Rocking around the Battlefield Christmas Tree sporting the winter tree charm and the Freedom sticker. Yeah, it's true. For me, the little things really are what gives life a kick in the right direction.
There are those who complain about the unlocks and free gifts available in Battlefield 6 and I don't really understand where they are coming from. What do these people truly want? What do they expect? Do they want a free t-shirt or maybe a brand new car? How about a cookie and some milk? I suppose maybe I don't know what motivates people, but I think these things are a fun addition to the game.
In any case, keep the charms and stickers coming! I dig 'em.
Say hello to my little friend the Nomad CX-12 climbing axe!
Today's rounds of Battlefield 6 were extremely enjoyable. I did not run into any crashes, disconnects, or visual glitches. Everything ran smoothly and the all of the players seemed to be acting in PTFO mode. It was truly enjoyable.
And, finally, I was able to unlock the much desired climbing axe that was the final unlock of the Winter Offensive event. It took a lot of grinding to get there, especially considering the problems that were encountered after the event content and it's related patches were released. Things appear to have settled down now and today was a great day for playing.
Thanks go out to the Battlefield developers for whatever fixes they have applied to both the client and server software. Since there didn't appear to be a download for today, I can only assume that maybe some backend server work has been completed. It is also possible that things just lined up nicely and there were no updates over the past 24 hours. I don't know and probably do not need to know. The good news is that I had a great time playing today.
While these fixes address the issues seen by those on PC, the developers state that they are working towards December 15th for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the EA app hotfix. Stay tuned!
I am currently downloading the roughly 217MB hotfix and sipping coffee. While this patch is claimed to address the issues listed above, I was playing late last night and the menu system was working normally for me. There was probably a server side patch that enabled the menus to work again prior to today's patch. Glad to see a client side update to address some of the other issues. There was still a problem with oversized hitboxes in the firing range last night. Hoping that today's hotfix takes care of that one as well.
Well folks... It looks like my download is complete and I am ready to jump in and see how things play today. Comment below if you've had issues with the game and note whether this latest hotfix has impacted your experience.
The Elite Tournament was supposed to be the Battlefield team's big show to let everyone know that Battlefield is a serious player in the world of esports.
Likely resulting from the software problems that were encountered with the "Winter Offensive" content and the patches that had been released just one day prior to the tournament, the Battlefield REDSEC Elite Series has been postponed.
The development team states that the disruption was "due to an unforeseen technical issue that impacted the integrity of the competition" and they will provide updates after the start of the new year. It is unknown, by me at this time, whether the technical issue to which they refer was part of the December 8 "Winter Offensive" update or if there was something more.
The developers have released an official statement (see link below) with a sincere apology to the contestants and everyone who was interested in the game series. Their statement says they will provide updates to the situation "in the new year." ...so, it sounds like the problem might not be immediately fixable. If they don't already have it figured out, it's probably best not to rush things at this point. It's time to step back, regroup, replan, and redeploy.
I commend the developers on their transparency and wish the development team the best. Let's hope that the problems are easily remedied and we can all get back to having a good time very soon.
Battlefield 6 was running solid and providing awesome gaming fun after an initial patch to the new weapon mechanics was released shortly after launch to address a few problems with precision and recoil. The team even dropped welcomed new content with the "California Resistance" package and provided entertaining new challenges with cool rewards as part of the Red Bull Challenge event. This was all delivered with great success as part of the promised content drops for this season. Everything was great and people were raving online about this new version of Battlefield. Some folks were even saying, "Battlefield is Back!"
Then, on December 8th, they dropped the latest patches and some new content that had been promised. This new package was called "Winter Offensive."
Oh, my... everything felt like it had fallen apart and many people declared that DICE/EA had destroyed the game with so many new bugs and glitches. Some players found the new problems to have rendered the game unplayable. The menu system, for example, was so scrogged that you would most often need to exit and restart the entire game if you wished to get a new match going. Many fans also reported frame stuttering and other broken mechanics. Myself, I ran into "invisible hands" and a thermal scope that showed nothing but a big black circle.
