Battlefield 3 loading times

[gms1975]

On multiplayer battlefield 3, it seems like it takes forever to load a map if I choose to join one, and sometimes it never loads. If I just hit the button for quick action, I'm loaded and playing within a minute. Why is this?

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Try the BF3 forums...

All the best Brett

 

[Eldd]

Hi

Try the BF3 forums...

All the best Brett

Brett, don't take this personally mate, but every single post I've seen from you lately contains the same message "Try the game's forums..."

Really now, if you don't have anything useful to say, refrain from posting then, people who ask for help in here really don't care about you increasing your post count for a forum title or a badge.

It's just pathetic.

 

[avi1231]

On multiplayer battlefield 3, it seems like it takes forever to load a map if I choose to join one, and sometimes it never loads. If I just hit the button for quick action, I'm loaded and playing within a minute. Why is this?

Not sure about the quick match as I haven't used that, but it does also take quite a while with the server browser and I have a pretty solid system. I haven't actually had it not load. What are your system specs?

 

[HEXiT]

if you have a system with 4 or less gigs of ram then the game will take some time to load especially if you dont have a raid setup. the reason is that bf3 will load all textures on a per map basis. if you have more than 4gig its supposed to store some of the textures ad-hock in ram to cut down on load times between maps. starting a new game will likely always be slow though...
solutions. get more ram (8 gig seems to be the sweet spot for the game) or raid your hdd or get a ssd.

 

[gms1975]

I have 8gb or ram already and it's just the maps other than the quick action ones that are doing it, the quick action ones load fast.

 

[gms1975]

My specs are i5 2500k
xfx 7970
1.5tb ssd
8gb vengeance ram

 

[casualcolors]

As hexit said, if you repeat the same map the 2nd 3rd and all loads from there on forward will be quick loads, by comparison to the first due to the texture caching.

To minimize the issue of initial map loads, putting the game on a Raid 0 setup or SSD is about all you can do to help alleviate it. The maps occasionally not loading was something that happened to me way back when BF3 first released, and only on rare occasions. I can't say I've had it happen since the end of oct/first week of november though. Don't doubt you, just saying it's far more uncommon now than it was.

 

[HEXiT]

you may need to go into the config files to enable texture caching. you will have to go to the bf3 forums for info on how to do this.

 

[13thmonkey]

Brett, don't take this personally mate, but every single post I've seen from you lately contains the same message "Try the game's forums..."

Really now, if you don't have anything useful to say, refrain from posting then, people who ask for help in here really don't care about you increasing your post count for a forum title or a badge.

It's just pathetic.

Well said

 

[13thmonkey]

I'm a little surprised by the quick match vs non quick match speeds. I'm going to try that.

It could be that you are getting onto smaller maps with quickmatch?
The non connecting problems is common, i get it about 1 in 50 matches (its rare enough that i'm surprised when it happens), others I know its probably 1 in 10. we've not figured out the differences.

 

[Brett928S2]

Brett, don't take this personally mate, but every single post I've seen from you lately contains the same message "Try the game's forums..."

Really now, if you don't have anything useful to say, refrain from posting then, people who ask for help in here really don't care about you increasing your post count for a forum title or a badge.

It's just pathetic.

Hi

Oh I dont take it personally, lol

The reason I usually give that answer is twofold....

The "Forums"... be they BF3 or Pogo or COD etc are where the experts on that particular game are...the experts in bulk I mean...

Secondly, the Op in whichever request should have realised that and if they follow my advice ...then NEXT time they will A, get advice faster from the correct place, and B, not waste peoples time here...

All the best Brett

 

[casualcolors]

Hi

Oh I dont take it personally, lol

The reason I usually give that answer is twofold....

The "Forums"... be they BF3 or Pogo or COD etc are where the experts on that particular game are...the experts in bulk I mean...

Secondly, the Op in whichever request should have realised that and if they follow my advice ...then NEXT time they will A, get advice faster from the correct place, and B, not waste peoples time here...

