The Winter patch contains a lot of improvements and fixes to the game. Let’s start with some highlights of the bigger changes and features!

SOLDIER TRAVERSAL AND COLLISION

Significant improvements have been made to how the soldier traverses the world. Walking over small objects, inclines and lips is now handled gracefully by the engine – it really has to be played to feel the immense difference this makes!

NETCODE IMPROVEMENTS

Major improvements have been made to the Battlefield 4 network layer.

Improved long range network updates by adding a cone to the High Frequency Update

Network prioritization and filtering has been improved, now prioritizes health/damage, enemy players and vehicles above all.

Vehicles now use a larger (front) hemi-sphere shape for collision improvements

Aiming down sights/zooming in sitting in a vehicle or on foot utilized an even longer range cone for better target acquisition at a distance

Required bandwidth close to cut in half
Players with less stellar network connections should get a significant improvement, now able to use the High Frequency Update.

NEW QUICKMATCH FEATURES

New player gating
New players can now quickmatch into special servers until reaching rank 10, giving them a chance to learn playing Battlefield 4 against other new players.

Ranked Preset support
Players now have the added option to Quickmatch into Ranked servers as an addition to the Official preset available in the past.

Premium Playlists
Three new playlists are added catering to various playstyles and including maps from all expansions and base game combined.

SQUAD OBLITERATION
We are adding a new competitive game mode called Squad Obliteration with the Winter Patch. In this mode the high paced objective based gameplay of original Obliteration is scaled down to a 5 vs 5 size – balanced and perfected for competitive play. to be as balanced as possible.

Squad Obliteration/Obliteration differences

No vehicles, No parachute spawns
Secondary base spawns are made available
First team to destroy two out of three bases wins the round
Bomb carrier position is only known to the enemy team if spotted

FULL PATCHNOTES

Here is the full list of changes and improvements included in the Winter Patch. All changes applie
s to all
platforms unless explicitly stated otherwise.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS

Added Squad Obliteration game mode

Added support for New player servers (rank 10 and down)

Added support for matchmaking into ranked servers (in addition to standard official)

Various anti-cheat improvements implemented

In combat system now temporarily disables squad spawning when squad mate is in combat

In combat system now temporarily disables Medic Bag healing based on damage taken and incoming suppression increase

In combat system now temporarily disables First Aid Kit healing based on damage taken

Decouple vehicle aiming from turning option added

Added Mastery Dog tags for several weapons that were previously missing

Added 3 new Premium playlists: ‘Large Scale Battles’, ‘The Battlefield’, and ‘Close Quarters’.

Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause an error about stats not fetching, if connecting to a session after immediately being disconnected

Fixed an exploit related to CTF/Obliteration exploit using M224 Mortar/MAV/EOD Bot

PC – Several AMD Mantle optimizations

PC – Various graphical performance improvements

PS4/XBOX ONE – Fixed a case where the Battledash would not show after signing out of a profile while in the rent-a-server section

PS4/XBOX ONE – Fixed naming inconsistency with the server browser and quick match for Conquest Large

Xbox One – Fixed an issue where the user would sometimes not enter friends online session when joining through ‘Friends List’

Xbox One – Fixed an issue where Digital Premium Edition did not give premium access on Battlelog

X360 – Fixed an issue where performing a sign-in change during game would sometimes result in endless black loading screen

X360 – Fixed an issue where multiple users in the same squad would crash if the squad leader disconnected from a full server

Added option for player to separately toggle the slowdown and auto rotation components of aimassist. Server admins can now enforce a disable of the auto rotation component on ranked servers

All consoles – Fixed an issue where it was not possible to join a rented server that had a password set.

AUDIO

Footsteps: Significantly improved audio of footsteps for enemies and friendlies so that they can clearly be heard. Also fixed an issue where grenades explosions or other loud sounds would mute footstep sounds.

