A new Battlefield 3 Armored Kill server side patch will be released later today. It will fix some issues and tweak gameplay. The main changes affect the Gunship in Armored Kill, which will now have a 60 second spawn delay regardless of server spawn settings. This is because some servers with modified vehicle respawn times made it difficult to capture the flag controlling the gunship. The gunship in the Rush mode has also been tweaked.

The new patch also fixes some bugs, like improved server stability and a fix to the radio beacon exploit where players could spawn on the roof of buildings not meant to be included in games. You can find the full patch release notes here.

If you’re still not excited about the Armored Kill DLC, the launch trailer will surely put you over the top. Armored Kill is already out to Premium members on the PlayStation 3 and will be rolled out over the next few weeks to everyone else. Check out the full release schedule here. DICE has also released a patch along side the DLC, which brings a ton of weapon and vehicle tweaks. You can find the full patch notes here.

With the release of Armored Kill, DICE will also be releasing a general Battlefield 3 patch. The patch will mostly focus on weapon and vehicle tweaks in preparation to the new DLC. Here are the full patch notes:

WEAPONS BALANCING

Reload timer adjustments
A number of weapons have had their reload timers adjusted to better fit their animations and gameplay balance. For most of these weapons the gameplay timers were slightly out of sync with the actual reload animation, meaning the player could either fire before the animation was done, or had to wait longer than the animation played. Primarily this is a cosmetic change (around 0.1sec); however for a few weapons (M416, F2000, FAMAS, KH2002, MK3A1, JNG90, MG36 QBU-88, SVD, Pecheneg, SCAR-H, AN-94) this should also improve the performance of the weapon. Full details below:
• Short and Long reload reduced: SCAR-L, AEK-971, F2000, AN-94, AK-74, PP2000, G3A3, SKS, MG36, JNG-90, MK3A1, SCAR-H, SVD, QBZ-95B
• Long reload reduced: AUG A3, 44 Magnum, KH2002, Pecheneg, L85A2, QBB-95, M1911, MP7
• Short reload reduced: M417, FAMAS, M39 EBR, M416, PP-19, QBU-88
• Short and long reload increased: ASVal
• Long reload reduced, shot reload increased: M4A1
• Long reload increased: P90
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Battlefield 3 Armored Kill DLC is just around the corner, and DICE have released a quick flythrough video showcasing the map. It’s great to see Battlefield 3 get a proper winter/snow map, even if it looks a lot like Skyrim. Or rather, it looks like Skyrim was supposed to look like, with much more advanced graphics. We can imagine Alborz Mountains becoming one of the most popular Armored Kill maps in the future. DICE has an in-depth blog post here with tons of behind the scenes details on the map, how it was made, etc. It’s definitely worth a read.

EA has revealed the release dates for Battlefield 3 Armored Kill, the third downloadable content pack for Battlefield 3. Since PlayStation 3 owners get early access, and so do Premium members, there are several different dates. In fact, there are 4 different release dates for Armored Kill, depending on what platform you play on.

• Regular release date: September 25 on PC and Xbox 360 (non Premium)
• Regular release date for PS3: September 18 (non Premium)
• Premium subscribers on PS3: September 4
• Premium subscribers on PC and Xbox 360: September 11.

Yep, it’s just as confusing as it looks. Either way, we’re glad to finally have a solid release date (or 4) for Armored Kill.

Armored Kill is coming next month and we’re getting more and more details about the new DLC. We have a brand new video from EA’s Summer Showcase from GotGame, interviewing Battlefield 3 Armored Kill lead designer Niklas Faulknor. There isn’t much new info though, we hear the same lines of “biggest maps ever”, new vehicles like mobile artillery, and some more details on the AC-130 gunship. Players can spawn on the gunship and man the cannons, or parachute down to the battlefield. On the question on Battlefield 4, Fauknor simply said “it’s gonna be exciting”.

EA has dropped the brand new Battlefield 3 Armored Kill trailer, showing off the upcoming DLC. We get to see some of the new vehicles in action, including tanks, buggies, and the much anticipated AC-130 gunship. And we get to see the huge maps of Armored Kill, including snow maps. While the previous DLC, Close Quarters, didn’t resonate much with the hardcore Battlefield fans, Armored Kill should be their cup of tea: huge maps, lots of vehicles, lots of action.

We’ve got some more footage from Battlefield 3 Armored Kill from E3, this time, it’s an on stage preview done by G4, accompanied by an interview with DICE’s Patrick Bach. The gameplay footage this time features a map called Caspian Sea according to Bach, who also said it’ll be the biggest map in the history of Battlefield. Bach said about the upcoming DLC:

“With Armored Kill, we got back to our roots, with really big maps, plenty of vehicles, the classic Battlefield formula — we’ll have the biggest maps ever built in a Battlefield game”

Bach also confirmed that Armored Kill will feature 6 new vehicles, including the ATM, two mobile artillery vehicles, two light tanks, and the AC-130 gunship. Also, not all game modes will be available for Armored Pack, and the DLC will not include any new weapons — only vehicles and game modes such as the new mode “Tank Superiority”. Armored Kill will be released in September.

Battlefield 3 Armored Kill won’t be out until September, but already we’re getting a ton of info on the expansion here at E3. EA showed Armored Kill behind closed doors at E3, running a map called Bandar Desert, which featured new vehicles such as ATVs, mobile artillery, and new, light-armored and faster tanks. There’s also a tank superiority mode, which wasn’t detailed at this point. Armored Kill will also introduce over 20 upgrades for tanks and armored vehicles.

Regarding the AC-130 gunship, it’s accessed by capturing and holding a specific control point on the map. However, the AC-130 cannot be flown, and instead automatically circles the control point. The AC-130 has no pilot, but seats 4 people: two gunners manning 125mm cannons, and two gunners manning the anti-air guns to protect against enemy jets and helicopters. The AC-130 also doubles as a mobile spawn point, but cannot be repaired against damage, which means it can be shot down by enemy ground and air forces. Head on after the break for some Armored Kill gameplay footage. READ ON »

The massive AC-130 gunship was a big surprise for many players when it was spotted in the Battlefield Premium trailer, some didn’t even believe it was real. Now we know it’s real: the Battlefield 3 AC-130 gunship will be part of the Armored Kill DLC, which will also include some of the biggest maps in the Battlefield franchise. The first Battlefield 3 AC-130 screenshots have leaked, showing the gunship, a map, and the user interface/view when inside the gunship. It’s unknown if the player will control the gunship itself, whether it’ll fly on autopilot, or if a dedicated pilot is required and a teammate manning the guns. We’ll have to wait and see. Head on after the break for a couple of screenshots. READ ON »