We have learned many things from Goucho as i am sure he has from us.  Whether it be using his favorite weapon or using whatever the team needed at that time Goucho was always willing to help in any way he could.  That is why it is now our turn to help him.  The 209th is trying to raise donations of funds or items to help Goucho in his fight with this most hated enemy.

Any and all donations will go to Goucho and anything helps whether it be $5 or $500.  You can use the donation button at the bottom of this article to send any money you feel you can spare!   We are also trying to collect any items that can help.  However, out of respect for Goucho’s privacy if you wish to send any items please contact any administrator of 209th and we will make sure to get you taken care of.  Your assistance is much appreciated!

Please make sure to place “For Goucho” in the donation comments.

Grand Bazaar has a ton of nuances. Everything from a loaded alleyway full of nooks and crannies to hide in, to a dozen different alleyways leading in and around the outside points, making it hard to know if and when an enemy will come around the corner

We spent most of our time concentrating on the initial base and the alleyway. The first round turned out to be a very definitive example of this strategy paying off. 2 engineers focusing on taking down armor, 2 support ensuring plenty of ammo, and a slew of assaults keeping heads down and friendlies alive. The american side provided us a great vantage point clear across the alleyway into the opposite bomb. This proved useful when we knew the enemy was taking over the bomb and trying to slide into alleyway.

The second round didn’t go quite as smoothly. Team lethal did a great job of adapting to our strategy of holding our initial base. As a result, we swapped outside points multiple times. Apocalight and a battlebuddy came around the corner more than a couple times and taking our armor out. This made it a bit more interesting not having an LAV to cover the alleyway. Fortunately for us, we were able to take control of the alleyway and remove a stubborn tank, driving home another win.

The 209th would personally like to thank Team Lethal for playing with us this evening. We’re always game for a match, just let us know.

Either way, we want everyone to enjoy themselves this holiday season. Be safe out there and be thankful for the things you have without needing for the things you don’t. We hope to see everyone back here for our official game nights throughout the rest of the year.

For current clan members, the 209th staff is looking for a way to provide everyone with a christmas gift of their own – specially made for the loyal and veteran members of the 209th family. Look out – we’ll have more details later!

Sound off about your favorite part of the holiday season! Give us feedback here.

Long standing classic Battlefield game modes Conquest and Rush are back in Battlefield 3, together with interesting new additions to make this our broadest and deepest Battlefield yet. From the close quarters infantry combat of Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch to objective driven all-out vehicle warfare – Battlefield 3 has it all. All of the 9 huge multiplayer maps in Battlefield 3 adapt to all 5 game modes, effectively giving you 45 distinctly different multiplayer experiences to choose between. Without further ado, here are the five available multiplayer modes at launch in detail. What they are, what their respective goals are, and how they play.

Team Deathmatch
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 24 (12 vs. 12)
Focus: Team Based Infantry Combat
Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
Winning the game: The team that reaches the set kill number first is declared the winner

Team Deathmatch is of the true classics when it comes to multiplayer game modes, and a game mode that makes its first appearance in a Battlefield game since the original Battlefield 1942. In Team Deathmatch, two teams of 12 players each duke it out on tight knit maps with a distinct infantry focus – there are no vehicles available in Team Deathmatch. For that quick instant action fix, this is the perfect game mode. For players new to Battlefield, this is a good place to start. Once you get the hang of the infantry gameplay, you can move on to deeper modes that include the signature vehicle warfare for which Battlefield is known and loved.

Squad Deathmatch
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 16 (4 squads of 4)
Focus: Squad Based Infantry Combat
Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
Winning the game: The squad that reaches the set kill number first is declared the winner

Squad Deathmatch is a larger and more dynamic variety of deathmatch that also features the inclusion of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The IFV can help break a deadlock, as long as you keep it alive with solid Engineer gameplay. The 4 squad setup means that there is a constant battle throughout the game to gain and maintain the lead. Sticking together, keeping your squad healed up, supplied, and repaired are the keys to victory. The squad that can combine the potent Battlefield mix of team play and combat prowess will be proven the winner.

Rush
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 24/32 (Console/PC)
Focus: Objective Based All-out Warfare
Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
Winning the game: Destroy all M-COM stations/Deplete the attacker’s tickets (Attackers/Defenders)

First introduced in Battlefield: Bad Company, Rush has now made its way to the heart of the Battlefield series in Battlefield 3. An objective based mode, the attackers have to arm and detonate pairs of M-COM stations in each area of the map to unlock the next area and the next pair of M-COM stations. While defenders have an unlimited amount of spawn tickets, attackers only get new tickets every time they destroy a pair of M-COMs. If all M-COM stations on the entire map are destroyed, the attackers are declared the winning team. If the defenders manage to deplete the attacker’s tickets to zero (by killing them), the defenders are declared the winners.

As an all-out warfare mode, Rush features a large variety of vehicle setups tuned specifically to that map’s landscape and features. Players can find all types of vehicles on Rush maps, including transport vehicles, armored vehicles, helicopters, and of course, jets. Rush offers a compelling objective based all-out warfare game mode for Battlefield veterans.

If you are familiar with this game mode from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, you might want to know we are refining it for Battlefield 3 in a number of ways, based on player feedback. Some of the gameplay tweaks we are bringing to Rush are:
* You cannot use explosives or shoot at the M-COM to take it out. Only arm and disarm.
* If the attacking team arms the M-COM but runs out of tickets, the match will continue until the M-COM detonates or defenders disarm it
* If the defenders start disarming an M-COM just before it’s about to blow, the explosion is prevented until the disarm is accomplished. If the defender gets killed during the disarm process, the M-COM will instantly blow
 

Squad Rush
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 8 (4 vs. 4)
Focus: Squad Based Infantry Combat
Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
Winning the game: Destroy all M-COM stations/Deplete the attacker’s tickets (Attackers/Defenders)

Squad Rush is the ultimate test to show which squad is the best of the best. Squad Rush is an extremely tight duel between two squads that borrows the main rules from normal Rush, but in a much more intimate setting. In Squad Rush there are only 2 bases with 1 M-COM station per base, meaning that every M-COM taken or defended in Squad Rush is vital to the victory or defeat of the game. There are no vehicles in Squad Rush, so it’s all down to your infantry fighting skills.

To be successful it’s key that you and your squad mates customize your soldiers to complement each other on the battlefield, in order to keep reviving fallen mates, provide ammo, and perform other essential duties. Squad Rush is often favored by players who know each other’s play styles intimately and want to show their skills in the most personal of combat settings.

Conquest
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 24/32 or 64 (Console/PC)
Focus: Objective Based All-out Warfare
Goal: Capture and Hold Flags
Winning the game: Deplete opposing team’s tickets

Conquest is without a doubt the most classic of Battlefield game modes. Introduced in Battlefield 1942, Conquest has defined the entire Battlefield series (and influenced a lot of other games out there) and encompasses everything that makes Battlefield great. Set over a series of large-scale maps, Conquest is the game mode best suited for the experience of all-out vehicle warfare. In Conquest, two teams fight for control of a number of flags by being the dominant force in the vicinity of each base. Capture and keep control of a majority of the flags and the enemy team will bleed tickets. Killing enemies will also reduce their ticket count, and the first team to run out of tickets loses.

Conquest is a strategic and tactical game that often asks you to make important decisions on whether to attack an enemy base or defend one of your own. Your forces will rarely be enough to capture and hold every base on the map, so in-game communication and quick thinking is necessary to be victorious. Of all of the game modes we have invented here at DICE, Conquest will always have a special place in our hearts.

Tweak your game with Hardcore and Infantry Only settings

Not a fan of vehicles? No problem — just click the “Infantry Only” box in your server browser when searching for a server game where no attack vehicles will spawn in, only transports. This is a great way to get a feel for the game or the map before you go all-out warfare.

Want a more lethal and tactical game mode where the risk and reward is even higher? With the Hardcore Mode setting, we are leaving you on the battlefield without much external help from the game interface. This game mode modifier will test the limits of your skills.

You can flick the Hardcore switch for any of the regular game modes. Doing so tends to turn matches into more deliberate and tactical affairs, since the penalty for being careless is higher. A lot of players prefer Hardcore Mode since it means that flanking and ambushing pays off to a higher degree, or because of the increased sense of immersion and authenticity that comes with removing user interface elements.

There is something for everyone in Battlefield 3’s adaptable array of multiplayer modes, maps, and modifiers. Add our many customization options for vehicles, weapons and classes, and you can see why we call this our biggest and deepest Battlefield yet.

What this doesn’t mean is that we are getting a KF server. Since there are already so many servers to choose from (and the default population at 6), there’s really no need for us to invest in a server of our own. Not to mention the fact that most servers are vote servers, meaning if we go into an empty server as a clan, we really have control of what maps we’ll be playing on.

So if you like shooting up zombies and getting covered in blood, come play with us! And if you’re already a member and want to apply for the role of game commander, make a post in the forum petition for leadership.

