UPDATE 6/5: We’ve received several questions regarding which Battlefield 4 servers that have seen an increased tick rate after the netcode update. To clarify, the tick rate is increased on ALL servers.
UPDATE 6/4: The “Netcode” patch has been released and is now available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Please proceed to start your respective console and download the latest update.
We’re happy to announce that we’ve released an update for PC, PS3, and X360 consoles today containing the new improved “Netcode” for Battlefield 4. The update will be released later this week on PS4 and Xbox One.
This update has been developed using the CTE (Community Test Environment) on PC (you can sign up if you haven’t done so already at
http://cte.battlelog.com), and is the first update being deployed using your gameplay feedback.
The number of changes possible in this update would be difficult to pull off without the continued support from our community, both through direct constructive feedback and telemetry data gathered on the CTE.
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.
The High Frequency Update is by default turned OFF in this release. You will have to enable this setting to take advantage of the improved networking. To support players with a limited bandwidth connection, we support three different levels: LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH. Most players with a connection faster than 1Mbit upload and 1Mbit download should be fine using the HIGH setting. If you experience any issues, lower or turn off the setting completely.
Playstation 4 & Xbox One Server Performance
The High Frequency Update will be rolled out to all 48 player servers and on a small set of 64 player servers immediately. We will then keep a close eye on the larger servers to make sure server performance stays good in the live environment. If all goes well, all servers will be supporting the high frequency update after 24 hours or rollout and testing.
Video Comparison
When testing our “High Frequency Bubble” changes to the network layer in Battlefield 4, we made sure to employ a measurable end-user experience metric. To do this, we have been using a 60fps video camera to capture two clients connected over the internet, and counting frames to get before and after results: