Battlefield 4 gets netcode improvement patch

Following the launch of their Community Test Environment (CTE), Dice and EA have released a Battlfield 4 netcode improvement patch for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. The update will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One later this week.

The updates were developed using the CTE, and are as follows:

High Frequency Network Update

“For the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms, we are adding something we nicknamed the “High Frequency Bubble”. Within a certain radius of the player, we add the possibility to update the clients at a higher rate from the server. What this essentially means is that the server will update the client on what is happening more often than before. This normally results in a smoother, more “correct” player experience.”

This update is turned off by default, and the setting will have to be enabled. There are three levels – low, medium, and high – which you can select based on the speed of your internet connection. On PC, the server owners are responsible for enabling the feature.

Network Update

Below is a video of the High Frequency Bubble being tested.

Update – Full Details

Improved/reduced explosion induced camera shake
Character collision improvements
Fix to reduce object damage mismatch between client/server
Fix explosion packs not being able to be shot sometimes
Improvements for client side packet loss
Client crash fixes
AMD Mantle multi-GPU improvements
Carrier Assault game mode reports bug fix
High Frequency Network update
- Added High frequency “bubble” updating player movement, stance, rotation, damage and projectiles at a separate rate on foot and in vehicles
- Added option to control client side update rate setting

PlayStation 3

Improved/reduced explosion induced camera shake
Rental server bug fixes
Character collision improvements
Reduced object damage mismatch between client/server
Fix for explosion pack not being able to be shot sometimes
Improvements for client side packet loss
Added controller option to swap functionality of the bumper and trigger buttons
Carrier – Invisible walls stopping bullets fix

Xbox 360

Improved/reduced explosion induced camera shake
Rent A Server bug fixes
Character collision improvements
Reduced object damage mismatch between client/server
Fix for explosion pack not being able to be shot sometimes
Improvements for client side packet loss
Added controller option to swap functionality of the bumper and trigger buttons
Physics optimisation for Naval Strike Wave Breaker rocks
Carrier – Invisible walls stopping bullets fix
Fix for issue where clients with low bandwidth would not be able to enter squad menu

PlayStation 4

Improved/reduced explosion induced camera shake
Rental server bug fixes
Character collision improvements
Fix to reduce object damage mismatch between client/server
Fix explosion packs not being able to be shot sometimes
Improvements for client side packet loss
Added controller option to swap functionality of the bumper and trigger buttons
Physics optimisation for Naval Strike Wave Breaker rocks
Carrier – Invisible walls stopping bullets fix
High Frequency Network update
- Added High frequency “bubble” updating player movement, stance, rotation, damage and projectiles at a separate rate on foot and in vehicles
- Added option to control client side update rate setting

Xbox One

Improved/reduced explosion induced camera shake
Rental server bug fixes
Character collision improvements
Fix to reduce object damage mismatch between client/server
Fix explosion packs not being able to be shot sometimes
Improvements for client side packet loss
Added controller option to swap functionality of the bumper and trigger buttons
Physics optimisation for Naval Strike Wave Breaker rocks
Carrier – Invisible walls stopping bullets fix
Fixed issue when using standby in Campaign
Fixed issue when using standby and reconnecting to game servers
Fixed issue with snapped application and matchmaking
Playgroup Matchmaking fix
Fixed incorrect error message for lost Xbox Live connection
Fixed issue for user name mismatch in rental server, ingame scoreboard and Squad Join menus
High Frequency Network update
- Added High frequency “bubble” updating player movement, stance, rotation, damage and projectiles at a separate rate on foot and in vehicles
- Added option to control client side update rate setting

Dice ended by saying: “This is the first release to contain CTE-tested “Netcode” fixes and improvements. We are still hard at work with additional improvements and tweaks to better our network experience that did not make this release. We hope to utilise the Community Test Environment for future release to ensure quality and stability across all platforms.”

Are these fixes a bit late? Share your thoughts in the comments and forum.