PC gamers who are currently enjoying the open beta test for the upcoming first person shooter Battlefield 3 will soon see that open beta conclude on October 10. But before the beta test ends, the game's developer Digital Illusions has announced that starting today, those players will also be able to check out a second map; the massive 64-player level titled Caspian Border. Eurogamer reports that according to the game's community manager Ian Tornay, this second map is being opened up in order to test the game's online server performance.

He added, "As such, users may experience crashes, network instability and outages as we roll out and configure servers and network utilities. Understand that such potential issues and the testing environment are not reflective or indicative of the final product and that, through your participation, you will be helping to ensure future stability and functionality." The Caspian Border map is not in the client file for the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions, which is why those platforms won't be able to check out the larger map.


The full version of Battlefield 3 is currently set for release for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles on October 25. The PC version is available to pre-order and download from a number of download sites, except for Steam which is the single largest PC download game store. Recent rumors have suggested that the game's publisher Electronic Arts and Steam's owner Valve are trying to work out a deal that would allow Battlefield 3 to be sold on Steam.

Posted: Oct 07, 2011 4:28 pm

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/battlefield-3-pc-open-beta-to-add-64-player-map-this-weekend