Following a number of problems affecting the online functionality of EA’s chart-topping shooter, the publisher has said it can at last see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Speaking by email to Kotaku about early online teething problems, EA said the majority of its Battlefield 3 servers had been stable over the past weekend.
“We are happy to report that PS3 and PC players experienced server stability all weekend, and Xbox 360 servers are at 95 percent and climbing. There were a number of different factors that impacted server connectivity across the platforms. Regardless of the cause or platform, our Online teams are standing by to identify the issues and addressed them as they arise. We will not rest until we’re at 100 percent.”
PC versions of Battlefield 3 had problems with the anti-cheat software Punkbuster, though these have apparently been rectified, whilst EA’s digital service Origin contributed some issues of its own.
“In the first 48 hours of launch, a small amount of Battlefield 3 PC players using Origin experienced an authentication issue,” the spokesperson said. “This is a known issue which has now stabilized. We continue to monitor the situation and are standing by to quickly resolve any future issues that might arise.”
Although a number of Battlefield players have experienced problems regardless of format, it’s Xbox 360 players that appear to have been worst hit. The EA spokesperson that responded to Kotaku’s questions acknowledged “There are a number of different factors impacting server connectivity on Xbox 360. It is a particularly complex server architecture and we continue to work with Microsoft to improve connectivity.”
It seems, though, that a significant contributor to many of the problems since launch is sheer weight of numbers.
“With such huge interest in the game, demand outstripped even our best expectations coming out of the beta,” admitted EA. “This is an evolving process that we are committed to improving. Even with a successful beta, systems under load will reveal new opportunities for optimization and improvement. When we see those opportunities, we would rather move immediately and create short-term inconvenience (maintenance period) to improve the long-term experience for all players.”
“We believe that the major issues are behind us, but our Online teams will not be happy until we’re at 100%. We continue to work on solving for each issue.”
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