This thread is still under construction. Feel free to post however.
Author's note: The many "Official" Threads I've encountered, seemed to be overloaded with texts, videos, etc. I will like to cut down as much as I can on that, so that it is something that can actually be read completely.
Hello, and welcome. This thread was made for the purpose of informing fresh recruits interested about the game, and getting together all the returning devil dogs of "B" Company here in preparation for the release of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on March 2nd for the US, and March 5th for the EU.
Author's Summary
The Bad Company series is a spinoff from the main Battlefield franchise. PC players will most likely notice the differences, mainly the smaller scope and concentration of the Bad Company series, in comparison to the main franchise.
However, Bad Company still holds many similarities with its mother franchise. Like previous Battlefield games, it is multiplayer centric and players should buy this game with single player campaign as something secondary. The map and gameplay are still based on the philosophy of giving players a sandbox environment with many vehicles, open spaces, and buildings, but with objectives directing the player's concentration, effort, teamwork, and bullets together. There is a heavy emphasis on teamwork, with a single organized squad usually being able to turn the tide against a disorganized team. Team work is encouraged through the inclusion of 4 classes, each very distinct with its own weaknesses and strengths, allowing no man to be an effective lone wolf.
Bad Company's main and unique feature however, is its use of destructible environments. Bad Company 2 uses an improved Frostbite Engine and features "Destruction 2.0". In contrast to the first game, most buildings are able to be destroyed completely as part of "macro-destruction". While in the first Bad Company one could only destroy entire walls, fences, barriers, etc, in Bad Company 2, as part of its "micro-destruction" one can drill open a small hole through a barrier and shoot through it, retaining the cover of the object.
All these gameplay features, combined with beautiful graphics, effects, and especially sound, Battlefield allows you to experience cinematic war experiences out from scripted and controlled single player, and into the natural and chaotic multiplayer.
Key Features
Huge Multiplayer Maps. Each with a different tactical and gameplay focus and set across a variety of environments
Ultimate Online Vehicle Warfare! 15 land, sea and air vehicles, each with a tactical advantage during play. Race into action with the ATV or rain death from above in the UH-60 transport helicopter with its 2 side-mounted rail guns
All-new Squad Gameplay. Team up with 3 other players and fight together to unlock special awards and achievements in 2 squad-specific game modes
Destruction 2.0. Take down entire buildings, create firepoints in cover or blow it up entirely! In Battlefield Bad Company 2™ there will be no place to hide!
‘Play It Your Way’ experiment and refine your ideal combat style with 4 character classes (medic, assault, recon and engineer), 15000+ kit variations, 46 weapons (200 different customization opportunities), 15 gadgets and 13 character specializations.
Awards and Achievements, combat efficiency and performance is rewarded with special awards such pins, stars and insignias which contribute to unlocking 50 ranks
From dense jungles to snow-torn mountains, the intense single player campaign follows a more experienced and mature 'B' Company on a daring new mission in an attempt to stave off a new World War.
Single Player (to be updated. Information and bio come from Bad Company 1)
Main Characters
Preston Marlowe (Player)
I’m Preston Marlowe.
You know, when I grew up all I ever wanted to be was a soldier. Runs in the family, I guess. My dad was in Vietnam. My grandfather fought the Nazis. Me, I just couldn’t wait to get out there and fight for truth, justice and the American way.
The reality of life in the Army didn’t really hit me until they shipped us to Europe. And as it turned out, war can be pretty boring. At least when you’re stuck at a base in the middle of nowhere waiting for orders. I had to do something to distract myself, right? And if I had landed that chopper just a few yards to the left nobody would even have noticed…
Haggard
Media
Video:
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - First Look
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Squad Stories 1
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Squad Stories 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Battlefield Moments EP 1
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Battlefield Moments EP 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Battlefield Moments EP 3
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - The Beta Announcement Trailer
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Arica Harbor Gameplay
Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Port Valdez Demo Gameplay
Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Panama Canal Gameplay
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Squad Deathmatch Developer Walkthrough
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Squad Rush Mode
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PC Walkthough Trailer
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Demo Tutorial Video
Battlefield Bad Company 2 Celebrity Tournament
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/battlefieldbadcompany2
Current score: 90
Special Offers
Limited Edition
Price: Same as a regular edition, $60.