Fixed an issue where EOR music would not play in CTF

PC – TDM/SQDM: ‘Tension music’ now correctly playing for all teams in TDM and SQDM

ART

Updated the shading for many of the Dogtag country flags to make them more accurate

Animation: Cleaned up fast side to side movement of the character in third person.

Fixed an issue where tracers would incorrectly show up on bullet impacts

USER INTERFACE

Fixed an issue where the soldier camouflage selected would change to default between rounds

Fixed the cropped “Ready” status on the F-35 and J-20 fighter jets so that it is now fully visible

Fixed a HUD related issue that would sometimes occur when players on the same server would use the FLIR/IRNV

Dog tags will now display stats both in game and in menus

Several hit indicator and crosshair improvements

Fixed an issue where a player’s health is displayed incorrectly when they get hit while regenerating health.

Updated HUD Logic for several weapons so that they show “overheat” messages correctly

Tweaked Jet HUDs to be more clear

Improved scout helicopter crosshairs

All consoles – Removed an incorrect reference to parachute in the customization screen

Deploy screen – Added deploy screen advanced options to show vehicle passengers, more details on occupants and squad mates.

Deploy screen – Improved squad mate selection when in vehicles.

VEHICLES

All helicopters have new more agile physics applied (you can do both barrel rolls and loops!)

WEAPONS

Animation updates for m412 and sw30
Fixed an audio bug where the air missiles or TV guided missiles would play multiple times for one
shot

Fixed an audio bug where the FAC boat cannons would loop indefinitely

Adjusted the graphics for the Kobra red dot reticle to make it longer to more closely match the actual reticle.

Removed small animation played when going into sprint for any weapons that have a fore grip

Adjusted QBZ95 fore grip position in first person.

Fix for RPK74 bolt cycle during fire animation

Improved HUD clarity for red dot sights against snowy/bright backgrounds – AND improve PS3/Xbox360 look as well

PS3/PS4 – Fixed an instance where a player would be unable to switch back to the bow from a secondary weapon if spawning as a passenger in a vehicle.

X360 – Fixed an issue where Vehicle IRNV would not detect infantry on equal elevation properly

MAPS

HANGAR 21

PS3/PS4 – Fixed an issue where a user would get stuck when descending the ladder that leads to the lower Hangar.

Fixed a sound bug that would cause the titan engine audio to become distorted

Fixed various smaller sound issues

HAMMERHEAD

Fixed an issue where user would encounter snowing VFX inside of the hallway west of objective B if spawning on squad mate.

PROPAGANDA

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

PEARL MARKET

Fixed a collision issue which would cause players to fall down from the big neon sign that is used as a bridge between 2 buildings.

Fixed an issue where a user could see through the game world after destroying part of a building situated near the CN base.

LUMPHINI GARDEN

Fixed several collision issues that would occur after the mudslide levolution was triggered. The mudslide has also been optimized to reduce visual glitches.

Rush – Fixed issues with the EDO bot having no collision with several sidewalks around the US
base first set of M-coms

Fixed an issue with an indestructible window in the house at the center of the map

Fixed an issue where a player could get stuck behind the pipes at Flag C and be forced to redeploy

Xbox One – Various issues collision near the valves and between them after the levolution event

SUNKEN DRAGON

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

ROGUE TRANSMISSION

Made collision conform closer to render mesh for destroyed track pieces. moved collision volume in the level to accommodate the new changes to the adjusted object collision

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

ZAVOD 311

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

METRO 2014

Fixed an issue where users where able to get C4 kills through the roof.

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

FLOOD ZONE

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

HAINAN RESORT

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

OPERATION LOCKER

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

SIEGE OF SHANGHAI

Improved collision issues on several skyscrapers

DAWNBREAKER

Fixed an issue where a user is unable to deploy Radio Beacon, MAV and similar gadgets on the boardwalk located north from the water and south from objective C

Fixed several collision issues based on community feedback

LOST ISLAND

Added collision in the ceiling of the cave so that is no longer possible to hide there with the little bird

GULF OF OMAN

Lights now no longer stay intact once building is destroyed