Battlefield Bad Company Open BETA starts March 25th

Last week it was leaked out that DICE and EA would be having an open beta test of their upcoming shooter, Battlefield Bad Company and today it’s official.

DICE is giving away beta keys through their partner IGN. You simply go to the website and pass a bit of a screening process. They ask if you’ve got a Live Gold account, how old you are, how many beta’s you’ve been in before, what recent shooters you’ve played etc. To qualify for the beta you must meet all the requirements :

-Have an Xbox 360
-Have an Xbox Live Gold account
-Have experience with Battlefield games, FPS games and past beta test experience
-Have an IGN Insider account

Once you’re done with the little survey, you will be given a beta key right then and there if you meet the requirements. You will need an IGN account though, so you can either do that before going through the survey or do it during the survey when you need to log into your account.

The beta will begin March 25th, there’s no word on how long it will run but in an interview with Major Nelson, the DICE rep said it would run for about a month. So you should figure it will be at least March 25th through April 25th. It also seems that Battlefield Bad Company will be releasing sometime in June according to the announcement.

Included in the beta will be two maps, Oasis and Ascension. Oasis is a vehicle heavy map and will have all the vehicles in the game while Ascension is a more infantry focused map taking place in a small village. The only multiplayer mode discussed is the new Gold Rush mode which has one team defend some gold crates and the other team attack trying to take those crates. Every time the attackers take a crate, they get more reinforcements and a new area of the map opens up to fight on.

From IGN, the list of weapons included in the beta are:

Assault Rifles. The general purpose weapon of the Assault class:

1. Effective at all ranges but dominant in none.
2. Firing in bursts will maintain accuracy, and use the sights to zero in for a headshot.
3. The underslung grenade launcher that's fitted as standard on all Assault rifles adds destructive capability, and helps keep enemy heads down.
4. Rates of fire and damage will differ with each model; find the one that suits your style best.

Sniper Rifles. A superior long range weapon, the Recon class sniper rifle is unmatched at range.

1. Demanding patience and a steady hand, zero in for the one-shot kill.
2. Bear in mind that at extended ranges you may need to lead your target to score a hit.
3. There are 2 main classes of sniper rifle, bolt action and semi-auto – one packs more punch, while the other will allow you more rapid fire.
4. And try not to get caught in close quarters -- firing from the hip doesn't suit this gun.

Shotguns.Unmatched in point-blank efficiency, the shotgun deals massive damage at extreme short range, as fitting the Demolition class.

1. Designed for quick reaction shots, zooming will yield only minor benefit, but the cloud of pellets more than compensates for any lack of accuracy.
2. Don't try to go toe-to-toe with snipers – the effectiveness of the shotgun declines rapidly at range.
3. Choose between pump action or semi-auto versions.

Submachine Guns. The Specialist class silenced submachine gun has the highest rate of fire of any weapon.

1. Specialising in close quarter combat, the SMG nevertheless retains some effectiveness at range.
2. Fire in short bursts over distance but let rip up close -- watch your ammo levels though, you'll eat through magazines in no time.
3. Rates of fire and damage differ for each version.

Light Machineguns. The Light machinegun is the support class weapon of choice, specializing in laying down large amounts of concentrated fire.

1. If you need to pin down an enemy at mid-range, this is the gun for you.
2. With all the shaking from firing the weapon, it's not the most accurate, but sheer volume of bullets will counter that.
3. Watch out for low ammo levels – the gun is heavy, so reloading is time-consuming, make sure to pick your moment.
4. As with the other automatics, rate of fire and damage will vary for each.

Heavy Tank. The most powerful vehicle on the battlefield.

1. The heavy tank excels at standing off and delivering withering bombardment from long range.
2. It is particularly effective against other vehicles, and will make short work of buildings and barricades.
3. Its gunner position gives it close in protection, and it has radar to warn of nearby infantry.
4. These 60 ton behemoths are vulnerable in the rear however, so watch out for taking them into built up areas…

Light Tank. Excellent at infantry support.

1. Light tanks are the jack of all trades, good one-on-one against most other vehicle classes.
2. Bristling with defensive weaponry, the light tank is well protected and great for transporting squads in comparative safety.
3. Light tanks do well in built up areas, but less armour means that they often need repair from the support class.
4. In combination however, this pairing can be devastating – it doesn't have the punch of the Heavy tank, but its versatility suits it to most battlefield situations.

Armored Car. A lightly armored transport.

1. Good for quick insertion and providing fire support with its turret mounted .50cal.
2. Will get you where you need to go, but be ready to bail if you come under heavy fire.
Attack Helicopter Provides devastating air support.
3. The Attack helo's mix of rockets and chaingun can lay waste to both vehicles and infantry alike.
4. Vulnerable to small arms fire, the Attack Helo particularly suffers if there are any AA emplacements in play.

Artillery. Usually only available to support the initial phase of an attack.

1. The artillery's closely grouped barrage causes havoc amongst even the best organised enemy.
2. Using satellite imagery to pinpoint its target, it fires a quick succession of rounds to maximise damage.

Tracer Dart Pistol. Used by the specialist, the tracer dart pistol attaches a transponder to enemies, which emits a high frequency signal that links up to the guidance system of friendly rockets.

1. When the dart is in place, all demolitions class will be advised, and are then able to lock on and launch a homing missile at the target.
2. While not smart enough to navigate streets, the missile will home inexorably in on the unfortunate target.
3. Though this requires a high degree of coordination, skilled squads will be able to link up and utilise this combination to deadly effect.

Mortar Strike. The mortar strike allows player to call in mortar barrages from off map batteries that will suppress and area and cause huge destruction.

1. The mortars use anti-personnel warheads, and so are largely ineffective against armoured targets, but will tear through buildings and infantry causing huge damage.

Motion Sensor. Using miniaturised motion sensing technology, the recon class is able to throw a limited lifetime sensor that will reveal all hostiles on the minimap.

1. This can be used to aid a team-mate's advance, showing him the layout of enemy positions, or can also be helpful to alert the sniper if he has decided to hole up for a while.

For complete info on the beta head on over to http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/859/859204p2.html

The URL to sign up for your key is http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/bfbc/na/.

Good Luck!