Release Date: Same as regular edition, March 2nd for US and March 5th for EU.
Do I have to reserve/pre-order to get the Limited Edition? No, but that's the safest way to ensure you get one since there will be a limited supply.
Can I get the unlocks featured in the Limited Edition if I miss out and can only get the Standard Edition? Yes, won't have the same day 1 advantage. You'll have to play through game and get the unlocks the standard way.
Where can I get the Limited Edition? DICE intended to sell it at as many retailers as possible, but it depends on where you live and how much your retailer wants to stock up. Once they're sold out, only the Standard Edition will be available.
Why don't I see the Limited Edition showing up at my favorite online retailer? It's up in some place like EA.com and will start to appear everywhere else. This is a busy time of the year and retailers are working hard to get this in place and it will be available both online and in-store.
Is the Limited Edition available on all three platforms? Yes: PC, PS3 and X360.
Comes with:
Four vehicle warfare unlocks
- Improved Vehicle Armor – An up-armor package is mounted on all vehicle types, decreasing the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.
- Supreme Vehicle Firepower – Additional weapon packages are mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expanding the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.
- Vehicle Motion Sensor – Use this electronics warfare package to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.
- Tracer Dart Pistol – This magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allowing squad members to track, lock on, and fire rockets onto moving targets even beyond line of sight.
Two classic Battlefield 1943™ weapons
- M1A1 Submachine Gun – Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is a powerful force in the hands of any Battlefield veteran.
- M1911 Pistol – Highly customized M1911 are favored for its dependability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.
Battlefield Bad Company 2 Day 1 Map Pack
Buyers of both the Regular and Limited Edition (PS3/360) will get a code to download DLC for free. EA will not provide additional codes per copy, which means buyers of used copies will most likely not find a code. For people without a code, the DLC is avaiable for them at $15. PC players will receive the DLC as a free update instead.
The DLC contains two new maps which are the Rush map, Nelson Bay and the Conquest map, Laguna Alta which you can check out in the video now. The maps will be available from March 2nd which will allow the lucky North America players to get access and practice while us Europeans wait a few days more.
Multiplayer Tutorial/Guide
Classes
Assault:
Overview- The Assault class is primarily an anti-infantry class. Equipped with an powerful, yet accurate assault rifle, Assaults should be able to win most direct confrontations with other infantry in a variety of settings and distances. Assaults are also equiped with an powerful grenade launcher, which can be used to apply a large and powerful splash damage on a group of enemies, or to blow down cover and walls. In short, Assaults are killing machines.
However, that does not mean Assaults are to be supported by the other classes. On the contrary, Assaults have one of the most important support roles: providing ammo. Assaults should be feeding ammo to their Recons, Engineers, and Medics, so that they can keep pumping out their bullets. Assaults should be looking primarily for Engineers who are firing RPGs at enemy tanks, and Recons who can throw an sensor ball. Finally, Assaults are able to receive C4 when they choose an non-Assault rifle weapon, which complements the Assault's ability to re-supply himself with more C4s. If there is a class best suited for the "lone-wolf" type of gameplay, it will be the Assault as they will never run out of ammo.