All the best Brett

By your logic there shouldn't be a Games forum on Tomshardware then.

That aside, BF3 is a triple A title and one of the most played titles in the world at the moment. Odds are you can find good input on any gaming-oriented forum. Perhaps the reason people come here with questions about it is that the caliber of contributor is, in general, better in their eyes.

 

[Brett928S2]

By your logic there shouldn't be a Games forum on Tomshardware then.

That aside, BF3 is a triple A title and one of the most played titles in the world at the moment. Odds are you can find good input on any gaming-oriented forum. Perhaps the reason people come here with questions about it is that the caliber of contributor is, in general, better in their eyes.

Hi

I realise you are a BF3 player but my point stands....

Pogo is a perfect example...and we dont see any answers here for POGO users...

Plus the name of this site, tends to make me think ...hardware and the software to run it...

And yes there are "some" gamers here (including you and I) but nowhere near as many as on a particular games forum...

I answer the questions to help people, if you find insulting people like myself enjoyable just becasue we dont do things "Your" way, please carry on....

All the best Brett

 

[casualcolors]

Hi

I realise you are a BF3 player but my point stands....

Pogo is a perfect example...and we dont see any answers here for POGO users...

Plus the name of this site, tends to make me think ...hardware and the software to run it...

And yes there are "some" gamers here (including you and I) but nowhere near as many as on a particular games forum...

I answer the questions to help people, if you find insulting people like myself enjoyable just becasue we dont do things "Your" way, please carry on....

All the best Brett

I'm not sure if you've ever looked at the list of forums and subforums on this site, but there is a subforum for graphics, cpu, and peripherals. So everything that the site name makes you think of is already covered in other forums.

And so far no one has insulted you. Eldd made an observation and you're taking it personally because you already know that he's right.

I just assumed that you were trying to jack up your post count for some reason but if you actually believe that you're making helpful posts, you're not. Telling someone with a question about BF3 to go to the BF3 forums before anyone here has an opportunity to attempt to answer their question, is about as useful as your mechanic telling you to check the manual the next time you need to replace a master cylinder.

 

[avi1231]

Hi

Oh I dont take it personally, lol

The reason I usually give that answer is twofold....

The "Forums"... be they BF3 or Pogo or COD etc are where the experts on that particular game are...the experts in bulk I mean...

Secondly, the Op in whichever request should have realised that and if they follow my advice ...then NEXT time they will A, get advice faster from the correct place, and B, not waste peoples time here...

All the best Brett

That's a terrible assumption. I have tried before getting a bit of help on the BF3 forums and there is a guy over there that runs around trying to help everyone. The overall issue with asking on a game's provided forums is that the majority of gamers aren't that awesome with computers. I've met tons and tons of gamers that don't even understand what the command prompt is.

If I believed I had a software issue causing a problem for BF3 I probably would ask over there but especially for a hardware issue I'm inclined to ask here.

Cheers

 

[13thmonkey]

By your logic there shouldn't be a Games forum on Tomshardware then.

That aside, BF3 is a triple A title and one of the most played titles in the world at the moment. Odds are you can find good input on any gaming-oriented forum. Perhaps the reason people come here with questions about it is that the caliber of contributor is, in general, better in their eyes.

well said

 

[13thmonkey]

I'm not sure if you've ever looked at the list of forums and subforums on this site, but there is a subforum for graphics, cpu, and peripherals. So everything that the site name makes you think of is already covered in other forums.

And so far no one has insulted you. Eldd made an observation and you're taking it personally because you already know that he's right.

I just assumed that you were trying to jack up your post count for some reason but if you actually believe that you're making helpful posts, you're not. Telling someone with a question about BF3 to go to the BF3 forums before anyone here has an opportunity to attempt to answer their question, is about as useful as your mechanic telling you to check the manual the next time you need to replace a master cylinder.

