good flying practice.

Play with people you can voice communicate with. I fly attack choppers all the time and having a good gunner makes a huge difference. I had a friend who never gunned hop in the gunner seat. I asked him to call out the targets he was going after and I called out targets of opportunity and serious AA threats. I had him spray the area in gun fire while I hovered over control points.

Spot what you're going to shoot at. Q, click. You help your team out. And if that's not enough, even if you die without doing a lick of damage, you'll get some points for spotting.

Never fly in a straight line. Make your attack run from angles that turrets cannot hit you from. On the larger maps, fly as close to the flight ceiling as you can and come straight down on your target. Have your friends on the ground mark and call out tanks while you're flying, get in position and dive in on the target.

Never afterburn while turning. Slow down when you turn. The faster you are, the wider your turning radius is.

Don't dump your flares the moment someone has lock on you. I will keep a target in lock for as long as I possibly can until I -have- to take the shot, and even then, I will fire one missile. If you dump your flares, I'll close in and fire off the second missile.

I take the rocket pods in attack fighter craft. Other pilots can be taken out fairly easily with cannon fire. Missiles are very easily shaken and counter measured. Cannon fire does not make short work of heavy targets like tanks, nor does it have splash damage or shock and awe like rockets raining down from the heavens. Spray the tank with cannon fire as you come screaming towards the ground. Finish the tank off, and the engineer who has popped out to repair it with a salvo of rocket fire.

If you have someone on your six, fly under a bridge and wait a few seconds before pulling up sharply. I've often had people pull up as soon as I do, right into the bridge they're trying to fly under. Its satisfying and works pretty often.

Spot. Go for the objectives.

Just remember to do what your team is not doing. 3 empty tanks in your base? You MUST get one. Same for air vehicles, but they take more time to master. One easy way to get kills is to be the gunner of a tank or APC. Blast those fools that get too close.

Spot some moor. Plant the charges or capture the flag!

All classes are balanced, so I like to spawn as what my squad is lacking at the moment. Again, the more "tools" your team is using, the better (mortars, air recon, laser markers, EOD bots, ALL of the vehicles, you name it!).

And don't forget to spot targets and go for the win!

When the enemy tank appears: hide in the dumpster and lob frags at it until it's disabled. Then jump out and attach C4 to the meanie before returning to the dumpster and remote detonating the C4.

Play as a team and follow your squad.....going out on your own will get you killed.

If you see me, don't shoot me.

Some proper tips in here.

Mostly, if a blue guy (friendly) is repairing his vehicle, don't jack it. That's the worst thing in the fucking world.

@billyhoush said:

When the enemy tank appears: hide in the dumpster and lob frags at it until it's disabled. Then jump out and attach C4 to the meanie before returning to the dumpster and remote detonating the C4.

have you played a battlefield game recently?

frags haven't done shit to tanks since 1942

Pro tip #1: Stop sucking.
Pro tip #2: Don't die.
Pro tip #3: Be a man, kill everything!

Thanks for all the posts guys, I really appreciate it.

I've been mostly playing engineer class, and repairing the shit out of everything with a wrench icon on it. Also, I've been rocking a SCAR at the moment. I still suck, but whatevs, the game is still fun.

Ive kind of given up learning the whole flight thing. I usually wait til someone gets in the pilot seat, and I ride gunner. I have my torch out half the time and repair the heli's constantly (following a hit from anti air)

I hate to even mention this but, I've been playing tons of conquest. As far as "ranking up" in concerned (with the motivation to unlock more weapons), is there a game type that grants points per map/match? (i.e. in COD if you wanted to get hella points, playing HQ was a good way to rank up quickly)

Thanks again.

@TheLastNeo said:

Thanks for all the posts guys, I really appreciate it.

I've been mostly playing engineer class, and repairing the shit out of everything with a wrench icon on it. Also, I've been rocking a SCAR at the moment. I still suck, but whatevs, the game is still fun.

Ive kind of given up learning the whole flight thing. I usually wait til someone gets in the pilot seat, and I ride gunner. I have my torch out half the time and repair the heli's constantly (following a hit from anti air)

I hate to even mention this but, I've been playing tons of conquest. As far as "ranking up" in concerned (with the motivation to unlock more weapons), is there a game type that grants points per map/match? (i.e. in COD if you wanted to get hella points, playing HQ was a good way to rank up quickly)

Thanks again.

Find a server that says 24/7 Metro conquest 64 players

My main advice, which I find I have to remind myself of at times is *slow down*

Running and gunning works to a point but be smart about it. Use cover and plan ahead - before running out into the open check if your squadmates are still alive, if not give them a chance to spawn on you in cover before going on the offensive.

@Liber said:

@TheLastNeo said:

Thanks for all the posts guys, I really appreciate it.

I've been mostly playing engineer class, and repairing the shit out of everything with a wrench icon on it. Also, I've been rocking a SCAR at the moment. I still suck, but whatevs, the game is still fun.