Example of "Invisible Hands" Glitch
People are rightly angry. But, I'm not so bothered by the surprises. I just find it hard to believe that the team decided to release this build. There seems to be no explanation for why they didn't know the menu was so badly broken. It wasn't an isolated or rare occurrence. It was not limited to a fringe set of players with "barely in spec" equipment. I can understand (maybe) that they missed some of the other bugs... maybe... but the menu issues are quite prominent and can't be missed.
It was a large download. Seems like probably every dev changed some code. I can't help but wonder if some coders had "great ideas" to improve their code and just checked it in without good reason. It would be interesting to know if the development team performs requirements tracking along with integration, regression, and robustness testing. Are the reports being reviewed? Are people feeling the heat in the office after this release? I wouldn't like to see anyone get into serious trouble, however. After all, everyone makes mistakes. Yet, clear communication of expectations and a process review seem due. The process is supposed to help catch the mistakes that will inevitably occur.
Did I mention that people are angry? Hah! The Battlefield internet is blowing up. Reddit folks are losing their minds.
It is understandably difficult to believe that AAA game devs would allow something like this to happen in 2025. In any case, I wish them the best and hope that the problems are easily remedied and we can all get back to having some fun on the Battlefield.
After a long time without playing any FPS games, I was having difficulty with weapons and aiming in the new Battlefield 6. Naturally, I assumed that I was very rusty and really needed to "get in there" and get accustomed to the controls, game mechanics, and the mindset that it takes to get good.
Long story short, after a very successful beta, it turns out that the Battlefield team slipstreamed in an entirely new weapon system just prior to the official product launch. After the Battlefield internets exploded with complaints and video clips to back up the assertions, the BF6 team acknowledged that there was a bug within both the projectile dispersion mechanics and the recoil handling system. Naturally, this raises some questions regarding how well these new systems are tested before being included within the officially released builds.
The good news is that they fixed the problem quickly and I'm actually glad that it happened. The aiming issues caused me me to pay more attention to weapon handling and the impact of attachments. I spent more time than ever testing attachments and practicing aim within the in-game firing range.
But, still... it seems very odd to change a foundational system AFTER the beta and just before the official release. More testing would have been the best move. They could have delivered the updated mechanics at a later time. I realize this isn't safety critical software, but a gaming company's reputation should be considered critical to that company's bottom line.
Anyway, try out the new Battlefield 6. You can download the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC today and get started for no cost. You might just like it. Take care and have fun out there.
The NVIDIAGeForce RTX 2080 Ti will create an enormous multiplayer gaming advantage. With the advent of Real-Time Ray Tracing, the astute gamer will notice that they will be able to "see around corners" and even know what is going on behind them if they pay attention to reflections and shadows.
The amount of detail given in reflections from glass, metallic surfaces, and puddles (yes, puddles) will not only provide a level of immersion never before seen, but those extra details will grant the most strategic players an ability to maintain "situational awareness" to a degree previously unobtainable. This will give the RTX user a true advantage over those who have not yet adopted this amazing technology.
Will some cry foul and say this isn't fair? Possibly. It has happened before. But, over time, the new technologies will become ubiquitous and everyone will eventually be on the same level.
...of course, it is inevitable that there will be users who early-adopt the next big advancement and the cycle will continue (as it should)...
Take a look at the video below for some examples of how Real-Time Ray Tracing will affect multiplayer gaming strategy. The new Battlefield V game is soon to be released and it takes advantage of the stunning capabilities of the GeForce RTX 2080 family of graphics cards from NVIDIA.
Another advantageous angle on what this new technology brings to the world of gaming is the freeing up of an incredible amount of development time (and budget) that game developers can, instead, devote to story and artistic realization. Once this technology becomes truly ubiquitous, developers will no longer need to spend hundreds of hours trying to get the lighting to look "just right" for most situations. With real-time ray tracing, developers will be able to set some "true" light sources and then let the RTX engine do the rest of the work in real-time. Amazing!
The NVIDIAGeForce 2080 Ti will not only boost gaming to new levels, it will create huge opportunities for graphic artists and movie makers. I cannot wait to see what Blender 3D and other modeling tools will be able to do with a real-time ray tracing engine such as this. I am very excited about this new generation of graphics cards.
This is an important point in the evolution of computer graphics. I am excited to see the incredible things people will be able to do with even a modest home computer. Warm up your rending skills because the future is about to get even more creative!