Well said

 

[13thmonkey]

That's a terrible assumption. I have tried before getting a bit of help on the BF3 forums and there is a guy over there that runs around trying to help everyone. The overall issue with asking on a game's provided forums is that the majority of gamers aren't that awesome with computers. I've met tons and tons of gamers that don't even understand what the command prompt is.

If I believed I had a software issue causing a problem for BF3 I probably would ask over there but especially for a hardware issue I'm inclined to ask here.

Cheers

and a third well said.

Brett, you've some computer shops from what you've said on other posts. would that be your response to people that brought stuff in 'Its the games fault' or 'Its Microsofts fault' you've been posting at about 30/day for a month and a bit (last time I checked).

The pogo thing is slightly different I feel, people are coming here to try and get us to stop payments from their CC from Pogo, to uninstall a game from their account that kind of thing. Not to help isolate a problem with their specific installation on game that 100's of people on here with similar configurations are running. I'll often give people the google search query to look up where to find drivers, this does actually help them to fish. especially as they have already written those words in the question itself.

 

[Brett928S2]

and a third well said.

Brett, you've some computer shops from what you've said on other posts. would that be your response to people that brought stuff in 'Its the games fault' or 'Its Microsofts fault' you've been posting at about 30/day for a month and a bit (last time I checked).

The pogo thing is slightly different I feel, people are coming here to try and get us to stop payments from their CC from Pogo, to uninstall a game from their account that kind of thing. Not to help isolate a problem with their specific installation on game that 100's of people on here with similar configurations are running. I'll often give people the google search query to look up where to find drivers, this does actually help them to fish. especially as they have already written those words in the question itself.

Hi

In my computer shops my employees are taught to give "BEST ADVICE"... which basically means BE HONEST....evn if it costs the company (me) money...

As an example...if we test a laptop or PC and the motherboard is blown (capacitors etc) and the repair cost exceeds the value of the machine, we are honest and tell the customer that....

Now although it costs us money in the short term, it pays for itself long term in recommendations from those customers who feel that have been dealt with fairly....

Maybe the problem some of you have with me is twofold...one is I am NOT American , I am English and sometimes words and phrases are understood in a different way, and two , I am a Professional in the Computer business and have been for many many years (I am 59 by the way) whilst a fair number of you here are not Pros...

Thats not an insult by the way, its just a different attitude....example....someone comes here and wants say a cpu/mobo combination for say $150.. and people start advising them to buy an I5 , WHEREAS I as a Pro listen to what they said ($150) and advise differently....

Regarding posts, I own another Forum and am a Moderator on two large forums in the UK, I have no interest in post counts and I spend as much time on my other forums as here....its just something I do whilst I am doing my various businesses paperwork in the evenings...

If You and the others do not want me here, or have a major problem with the way I post, I am sure a Moderator could ban me if they feel the same as you....maybe you dont want Pros here ?

All the best Brett

 

[casualcolors]

Hi

In my computer shops my employees are taught to give "BEST ADVICE"... which basically means BE HONEST....evn if it costs the company (me) money...

As an example...if we test a laptop or PC and the motherboard is blown (capacitors etc) and the repair cost exceeds the value of the machine, we are honest and tell the customer that....

Now although it costs us money in the short term, it pays for itself long term in recommendations from those customers who feel that have been dealt with fairly....

Maybe the problem some of you have with me is twofold...one is I am NOT American , I am English and sometimes words and phrases are understood in a different way, and two , I am a Professional in the Computer business and have been for many many years (I am 59 by the way) whilst a fair number of you here are not Pros...

Thats not an insult by the way, its just a different attitude....example....someone comes here and wants say a cpu/mobo combination for say $150.. and people start advising them to buy an I5 , WHEREAS I as a Pro listen to what they said ($150) and advise differently....

Regarding posts, I own another Forum and am a Moderator on two large forums in the UK, I have no interest in post counts and I spend as much time on my other forums as here....its just something I do whilst I am doing my various businesses paperwork in the evenings...

