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I understand this is the beta but holy crap on the map glitches/clipping (PS3 version). A lot of players are taking advantage of this bug and camp under the map. I've been killed this way so many times, especially near the A m-com.

As for teammates playing CoD style, very true. Last game I was in, there were so many running around trying to find enemies to kill that it left holes in defense to let them through. Hopefully the experience will be better if my friends were on at the same time.

I have been in games from both sides, one where everybody backed everybody else up (on a PS3 with no mics) and we ran through metro it was seemed like 5 mins.

Then later that night a team full of deserters, in a 12x12 game I could only see me and two others defending.

Still on the fence I have it pre-ordered and just hope they make it a bit harder to kill people, I am killing way to many people compared to my BF2 days and I am worried I am getting a "unload the full mag" syndrome.

there is a suppresor for lens flare if you preorder you get it apperently, dunno about later buyers

Flash suppressor is a barrel attachment that just reduces the flash when you fire the gun. Not flash from other peoples lights. And I know it was a hot topic before because people thought those things would be exclusive to that pack but every other gun in the game has all the same exact attachments.

How you get invited to Caspian Border? I really want to play that one.

You can't anymore. They shut all the servers hosting that map down.

Also, WTF is with this crap falling under the map. I thought they fixed that?? I was just in a map and I kept sinking down just standing there.

I like the lens flare, though, it does need adjusting as it's very bright in very dark places which is unusual. The tactical flashlight is annoying if many of your team mates have it as they like to look at you and blind you, haha. Really wanted to play the other map but disappointed they shut down the servers before anyone really had a good go at it. :(

Anyone?

My brother gets random crashes while playing BF3. He's using the beta drivers from ATI though he hasn't figured out what the problem is on his side. I do think that it might be the drivers though.

Ok, can not get this game to play more than 10 min without freezing up. Did a complete re-install of Windows. Loaded the bare minimum to play this game still the same. Have no issues any other games.

Win7 64bit, i7 920, XFX Ati 5850 black edition 6 gb ram. I tried the beta drivers and release drivers from Ati no change. Any ideas?

You know it really needs to be said...

DICE and EA really, really dropped the ball here with this Beta.

All this talk of going head to head with MW3, and they release a Beta that has way, way to many issues (granted I did not see many with my brief time playing it, but obviously plenty of people did).

It literally is dumbfounding to me.

They have been in this game long enough to know gamers are among the most fickle consumers out there, and first impressions mean everything.

People no longer take the word Beta for what it is meant to represent. In their eyes, this is a representation of the final product.

So they have really, really hurt themselves with this Beta. They truly have.

Ultimately it is no real skin off my back, I am going to play the game and enjoy it regardless, but they should have known better. Really is as simple as that.

Most of the issues happening in the beta have already been fixed. I'm working with http://battlefieldo.com and we've had several chances to speak on TeamSpeak and in-game with zh1nt0 and some DICE developers, due to their interest in playing with the community on their free time. You guys are making a big deal out of the beta, which it initially is/was a month old beta build.

Most of the issues happening in the beta have already been fixed. I'm working with http://battlefieldo.com and we've had several chances to speak on TeamSpeak and in-game with zh1nt0 and some DICE developers, due to their interest in playing with the community on their free time. You guys are making a big deal out of the beta, which it initially is/was a month old beta build.

If this is a month old then why are we playing it and why is EA sending me emails asking for my Feedback?

QMqOF.png

EA and DICE just jerking us around? - Hey we want your feedback, oh everything you say is irrelevant as we've already fixed all your complaints and you're playing a month old copy of the game. This just makes me p***ed off.

This isn't a beta this is a glorified demo. And a poor one at that.

  • Like 2

If this is a month old then why are we playing it and why is EA sending me emails asking for my Feedback?

QMqOF.png

EA and DICE just jerking us around? - Hey we want your feedback, oh everything you say is irrelevant as we've already fixed all your complaints and you're playing a month old copy of the game. This just makes me p***ed off.

This isn't a beta this is a glorified demo. And a poor one at that.

(Y)

Started the Battlefield Veterans Platoon. Gonna invite some friends but I like the social aspect of it.. Emblem editor is cool. You can do some cool stuff (nothing super complex) but it works ok.

http://www.bozzified...ts/060422e1.png

That's a pretty cool image. Did you make it yourself? Also, I sent an application to that platoon. (Y)

Anyway, people shouldn't join the servers with more than 32 slots. See here:

We are aware that a number of servers have appeared and are running game modes and player counts that have not currently been seen. Please try to remain on official servers.