After nearly 10 years in development, the NVIDIARTX technology will make possible things that we cannot even imagine today. The future is not tomorrow. The future is now!
My hat is off to NVIDIA and to their new Real-Time Ray Tracing technology. I really hope that I get the chance to use this new graphics card in the near future.
Search for GeForce RTX 2080 family of graphics cards on Amazon and NewEgg.
Battlefield 1 - Live Gameplay Benchmark using GTX-660 + FX-8350
Can the GTX-660 and the FX-8350 provide enough power to drive Battlefield 1 at Full HD (1920x1080) resolution with Ultra settings? The answer is a resounding yes!
This video captures Battlefield 1 Live Gameplay with MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server providing a nice, clean benchmark session running at 1080p against the GTX660 3GB GPU from 2012. This four year old graphics card is being hosted by an 8 core FX8350 of nearly the same vintage running at 4GHz with 16GB of RAM.
Quick Results:
~60 fps during prerendered cut-scenes
~30-40 fps during most gameplay
~20-30 fps during intense onscreen action gameplay
This card is also more than capable of handling Full HD (1920x1080) gaming at high settings for nearly every game out there. This is the resolution at which I do most PC gaming at this time. In this video, Battlefield 1 is running at 1080p with ULTRA settings. Yes! Ultra settings!
Also, if you are desiring to work on a 4K desktop then the GTX-660 is still very relevant! It will definitely do the job. I have been using this graphics card to support my desktop applications for quite some time.
NOTE: NVIDIA Shadowplay was used to capture the test and this tool had an inevitable impact on the test results. FPS counts were roughly 10% higher without Shadowplay running but the difference was not significant enough to alter the expected gameplay experience. ...well, maybe...more on that at another time.
The video linked on this page was created primarily to support research into GPUs and to capture a baseline by which to compare anticipated computer upgrades.
The live statistics seen in the upper left of the screen during the benchmark tests were made possible using MSI Afterburner and the RivaTuner Statistics Server. NOTE: RivaTuner installs with MSI Afterburner.
Skookum Valley Gaming will be receiving a brand new MSI GTX-1080 Gaming X GPU very soon and we are eager to see exactly how much performance was gained by this acquisition.
There is also some curiosity arising as to whether or not the FX-8350 will bottleneck the MSI GTX-1080. The procedures used to generate the GTX-660 baseline will be used to determine if bottlenecks are present in the newly upgraded system.
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The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And, oh! How the mighty have fallen! Watch as this majestic airship, once used as an instrument of war, falls gracefully from the sky onto the battlefield below.
These airships once gave an enormous tactical advantage to both attackers and defenders. Their main weakness lies in their inability to move quickly enough to evade anti-aircraft fire. They also provided a rather large target area and were known for their incredible flammability.
Tragically, many civilians were lost during times of peace as these early aircraft, often referred to as zeppelins, went up in flames and took many innocent lives with them. We at Skookum Valley Gaming have the deepest respect and sympathy for those whose lives have been affected by such tragic loss. This footage is from a video game based in World War I (WWI).
Thanks for visiting. Feel free to share this video and if you liked it, be sure to smash that like button, subscribe to the channel, and comment in the comment box!
All you have to do is choose your platform, provide your email address, and enter the product code from the Monster Energy packaging. The promotional codes for your chosen platform will be provided to you instantly via a pop-up window. There is no need to worry if you accidentally close that pop-up window, however, because the platform codes will also be sent to your email account shortly after you have entered the product codes into the website.
If you enjoy Monster Energy drinks and you like to play Battlefield then you are going to LOVE this deal. So, go grab a case of Monster Energy today and start opening up those free Battlepacks. Below is a short video demonstrating just how easy it is to redeem those codes!
Connect your favorite console game controller to your PC the easy way! Watch the video in the link below and learn how to connect your PlayStation 4 DualShock controller to your PC and start playing great games like Battlefield1 on your PC today!
If you are like me and have been playing console games almost exclusively for many years, you may have found that making the transition from using a gaming controller to using a keyboard and mouse can be troublesome. There is definitely a learning curve.
Solve all of your problems with this one simple trick!
