Two videos from Battlefield 2: Special Forces have been released, showing some brief gameplay footage from the upcoming expansion pack. Thanks 3D Gamers.

Also on GameCloud today is this Battlefield 2: Special Forces Interview Q&A. EA's David Yee answers questions about the main goals for this expansion pack, the new weapons, vehicles and levels, additional gameplay elements, and graphical improvements.

Looks like stat whoring is bugging the folks at EA enough to start cracking down on it a bit. Here is a note from EA concerning some planned crackdown on people being naughty that was sent out to ranked server admins.

We have noticed an increase in behavior where leased servers are being used by clans solely to pad players stats, even to the extent where clans are institutionalizing rules that forbid normal play. Currently the favored method is for player admins to set rules where players must use either a knife or Pistol, players must revive each other, and players must not take flags. This creates environments where players gain stats unrealistically and creates an imbalance in the ranked server playing field. In our opinion, these players are breaking EA's Terms of Service, and we have begun taking action on the clans involved. However, clan coordination to this extreme requires us to create a long-term solution for this (separate from any scoring changes in 1.03).
[snip]

In general, I've enjoyed the entire rewards/badges system in Battlefield 2. Having those cute little awards pop up every so often telling you how super awesome you are is really fun. I mean everyone knows on the inside that they are awesome, but it's nice to have some validation in your life by a computer program.

Footage from the Battlefield 2 expansion pack Special Forces has found its way online, showing off the night vision mode as well as several other new features. The add-on is due out later this year.

In other Battlefield 2 news there will be some stats server downtime tonight.

There's a new community update on the Battlefield 2 website, covering the new Catalyst driver release, stats issues, additional ranked servers and the delay of the 1.03 patch.

Xfire hosted a Battlefield 2 chat yesterday, which was attended by EA producer Ben Smith. You can find a transcript at the Xfire site. Questions are about the 1.03 patch, the ranking service, Battlefield Recorder plans, adding the ability to change your name, the role of a producer, and several other topics.

EA sends along Battlefield 2 mod editing tutorials, as well as light map samples. The light map samples are required if you want to generate object shadows in your maps, and are a whopping 711mb download.

Electronic Arts has released the promised Battlefield 2 mod editor. It's not known what exactly is included with the 50mb download, but the release is described as "a little rough around the edges" and includes a warning that mods created with the SDK will not work with the current dedicated server files (this will be fixed with the upcoming patch). They do work when start a regular game server from within the game. The update on the Battlefield 2 website also mentions that an Official Battlefield 2 Mods page will soon open with more info and tutorials for mod creators.

GameSpot's Battlefield 2: Special Forces Q&A is online, asking producer Mike Doran about the upcoming expansion pack. Doran talks about working on the expansion while the original game needs some serious patching, as well as the new maps, vehicles and weapons.

EA's Battlefield 2 website has a new community update, offering an update on the mod kit. The SDK was recently released to a small number of mod teams, and they have found a few issues that DICE is now fixing. According to EA, we'll see an Open Beta version in a few days.

Hackers yesterday unlocked all weapons for some five million Battlefield 2 accounts, supposedly following inaction on the part of EA after being informed of the security holes. EA, in a new community update, mentions that they have found the cause of the problem and are rolling back all accounts to their previous state.

Once our solution is in place, if you find that you do not have access to weapons appropriate to your in-game rank, please direct inquiries to the Support sites linked below. In some cases users may be prompted to re-select the Unlock weapons that they are eligible for (if you are eligible for two weapons you will get to choose the two you wish to have unlocked).

There's another community update on the official Battlefield 2 website, mentioning that a 1.03 patch for the game is in the works for a late August release. Promising over 140 fixes and improvements, here are some of the patch highlights

- Server and Client performance improvements.
- Improved Server Browser -- added Favorites and History Lists.
- Point-farming prevention - game will stop Support/Medic/Engineer point farming exploits.
- Squads - locked squad leader will get a message if someone wants to join.
- Many HUD improvements - see the names of others in your vehicle, zoom level changing depending on vehicle, map zoom depending on map setup (16, 32 or 64 player map) etc.
- Teamkilling changes -- the logic of how teamkills are tracked will be changed.
- Gameplay tweaks - the way transport helicopters work will be tweaked.
- Additional scoring changes - players who destroy an enemy commander's assets will be given points.

