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DICE make fixing Battlefield 4 netcode issues one of their “top priorities”

Battlefield 4: still in the medical bay, four months after release.

‘Netcode’ sounds like a term so broad that it could mean absolutely anything, and it is. In Battlefield 4 it refers to problems ranging from faulty latency compensation to glitches in movement and shooting.

DICE have made these issues and everything in between one of their “top priorities”, effective immediately – and plan to keep players updated on their progress in tackling the most worrisome issues.

“We at DICE are committed to improving the overall Battlefield 4 multiplayer experience for our players,” said the developers. “Fixing the commonly nicknamed ‘netcode issues’ is one of the top priorities.”

In combination, these issues are preventing Battlefield 4 from “performing optimally” on a wide range of PCs – and DICE acknowledge they’ve become a “hot topic” for players.

Among the worst problems are glitches in players’ immediate interactions with the game world – including their movement and shooting, feedback when they’re hit, and the way other players’ actions are shown on-screen.

The latter in particular has been the source of plenty of complaints. Battlefield receives regular updates from the game server about the positioning and actions of other players, and uses a ‘latency compensation’ system to make sure they move around naturally when those points are connected on your screen.

Issues with that system have given players the impression of one hit kills – DICE have found and fixed those, but others still remain. For instance, Battlefield’s next patch will fix a bug that saw the kill camera trigger too early, before the game client displayed fatal damage being dealt – making it appear as if players were killed unfairly.

DICE say they’ve also fixed several issues that could lead to rubber banding, and are working at fixing several more. Including one very literal instance of rubber banding that saw sprinting cause instant death.

“At certain occasions while walking or sprinting, a player could get catapulted at high speed which would cause death if any object was standing in the way,” wrote DICE. “This was caused by a mathematical error in the character physics code, and we have a fix prepared for an upcoming patch.”

Marvellous. Is there anything you’re especially worried about that isn’t included in DICE’s fix list?