Deals And Sales - Star Wars Games, Most On Sale All Weekend - May The 4th Be With You! [Notification]

Just a quick reminder or for those that may not have noticed yet, that Star Wars games (on PC and Consoles) are going on Sale like crazy everywhere right now, most places having them On Sale over the whole weekend, into Monday or Tuesday. Check out places like Good Old Games (now GOG.com), The Steam Store, EA's Origin Marketplace, HumbleBundle (to help Charities!) and more... Have fun shopping for yourself or your loved one(s) - and have a Happy Star Wars Day and May The 4th Be With You!


Edit:
I forgot to say - if you Login to Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG by May 7th, you will get an Astromech Droid pet after May 9th! Details from swtor.com:

•  Log in by May 7th to qualify for your very own M4-Y7 Astromech Droid Mini-Pet! A deeply loyal and rugged Droid, the M4-Y7 Astromech Droid is known for its steadfast and stoic reliability. No matter how far your adventures take you across the galaxy, the M4-Y7 is your “DBFF” (Droid Best Friend Forever)! Your new Astromech Droid can be claimed beginning May 9, 2018 at 11:59PM PDT (May 10, 2018 at 6:58PM GMT) through your in-game mail.

The M4-Y7 Droid, animation/GIF from the SWTOR.com website

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20180501-0




[Note: I am not affiliated in any way with GOG.com, Steam, EA, Origin, HumbleBundle, LucasArts, Disney or any other company mentioned herein and I have not, and will not, receive any compensation in any form, for mentioning them here. I am merely a fan of the Star Wars franchise/products and an enthusiastic gamer, wanting to inform and help out others, as I can.]

How To Report Players in Star Wars Battlefront 2 ...(Or Any EA Games) [Tutorial via Screenshots, Short and Long Versions]

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of people asking how to report players in the Official Star Wars Battlefront II Forums (via Electronic Arts). To summarize, for those who may not know, there is an issue with players in the newly-released game, "exploiting" how the in-game currency is given out. It seems that many players realized that they could end up with 'Credits' at the end of a match/round, by not doing anything at all and/or jumping in one spot (known as "AFK'ing", which comes from the acronym 'Away From Keyboard'). Deeming these actions unfair and having a negative effect on the game experience of other players, many having been wanting to know how to 'report' these people who are doing this, to EA Game Administrators.


In response to seeing this asked so much [not just in EA Forums], I wanted to make a 'Quick Tip style' post on how to do just that. There was mention of a system in-game (ie. within SWBF2 itself), where you can click on a players' name in the Scoreboard - but I have not been able to get this working, personally - therefore, I wanted to share a more 'universal' way of reporting players that may be going against the conduct/terms of [any EA] games.

As a Reminder, a Community Manager recently re-posted information about Rules in SWBF2 on the Star Wars Battlefront II Forum:  

The steps to Report A Player (In Any EA Game) will be presented in two versions, Short and Long:

Short Version:

1. Search for the player's name in the Origin Client or at the Origin Website.
2. Click on the arrow next to Send Friend Request and submit a Report 
3. Don't forget to mention the reason for the Report and include Evidence if possible

• Xbox Live: Find the player name in the Recent Players list, click File Complaint, then Cheating, then Submit.
• PlayStation Network: Use the PlayStation Network's "Report Inappropriate Content" form

Long Version:

For any EA game at all, if you wish to report a player for doing something negative in a game (Cheating, Hacking, not contributing at all to the game (aka. "going AFK"), making RealLife™ threats, etc): you can go to the Search for Players, via the Origin Website [Note: These steps look the same in the Origin Client as well]. The area to Search for other Players looks like this, below:

In the Search Field (where you type, usually indicated with a Magnifying Glass), simply type the players' name or portion of it and hit ENTER (or click on the Magnifying Glass) to begin a Search for the name/ID. Soon, a set of results should come up for the player(s) found. An example of what a Result looks like, is below:

Clicking on the player will open up their Player Profile, which shows their Avatar (image they chose) and some information about them (Achievements and other Details may possibly be Hidden by the Player). Next to the large orange button in the upper-right corner/area, there should be a small circle with a downward-facing chevron in it (looking like a "<"). Where this is located and how it looks can be seen, below:

Clicking on the small icon will open a pull-down menu with the choice "Report User" within it. What this small menu looks like, when opened, can be seen below:

Some details should be filled in, such as what exactly happened and when; to assist EA Administrators in isolating/tracking the occurrence. Give as much information as you can. Include any Links to Videos or Media that you can, even if it is just a Screenshot. The fields to fill in, can be seen below:

Even a Screenshot alone, will give a lot of weight to the complaint you are submitting. Without it, it is more work for EA Admins to track down what happened and what occurred and the overall process will take much longer. It really helps if you can submit anything at all to assist with your case.