Multi-Player

• 4 confirmed classes: Assault Medic, Support, Recon & Engineer.
• No kill streaks a la Call of Duty.
• Jets confirmed for both console and PC.
• 64 player support for PC. 24 players for consoles.
• Flashlights can be attached to guns. No word on whether or not this will be class specific, but we saw it attached to an M4 Carbine on an engineer class during E3.
• full environment destructibility
• Suppression mechanic can now be used to pin down players and give points for doing so. However, both the player doing the suppressing, and the players being suppressed will be highlighted to both teams.
• Engineers will be able to use carbine type rifles.
• Sniper rifles will have attachable bi-pods. We don’t know if this will be available from the start, or if it will be a weapon accessory.
• Equippable knife, even on console. You can still melee without the knife equipped, but the knife will make your attack faster and harder to counter.
• Vaulting ability to get over obstacles. Seen at E3 where you will see your players hands and legs when moving.
• Squad members can only spawn on the squad leader. This will make it doubly important for squad leaders to stay alive and play smart. Opposing recon players will be able to make a huge difference by putting precision fire on squad leaders.
• Squad leader can spawn on any squad member. Pay attention! If your squad leader goes down, back off and stay down until he gets back in the fight.
• No revive immunity and reduced spawn time if you get killed quickly after a revive. No more of the all medic zombie squads that we saw in the early days of BC2.
• No difference in spawn timers between BF2 and BFBC2.
• Beta in September. People who have the limited edition of Medal of Honor will get early access. The open beta will be available to everyone.

Single Player

• United States Marines will be featured.
• Near future setting. According to the single player trailer, the game is set in 2014.
• Full environment destruction. Just as in Multi-player, Frostbite 2 and all its glory will be included.

Miscellaneous

• Whole screen will zoom in when aiming not just scope views
• Disarm and kit pickup buttons are different buttons now No more picking up a kit repeatedly when trying to disarm the M-COM!
• Weapons only have fire modes they have in real life. Great addition. This means that the M16A4 won’t be fully automatic. Single shot and 3 round burst. Just for an example.
• No variable grenade throw strength
• Quick grenades and equippable grenades both confirmed. Except consoles will only have quick grenades due to lack of button variety.
• Joystick support on PC
• Random recoil for each gun.
• Sniper scopes (optics) flash when pointed into sun (lens flashes) to give away their position. This will make positioning very important for recon players.
• No offline bots.
• When spawning, your fire mode for a gun isn’t saved. It reverts to default. I’ll be interested to see if the default fire mode is single shot or fully automatic/burst.
• Level and vehicle designers from 2142 are working on BF3.
• Strafe while sprinting confirmed. Finally!
• Squad leaders create their squads like in BF2142.

The CoD1 server most likely would share a server with CoD2, meaning they wouldn’t run permanently. CoD1 might be used one night, CoD2 the next. The major concern with these 2 games (specifically CoD1) is the factor of support and interest. If CoD1 turns out to be a successful venture, we may get another server to run it.

Here’s what I consider a successful venture:

1. With all games involved, we stay objective. We don’t need 4 million admins. We don’t need to ban everything we see because we think they hack. Thinking does not equate to knowing.

2. We use the servers. I’ll be straight with you when I say that if we don’t fill the servers with pubbies, it’s no skin off my nose. But the clan members need to use the server. Instead of playing in other servers, let’s use the one we have and play what we want. That’s what we’re paying for; the service to play what we want how we want, not to put up a server for other people to enjoy on our behalf.

3. We bring new members. This one is not so important as the first two, but it’s important to the continuance of the 209th family. People come and go. Some stay for a long time. Some were never meant to play pc games. We don’t care. We want to continue to see growth regardless.

Wondering why I’m asking? I spoke with digital about the possibility of bringing these servers back on the condition that I alone funded them. He made it clear that if the funding was there, it didn’t matter what the ends were. So I thought this might be a good time to wipe off the dust and see who still enjoys CoD.

Why all 3? Well the servers are a package deal, and I stand with a few that still enjoy CoD1 in all its simplicities. So this is the offer that’s being made.

If I can concede a conscious effort on the part of the clan and community to successfully achieve the above 3 things (not all on part of one person), then I will move ahead with this venture and fund 2 servers (possibly 3) for a year (that’s going to be about $~300).

After a year, we will see how these servers are doing, and if they warrant renewing, that’s what we’ll do.

Vote on the topic in the forums.

We hope that this move will eliminate most – if not all – of the complications that have plagued the BC2 server. If you have any questions or wish to talk to us about the use of our server, or if you have a problem relating to the performance of our server that you would like to tell us, please feel free to let us know via the forums. We appreciate any and all feedback we get and will do our best to make sure things run smoothly..

=209th= Hardcore Elite.

A forum discussion has been made specifically for this topic. Please go here to read more.

A leveling contest is also being planned for sometime after easter.