Part two: Nvidia Drivers (continued) Ok so you hit "Next" and the driver began installing, when its done, your screen "may" look like this. 
Do not panic if it doesnt look like the screenshot above... Depending on what driver version you had installed previously, or a lack of a driver because of a fresh OS install, you may -or- may NOT be prompted to reboot your system for the changes to take effect. It does not matter, whether it prompts you or not--> you NEED to reboot after the installer is finished. Make NO changes, do NOT try and open the Nvidia Control Panel and do NOT enable anything you had turned off. -->just REBOOT the system now. OK, you have just rebooted after the driver install, now its time to check and make sure the driver installed correctly. I find the easiest way to check, is to simply "Right Click" on any open area of the desktop and look for the option in the flyout for the "Nvidia Control Panel" as shown below. choose Nvidia..trol panel If you see the option -good-, if you do NOT see it dont panic. Just like the option to enable SLI (which I will cover later), sometimes after a driver install, the Nvidia Control Panel will not show in the context menu flyout. The proper way to see if you really have a problem, is to perform another reboot and check it again. If its STILL not showing (and it has happened to me once) then you should simply reinstall the driver -again- "over the top" of the install you just finished, without performing -any- uninstall steps first. Just launch the driver installer again and follow the same steps as before, but this time, "without" the "Clean install" option checked... it "should" fix it. *Note: If your still NOT seeing it, then there are a few issues that could be causing the problem. First off, you may have failed to complety disable your anti-virus software, you may have your Windows security settings cranked up too high (back them down to Medium), or you may be logged into Windows on a User account that does not have the proper Admin permissions -or- on a account that was setup without a Admin password. For the User account without the correct permissions, simply log out and log back in on the primary Admin account and try installing the driver again. For those who have installed windows -without- using a password for the Admin account, the only fix is OS reinstall and to use a password this time. Ok, we have the new driver installed and Nvidia Control panel is showing up when you "right click" on the desktop. Now, open the Nvidia Control Panel Choose "Manage 3D Settings" on the top left (as Shown) 
These are the "DEFAULT" settings that the driver comes setup with after installing. ->And thats where most users "create" issues when changing these settings for BFBC2, without knowing what settings to choose. Make the wrong choices on your settings, and you will get flickering, studdering, blackscreens, white screens, game lockups, CTD's and higher than normal temps..Etc ...and thats what we are going to be covering next
Part Three: Nvidia Control Panel Settings (for BFBC2) *if you dont want to read all this, there is a screenshot at the bottom with my recommended NVCP settings for BFBC2
Ok, before we start on this section I want to make a few things clear. I do not pretend to be a graphics driver "expert", there are many users on this fourm who could run rings around me when it comes to the esoteric aspects of in depth graphics driver knowledge. What I am, is a serious gamer who demands the finest hardware/driver settings for the ability to spot targets, the best graphic performance for smooth gaming and total game responsiveness for the best experience when playing. I can play on a given rig for a few minutes and very closely guess what the framerates are (if I have time on the game engine), But in all honesty, it is also true that -when playing- I really cannot tell the difference betwwen x32CSAA and x8MSAA. Yeah, if I look at still screenshots I can "sometimes" spot the difference, but when playing my bottom line standard is "does it look good, does it play well"... With that said, The settings I will be suggesting in this section are first and foremost---> the settings which will NOT cause issues in BFBC2. On top of that first requirement, the second most important part of this guide is to provide the best "total gaming experience" in terms of High Settings and Smooth gameplay. Lastly, a very important part of this guide is to help other users "learn" enough about the BFBC2 game engine needs and quirks -and- their Nvidia graphics driver... to make their OWN explorations about what settings will work best on their hardware with BFBC2. OK first off, there are a couple of settings that need to be changed that are completly independent of BFBC2, and are simply gaming settings that need to be changed from defaults right away. 