Get ahead of the curve and back into the action by simply connecting one of your existing console controllers to your PC. You can connect virtually any modern game controller to Windows by using a simple software application called DS4Windows.
If you are transitioning from Xbox to PC then the transition will be even smoother since Windows 10 natively supports the Xbox controller. Earlier versions of Windows will need a driver, however.
If you wish to connect a PlayStation 4 controller to PC, you will need to take the extra step of downloading and installing DS4Windows. This marvelous application will make your PS4 controller look like the Xbox One controller to Windows. It's that easy!
Just download the package from DS4Windows.com, unzip the archive and run the setup. The first time it runs it will ask a couple of questions such as where you would like to install your controller profiles. After that, it is good to go!
Eventually, becoming accustomed to the keyboard and mouse controls will have its advantages. But, if you just want to get gaming right away then grab your controller and let's get started!
REQUIRED HARDWARE: ►PlayStation 4 (PS4) Dualshock ►USB cable to connect controller to PC *Bluetooth can be used if your PC supports it
Although the DS4Windows software supports both Bluetooth and USB connectivity, it is recommended that you begin the process by first connecting via USB. After you have established that the software and controller are working correctly together, go ahead and try out Bluetooth!
REQUIRED SOFTWARE: ►DS4Windows if using PS4 DualShock controller on Windows 10
*Xbox 360 drivers are required if your PC is running an older version of Windows
BACKGROUND
Windows 10 already has built-in support for the Xbox 360 controller. This shouldn't be too surprising since the Xbox is basically a special purpose PC which runs Direct X. By the way, that also happens to be where the Xbox gets the the "X" in its name.
Because Windows 10 already supports the Xbox controller, you should be able to plug that controller directly into your PC using the appropriate USB cable and it should work without extra effort. If you are using an earlier version of Windows then you will need to download and install the appropriate driver. DS4Windows will take care of this for you when first launched.
If you wish to connect your PS4 Dualshock controller to your PC, this will require an extra piece of software. The required application is called DS4Windows and its job is to make Windows think your PS4 Dualshock controller is actually the Xbox 360 controller. I found this software and all of the instructions at the DS4Windows website (http://www.ds4windows.com).
At first, I was hesitant to install software from what I considered to be an unknown source. However, after some careful research, I arrived at the conclusion that this software is safe when downloaded straight from the source. It is strongly encouraged that this software be downloaded ONLY from ds4windows.com to ensure the authenticity of the package you are downloading.
Check out the video in the link below to have a look at the website and get a feel for what is needed to connect your PlayStation controller to your PC!
HOW TO DO IT
I was going to create a step-by-step tutorial to cover this but the DS4Windows website has a very simple and complete step-by-step guide. There is even a link to a related video on that website if you wish to see what the software looks like when first launched. My recommendation is to go directly to the DS4Windows website and check it out. Everything you need to know is right there.
NOTE: I strongly recommend using DS4Windows instead of other input mapping software because DS4Windows is proven safe and does not have any built-in advertising or associated bloat-ware.
This video contains Battlefield 1 gameplay that was made possible by using a PS4 controller on PC. Prior to connecting the console controller to the PC, gaming on PC was painful for me. Using the PS4 game controller on PC has brought me back into the competition and made gaming on the PC fun again!
I hope this video has helped someone else and perhaps even inspired another console player to try out gaming on PC.
Connecting a console controller to PC will definitely make things easier!
After clearing that evil squad from their hiding place behind the rocky outcropping, I failed to notice that another player had mysteriously spawned behind the guy I had just terminated.
The squad was not truly wiped!
Adding insult to injury this newly spawned player decided to lay upon the ground and snipe me from behind. After taking a few shots and with only 14% of my health remaining, I decided to go for broke and run this menace into the ground.
It almost didn't work...almost. ...I got him. :0)
This brief video was captured shortly after connecting a PS4 DualShock 4 controller to my PC. Most of my gameplay in the past years has been almost exclusively on the PlayStation (both PS3 and PS4). Recently, I decided to try out Battlefield 1 on PC. That was mostly because I could try it out for 10 hours before release thanks to the Origin Access Early Trial offering.