Ive kind of given up learning the whole flight thing. I usually wait til someone gets in the pilot seat, and I ride gunner. I have my torch out half the time and repair the heli's constantly (following a hit from anti air)

I hate to even mention this but, I've been playing tons of conquest. As far as "ranking up" in concerned (with the motivation to unlock more weapons), is there a game type that grants points per map/match? (i.e. in COD if you wanted to get hella points, playing HQ was a good way to rank up quickly)

Thanks again.

Find a server that says 24/7 Metro conquest 64 players

if you read the original post before just posting, you would have seen he bought it for ps3.

@GregHorrorShow said:

My main advice, which I find I have to remind myself of at times is *slow down*

Running and gunning works to a point but be smart about it. Use cover and plan ahead - before running out into the open check if your squadmates are still alive, if not give them a chance to spawn on you in cover before going on the offensive.

Yeah. This game is a lot more expansive and there are a lot more vulnerable open areas where snipers have a perfect view of you. Like said... slow your roll. Think 2-3 steps in front of you... like instead of just going point to point... have a beginning and an end destination and then make "checkpoints" along the way for yourself to stop for a second, re-access the situation if needed, and then move from there. By doing that, it one, gives you a chance for your run stamina to rebuild. Secondly, you can reload your gun. And third and most importantly, you can look out for hotzones or an area where trouble may occur, and now avoid them.

@TheLastNeo:

1. Stop caring about kills.
2. Start caring about points. Because usually many points mean good team play. Taking flags/mcoms gives by far the most points (apart from reviving on metro).
3. Spot first. Shoot later. (If not in close quarters.) Admittedly this is not really comfy on consoles IMHO.
4. Drop health and ammo constantly. Revive and repair when ever possible. Place sensors and spawn beacons when you see fit.
5. DON'T WASTE VEHICLES! Tanks are not meant to storm a position alone. It only takes two engineers and a bit of cover to mess a tank up. They are meant for relatively slowly pushing the frontline forward with support from infantry. This goes double for AMTRACs as these are mobile spawn points. Don't kamikaze attack either. Also it is usually best to fill vehicles with all engineers. Depending on treat either the gunner (against other vehicles) or the driver (against infantry) can hop out to repair.
6. Never bitch. BF is (at least compared to CoD) a gentlemen's game.

@McShank said:

@Liber said:

@TheLastNeo said:

Thanks for all the posts guys, I really appreciate it.

I've been mostly playing engineer class, and repairing the shit out of everything with a wrench icon on it. Also, I've been rocking a SCAR at the moment. I still suck, but whatevs, the game is still fun.

Ive kind of given up learning the whole flight thing. I usually wait til someone gets in the pilot seat, and I ride gunner. I have my torch out half the time and repair the heli's constantly (following a hit from anti air)

I hate to even mention this but, I've been playing tons of conquest. As far as "ranking up" in concerned (with the motivation to unlock more weapons), is there a game type that grants points per map/match? (i.e. in COD if you wanted to get hella points, playing HQ was a good way to rank up quickly)

Thanks again.

Find a server that says 24/7 Metro conquest 64 players

if you read the original post before just posting, you would have seen he bought it for ps3.

Well that's unfortunate for him.

@Liber said:

@McShank said:

@Liber said:

@TheLastNeo said:

Thanks for all the posts guys, I really appreciate it.

I've been mostly playing engineer class, and repairing the shit out of everything with a wrench icon on it. Also, I've been rocking a SCAR at the moment. I still suck, but whatevs, the game is still fun.

Ive kind of given up learning the whole flight thing. I usually wait til someone gets in the pilot seat, and I ride gunner. I have my torch out half the time and repair the heli's constantly (following a hit from anti air)

I hate to even mention this but, I've been playing tons of conquest. As far as "ranking up" in concerned (with the motivation to unlock more weapons), is there a game type that grants points per map/match? (i.e. in COD if you wanted to get hella points, playing HQ was a good way to rank up quickly)

Thanks again.

Find a server that says 24/7 Metro conquest 64 players

if you read the original post before just posting, you would have seen he bought it for ps3.

Well that's unfortunate for him.

how is that unfortunate? The ps3 version is good just as the Xbox is and the pc. Difference is the Console versions have lower pop maps (Never had a problem with finding someone to shoot) and less hacks / modded servers. A few up's in graphics are not really worth building a pc or upgrading a PC to run it better then console's and also, not everyone likes M/K shooters.

@McShank said:

how is that unfortunate? The ps3 version is good just as the Xbox is and the pc.

Um, NO.

You can't compare 24 players to 64 players when it comes to combined arms warfare, you just can't.

Smaller maps with less players are just as intense to play as larger ones with more people. If that's your thing.

I agree with all the point made. I would add that for learning how to steer your vehicles switching to 3rd person view is ideal. I'm playing on the 360 so for me it's clicking in the right analog stick. I found that by showing the entire vehicle whether it's a tank or aircraft you can see how the vehicle reacts to the controls this was a crucial step for me in learning how to fly the jets and helicopters. Mind you this is not idea for actually firing on an enemy position (for this you want to switch back to 1st person), but it's important to feel comfortable controlling these metal monsters and once you know how to maneuver the rest will fall into place.