The first one simply tells the graphics card about your monitor setup. (example is for using ONE monitor) The second one tells the graphics card to stay clocked up when the game is running (set to prefer max performance) The last one allows the Nvidia driver to use a SLI profile (Nvidia recommended, is what you want for BFBC2) Make the changes (that match your config) and apply them... Speaking of SLI (for dual card systems) lets get that turned on now (as shown below) 
Enable SLI and be sure to set PhysX to the card your monitor is NOT plugged into... (this is a BFBC2 setting) *Important Note: If you are having issues with getting SLI enabled there are a few steps to take when troubleshooting. First off, reboot and try again. If that doesnt work, open the case and remove the SLI bridge then lift out each card slightly and reseat it. Re-install the bridge, boot up and try again. If that doesnt do the trick, examine your SLI bridge to see if you have it on backwards (yes, it can be put on backwards) It wont hurt the cards to try it in the other direction if its still not working. If you have another 2way bridge or even a 3way one, you should try those also. *If its STILL not enabling (and this has happened to me once with dual SC 470's) then you should simply try reinstalling the driver -again- "over the top" of the install you just finished, without performing -any- uninstall steps first. Just launch the driver installer again and follow the same steps as before, but this time, "without" the "Clean install" option checked...
OK, its time to go down the list in the "Manage 3D Settings" panel starting at the top.
Ambient Occlusion = the available settings are OFF (default) and "Performance" or "Quality"
This setting -is not- supported by the BFBC2 Engine thru the Nvidia control panel. BFBC2 uses its own "in-game" method called HSAO. Using that in-game HSAO setting provides slight background shadowing of forward objects and can add a great deal to the "looks" of the game -and- the ablity to spot targets. Make no mistake, this setting is VERY GPU intensive and will -really- effect framerates when using a single card config. Unless your using SLI or a GTX 470 or above, it is best to leave this setting at the default value of OFF. I suggest to everyone to leave this setting to OFF when first playing, then later to enable it and test see if they notice the effect or not, while keeping an eye out for FPS drops and/or slight studdering (if you cannot notice the effects, its not worth using).
*This setting can be played around with. The only issues I know of are that it can produce artifacts in BFBC2 with extreme transparency supersampling.
**Known issues: studdering from low FPS, artifacts using high levels of supersampling, heavy footprint on the GPU
MANIAC's suggested setting for Ambient Occlusion-->OFF Anisotropic filtering = The available settings are default Application controlled and OFF, x2, x4, x8 and x16
This setting basicly makes distant textures on objects clearer (you can see your targets better) crank it up!
There are no issues I know of or performance drops of any kind, by setting this value to x16
MANIAC's suggested setting for Anisotropic filtering--> set to x16 *EDIT: there are issues with Crysis2 when forcing x16 AF in the NVCP. Use Application Controlled instead. Antialiasing- Gamma correction = The available settings are OFF or ON
This setting does NOT apply to the BFBC2 game engine. It should NOT be turned ON.
Maniac's suggested setting for Antialiasing-Gamma Correction-- OFF Antialiasing - MODE The available settings are --->Application Controlled (default)
--->OFF
--->Enhance the application setting
--->Override any application setting
Choosing between these settings in BFBC2 can get -very very- technical, so I will try and make it plain and simple.
The "Application Controlled" setting will use the in-game AA settings options (sample rates).
The "OFF" setting does just that, and can provide an very ugly but extremely large jump in FPS. (not suggested)
The "Enhance the application" setting will use the in-game settings as a "starting point" and allow for higher sample rates to be applied than is normally shown in the game. (more sample options in the NVCP)
The "Override any application" setting will do just that, and "force" AA samples. (this should not be done with BFBC2)
What does all this mean?