Suffice it to say, the WASD control paradigm was giving me some grief. I was doing nothing but losing. Knowing that skill with WASD comes from hours of practice and only having 10 hours to try out the game, it was time to get practical. So, I did some Googling and found an easy way to connect my PS4 DS4 Controller to my PC and BAM! I'm back in the game and have become a force to be reckoned with!
The making of this video was a brutal trial-by-fire. Although the overwhelming majority of my recent gaming action has been on consoles (Atari2600, NES, PS2, PS3, and PS4), I have many years of PC based gaming under my ever-widening belt.
Much of my historical gameplay experience has included the use of the seemingly ubiquitous WASD based keyboard control paradigm. Alas, none of that experience helped me today when I tried to play the early release "Free Trial" of Battlefield1 that has been made available through Origin Access.
To say the least, it was a slaughter and I was the sacrificial animal. All my gaming experience was rendered useless and I was reduced to less-than-noob status on the Battlefield. I simply could not move fast enough with the keyboard and mouse controls. This interface is not sufficiently intuitive to me at this point and movement required too much thought. Too be an effective player, movement has to be second nature. A moment's thought needs to translate into immediate muscle movement.
Many people say, and I do believe, that over time and with much practice, the WASD/Mouse movement system will not only become intuitive, it will be a faster and more precise interface. It will certainly be worth the effort to pursue perfection on this route but there is clearly a long road ahead of me.
The epic beat-down which was laid upon me today was captured in all of its sticky glory and is linked below for all the world to see. If you are like me and have been playing console games almost exclusively for many years, you might know the pain that put this gamer's ego back on the ground today.
Worry not! For I will overcome this infusion of humility and return to fight another battle. The BF1 war is not over! We will fight them on the beaches. We will fight them on the streets. We will fight them with growing confidence and growing strength in the air! We will never surrender!
To some it may be a mystery. To others it may be stunningly obvious. This video is for people like me who sometimes forget the more simple things in life...
UPDATE: It looks like many laptop gamers are having issues with BF1 and/or DirectX 12. I'm currently looking for a more satisfying solution to the problem but so far the answer appears to be to choose "Borderless". This setting will give you what is maybe a pseudo-fullscreen. It basically maximizes the windowed view and removes the border. You will be stuck with whatever resolution and refresh rate is default in your Windows desktop, however.
The original post below will help you find where to to switch the game view between "Windowed, Borderless, and Fullscreen."
ORIGINAL POST:
So you've just downloaded Battlefield 1 or any other PC game and you can't figure out how to make it go full screen. You've clicked everywhere in the game's window frame looking for something that will allow you to switch to full screen. But, you find nothing.
You've then search the Origin, Steam, or U-Play interfaces to see if there is some hidden configuration variable that you need to switch...some inconspicuous checkbox that went unchecked. You've even searched the Internet looking for answers. Yet, despite all of your efforts, you have found nothing.
Well, search no more!
Here's a little something that should help you solve this perplexing conundrum...
The solution is right there in the game itself. On the top row of the Battlefield 1 main menu, you should see a tab called "More". Click this tab and you will see a number of cards; one of these will be labeled "Options" and has an icon that looks like a gear. Click on this card and you will be presented with links to the "Audio" and "Video" settings.
Select "Video" and you will be taken to the screen on the left. The topmost setting on this screen is called "FULLSCREEN MODE". What you need to do from here is just click the side arrows and scroll until you find the option you want. This attribute will cycles through three options labeled WINDOWED, BORDERLESS, and FULLSCREEN. My most preferred setting is FULLSCREEN.
Even thought this setting appears to be located exactly where most people would expect it to be, it seems that I forget this almost every time I get a new PC game. That's why I made this blog post and the associated video. Hopefully, the next time I need to be reminded to check the game's internal video settings so that I can go full screen, maybe I'll stumble upon my own posts and get the answer (and the healthy dose of humility) that I need.
Below is a video which will walk the viewer through the steps necessary to switch the game from "windowed" to "full screen" mode.
I've run into this many times when downloading games from Origin, Steam, U-Play, or wherever else. The fact that I've struggled with this so many times and forgot what to do in between probably points out that I do not play enough games on PC. Yes, I am mainly a console player. Still can't quite get the whole "WASD" thing. :-p
From spawn to post muerte, this video captures one of the more epic moments of battle that I have encountered while playing the Battlefield 1 beta. This may be a taste of things to come with the upcoming release of Battlefield 1 from game-makers EA DICE.