If you are unsure of how to share Links to your media you'd like to share... Here is a small list of a few places you can Upload your Screenshots (copying the Link/Address/URL to the image, to paste into the Report):

https://imgur.com/
http://tinypic.com/
https://imgbb.com/
http://www.imagebam.com/
https://prntscr.com/gallery.html (requires free account to upload images to share)

[Note that the above list is not a complete list, there are many places that allow you to Upload your images, to share/link to others]

Lastly, you can also Report Cheaters/Hackers/etc through Customer Support service via the EA main website:

https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/?product=star-wars-battlefront-ii&category=game-information

[Note that the above Link will forward you to the Contact Page for EA related to Star Wars Battlefront 2 - but the reference can be easily changed, if you are Reporting a Player from a different game (simply click on "Change Game")]


Although the stimulus for this posting was originally 'Reporting AFK Players in Star Wars Battlefront II' - the steps above can be followed to Report a Player for any EA game. I hope this helps make things easier for others to help 'clean up the community'!



Update - 2017.12.14:

In the latest Patch for SWBFII  (Patch 1.0, Dec.13/17) there is a line in the Patch Notes that states:

• " Made improvements to the idle-kick logic that detects players who aren’t participating in the match"

So it is nice to see that they are making efforts towards alleviating this issue. Way to go, EA/Dice!

See You In The Game!

And More: A Simple Explanation Why 'Loot Boxes' May Be Considered "Gambling", In Games Like Star Wars Battlefront II, Et Al... [Editorial]

((Portions of this article
may or may not have
information obtained
from this unidentified
Imperial Officer))

Recently, in the game Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (EA, Dice), there was the introduction of "Loot Boxes". These are purchasable 'crates' that can contain multiple items. These items are generated randomly (RNG, Random Number Generation) and are obtainable by using "RealLife™" Money [my superscript as pun] - and therein lies the problem being discussed.

In an attempt to explain it simply on a Steam Forum Thread a few days ago, I posted the comment below. I replicate it here, to share with others, so that this whole 'issue' may be understood more fully:

"If I may pop in, to explain the reason why "loot boxes could be considered gambling"; it is due to a few factors:

- There is an RNG factor in the potential items from the Loot Boxes (the items are random, and some items are worth more than others)

- The inclusion of the possibility of utilizing RealLife™ Currency to obtain them.
[Because of this element, more than anything, it could possibly be construed as "gambling"...]

- Because the items (1) can be exchanged in the game for other items that 'cost RealLife™ Money (2), they are 'gambling on the possibility' that they will 'save money' if there are better/higher items in the Box purchased (i.e. they will 'save money' if the RNG produces higher/better items in the Box; they will not have to buy much more)

Together, all three points mean the game essentially has "gambling" within it...
I assume the reason why some parents are getting upset about it, is that there is a possibility of a Minor using their RealLife™ Money to obtain the Loot Boxes (in any game).

The solution is simple however; remove the possibility of utilizing RealLife™ money to obtain the Chests/Boxes/etc OR the possibility of getting 'better items' that will 'deconstruct into elements that can accrue to get better items' ("saving money" if the better items appear via RNG) and there is no longer the possibility of it being "gambling", as it were."

The above points, along with the fact that the 'items' can actually affect a players' performance (i.e. a person with more items or better items can actually live longer or do more damage than someone without the items), is the sum of the whole problem that is upsetting many gamers, the entire issue becoming aflame in the recent release (Nov.17th) of "Star Wars: Battlefront II".

Other games (eg. "Team Fortress 2"), handle this concern for the most part by making sure that the items contained in their 'loot crates' are only 'cosmetic items' (hats, skins, costumes, etc) that do not affect player performance against other human players. It remains to be seen whether the "RNG Factor" involved in such 'Crates of Loot' in these other games, like TF2, are going to still become a 'gambling' issue, or not.