EA's Battlefield 2 website has a new community update, announcing their plans for Battlefield 2 Tour of Duty together with Planet Combat.

BF2 Combat, the Battlefield 2 Tour of Duty, is a unique community which will allow players to experience Battlefield 2 as never before. Featuring multiple ten-hour battles every week (of which members can attend as many or as little as they like) the Tour of Duty offers members a hierarchically-structured environment replete with cool features. During signup, people have the option of enlisting to fight for the United States Army or Marine Corps, the Middle Eastern Coalition Armies, or the People's Liberation Army. All divisions offer the same superior game experience. Players can elect to participate in a variety of programs, including an Army Ranger School designed by real US Army Rangers and a wide swath of qualifications. Perhaps the coolest thing about the Tour of Duty is that the world changes dynamically not only after each battle but also after each three month Tour. That means generals are able to decide what areas they will attack next, and the maps played will reflect these decisions. Members will also be able to bring their unlocked weapons in on battle day and will get priority selection for BF2 Combat's public ranked servers.

The update also mentions a ranked server admin program.

EA was pretty much right when they said the updated Battlefield 2 patch wasnt far off, as it is now available. The 1.02 patch should offer the same changes as the 1.01 release, minus the memory leak problem. Updated dedicated server files are available as well. Thanks Battlefield Nation.

According to a new community update on the official Battlefield 2 website, an updated 1.01 patch for the game is currently being tested. Though no specific release date is commited to, "it's not far off".

1UP and GameSpot have posted their Battlefield 2: Special Forces previews, offering an overview of what this expansion pack is all about.

Battlefield 2 just came out, but DICE Canada is already working on an expansion pack to be released this fall. IGN has first details, talking to various people involved with the development of Battlefield 2: Special Forces. Questions are about the addition of night vision and a grappling hook, map types, new vehicles, armies and weapons, and improved server browser use.

IGNPC: What are the new armies included in the expansion?
Yee: Well, there's the Navy Seals, British SAS, Russian Spetznaz, MEC Special Forces and two insurgent groups, one of which is based on the MEC and one which will have Russian roots.

IGNPC: What's with the equipment for each? New stuff or repurposed stuff?
AJ: The insurgents will be based mostly around the Russian weapons since that's more accurate. The Americans we're adding a new FNScar which is the new special forces assault rifle. And the SAS have a full compliment of weapons too.

You can see the press release here.

There's a new community update on the official Battlefield 2 website, acknowledging that the recently released 1.01 patch for the game introduces a memory leak. The team is working on a hotfix for the problem, but in the mean time EA recommends downgrading back to the retail release. Reinstalling will not affect your medals or rankings.

As expected, the Battlefield 2 1.01 patch is now available. The 13mb download takes care of the following issues

- Fixed in issue that caused the Multiplayer Browser to become unresponsive.
- Fixed an issue where some game controls were not available to be rebound within the Options menu.
- Fixed an issue with increasing performance degradation on servers.
- Fixed a problem with shader caching on client/host : after the first map in a rotation, shaders would be loaded on the fly during gameplay.
- Fixed a crash with rebinding LMB
- Fixed a problem that caused environment mapping to not appear on reflective surfaces.
- Fixed a crash that happened when a client picks up a kit that doesn't exist anymore.
- Fixed a problem with AI when the game was paused for a long time: bots would become unresponsive and also shoot more accurately.
- LOD distances tweaked on certain objects.

The first Battlefield 2 patch should be released at 2PM CST today, and in anticipation of that EA has released updated dedicated server files for the game. On FileShack you can find the Windows and Linux builds.