-->MANIAC suggests you leave it at default "Application Controlled"
If you leave the setting at it's "default" value of "Application Controlled" you will get the following options in the -in-game Graphics Settings (advanced) options panel to choose from, if they are supported by your NVCP settings and hardware.
x1 MSAA x2 MSAA x4 MSAA x8 MSAA or x8 CSAA x16 CSAA or x16 (Q)CSAA x32 CSAA (That in-game BFBC2 settings panel flyout is shown below)
*Important note: If you make -any- changes in the in-game "Advanced" settings tab (shown above) your BFBC2 settings file in your My Doucuments folder will re-enable the hidden BLOOM setting. After making -any- changes in this panel, you must leave the game and chnage that setting back to "False" OR YOU WILL EXPERIENCE ISSUES (I will be covering how to do that in the next section, you
MUST make those changes)
If you change the setting to "Enhance", you will then get the option in the NVCP to "set" those options.
-->In the previously "greyed out" -->
Antialising - Setting *Note: not all these settings will show up depending on your videocard(s) config.
(Here is a SS of where you would change -those- settings)
*These settings can produce the highest quality results, but using them is recommened for experienced users only.
For more information on AA and its different modes and forms, go here
http://www.nhancer.com/?dat=d_AA and
http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_6.html and read up. (dont forget to click on the embedded "blue links" in the second link, that will really blow your mind if your a math freak)
I will make it simple -->Leave the setting at default "Application Controlled" and then pick the highest level your config (CPU/Videocard(s)) can run without dropping framerates too low for you, causing your game to studder or effecting the "smoothness" of your gameplay. -->I personally use default "Application Controlled" and x32 CSAA off the BFBC2 in-game options panel. (to be honest, because I can with dual 580's. Its doubtful I could really tell the differance between x8 MSAA with "transparency" enabled or x16 or x32 while playing in-game) **Important note: High levels of AA in BFBC2 conflict with the "Bloom" setting that is hidden in the settings config file, within the BFBC2 folder in My Documents. When using higher levels of AA you -MUST- disable the "BLOOM" setting or you WILL experience flickering, black screens, studdering and other reported issues like black screen with sound running or overlay issues. (I will cover this in depth in another section) Antialiasing - Transparency The available settings are OFF, Multisample and x2,x4 and x8 Supersample
This setting effects textures like leaves, wires, fences ETC
MANIAC's suggested setting is--> Multisample *This setting makes a big differance in the looks of the game and using Multisample avoids some known issues with supersampling (artifacts and studdering).
Cuda - GPUs MANIAC's suggested setting is default-->ALL Maximum pre-rendered frames The settings are 0-8 with the default setting at 3
This setting attempts to balance ready to display frames and input lag. BFBC2 has a in-game vaule of -2- preset in the config file, and this value should be set here to match that in-game setting.
MANIAC's suggested setting is -->2 *you should not use anything but 2 here, unless your using a TV as a monitor (input lag). You "can" play with this setting if using a TV, but when testing you MUST match this NVCP value with the value in the game config file. If you change one, you must change the other to match.
**any mis-match between this number and the one in the BFBC2 settings config file, can result in studdering and a "slow" feeling in-game when playing.
Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration The settings are default -->Multiple display performance Mode, Single display performance Mode and Compatibility performance Mode.
