Whaaaaaaat ... Battlefield 4

[sc0tt]

I've been playing shooting games since the dawn of time.

I can turn on COD and top tables without much of an issue. But battlefield 4? WTF

I am getting hammered. I play a game and can regularly not get a single kill. I've had the game since it came out but only learnt about battlepacks yesterday. I'm level 8 but turn it off because it is so frustrating. What am I doing wrong?

I tried hiding and I tried run and gunning. Nothing works.

Can someone add me ... scott m 87

Just so I can follow you around.

Also is it worth buying the map packs? I appear to have 10 out of the 50 million available.

[TommoAE86]

From watching the video's it seems being in a squad is key... and practice practice practice My brother played it alot before Destiny came out, he seemed to move quite abit, then he got good with a sniper rifle.

[Squirrelofwoe]

sc0tt said:

I've been playing shooting games since the dawn of time.

I can turn on COD and top tables without much of an issue. But battlefield 4? WTF

I am getting hammered. I play a game and can regularly not get a single kill. I've had the game since it came out but only learnt about battlepacks yesterday. I'm level 8 but turn it off because it is so frustrating. What am I doing wrong?

I tried hiding and I tried run and gunning. Nothing works.

Can someone add me ... scott m 87

Just so I can follow you around.

Also is it worth buying the map packs? I appear to have 10 out of the 50 million available.

Very different game to COD (or at least the last versions of COD I played)- running & gunning focusing just on yourself is likely to see a lot of the re-spawn screen. I found the following 3 bits of advice incredibly useful:

1) Get in a squad- even if you don't know the people in it, as long as at least 2 of them look like they are working together (easy to to identify from when observing from the squad spawn menu), keep spawning on one of them them and stick with them. Help them out dropping ammo or medpacks, plus reviving where safe to do so and they will usually respond likewise. It doesn't matter if you aren't on comms with them, few people will mind having a stranger in their squad who is doing useful stuff!

The benefit of this is you will often be able to engage enemies who are engaging other members of your squad- you can then kill those enemies (while not being shot) and then revive any casualties in your squad. Or if you are the one taken down, you will have a higher chance of being revived by your other squad members. Anytime you can engage with a numerical advantage you increase the odds of winning and (providing at least one member is a medic) surviving- it only needs one squad member with de-fibs to survive and get the entire squad back on its feet again.

2) Play the objective, rather than worry about individual kills/deaths. It can feel an odd concept particularly coming from COD, but there are so many other ways to score points (which will in turn unlock loads of useful kit etc) and help your team win. It is a far more team-focused game than COD, so keep this in mind. Hence why you can see people with appalling kill/death ratios topping the scoreboard at the end of a round.

What you will find however, is that as you stop focusing on your own k/d performance you will get more in tune with the game mechanics and the maps and your own performance will naturally increase as a result. Trying to improve focusing solely on k/d ratios however is a hiding to nothing in BF4.

3) Learn to love the minimap! The minimap really is king, check it constantly. Always be on the lookout for the position of enemy markers on the minimap and plan/adjust your progress accordingly. The easiest way to win a fire-fight with someone is to be the one who shoots first- and the easiest way to ensure this happens is to use the minimap to make sure you get the drop on them.

It also helps you avoid walking into ambushes, avoiding the common 'meat-grinder' areas on certain maps that will see you killed my grenade/machine-gun fire spam, and lets you outflank the opposition. Little is more satisfying than getting round the back of half the enemy team...

Also be aware of your own mini-map presence. I personally use suppressors on every weapon that will take them- purely because it prevents you showing up on the map when you open fire, this more than offsets the range drop in my opinion. It doesn't mean playing the game with a stealth mind-set, but keeping yourself off the minimap will help enormously.
So to sum up: scout, and try not to be scouted!

There are a million and one other things to consider, but for me they are the 3 biggest things to focus on when starting out. I am not the greatest player by any stretch, but concentrating on the above improved my game ten-fold, and I can usually finish a round nearer the correct end of the scoreboard!

All that being said, I have not played for a few months and haven't played regularly for nearly a year so if DICE have since released new patches that have entirely changed the mechanics of the game then feel free to disregard any of the above!

[S3_Graham]

The tips above are good. Its a million times better than COD imo. Ref the squads, use them and even if you dont follow them about it means you get a more forward spawn point. Very good point made about forgetting your K/D. Many times i've topped the leaderboard with about 4 kills/20 deaths. Its all about capturing points.

This may sound counter intuitive but use 'hardcore' mode.

the mini map gives away far less, people die quicker and I generally just find it easier! Its much more fun also, so much so that I cant play normal mode anymore.

[sc0tt]

Squirrelofwoe said:

sc0tt said:

I've been playing shooting games since the dawn of time.

I can turn on COD and top tables without much of an issue. But battlefield 4? WTF

I am getting hammered. I play a game and can regularly not get a single kill. I've had the game since it came out but only learnt about battlepacks yesterday. I'm level 8 but turn it off because it is so frustrating. What am I doing wrong?