Hopefully this helps you dear reader, in understanding the issue at hand and why some people are getting 'up in arms' about it at this time. 

~Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog

Battlefield 1 - DirectX Error "GetDeviceRemovedReason" [Workaround]

At first, because of the phrasing of the error, I thought it might be Hardware, namely my GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, the Videocard); but since that was working fine with literally, all other games - playing in longer gaming sessions even [and I know for sure that I wasn't actually physically pulling out my videocard while playing ...I think] - I omitted that possibility (for now) and focused on a potential Software approach, which meant checking configuration...

Looking at the Settings for the game then, I tried reducing everything down to the Lowest Possible Settings; to reduce the load on the GPU and the load in the processing of the game itself. (With lowered settings, there would be less data being streamed from the game, less being extracted from the compressed/encrypted files of the game, less being calculated and drawn, less everything). If there was a problem with how game data was being handled, this might being it to light [note: an issue with integrity of the files would not be detected this way, this is more of a data handling troubleshooting step; integrity of the game files can usually be checked/verified with a Repair/Verify through the game client or if that doesn't help, a Reinstall of the game usually assures accurate game files (barring Drive/RAM file handling (Hardware) issues - which is another tangent/issue altogether, heh) - screenshot of where to run a Repair/Verify of the game files for BF1, below].

Example of the Location of where to Repair the game files in the Origin Game Client, showing Battlefield 1 in 2017
(Click to see Full Size)

Nope. Crash. Error [which I lost the clean Screenshot of, of course - but a version of it is in the Header for this posting - I will add a clear Screenshot of the error window to this post when I can capture it again, if it occurs]. Hmmm.... Since it was a DirectX error (and I am 93.33-repeating-percent-sure that I did not "remove the video card" while playing..), I tried one last thing. Instead of swapping out the GPU to try with something else (a GPU from a friend's PC, for example), which is approaching a Hardware type issue; I tried something else: I changed the DirectX level in the game from DirectX 12 to DirectX11 [this may not have been solely 'my idea' - although I am sure I would have eventually arrived at it as a troubleshooting step, I looked up this error and found many, many locations and sources of others stating they have this issue and encountered this error and I may have read it somewhere, for it to have come up - merely mentioning because I just don't want to take sole credit for something I may not have come up with entirely by myself...].

Example of where to 'Disable DirectX 12' and 'Enable DirectX 11' in the Video Settings, in Battlefield 1
[Hmm, this is more of a Workaround than a 'Fix' for this issue...]
(Click to see Full Size)

Success! I played a good couple of hours this way, with no crashing, closing, freezing, or errors at all - great! After trying it after re-opening the game, rebooting and playing some more, testing it the next day or two after as well, it seemed 'solidified'; changing the DirectX level/version from 12 to 11 seemed to 'solve' the issue [for me, for now].

I think this is more of a 'Workaround' than a 'Fix', since it doesn't solve the issue permanently... there is still something in the game engine or how it communicates with DirectX/Windows/theGPU, which is causing something that is not 'fixed' by this step; but, since it does work to get past the issue, I thought I would share, to help others that may be running into this seemingly-popular problem ('popular' judging from the queries I found about this issue on both the Battlelog forum and EA Support Forums, spanning a few years now..). I hope this works for you, dear reader, as it seems to have done, for me.


[Since this is not a true 'fix' (I do not know if this is permanent nor do I know the actual source/nature of the issue, therefore I cannot say this is a 'fix', imo); I will post this with the title "workaround"...]

Addendum:

Other helpful tips/steps that can possibly help, if the above step does not work (and some additional information), can be found in multiple places on the Battlefield and EA forums, such as this list by a helpful poster named STEEiL:

https://forums.battlefield.com/en-us/discussion/54605/directx-function-error-amd-getdeviceremovedreason-error-in-battlefield-1

Good Luck - I hope it gets working for you soon - and See You In The Game!

Deals and Sales: Saints Row 2 and Syberia II, TotallyFree™ [Notification]

Update: As of Sunday, April 23rd, Saints Row 2 is no longer available for Free, but Syberia II still is

I haven't been feeling too great lately (hence my not posting for a while) - but I wanted to make sure and come and get a quick notification out, for those that don't know and are interested - that I saw two games being given away TotallyFree™ right now:

Saints Row 2, the open-world, GTA-style Action game is at GoodOldGames (now just GOG, they also offer newer titles these days), found at GOG.com

and

Syberia II, the third-person, mouse-driven Adventure game is being given away at Origin's "On the House", found at Origin.com

Both are completely free, so go get them now! GOGOGO


[Note: I do not get any compensation in any form for mentioning these games or companies here (there are no 'referrals' or 'trackbacks' in the links above); I am just a gamer who likes to share things I figure out and find on my own here, with you, other gamers... Have fun!]