Class Specific Equipment:
- Assault Rifle (Or Non-Class specific weapon)
- Grenade Launcher (C4 with Non-Class specific weapon)
- Ammo Box (Helps team, self sufficient)
Strengths:
Accuracy (varies with guns, attachments, and specialization from close range, medium, to long range)
Power (again, varies, but in general they are more powerful)
Grenade Launcher (can be fired in an, allowing one to not expose themselves when covered by a Heavy MG. Quicker than RPG to load)
Ammo box (allows an Assault to be truly self-sufficient. Helps in Rush mode when one wants to demolish a building with grenade launchers or C4)
Weaknesses:
Heavy Armored Vehicles- (Unless one forgoes their class weapon for an non-class specific one to get C4)
Strategy: [Coming soon]
Medic:
Overview- Medics are exactly what you think they are called, they heal and revive people. However, let us put those abilities into context. When you are an Attacker in Rush mode, Medics are absolutely crucial, as they are the only means of stemming the team's bleading of tickets. Reviving a person not only gives back a ticket to your team, but also allows those team mates to skip the long respawn time and process of getting back to the battlefield, keeping the team's force concentrated together, rather than spread out. This applies to the Defenders as well, as while the Defenders don't redeem tickets, the Defenders have a better chance of keeping their M-COMs intact if they do not have to wait for the respawn time when the Attackers launch their strike.
Medics are equipped with a Light Machine Gun that has a very large clip, giving an edge to Medics to gun fights when the enemy soldier is reloading. Light Machine Guns ought to be fired in longer bursts in a crouched position, with the first few rounds causing large recoil. Medics generally should be more in the back of the fights, as they need to stay alive in order to revive everyone else. If there are many dead bodies, Medics should try to revive another Medic first, as that would allow more people to be saved in time.
First Aid Kits should be thrown in hot spots, where there are a lot of people bunched up and getting damaged by grenades and bullets. You should do so as a Medic for your own self interest, as that will rack up a ton of points for you. Remember to keep an eye on the screen and minimap for the Medic symbol and the Defibulator symbol (an lightning bolt).
Class Specific Equipment:
- Light Machine Gun
- Medkit
- Defibulator
Strengths:
- Large Ammo Clip
- Able to heal itself
- Can revive friendlies when outnumbered
Weaknesses:
- LMG not as accurate
- Lack of any weapons capable of destroying walls
- Tanks
Engineer:
Overview- If you are an big fan of the vehicular warfare in Bad Company 2, whether it be flying Apaches, or mowing down trees and enemies with an Abram, it's always good to either be an Engineer yourself, or better, have an Engineer buddy with you. Engineers should be less focused on killing infantry, but either repairing friendly vehicles, or destroying enemy vehicles. While the Engineer is equipped with a SMG that can be deadly in close range, it doesn't offer much for medium to long range distances, which means you shouldn't be worrying about shooting a sprinting enemy, but the tank driving behind him.
Engineers have two major tools to assist them: RPGs and Landmines. RPGs are the only ranged weapon that poses a threat to enemy vehicles, and are the best way of taking out an enemy tank that is well piloted and positioned. While the Tracer Dart is a non-class specific gun, personally I believe every Engineer should have one. It greatly complements the RPG by allowing an Engineer to be able to hit an enemy vehicle at great distances and without exposing themselves, as the RPG will seek the vehicle (it is best to aim directly at the sky after locking on). A smart Engineer that wants to live should not immedietly shoot an RPG at a tank, but wait until they are out of the tank's FOV, and aim for the sides or back where the damage will be maximized, and then quickly run for cover.
The second tool that Engineers have are Landmines, which must be swapped for RPGs. This is a trade off between distance and immediacy, and damage and long term. One landmine should destroy every land vehicle, as opposed to the number of RPGs it may take. Landmines can also be strategicly placed and left, allowing Engineers to attend to other tasks, or even switch out their kit while their landmines stay active. If one is close enough to a tank, one option is to throw a landmine nearby, and then shoot it directly to detonate it.
Finally the Engineer has the Powertool, which is vital to vehicular warfare. It is important to continue repairing your own tanks after a succesful engagement against another tank, so that it can succesfully win against the next tank that comes along. One strategy is for the main gunner to fire at the enemy tank, while the Engineer repairs safely behind his teammate's tank. On a side note, the Powertool can be used to cause damage against an enemy tank at close range, and it can even be used against infantry, if one is bored enough...
Class Specific Equipment:
- Sub Machine Gun
- RPG/Landmine
- Powerdrill
Strengths:
- Powerful RPG can take out both tanks and infantry, and can be creatively used with tracer dart (tracer darting a sniper anyone?)
- Fast SMG
- Landmines can rack up points while you're shooting down bad guys
- Must have class if you are a full time pilot
Weaknesses:
- Unable to effectively hit long range targets
- Tend to run short on ammo with fast rate of fire and limited RPG rounds
- Low Damage on SMG
Recon:
Overview- Recon is a tricky class. It can be simply used as a sniper, probably to the disdain of the other classes who are on the front lines. These snipers are valuable to counter snipe the enemy's Recon units, and they can greatly aid the battle with their mortar strikes and spotting. However, that leaves their Sensor Ball unused, and in an objective based game, Snipers don't really offer much to the table.
I have personally decided to devide the Recon class into two types. One I call Recon Sniper, and another which I call Recon Commando.
Recon Sniper- I will not go into detail about how to be a good sniper. One should generally pick somewhere that isn't infamously known as a sniper spot, hide in foilage, etc. What you should do however, is not JUST snipe. There is still a "Recon" in your name, and your main job is reconaisance. As a sniper, if you cannot find a golden target, you should simply spot as many moving targets. The Sniper Spotting Scope gadget should greatly aide you in this, and you should be picked over both the Magnum and Cermaic body armor. A mortar should be chosen, as you are at a long distance and will probably not be using your C4. Constantly use this, and use it against areas where there are a lot of stationary weapons.
Class Specific Equipment:
- Sniper Rifle
- Mortar
- Sensor Ball
Strengths:
- Supreme range
- Able to spot at leisure
- Powerful mortar
Weaknesses:
- Liability to team if there are too many
- Unable to go for most objectives
- Prone to counter sniping with kill cam
Recon Comando- This is a wildcard class, and I cannot possibly encompass the creative ways one can utilize it. Wheras a Recon Sniper is too far away to use an Sensor Ball, you will be at medium to close range and should be using it constantly. You should be the point man in an area notorious with campers. You should be assaulting a M-COM crate or Flag. Why? Because you have information, and are able to know where the enemy is with your sensor. I do not suggest going for knifing as a priority, but the goal of not engaging in a face to face engagement is key. You can use the Thompson Machine gun for an extreme advantage in close quarters combat, or modify a sniper rifle like the SVU or VSS to be able to handle medium to close range combat as well. Strategies include provoking the enemy by planting a charge or neutralizing an enemy flag, placing C4s (preferably beforehand), throwing a sensor ball, and detonating your C4s at a safe distance when the minimap is full of orange dots. You should also be the one getting up close and C4ing tanks. You are to play as if you were Sam Fisher... on crack.
Class Specific Equipment:
- Non-Class Specific Gun (Shotgun, Thompson, Grand, etc) or modified sniper rifle (With Red Dot or 4X scope)
- Sensor ball
- C4
Strengths:
- Sensors give you an supreme tactical edge on the enemy
- Powerful weapons at either close range (Thompson/Shotgun), or medium range (modified Sniper rifles)
- Huge explosive power with C4, which can be utilized in a variety of ways
Weaknesses:
- Very prone to running out of ammo with your run and gun style of play and low ammunition weapons
- When the tacitcal and stealth edge is gone, you are reduced to being on par or below an Assault
Kit Recomendations
Minuteman
Class: Recon
Weapons:
- SVU, 4x scope
- C4
Specializations:
- Magnum Ammo
Play style. Go on front lines, throw sensor near flags or crates. Begin sniping at medium range until reinforcement comes and occupies zone. Move in close range and use hipfiring or the scope to utilize SVU at CQC.
Chainsawer
Class: Medic
Weapons:
- M249 SAW, 4X scope
Specializations:
- LMG Accuracy
Strategy, stay a medium distance. Burst fire for 2-3 seconds. The gun should gain accuracy within 1 seconds. Very powerful, as the M249's weakness of range and accuracy is solved, without any sacrifice to its devastating advantage at CQC.
Submitted by Akvod
Music
Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Squad Stories 2 Trailer
Essay Pro