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As amazing as those maps look. None of them look like Strike At Karakand which is possibly my favorite multiplayer map of all time from my favorite mulitplayer game of all time. Why cant they just include it? :cry:

Because people want new maps to play on. If you want to play on a map from 5 years ago, play the game from 5 years ago.

I wonder how open they will be to custom maps? I mean Dice said they aren't working on making the admin console flashy because they were going to leave that to the community to do, wonder if they have the same feelings towards mods or custom maps?

God I hate "teamwork" based games where teamwork is so forced upon you! The majority of gamers are a bunch of retarded momos with the brain processing power of a duck.

Why am I being ressed 3-4 times in a row in a hot-zone without cover and dying one second later, STOP RESSING ME?! I have medics constantly tail-gating me when I'm trying to hide out in the terrain just to constantly throw packs at me for easy points, why do people who seem to be sleeping occupy the machine-gun positions in whatever vehicles you take because they never fire a single shot and when they actually do fire, they shoot at armoured targets they can't hurt?! Get out and let someone with some common sense take over the position.

Arg! I wish there was a "lock" key that would disable ressing outside of squad, disallow people outside of squads to enter vehicles and people outside of your squad to gain points by aiding. That would make me very, very happy.

I wonder how open they will be to custom maps? I mean Dice said they aren't working on making the admin console flashy because they were going to leave that to the community to do, wonder if they have the same feelings towards mods or custom maps?

Didn't they say they weren't going to release any mod tools?

Because people want new maps to play on. If you want to play on a map from 5 years ago, play the game from 5 years ago.

You might be confused sir. Im not attacking you but do you know HOW MANY PEOPLE play BF2 still? Hell BF2 + PR will make BF2 the longest running PC FPS most likely, seeing even after BF3 comes out BF2 will go for 2-3 years till the PR team fully adopts BF3. Also I still play BF2 because Strike at Karkand has to be THE greatest map ever. I love it that much, most of the time i see myself playing it thats why whenever I go to a lan or another server its like "hummm, kubra damn?, Wake Island, wtf THERES MORE MAPS!?" lol. Ive started to play them more, and I do agree that one map looks like Kubra Dam but it adopts the BF BC2 style which is better imo.

Now, to stay on on topic, the last 4 pages ive read of System performance, Im running the following System

Phenom 2 X4 3.0 Ghz 940

4Gigs OCZ DDR2 Ram

260 GTX 216

...etc

Anyway, with the following essential parts, im running average 52 FPS at 1280*720 @ High with NO HBAO, AA/AF @2x(these have NEVER been a big deal to mean, ive never noticed a difference, is there a difference to have AA/AF up? Ive always kept it down regardless of game or performance as my system can handle any game pretty well seeing how i dont play at my monitors native resolution), Vsync Off(of course).

I went to 1920*1080 Everything High and got a stable 28 FPS. Game still felt fluid and stable, I just cant play at anything over 1280*720. Even my desktop is at 1280 while my monitors native reso is 1920.

Also, all this with DX at Auto, havent touched the settings file, dont feel a need to as the game is always playable.

I did do the CPU Launch thing, wanna see if that makes a difference, after this post ill try it out and post back, but before all cores looked like they got utilized because "CPU USAGE" was at 45% on the gadget and task manager, and ram at 1.5 gigs. Regardless, system ran nice alt tabbing and etc.

@Overlay issues with DX10+: If you joined the steam client beta before it was done, that was the overlay fix for D3D10/D3D11 posted by steam. They said the week OF BF:BC2, they will have the offical update out fixing the overlay issue.

So, my overlay didnt work the first day, till i joined the beta after finding out about it, it updated steam and overlay has worked since.

Yup. Thou that doesnt stop you from joining their game if you know they are playing. Just click that > thing and join.

I tried that before and it didn't work. Maybe my friend wasn't in a server when he said he was playing. I'll try it again later. :p

*face palms* i hate snow/arctic maps. Should have only had single rubbish port map in the beta, if that. Even with DX10 or 11 games just can't graphically recreate the awkward visual elements and climate of arctic/alpine warfare. It's one of biggest hate ons i had in recent years was the snow/arctic sections of bad company 1 i think it was or maybe it was BF2 modern warfare on ps2. I guess at least some light at end of the tunnel even though i'll buy this game, my hopes now fall with MoH making a better game with frostbite engine.

*face palms* i hate snow/arctic maps. Should have only had single rubbish port map in the beta, if that. Even with DX10 or 11 games just can't graphically recreate the awkward visual elements and climate of arctic/alpine warfare. It's one of biggest hate ons i had in recent years was the snow/arctic sections of bad company 1 i think it was or maybe it was BF2 modern warfare on ps2. I guess at least some light at end of the tunnel even though i'll buy this game, my hopes now fall with MoH making a better game with frostbite engine.

It's not perfect, but I don't think it's bad. Everyone has their preferences though. I personally don't like dark jungle environments. I prefer arctic or desert environments. As for Medal of Honor, I believe the Frostbite engine will only be used for the game's multiplayer component. The singleplayer component will be powered by Unreal Engine 3.

I haven't had so much fun playing an online shooter in quite a while. This is definitely a day one pick up for me!

The only annoyance I find is when you get stuck on a team of idiots. Getting stuck in a squad of snipers (who don't even bother to spot tag enemies) is a royal pain in the arse. It usually means you can spawn miles away from the objective back at base, or miles away from the objective on top of a cliff with three snipers. It's rewarding when your tactics and intelligence prevail though. Oh, and it's fun to clear a building of snipers using just your knife because they've no idea what's going on around them. I love the Recon class, I just wish people would use it better. :p

Metacritic has put up the Game Informer review for BF: BC2 -

Not content to settle for second place, DICE throws down the gauntlet with Bad Company 2, delivering its best multiplayer package since Battlefield 2 and a remarkably improved single-player campaign that openly mocks its rival while cribbing from them at the same time. [issue#203, p.84]

:o

Yea I got stuck on an attacking team with 5 snipers on the same hill and 2 medics with them..

HAHA yeah I am getting that A LOT too now, and it sucks too because I quit sniping since I maxed it out, but last game they made me so mad that I went back to sniper and owned the fools...

post-119661-1265558464488_thumb.jpg

Metacritic has put up the Game Informer review for BF: BC2 -

:o

NICE !!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • You literally have to do it on a desktop, which is incredibly annoying in our mobile-first world. What???
    • What part of "you can’t really depend on service providers to maintain features forever" is not clear enough?
    • Nope. That lack of surround sound capability (analog) won't fly with me. Sure, I use headphones most of the time, but still.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
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