If your using ONE monitor--> change this setting to Single display performance mode
Power management mode The settings are default Adaptive and Prefer maximum performance
*do NOT use the default "Adaptive" setting for BFBC2
MANIAC's suggested setting is --> Prefer maximum performance SLI rendering mode The default is--> Nvidia recommended
*do not change this setting from its default for BFBC2
Texture filtering-Anisotropic sample optimization The settings are default OFF and ON
MANIAC's suggested setting is-- OFF (default) *do NOT turn this setting on for BFBC2
Texture filtering-Negitive LOD bias The settings are default Allow and Clamp
MANIAC's suggested setting is --> CLAMP *do NOT leave this setting at default Allow, you need it set to Clamp when using AA
Texture filtering- Quality The settings are default-->Quality, then the options of Performance, High performance and High Quality
*do NOT set this to High Quality. Doing so turns OFF all the killer stuff built into your videocard to make it run better, and FORCES the card to do things by BRUTE FORCE. This will have a HUGE impact on performance levels and will INCREASE your videocard temps. Dont do it!! MANIAC's suggested setting is-- QUALITY (and nothing else) Texture filtering- Trilinear optimization The settings are default ON and Off
MANIAC's suggested setting is --> ON (default) Threaded optimization The settings are default Auto, ON and OFF
MANIAC's suggested setting is--> AUTO (default) Triple Buffering The settings are default OFF and ON
MANIAC's suggested setting is--> OFF (default) *even if you are using VSync, you do NOT need to turn this on in BFBC2
Vertical Sync The settings are default "Use the 3D application setting", Force off and Force On
MANIAC's suggested setting is--> Use the 3D application setting (default), you can turn it on in-game *I personally do not use Vsync, it is not needed with my setup. *BFBC2 is a "heavy" game and even with the most powerful SLI graphics setups it is impossible to have runaway framerates in BFBC2. Many people complain of "tearing", but this is most often caused by bad NVCP settings and slow monitors. If you think you like using it, do so. For users with good hardware setups (strong cards and good monitors) it is NOT needed, and should not be used.
Apply the changes and answer "yes" to save them -->Below is a screenshot of the settings I recommend using for BFBC2 (for most users) *the reasons for these settings/options are discussed in my post above. Read it if you have questions about the choices I have posted 
*Note: The settings above, MUST be used with correct choices in the BFBC2 Settings file (next section) or issues can occur Part Four: The BFBC2 in-game settings panel This section is VERY VERY important to avoid almost -all- of the reported issues people experience when running BFBC2 that are "settings" releated *Before making the settings changes listed below, you MUST have setup your Nvidia control panel (Manage 3D settings) as noted in the section above. Failure to do so, will cause issues, problems and you wont be able use the settings options I will be suggesting. -->if you have not setup your 3D settings in the Nvidia Control Panel (as noted in the above section) you must go back and do so NOW, before you can use my suggestions in this section. Your Nvidia control panel settings must -match exactly- the screenshot posted below -->before, your continue with this section!!! (except for multi-monitor setups, or having Ambient Occlusion OFF) Ok, you have your NVCP settings setup.
Now, start the game up and hit the "Options" button on the top, then choose -->"Settings"
Now, choose "Advanced" where its says "Overall Quality"
(as shown in the screenshot, that will open the "advanced" settings flyout panel)
First off, set the games screen res to -match- your monitors "native" settings.
Next, set -everything to HIGH as shown in the screenshot (I will be showing you "where" to change this later)
-->Match -all- of the settings as shown in the "Advanced" flyout -EXCEPT- for the AA level.
* for single cards (midrange GTX 460 Etc.) I suggest you choose 4x MSAA or 8xMSAA
**for single cards (GTX 470,560Ti,570's Etc.) I suggest 8xMSAA or 16x CSAA
***for power users (SLI or GTX 480,580,590's) this setting should be set (as shown) to 32x CSAA
Now close the game
You wont normally be -ever- going back to that Options/Settings panel again
From now on, you will be making any settings changes somewhere "else" and thats what I'm going to show you next...
Go to My Documents, find the yellow BFBC2 folder, Open the BFBC2 folder, then open the "settings" file with Notepad.
This is where the "magic" happens. It is settings in THIS file, that cause 90% of problems in BFBC2
When setting up BFBC2 settings or trouble shooting, this file is where you will be making changes
Here are my personal "Settings" file settings that I use for BFBC2
[WindowSettings] Width=1920
Height=1080
Fullscreen=true
RefreshRate=60
VSync=false
[Sound] Quality=high
VoipEnable=false
SpeakerCount=0
[Graphics] Effects=high
Soldiers=high
Vehicles=high
Overgrowth=high
Undergrowth=high
StaticObjects=high
Terrain=high
Shadows=high
Bloom=false
HSAO=true
MSAA=7
Water=high
MainQuality=custom
Texture=high
DxVersion=auto
Aniso=4
Detail=high
RenderAheadLimit=2
Fov=75
We will now go over what each setting does and what the options are.