Official servers run the following configuration

Max Players: 32

Map: Operation Metro

Mode: RUSH

Please avoid temptation and remain on these official servers while we work to have these servers dealt with.

Playing on those servers can cause your account to become compromised, stats to be altered or other issues to arise which may lead to having your account banned by EA.

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/forum/threadview/2826564925948154637/

If this is a month old then why are we playing it and why is EA sending me emails asking for my Feedback?

QMqOF.png

EA and DICE just jerking us around? - Hey we want your feedback, oh everything you say is irrelevant as we've already fixed all your complaints and you're playing a month old copy of the game. This just makes me p***ed off.

This isn't a beta this is a glorified demo. And a poor one at that.

You are making ridiculous assumptions. Just because the build is a month old does not mean all feedback is irrelevant...

You really think they'd release a demo where everyone falls through the ground? What DICE is trying to say, and what people refuse to understand is a beta build is NOT representative of the final. Of course bugs are fixed between the beta and final build.

You know it really needs to be said...

DICE and EA really, really dropped the ball here with this Beta.

All this talk of going head to head with MW3, and they release a Beta that has way, way to many issues (granted I did not see many with my brief time playing it, but obviously plenty of people did).

It literally is dumbfounding to me.

They have been in this game long enough to know gamers are among the most fickle consumers out there, and first impressions mean everything.

People no longer take the word Beta for what it is meant to represent. In their eyes, this is a representation of the final product.

So they have really, really hurt themselves with this Beta. They truly have.

Ultimately it is no real skin off my back, I am going to play the game and enjoy it regardless, but they should have known better. Really is as simple as that.

The thing is, even if we're supposed to be reporting bugs...it's a waste of time. The "beta" build we're playing is outdated by as little as several weeks and as much as several months(when was Gamescomm?). And I've heard that they've fixed around 200+ bugs in their release build from what I've read. I don't know if that's true, but given that they did this exact same thing with BC2 I would believe that it is.

So if it was meant to be an actual beta test then it fails because we're playing an outdated version of the game. And if it's meant to be a demo it fails because it was so buggy it was giving a lot of people bad impressions from the game. Although it's much better after they sent the terrain glitch hotfix out to server providers.

So yeah, it's like you said, you'd think they would have learned how to do it by now.. I don't think this game will have nearly the fallout that MoH did, but certainly some people will choose not to buy the game because of this beta demo.

The thing is, even if we're supposed to be reporting bugs...it's a waste of time. The "beta" build we're playing is outdated by as little as several weeks and as much as several months(when was Gamescomm?). And I've heard that they've fixed around 200+ bugs in their release build from what I've read. I don't know if that's true, but given that they did this exact same thing with BC2 I would believe that it is.

So if it was meant to be an actual beta test then it fails because we're playing an outdated version. And if it's meant to be a demo it fails because it was so buggy it was giving a lot of people bad impressions from the game. Although it's much better after they sent the terrain glitch hotfix out to server providers.

They mainly need to test the servers, the backend, the leveling system, and battlelog. The beta is less about the client and more about the new stuff battlelog introduces. How are people not seeing this?

They mainly need to test the servers, the backend, the leveling system, and battlelog. The beta is less about the client and more about the new stuff battlelog introduces. How are people not seeing this?

That may be true, but nowhere is that stated. Nowhere have they said "we need feedback on the battlelog, leveling systems, and servers". It's just here's the beta, post on the battlelog forum, have fun.

And even still, as we saw in BC2, server stability and latency problems can change from patch to patch, so if we're not playing the latest version of the game it's still kind of pointless to give feedback on things that will definitely change after release.

I'm having fun playing, but I really don't get what they're after with this beta thingy.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
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    • 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.
    • Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
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    • I actually got to use one of those so called "backup codes" once. It was for a customer, I choose the backup code option, and by the grace of god, they actually hade them printed out. Imagine my surprise, when after using the backup code, Google then told use we had to enter a code they just sent to the gmail address we currently did not have access to. I was not amused, Google backup codes should be the end all get out of jail free card, because you had to have access to the account to even get them.
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