If You and the others do not want me here, or have a major problem with the way I post, I am sure a Moderator could ban me if they feel the same as you....maybe you dont want Pros here ?

All the best Brett

It's interesting that you mention that the way you say things might be understood differently by someone regionally similar to you.

I think what Eldd was getting at though was just more information with a post like "check the bf3 forums". When I read that it seems completely off the cuff to me as well. If you had told them to check the BF3 forums in a particular sub forum due to this reason and that reason, it wouldn't seem like you were just giving vague directions. Personally if I was a novice with troubleshooting the game and someone directed me to their forum in general, I'd likely end up in the general folder trying to get an answer to my question while being bookended by kids with a negative lifetime KDR bickering about how overpowered the AEK is or isn't.

The sad fact is that even though the game's actual forums should have the most accurate and up to date information, they often don't. That or it's impossible to find at times. If you don't believe me, try to get a technical question answered on the WoW forums. Their company employees don't even know how the damn game works, let alone the players haha.

In any case though if you were giving the short responses because you thought that the reasoning behind them was implicit, that's cool. It just doesn't read that way. Probably part of that is due to the fact that most internet forums are veritable intellectual wastelands so anyone reading them is ready to be skeptical of the sincerity of any person on them.

 

[Brett928S2]

It's interesting that you mention that the way you say things might be understood differently by someone regionally similar to you.

I think what Eldd was getting at though was just more information with a post like "check the bf3 forums". When I read that it seems completely off the cuff to me as well. If you had told them to check the BF3 forums in a particular sub forum due to this reason and that reason, it wouldn't seem like you were just giving vague directions. Personally if I was a novice with troubleshooting the game and someone directed me to their forum in general, I'd likely end up in the general folder trying to get an answer to my question while being bookended by kids with a negative lifetime KDR bickering about how overpowered the AEK is or isn't.

The sad fact is that even though the game's actual forums should have the most accurate and up to date information, they often don't. That or it's impossible to find at times. If you don't believe me, try to get a technical question answered on the WoW forums. Their company employees don't even know how the damn game works, let alone the players haha.

In any case though if you were giving the short responses because you thought that the reasoning behind them was implicit, that's cool. It just doesn't read that way. Probably part of that is due to the fact that most internet forums are veritable intellectual wastelands so anyone reading them is ready to be skeptical of the sincerity of any person on them.

Hi

I will take your word on how bad the BF3 forums are...I have never been there as I wont play BF3 until it appears on Steam (if ever)

I see your point on that particular forum, but I give the same advice on ALL games as its time efficient for me to do so and GENERALLY that advice "should" help the questioner....

I still find it difficult to understand why a player of ANY game would come here to Toms first rather than the games forums...maybe its too long since I was an amateur...

All the best Brett

 

[13thmonkey]

the 'amateurs' collectively have experience of a wider range of systems and niggles that they have experienced, either in that particular game or across many games than any particular studio, or sub forum for a particular game.

By the way also from the UK.

 

[neal0790]

Its that stupid web browser they use. It does take along time to load a map from scratch. But if your in a game and the next round starts it takes 1/4 of the time. Its just because everytime you leave a game it shuts the whole game down. Its easier just to hit the windows button go to the broswer while your in a lobby and choose a new game. Seems to take half the time to load. I used to play all the time on my ps3 and its amazing how you can get into a game in 10 seconds but takes 2 minutes on the pc.

 

[casualcolors]

Its that stupid web browser they use. It does take along time to load a map from scratch. But if your in a game and the next round starts it takes 1/4 of the time. Its just because everytime you leave a game it shuts the whole game down. Its easier just to hit the windows button go to the broswer while your in a lobby and choose a new game. Seems to take half the time to load. I used to play all the time on my ps3 and its amazing how you can get into a game in 10 seconds but takes 2 minutes on the pc.

It's also amazing how there are more textures to load in the PC version and 64 player maps. And if you don't believe me, put BF3 on an SSD and look at the load times by comparison. The reason every repeat map loads fast is b/c of the texture caching.