And More: Deals and Sales - Free from EA, Battlefield Hardline's Betrayal Expansion/DLC, Until July 12th [Notification]

Just a quick Notification, for those interested in Battlefield Hardline, that an Expansion for it is currently being offered Totally Free from EA via their "On The House" promotion:

Screenshot of the Information Panel in the Origin Client for the Battlefield DLC/Expansion, Betrayal
(Click to see Full Size)

Free right now, EA is offering the Expansion for Battlefield: Hardline called Betrayal, which features 4 new maps (Thin Ice, Chinatown, Cemetery and Alcatraz), 2 New Vehicles, New Weapons (Personalize up to 5 Weapons with the Gun Bench and Test Weapons in the Gun Range!), New Assignments, New Camos, New Paints, and more [Inquisition Swooooord!lol]. While it does require the Base Game Battlefield: Hardline, even if you don’t own Hardline itself, you can Add it to your Origin Games Library and then Download it when you get Hardline in the future. If you are a Subscriber to Origin Access, you already have this available, for 'free' (it is part of the Vault Games available to you).

The Expansion/DLC itself was originally released in March of 2016 and although it may not help with there only being a handful of servers in North America on PC with a high number of players on them (there are a lot more if you are part of the EU), it is still worth going and grabbing [in my opinion, especially if people end up coming back or playing more in the future. I have already seen an influx of new players, thanks in part to EA's recent Up-to-75% Off Sale and DLC Giveaways].

I have also been working on a "One Sentence Review" of all the Weapons in Battlefield: Hardline that I want to post here at The Blog in the future; but for now, if you are interested at all in Hardline, grab this while you can - and See You In the Game!



[Personal Note: I am not affiliated with, nor receive any benefits of any kind from EA/Origin (check the Links, there are no 'Affiliate Tags' or anything on them); I am merely an enthusiastic gamer who tries to pass on information to other gamers, when I can. Enjoy, dear reader.]

And More: Deal and Sales - Battlefield 4 Expansion, Second Assault is Free from EA - Two Days Left [Notification]

Just a quick mention, for those who didn't catch it yet or for those who play [or never stopped playing!] Battlefield 4: Second Assault, the Expansion pack that adds Four Maps, Five Weapons, Ten Assignments and more, is currently being given away Free from EA/Origin until the 28th - that's only two days left to go get it!

Battlefield 4: Second Assault Expansion Pack Information Panel
in the "On The House" Section [ Free Games > On The House] in EA's Origin Game Client (Click to see Full Size)

Note that you need to already own Battlefield 4, as this is an Expansion Pack, but you can still get it now - even if you don't own BF4 - and play it later. Go and Download it now! GOGOGO

Battlefield 4: Second Assault Expansion Promotional Wallpaper by EA, Unedited
(Click to see Full Size)

See You In The Game!

And More: Deals and Sales - Up To 75% Off Games at EA/Origin (Battlefield, Sims, Dragon Age Series' and More) [Notification]

I am currently working on finishing a post about Diablo II and I feel a little weird putting out two posts about sales from the same company/place back-to-back, but I wanted to quickly notify others about a great sale happening at EA/Origin right now:

I haven't been surfing around a lot lately so I'm not sure what's going on out there for them to 'tie' this sale 'into', but a great sale is happening at EA/Origin...


Want Battlefield 4? It's five dollars.

Maybe you want to try the newer Battlefield: Hardline? Standard Edition is now five dollars.

Perhaps you want to go back a bit and play Battlefield 3? It's five dollars.

Or maybe Battlefield: Bad Company 2? It's also five dollars.

How about Star Wars: Battlefront? It's twenty dollars.

Want to settle back and play some Sims 4? It's four dollars more at twenty-four dollars.

Never played the Crysis series? 1, 2 and 3 together, is one dollar more at twenty-five dollars.

What about the Mass Effect Trilogy (games 1-3)? It is a little less, at fifteen dollars.