What settings work best and why we would want to choose them for a given config.
--->We will also go over which of these settings
CAN and
DO cause problems and issues when running BFBC2.
First Section:
[WindowSettings] Width=1920 -------->
Width of your monitors "Native" screen size. (since I use a 1920x1080 monitor) Height=1080 -------->
Height of your monitors "native screen size. Fullscreen=true ----->
a setting here of "true" runs the game in fullscreen, a "false" setting runs it in a window *very useful running in windowed mode for underbuilt systems, you can drop down and get large framerate increases, also useful for recording with Fraps to keep file sizes down. Example: on a 1920x1080 monitor, running the game in a window at 1680x1050 RefreshRate=60 ---->
your monitors native refresh rate, as reported by the Nvidia control panel and nothing else Do NOT enter any values here, only in the NVCP should those be adjusted. *if this is showing at 59.9999 leave it, thats fine VSync=false
---------> false turns it OFF, true turns it on Second Section: [Sound]
Quality=high ------> The settings are high, medium and low. This should be set to HIGH *Note: Since BFBC2 uses the CPU for sound rendering, the -only- reason to drop it from high is if your CPU isnt able to run the game or is clocked slow. IE dual cores need LOW always, older or very slow quads need Medium. The slower Ghz your CPU runs at, the lower this setting needs to be. Any CPU running below 3.0ghz, quad or not should use medium or low. ** it does NOT MATTER what sound card you have, whatever you are using is -only- a output device for the sound rendering done on the CPU *** Incorrect values, or forcing a setting that is not supported.. will STILL output sound, but is a very well known cause of CTD, studdering and lockups. --> the correct way to setup your sound device for BFBC2 is to have it tested and working PROPERLY with all the correct settings in Windows -and- in your audio device software BEFORE installing BFBC2, then leave the Speaker Count value at zero
VoipEnable=false ---> This is the in-game voice chat feature. I recommend turning it to false. *Note: there are known CTD issues when this is enabled, but not used. It also can cause strange effects in your clients connection, router ports and can sometimes not play nice when other chat clients are used. -->Set it to False.
SpeakerCount=0 ----> it appears that only (3) settings are available. Code (0) appears to use windows -and- your audio device drivers/software settings to "use" for output -->(I personally use this setting) Code (2) appears to "Force" 2-channel stereo Code (6) appears to "Force" the highest quality SUPPORTED in the game, which is 5.1 The reason everything "appears" to do something, is that it is impossible to test the setting without owning 2channel headphones, a 2 speaker system, a 2.1 system, a 5.1 system..ETC. *MANIAC suggests that you leave the setting at (0) as this will use your Audio device software settings and Windows settings **If you cannot hear footsteps or are hearing the wrong positional sounds, feel free to test away with your sound setup. Do NOT input code values in the settings file to do so, use ONLY the in-game BFBC2 Audio settings panel, Your Windows audio settings and Your audio device software settings, and then test your changes. ***Putting in codes which are unsupported is more likely to simply DEFAULT to zero anyway Third section: [Graphics]
Effects=high Effects are a big part of this game. For some games, "high" effects can cause blinding smoke, exploisions Etc that can be so overwhelming that turning them off results in better visibilty and better gameplay. This is NOT the case in BFBC2. With effects set to "high", you can see much better when a smoke grenade goes off, than with effects set to low...
The -only- reason to turn this down is framerates.
Soldiers=high
Detail levels on Soldiers, looks great on high
The only reason to turn this down is framerates
This is a good place to gain framerates with lower settings, -without- effecting GAMEPLAY.
Vehicles=high Detail level on Veichles, looks great on high
The only reason to turn this down is framerates
This can be a place to gain framerates with lower settings, although it will have a slight effect on gameplay.
Overgrowth=high Detail level on Overgrowth, looks great on high
This can be turned down for framerates...