I tried hiding and I tried run and gunning. Nothing works.

Can someone add me ... scott m 87

Just so I can follow you around.

Also is it worth buying the map packs? I appear to have 10 out of the 50 million available.

Very different game to COD (or at least the last versions of COD I played)- running & gunning focusing just on yourself is likely to see a lot of the re-spawn screen. I found the following 3 bits of advice incredibly useful:

1) Get in a squad- even if you don't know the people in it, as long as at least 2 of them look like they are working together (easy to to identify from when observing from the squad spawn menu), keep spawning on one of them them and stick with them. Help them out dropping ammo or medpacks, plus reviving where safe to do so and they will usually respond likewise. It doesn't matter if you aren't on comms with them, few people will mind having a stranger in their squad who is doing useful stuff!

The benefit of this is you will often be able to engage enemies who are engaging other members of your squad- you can then kill those enemies (while not being shot) and then revive any casualties in your squad. Or if you are the one taken down, you will have a higher chance of being revived by your other squad members. Anytime you can engage with a numerical advantage you increase the odds of winning and (providing at least one member is a medic) surviving- it only needs one squad member with de-fibs to survive and get the entire squad back on its feet again.

2) Play the objective, rather than worry about individual kills/deaths. It can feel an odd concept particularly coming from COD, but there are so many other ways to score points (which will in turn unlock loads of useful kit etc) and help your team win. It is a far more team-focused game than COD, so keep this in mind. Hence why you can see people with appalling kill/death ratios topping the scoreboard at the end of a round.

What you will find however, is that as you stop focusing on your own k/d performance you will get more in tune with the game mechanics and the maps and your own performance will naturally increase as a result. Trying to improve focusing solely on k/d ratios however is a hiding to nothing in BF4.

3) Learn to love the minimap! The minimap really is king, check it constantly. Always be on the lookout for the position of enemy markers on the minimap and plan/adjust your progress accordingly. The easiest way to win a fire-fight with someone is to be the one who shoots first- and the easiest way to ensure this happens is to use the minimap to make sure you get the drop on them.

It also helps you avoid walking into ambushes, avoiding the common 'meat-grinder' areas on certain maps that will see you killed my grenade/machine-gun fire spam, and lets you outflank the opposition. Little is more satisfying than getting round the back of half the enemy team...

Also be aware of your own mini-map presence. I personally use suppressors on every weapon that will take them- purely because it prevents you showing up on the map when you open fire, this more than offsets the range drop in my opinion. It doesn't mean playing the game with a stealth mind-set, but keeping yourself off the minimap will help enormously.
So to sum up: scout, and try not to be scouted!

There are a million and one other things to consider, but for me they are the 3 biggest things to focus on when starting out. I am not the greatest player by any stretch, but concentrating on the above improved my game ten-fold, and I can usually finish a round nearer the correct end of the scoreboard!

All that being said, I have not played for a few months and haven't played regularly for nearly a year so if DICE have since released new patches that have entirely changed the mechanics of the game then feel free to disregard any of the above!

Wow thanks for the response buddy.

I have only plpayed rush and "armed" a station yesterday and got 400 points.

It does seem kills play a small part of this.

[Squirrelofwoe]

sc0tt said:

Wow thanks for the response buddy.

I have only plpayed rush and "armed" a station yesterday and got 400 points.

It does seem kills play a small part of this.

Rush is a good mode for practicing the principles as it is a bit more 'structured' - i.e. whether defending or attacking you know more or less which direction the bulk of the enemy is going to be coming from. On the flip side though it can be trickier to perform decent flanks, meaning the games can sometimes be a bit more 'meat-grinder-ish' (that is a new word).

Conquest gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of out-maneuvering the opposition, bit consequently it is also a lot easier to be outmaneuvered on! It's very easy to spend a bit of time valiantly capturing an outpost, only to find the one behind you has been immediately re-taken and you get completely cut-off...

Generally I prefer playing rush if playing solo and squadding up with randoms, but if playing with mates on comms then Conquest is a lot more rewarding/fun.

As a side note, team-death-match is an easy way to have some quick COD-style fun (and is great for unlocking weapon attachments at the same time), but for me, Rush & Conquest are the bread & butter of BF and are by far the most fun!

[chuntington101]

I went through the exact same thing about 15 months ago. its a totally different game and you CANT play it like COD!

Try holding back and supporting you team until you get used to the maps and the way it plays a little.

By the way what platform are you on? its much better if you can get on with some other PHs and get used to shouting to each other.

[matt173407]

As above being in a good team is key and not doing the run and gun, I would start as Assault with medkit and defribs to start racking up points. Operation locker is a good map for medic just hang back a bit and learn the map. Do not give up if you die a lot it takes time and patience but well worth it once you get to grips IMO

[sc0tt]

chuntington101 said:

I went through the exact same thing about 15 months ago. its a totally different game and you CANT play it like COD!

Try holding back and supporting you team until you get used to the maps and the way it plays a little.