Want to play the classic building game Simcity (2013 version)? It is only five dollars.

If you've never played Plants vs Zombies, it is less than two dollars, right now.

How about medieval adventuring in Dragon Age: Inquisition? It is ten dollars during this sale.

[I'm saying "dollars" so much, the word is looking weird and losing all meaning to me now] 


I feel like I'm in an alternate universe. This is a crazy sale. It's making me crazy. Did they hire Steam's Marketing Department? What the hell is going on?

Hmm... I think I'll call this the "What The Hell Is Going On Sale"...



Personal Reaction To This Sale:

Let's see... what to get...?

Picked up Dragon Age: Inquisition for ten bucks - woot!

Hmm.. I own almost all of the Battlefield Games... maybe Battlefield: Vietnam? I only played that a little when it was free to play for a weekend once, but I liked it... Star Wars: Battlefront? Hmm, I heard it doesn't have a Single Player storyline gameplay.. only online against other people? No thanks... 
I mean, I played the heck out of Unreal Tournament (1999) but I practiced/learned with bots first (which I don't think Battlefront-2015 has), and at the time I was playing at LAN parties with my workplace/co-workers sometimes, where we would all cart our computers to one guy's house and hook them all up and play UT all night (for good performance, since it was only Dial-up at the time)... Good times, but while I do play Planetside 2 and other online-only Multiplayer First-Person Shooters, now I enjoy Single Player games a lot more... nah, skip it for now - sorry EA I want a Single Player portion (like Battlefield 3 and 4 and the much-aligned-but-I-liked-it Battlefield: Hardline)...



[Edit: After looking around a bit, I see that this past weekend was E3-2016 - ahh that's one reason for this sale, possibly]


[Personal Note: I am not affiliated with EA or Origin or any related companies of theirs, nor do I get any credit or monetary returns on linking or telling people about these (things like "referrals", look in the links, there are none); I am merely a gamer who likes gaming and (when I can) sharing gaming info with other gamers about gaming and gamer gaming games gamegamergamelolimtired]

And More: Deals and Sales - Free from EA: Battlefield Hardline's Getaway Expansion and Nox [Notification]

Personally, I am fighting a rough cold/flu 'thingy' [to use the medical term]; but I wanted to make sure and post a quick Notification for those interested in these two games, to mention here that they both are currently being offered Totally Free from EA via their "On The House" promotion:

The first mention is an expansion for Battlefield: Hardline called Getaway, which features 4 New Maps, 4 New Vehicles, 9 New Weapons (3 of them exclusive to owners of this Expansion), a New Gadget, a New Melee Weapon, a New Game Mode ("Capture The Bag") and more - although I am sure I saw and used guns like the MP5SD (silenced) just playing vanilla [no expansions] up to this point.

[Me just messing around with some Lens Flare and other minor effects on a Battlefield: Hardline Getaway promo logo image YAH FX]

The Expansion/DLC itself was originally released in January of 2016 and although it may not help with there only being 3-5 servers in North America on PC with a high number of players on them (there are a lot more if you are part of the EU), it is still worth going and grabbing [in my opinion, especially if people end up coming back or playing more in the future].

The second mention is Nox, the Action RPG [think 'like Diablo'] by Westwood Studios (developers of the Dune, Eye of the Beholder and Command and Conquer game series'). Originally released in January of 2000, its' gameplay was very Diablo-esque but with a little humour mixed in as well. It had an isometric view [angled-top-down] and fast gameplay, dungeon crawling with quests and goldz to collect, looking a lot like another successful game series, Fallout (the early Fallout games).
It also had a multiplayer aspect, including an Online Ladder Ranking System just like Diablo2, but I have not personally played this portion recently, to see if it is still functioning or supported.

[Edit: Apparently EA dropped multiplayer and online ranking support for Nox, but such functions may still be available through platform applications like GameRanger. Perhaps I will test these in the future].

[Not too exciting, but an example Screenshot of early stage Nox gameplay, one where I foundz me a Tunic to wearz]
(Click to see Full Size)

I have also slowly been working on a few Quick Tips and some Game Recorder TestRuns that I have been collecting together for a Game Recorder Comparison that I want to post here at The Blog in the future; but for now, if you are interested at all in these two great offers, grab them while you can - and See You In the Games!