*Setting this to Med makes tree and bush branches and leaves "slightly" more solid. Setting this to Low, makes branches and leaves "solid blocks". Anything below HIGH, will allow targets to hide much better... I suggest HIGH at all times.
Undergrowth=high Detail level on Undergrowth, looks great on high
This can be turned down for framerates
*Setting this to Med makes tree and bush branches and leaves "slightly" more solid. Setting this to Low, makes branches and leaves "solid blocks". Anything below HIGH, will allow targets to hide much better... I suggest HIGH at all times.
StaticObjects=high Detail level on Objects in the game, looks great on high
This is a very good place to gain framerates with lower settings, -without- effecting GAMEPLAY.
Terrain=high Terrain detail, looks great on high
This is a very good place to gain framerates with lower settings, -without- effecting GAMEPLAY.
Shadows=high Shadow complexity, looks awesome on high
Normally this is a good place to gain some frames, but as you drop down the settings it becomes -harder- to see targets in BFBC2. Test and see what you can live with... High is best.
Bloom=false 
this is THE setting that causes issues, when set to: true Bloom, the art of light reflecting off of objects.
Yeah right! DICE did such a poor job with this buggy feature, that its hard -->for most people to even see it in-game (unless your on a desert map, and cant see BECAUSE of it). And even when its working with AA, it can just decide its time for a CTD, an overlay issue, black flickering or a game lockup...
Good job Dice
This setting is NOT available in-game, and unless you open the Settings file in the BFBC2 My Documents folder and set it to False, its always set to true. Even worse, any settiings changes in the game options panel will re-enable it!
Good job again DICE
Set BLOOM to false, false, false and everytime you make any changes or patch BFBC2, come to the setting file and make SURE its set to false. FALSE is the setting for BLOOM *Having Bloom set to true, can cause studdering, black flickering, black screens, white screens, CTD's HSAO=true This is a Ambient Occulison feature, looks good enabled
This is a good place to gain some framerates, with only a minor hit to gameplay
MSAA=7 This is a coded feature the number 7= x32 MSAA
When we set the level in the in-game options panel (posted in the first part of this section) we set the Code up for the level of AA you picked-->and that is the code that is now showing.(the choice you made then) leave it alone, make any changes to AA in the in-game settings panel, then come BACK HERE and you will see the code changed
*Important Note: after any changes to AA levels, you MUST set BLOOM to false as it will reset to True
Water=high Water detail, looks good on high
-very good- place to save some CPU overhead and gain framerates. Low is fine
MainQuality=custom This only means we are using custom settings, do NOT set it to anything else.
Texture=high Texture quality, looks good on high
Not recommended to drop this setting unless you are having real overhead issues, Medium setting is OK but the low setting looks like junk.
DxVersion=auto Auto is recommended. But forcing DX10 or DX9 is possible using this value.
=10 will limit the game to DX10 and =9 will limit the game to DX9
*Forcing DX9 can
DOUBLE framerates
and is very recommended for midrange single cards like the GTX 460
**Running in DX9 will limit AA to x1 in the options panel.
Aniso=4 This is a coded feature 4= x16 Anisotropic filtering
This should always be set at the value 4 and should not be changed. Nothing is gained by doing so.
Detail=high This is the "overall" detail level, looks good on high
This presets some settings to high, this is a value in the in-game panel to set overall quality levels.
RenderAheadLimit=2 This is the in-game setting for the BFBC2 engine, I recommend the default value of 2 set HERE in the settings file, AND also in the Nvidia control panel 3d settings.
*Important: The value shown here MUST match the Render Ahead limit in the NVCP. Failue to match settings can cause studdering, CTD and a overall "slow" or "clunky" feeling in the game.
Fov=75 The is the games "field of view" setting, at default the value is set to 55 ( a console port value)
MANIAC recommends the setting of 75 for enhancing gameplay and increasing the "fun" factor.
*settings above 75 can be used, but the increasing fisheye effect will not help your gaming... try it if you want to.
