Battlefield 3's 'Back to Karkand' will be part of regular map rotation

@Uncommon

I'm very happy they're doing this as well, I get to use my MP5 on all of the maps instead of just 4!

With the MP5 and G36C, BF3 is sending me on a major CoD4 nostalgia trip, which feels really weird to say honestly.

@Dubiousity

Yeah, My favorite guns from that wonderful game.
Still have some great times on COD 4 PC. Cant bare the latest iterations though.

@thechaos

I've been playing for weeks and haven't had any server problems on the PS3. No one on my PS3 or 360 friends list has had any server problems for weeks.

I have nothing against trading in BF3 for MW3. I'm sure there are people who were curios about the game because of all the media coverage and decided to check it out. They didn't like it, so they traded it for MW3. I'm certain people will do the same with MW3 (MW3 -> BF3). That's one of the benefits of places like GameStop. Although I do recommend renting games, it can save you money.

@thechaos

Sounds like just an excuse to get another game.

@Mr Hett And how are you going to rent BF3 with Online Pass? Fool me once... my used copy was worth less than half due to that as well. Better to just steer clear unless you know the game is for you. Dang, got to go sell my online pass for UC3 on Ebay...

@joxerthemighty
I got it about a week after release and had no server problems. Not one. (360)

@xiLeShadow Console have a server browser and filter too

@i77ogical

Expansion Pack, not map pack.

What you get:

4 new maps
10 new weapons
3 new vehicles
2 new game modes

@i77ogical
Except that instead of only giving 4-maps for $15, this also give new weapons, vehicles and a game mode

@Mr Hett What's the new game mode?

@Mr Hett

These aren't new maps. They're throwbacks from Battlefield 2, aren't they?

If they're a value to you, great, seriously. But $15 used to be complained about as the end of the world, even when CoD gave 5 maps for that price, including new achievements and a complex Zombie mode/level that was practically its own game.

But now $15 is cool because it's BF3 and they're throwing in some weapons? And seriously, you have to buy new game modes? I own BF3, don't get me wrong, but the game modes have always been limited in BF series. It would have been nice to have modes released for free. I'm not averse to paying for what it takes DICE time to make, but come on, game modes in BF3 are always skimpy and to pay for them is hard to understand--ESPECIALLY in a climate these days where everything CoD does is evil, but when BF does something similar, it's understandable. They're both the same girlfriend, fellas.

@i77ogical

Whoa $15 for old maps?! No thanks.

@i77ogical
I may be mistaken but didn't everyone first start complaining about COD charging $15 for their map packs because they were recycling old maps?

@BtheCarp

I think CoD mixed in just 2 maps from CoD4 into a 5-map pack for MW2, if I recall. Treyarch was doing 4-5 maps, including an elaborate Zombie map.

BF3 players are being sold on "expansion pack," which is marketing-speak that CoD would not be able to get away with. If you were against $15 maps before, you should be against $15 maps now. This isn't BC2:Vietnam, which was an entirely new skim on the game, with original maps, weapons, soundtrack. That WAS an expansion pack and was a good deal at $15.

@i77ogical

Only 1 new game mode, I apologize for the mistake.

Anyway...

CoD4's map pack was free on PC and was $10 on consoles. For some rea$on, they decided to jack the price up to $15.

There aren't many complaints about this DLC's price because many people are getting it for free because the got the Limited Edition. This is one thing that I enjoy about Battlefield games. There's always some way to get DLC for free. Bad Company 2 had 7 map packs that were free for PC, and also free for console gamer who go the $60 VIP edition. Even now you can buy the Ultimate Edition of Bad Company 2 and get all 7 map packs, the Onslaught DLC (co-op mode), and the Vietnam expansion pack for less than $40. Something you will never see with a CoD game.

It's bad enough that the DLC for CoD is overpriced, but the make it even worse because the prices take FOREVER to drop. Even their bundles are a rip off. The Modern Warfare (MW1 + MW2) bundle is $60 and doesn't include any DLC.

I'm sure EA would charge $15 for 4-5 maps and nothing else if they could, but they don't.

@i77ogical - "This isn't BC2:Vietnam, which was an entirely new skim on the game, with original maps, weapons, soundtrack"

This is the same thing minus the new setting and the music and plus a new game mode (I've only seen mention of one new mode personally but there could be a second one that I don't know about).