Battlefield: Play4Free - Send It Off With A Bang - Part 2 [Same Cheesy Title, Newer Play4Free Funds Code]

Just an update for those of you playing Battlefield: Play4Free, which is sadly coming to an end, which it will on July 14th, 2015; EA graciously posted a code in the Official Forums that initially gave Soldiers 10,000 Funds to spend on whatever their little digital hearts desired. That initial code has been used up - but a new one was released on the 17th (but it still works, I just tested it today (the day of this posting), so quickly use it if you haven't yet!

Newer Funds code, from EA:

7A5Y-G9W8-XQTP-ZUT8

A quick note again, that these codes are Per Account, not Per Soldier - but hopefully it will help alleviate some of the pain from this game ending....

See You In The Game (For A While)

And More: Deals and Sales - The 2015 Summer Sales Are Almost Over! [Notice]

Just an quick post as a reminder - or to let more people know, if they didn't already - there are a lot of great 'Summer Sales' going on right now at various game distribution/retailer websites [think of them as 'Winter Wonder Sales' if you are in the Southern Hemisphere!].

Here are just a few samples of deals that are going on (there are a lot more at the individual company websites):

  

Most of these Sales are going to end Sunday and Monday - so get out there and see if you can find anything you've been waiting for 'to go on sale' - and See You In The Games!

Battlefield: Play4Free Coming To An End - Send It Off With A Bang! [Free Cheesy Title and Play4Free Funds Codes Here]

For those of you playing Battlefield: Play4Free, you were no doubt sad to see the above picture (both in the game Launcher and on the Forums), announcing the action-packed 'Free To Play' online game coming to an end, which it will on July 14th, 2015. EA has graciously posted a code in the Official Forums that can give your Soldiers 10,000 Funds to spend on whatever their little digital hearts desire. The code for the Funds is:

76UE-ZJAZ-X9RU-XDC2

New Funds code (found June 25th), also from EA:

7A5Y-G9W8-XQTP-ZUT8

As a bonus, you can also punch this code in on Battlefield: Heroes (which is also getting it's life support turned off on that date), for another 10k Funds:

DWVK-GTK3-LE4A-8HNV

A quick note, that these codes are Per Account, not Per Soldier - but still, a nice gesture from EA, to help alleviate some of the pain from the loss of two gaming friends in the Battlefield series of games, Play4Free and Heroes - indeed, we must soon retire the flags for these two loyal shooters that gave so many hours of fun....

See You In The Game (For A While)

Update:
Although given to the public by an Official EA Representative here, this appears to be a limited-use code. I apologize to you all, I thought this would be a one-time-per-account but unlimited use, for everyone code, since it was from EA - but that appears to not be so. In any case, I hope that some of you got the Funds and were able to have some Purchases before this game truly ends.

Update 2015-06-25:

New Funds code, also from EA:

7A5Y-G9W8-XQTP-ZUT8

SYITG

Battlefield: Hardline - Double XP Weekend Starts Today! [Notification]

Just a quick post to let all current players of Battlefield: Hardline know, that this weekend - from today until Monday - is a Double XP Weekend! That's right - and in Hardline, that means double the cash, double the rate of ranking-up, and overall: double the chances for unlocks in your future.

So, say goodbye to your loved ones, stock up on caffeine, sugar and water, sign on, log in, suit up, grab your gun and put on your driving gloves - and See You In The Game!

Battlefield 4: Double XP Boost Is Now ON [Notification]

Just a quick post to mention that I noticed Battlefield 4 currently has a Double XP Boost going on. Briefly, for those who aren't familiar with what that is (new players, etc); the 'Double XP Boost' means that whatever XP you gain in a round, it will be matched by that same amount, adding to your total XP gained, effectively doubling it!

Double XP Boost Example in the End Of Round Details (the boosted XP is the Folly-coloured second bar)
Click to see Full Size

 

I wasn't aware this had started at all, and so I wanted to make a quick post to notify anyone interested... It doesn't seem to be limited to only 'Wednesdays', as this Battlefield News posting suggests recent bonuses might be ( http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf4/news/view/this-season-on-battlefield-4/ ), because I have seen it 'on' now for the last couple of days straight... It may possibly be related to the Tournament going on ( http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf4/news/view/america-and-oceania-take-on-europe-in-the-2015-esl-tournaments/ ) garnering some interest in BF4 for the moment; but whatever the reason, it's a great excuse to 'finish ranking up' towards that weapon you were working on Unlocking, or just jumping-in to grab some extra eXPerience and relax to the sight of people sliding along the ground or flying through the air from your bullets, bouncing around like some ballet of bulletry.