By the way what platform are you on? its much better if you can get on with some other PHs and get used to shouting to each other.

I'm on an xbox one

gt: scott m 87

Let me know if anyone fancies a game later

[chuntington101]

sc0tt said:

I'm on an xbox one

gt: scott m 87

Let me know if anyone fancies a game later

Sorry mate I'm on the PS4.

[MattyB_]

Following up on the teamplay:

Spot, spot, and spot some more. Yeah, most of the time you're not getting the kill, but spotting someone has them light up like a beacon on the MM or people's screen - perfect for snipers around the map or the rest of your team.


Personally, I hated CoD, but loved BF. I'm too old for twitch shooters and prefer the more tactical approach to BF.

[Jasandjules]

As above. This is not CoD. This is the battlefield. Maps are massive, vehicles are involved.

If possible spawn into a tank then switch to the gunner seat. You can then see what goes. Also in this case run with the "repair tool" and jump out now and again to repair the damage..

Learn the maps. It takes time but you will soon learn good places to move to etc

Open ground is not for you. Stick to walls/buildings for a while.

[Nom de ploom]

i found with BF that playing the longer games helps initially despite the chaos - you have longer to build your XP and yes SPOT!!!! you get rewards and ribbons for your squad and team actions.

i liked Squad DM or custom 200-300 kill TDMs youll build up your XP and unlock bigger and better stuff more quickly

[confucuis]

I think 90% of being good at BF4 is map knowledge. Knowing where an enemy might be, where he could appear or flank you, where you can flank them, where there might be a good vantage point while capturing a point. If you can learn those things, the points and kills will begin to be raked in.

[Hoofy]

Stick to one TDM map. Live it, dream it, keep playing it until you're at the top of the board.

I love the Battlefield series and hardly touch rival games.

Love working as a team, too.

[sc0tt]

Hoofy said:

Stick to one TDM map. Live it, dream it, keep playing it until you're at the top of the board.

I love the Battlefield series and hardly touch rival games.

Love working as a team, too.

I've found a conquest server that only plays a single map lasting an hour long. Will keep at this for a while.

Seemed to do ok in the vehicles downing some air support but flying a jet appears to be a waste of time.

[Squirrelofwoe]

sc0tt said:

I've found a conquest server that only plays a single map lasting an hour long. Will keep at this for a while.

Seemed to do ok in the vehicles downing some air support but flying a jet appears to be a waste of time.

I think Conquest & Rush gives you better opportunities for overall leveling up and practicing the fundamentals of learning the maps, using the minimap etc. There is simply so much you can do- all of which earns XP!

TDM maps are small condensed versions of the Conquest & Rush maps, and are pretty good for trying out weapons and unlocking gun attachments as you are likely to get more kills (and deaths!) in a shorter time due to that being the focus of the game-mode, i.e very COD-esque.

(For BF3 there was a DLC called 'Close Quarters' which was pretty much the perfect blend of Conquest & TDM- Conquest style game mode on smaller, infantry focused maps. I absolutely loved this, and would have loved to have seen a similar thing for BF4).

As for the jets, I think they are one of the hardest things to break into as a beginner. The fact is you will normally be up against experienced jet pilots (some of whom might not play anything else in BF4- think 200+ hours of only air combat!), and not only will they be extremely skilled in the flight/combat mechanics, they will also have every jet unlock/upgrade available to them where you will have nothing!

And because the biggest threat to a (skilled) jet pilot is other jets, and there is generally only 1 fast jet per side on a lot of maps, they are simply going to wipe the floor with a beginner pilot the moment you take off. Add to this the added complication of you having to deal with ground-based AA threats (with minimal counter-measures as you haven't unlocked much yet), and your life expectancy will be pretty minimal. This all means you simply don't get enough flight time to either get more skilled or unlock the things that will make it easier!

Obviously you will sometimes come up against other air 'noobs', but I think at this stage of the game's life cycle this will be rarer & rarer.

You can of course learn the basics of flying in the 'Test Range' (which lets you try out most vehicles/weapons etc with no enemies), but without enemy jets this is really only about 5% of jet flying so is of limited use. It depends how important it is to you and how much you want to persevere with it.

For me I rarely use vehicles full-stop, I absolutely love that they are a part of the game but apart from using transports to get across the map I just prefer to be fighting on foot. I have far more fun destroying enemy vehicles on foot than I do driving tanks etc, so I just let others get on with that side of the game!

Edited by Squirrelofwoe on Tuesday 29th September 11:46

[chuntington101]

I recommend find some other PH and 'hangiong' with them when playing. You will quickly learn the layout of maps and also the danger locations. Plus, if you are on chat, you will be able to work as a team.

[Maikeeh]

Changing the controller layouts for jets and helicopters was a massive help for me. I can't remember the setup name, but I have pitch and roll on the left analogue stick and yaw on the right. Mashing the 'spot' button in the enemies' general direction helps too.

[Asterix]

Forget BF4, try Arma 3 - much easier.