Yes, these are remakes of old maps but they're completely redone in a new engine that has new elements (destruction) and are tweaked for the newer gameplay.

That's a lot different than Modern Warfare 2 selling pretty much the identical maps from CoD 4 with no changes, which was what a lot of people took issue with.

Oh & there's the little, tiny fact that a vast majority of the early adopters of the game get the expansion completely free.

@Mr Hett

Ok - so some people get the BF3 expansion pack free, but then again, people who got the Hardened edition of MW3 get all map packs free (and for pretty cheap if you do the math for how much more the Hardened mode costs and factor in that it also comes with a year of Elite premium). It's even cheaper if you didn't get the Hardened edition but sign up for Elite premium.

I agree with what most people are saying - people want to slam COD and praise BF, even if BF charges $15 for DLC.

The Vietnam pack for BFBC2 was definitely worth $15 because it had so much stuff, but this BF3 DLC is not much different than COD DLC.

As people have pointed out, COD includes new maps and zombie maps which are like mini additional games in themselves.

I'm not defending the $15 price tag - maybe we are getting ripped off - but then we are getting ripped off by COD and BF.

@Mr Hett

I am getting the BF DLC maps free, also. There is some variance between the BF strategy for DLC, and CoD's and therefore, differing ways to look at what value is, in each case. I have paid $15 and will probably do so again, so I am not personally a hater of either franchise. I own both.

I owned BC2 and enjoyed getting the free content, but maps weren't really new (just new mode unlocks, if I recall), and they took forever to come out. Whereas, CoD came out with a lot of maps, and yeah, they cost a bundle.

Seriously, I just didn't know the Back to Karland pack was $15 for non launch copies. For the hundreds of hours we put into these games, it's probably not a big ripoff either way, but when Halo goes to $15 I will be sad!

@JasonA The old maps in BF3 i'm pretty sure get the new frostbite 2.0 engine. That's the difference, MW doesn't have a new engine.

@JasonA - "so some people get the BF3 expansion pack free, but then again, people who got the Hardened edition of MW3 get all map packs free"

There's a bit of a difference there since the people getting the BF3 expansion for free didn't pay anything extra for it, whereas the people who got the Hardened Edition of MW3 paid an extra $40.

Is $40 for all the DLC a good deal? Sure, probably (hard to say 100% until we know what the DLC is) but that's not really free.

@SkizzNutt509

Frostbite 2.0 isn't a new engine either. It's just a marketing term to describe the usual upgrades to a game engine between releases from BC2 to BF3. If you've played BF3, does it feel like a new engine to you, over BC2?

@Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En

these arent old maps per say, they are remade for the new engine. When a map is 6 years old, and re-made then its a terrific thing. Plus it adds destruction to it and stuff that wasnt there before. Plus, they maps honestly are a 100% better than the junk maps that came with the game, its weakest point.

@i77ogical http://www.battlefield.com/battlefield3/1/frostbite2 according to this link it's a new engine, but what do i know. honestly you might be right, if so then this is really misleading

@i77ogical

Its how dice want their games to look. Its the same thing as a band having their own sound.

The base visuals look like bad company because dice intentionally went for that look.

It IS a new engine. It took them 3 years to build.

@LEONLEONLEON

A game engine is a separate thing from art assets. How a game looks has no bearing on a game engine being new or old. Developers tend to improve both graphics and game performance at the same time, so you mistakenly think the two elements are linked.

Frostbite 2.0 is not a "new" game engine. It is an incremental upgrade to Frostbite (the 2.0 is a clue there). DICE would rename the engine if it were new--and they would make a huge deal out of it. And just from playing BF3, it plays no differently than BC2. The upgrades are small, and probably have more to do with backend efficiencies.

And yeah, I think DICE's engine is pretty chunky and slow on the 360, so if this is the "band sound" they want, they should rethink. DICE is obviously held back on the console because the PC game is completely better, but for you to make a virtue out of obvious limitations is hard to get.

@Warlock234

I don't think we'll see a new Battlefield game until 2013 at the earliest. It might be a launch title with the next gen consoles. Especially if we're getting a new MoH next year.

@Mr Hett I'm so excited for that MoH sequel, really want to continue from were the campaign left off.

@Warlock234

Or maybe even a 2143 theme!

@PR0F3TA
There was the possibility it would be put on certain servers in its own rotation. Sometimes they do that with add-ons and maps that not everyone would have out of the box. Hence the mention of BFBC2.