Whatever your reason to play, jump back in to Battlefield 4 for a moment - and See You In The Game!


Update 1: Just after I created this post, I now see a notification in Battlelog that there is a "2XP Frenzy Event" going on (All Platforms). Although the text in Battlelog forwards you to a Premium page, it appears to be useable even for Non-Premium Players. Thanks, EA!

Origin - In Offline Mode, Online Login Is Currently Unavailable (It's Not Just You)

Update (11:11 UTC/Zulu): EA is investigating the issue(s) - way to go EA!
Update (11:34 UTC/Zulu): Everything Is Coming Up Roses here now (in Canada, eh). I hope it does soon for you too, my friends.

Just a quick post to let you know, if you are experiencing this around 10:00-11:00 hours UTC/Zulu Time on February 14th, 2015 - it's not just you. Origin (EA) seems to be having problems for everybody... I guess I won't be seeing you in the game right now /sadface

Battlefield: Hardline Open Beta - EA Aware Of Issues, Some Servers Working Already [Notice]

Just a quick post for those playing the Battlefield: Hardline Open Beta this weekend, finding that things were going fine until just a bit ago, and now seeming like they can't join any servers and seeing errors like the one below, noticing that the website (Battlelog) isn't working right, their Stats are gone (Rank Zero), etc...




This is just a little notice that EA is aware of the issue and is working on it. You should find that servers are already coming back up now and things are straightening out already (way to go, EA!). Open Beta has been Extended until sometime Monday night (Feb.9th). Woot!

See You In The Game!

The Sims 2 "Ultimate Collection" (Absolutely Everything) - Completely Free from EA

When I first read about this from EA, that is, the possibility of getting absolutely every single expansion and "Stuff" add-ons completely free, I thought there must be some mistake... A little bit of reading at the EA website and I inferred from the phrasing that it was initially going to be offered as a free upgrade to current owners of The Sims 2 (Digital/Download or Disc-based versions); but I did a little more reading about it today and it seems that EA may be 'planning on putting it "in everyone's game list" eventually'... [in my opinion] most likely to arouse just-a-little-more interest in The Sims franchise for the upcoming "The Sims 4" release (now available for pre-order, slated to be released in September 2014).

Therefore, now feeling fully-okay-mostly safe from the dark shadows of 'releasing something that wasn't meant to be distributed', I share with you the Product Code that will allow you to be the proud owner of "The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection", which includes all of the below:

• The Sims 2
• The Sims 2: University Expansion
• The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion
• The Sims 2: Open for Business Expansion
• The Sims 2: Pets Expansion
• The Sims 2: Seasons Expansion
• The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Expansion
• The Sims 2: FreeTime Expansion
• The Sims 2: Apartment Life Expansion
• The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff
• The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff
• The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
• The Sims 2: Celebration! Stuff
• The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff
• The Sims 2: Teen Style Stuff
• The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff
• The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff
• The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff

Wow, thanks EA!

Note: this package release may be time-limited and EA has stated that they will no longer be updating The Sims 2 or it's expansions, although they can still be contacted if you are having technical problems running the game


Here are the steps to redeem the free Activation/Product Code:

1. If you don't already have it installed on your system, download and install the Origin game client from EA [it is similar to Steam and other game management interfaces] from http://origin.com/download
2. Create an Origin account if you don't already have one at https://connect.origin.com/create and log into the Origin client
3. In the pull-down menus at the top of the Origin interface, click on "Origin" and then "Redeem Product Code..."
   
4. In the white box [field] under Product Code, enter this:
   I-LOVE-THE-SIMS
   [hyphens may not be needed]
   
5. You should then see a message that the activation was successful and you are the newest owner of  [oops, I forgot what year I'm in, I mean a temporally licensed user of]  The Sims 2, along with all possible Expansion Packs and Add-Ons
   
6. Select the game in your My Games list in the Origin Client and install it by clicking the Download button that pops up [and if you're like me, click OK to the Insufficient Disk Space message]
7. That's it! 

Enjoy playing The Sims 2 once again, experiencing all that this version could possibly offer.


Have fun with it and See You In The Games!