I spawn into the game near the train station at D-Flag. The battle is already hot and heavy! Because there are tanks and other enemy vehicles in the vicinity, I immediately lay down some anti-tank (AT) mines. This turns out to have been a good move even though the effort did not save my own life.
After dropping the mines, I run around the railroad cars and find myself facing a heavily armored tank. There is little I can do but throw some anti-tank grenades at it and run for my life.
You will, however, see me try to shoot the tank in a futile attempt to finish off the damage and disable the vehicle. Eventually, I run for cover in the direction of the mines I had placed earlier (hoping to lure the tank to its demise).
I take heavy damage but manage to survive the battle with this particular tank. But the glory is short lived as I am quickly run over by another armored enemy vehicle. The battle was not quite lost, however.
The tank which ran me over continued to drive around the railroad cars and eventually drove over my AT mines. All on-board the vehicle were lost along with someone standing nearby. I'm not sure that more than four people could have been in that particular tank at one time.
Either way, my single death resulted in 5 enemy deaths. And that, my friends, is how to play the game!
Walked into some heavy Battlefield 1 action near the antenna tower at C flag and immediately set some anti-tank (AT) mines. Started taking heavy damage from bullets and poison gas so I ditched it near a wall hoping to recover some hit points before someone noticed me.
As I got up and made my way over to some nearby cover, I see one of the enemy vehicles return to the area. Luckily, they ran right over one of my AT mines and the entire vehicle was destroyed. There were no survivors.
This action landed me my first 4X multikill in Battlefield 1. It was awesome to see because I was not expecting to take out that many enemy soldiers at once.
So far my experience with playing the Battlefield 1 beta has been truly great. If anything, it has convinced me to pre-order the full game. The pre-order option that I chose will allow me to access the game a few days early. The game is going to be released to the public on Friday October 21, 2016. With the pre-order, I will be able to start playing on Tuesday October 18, 2016!
I was driving my vehicle rather erratically and ended up crashing into a stash of bombs in the Ammo Depot at the G-Flag. The resulting explosion caught me so off guard that I dropped a G-Rated F-Bomb!
Oh, my goodness! This game is awesome and DICE has definitely paid attention to detail. I was not expecting that they would code the game with such logical precision that running into a stockpile of ammunition with a vehicle would lead to total destruction of the vehicle and a premature death.
It stands to reason that driving directly into a pile of bombs would be dangerous and ill-advised but it's something that previous game developers seemed to have allowed to occur all of the time. I guess it's time to stop assuming I can do careless things and not have to pay the price. Those days are long gone with the introduction of Battlefield 1 and this version of the Frostbite engine.
My hat is off to the folks staying up late at night and working long hours over there at EA DICE. Thank you for this glimpse at what appears to be an epic new game. If the full release lives up the the impact of the beta then you can bet your sweet jeep that I'll be staying up late on many, many nights battling for the wins with the awesome community that has grown up around this fantastic franchise!
Here's a quick BF1 video which begs the question, "Was this a great shot with the rifle on horseback or did I simply pull off a WW1 era Han Solo Lucky Shot?"
This Battlefield 1 multiplayer beta gameplay video opens with my soldier riding in on horseback with a barrage of tracer rounds whizzing by his ears. Upon nearing the flag, I see a sniper off in the distance. While still in the process of drawing a quick bead on the distant shooter, I squeezed the trigger and pulled off an amazing single-shot kill.
I believe that the enemy had already been hit by other gunfire and had their health points reduced prior to my shot but, still, it was awesome to see the sniper fall after a single, well-timed, rifle blast. The rewards displayed on the HUD tell the full story.
The rendering and game mechanics realized in the horses is simply amazing. The action is smooth and the horses are incredibly realistic. It's almost like playing a remastered version of Red Dead Redemption that somehow stumbled upon the Battlefields of the First World War! Did I mention that this game is tons of fun? I've only been able to play on one map and I'd gladly go back to the same map right now if I could. But, like most everyone else, I will have to wait patiently until the release date later in October of this year. ...in the meantime, I'll be surfing the YouTubes looking for more BF1 gameplay videos.