Part five: Mutilplayer, system tips and tweaks Multiplayer gaming is why most of us play BFBC2. I will be covering some basic system tips for online playing, and then go on to cover the most important factors that are unique to BFBC2. The first general rule for playing online? Use a hardwired connection!! Do NOT share your connection when playing! While online games "can" be played using a wireless connection, doing so will always introduce negitive effects and generate issues. The second general rule for playing online? Know "what else" your system is doing on the internet while your playing your game. One of the most common issues today that causes online multiplayer problems (lag, studdering, BFBC2 disconnects, Punkbuster issues), is background processes being active online while playing. The -only- way to really know what is really going on in a given users config, is to install network monitoring software. This will show you what is happening and who is doing it... Many of the users I have helped with such problems have been totally shocked by by the number of things that were actively using their connection, when they thought -nothing- was using it but the game they were playing. -->Make no mistake, alot of software does things online the normal user is totally unaware of, and has no control over. Finding out what is going on within your system and its connection to the internet is critical. Until you understand what is happening and which programs are doing what, there is no way to gain control over it or understand how to stop it. *Important note: using anykind of p2p software (like Skype, X-fire Etc), can trigger some ISP's into throttling your connection. The last general tip, is the BIG LIE about internet connections. For gaming, a quality VDSL 2.5mb connection is just as good as a 80mb cable one (and often can be much better). Game servers do NOT adjust traffic based on a given users internet speed, everybody gets the same bandwith treatment from the server, and on the server poll (unless of course your missing it due to issues). Low signal to noise ratio on your physical connection, the quality of your ISP's primary server and your physical location, your ISP's node contracts and throttle levels, and the quality of the game server, its distance from you, its physical location and -its- ISP's services, the "Type" of internet service (Cable, DSL, VDSL) you are using and its native congestion levels and lastly the network congestion present along your pipeline to the server, all come together as one, and determine your overall internet performance levels in a given game. Make no mistake, your SpeedTested 40mb cable connection is actually running at the USA average-->700kbps when connected to a game server. Unless you pay for business class service or use a "specialty" ISP provider, its unlikely you receive sustained connection speeds above 700kbps. The speed you are "really" getting can be easily tested. Go to a known host with unlimmited return bandwith contracts such as Microsoft Update or Nvidia.com and download a file, or open a torrent client (for non ISP p2p throttled users).... What you see -is- what your really getting Now on to the BFBC2 tips. In the BFBC2 engine DICE has chosen to implement a Mod to the network stack, to help with client/server generated lag effects. The system actually works quite well for removing such visual effects (you wont "see" a player with 600ping skipping 20ft at a time across the map). But it has a unintended effect in generating "predictive" effects when playing... that guy getting a totally impossible shot on you... it only looked that way to you, as far as the server was concerned everything was fair. Because of the way your client generated that frame sequence during that shot, it only "looked" like a cheat to YOU. There is no doubt that increasing your framerates, will help you to use this feature in the engine for better gameplay. The "better" you run the game vs the person your shooting at, the more likely you will be happy and the other guy will rage quit because it looked so bad... -->The "sweet spot" for taking advantage of this engine feature appears to be around 120-130fps, higher than that and it appears that the effect drops away and such higher frames may begin to hurt you against players running much lower fps. If your getting CTD's after doing all the config stuff I have posted, consider dropping your overall quality levels down a notch (you may be running them too high, graphics and/or sound. Or you may have overclocks that are causing issues). The BFBC2 engine is much like the BF2 engine before it, it generates natural rendering, sound and effects errors all the time (even when its running perfectly). If you had the editor you would see stuff like "texture x failed to generate proceedure xxx", "the sound XX.XX did not attach itself properly to object XXX and has defaulted to a idle state"...Etc. You can "see" and "hear" these errors happening if you pay attention and look for them (even when the game is running fine without CTD). The CTD problem occurs when too many of these errors happen on a given frame, or a certain error propagates until failure. One of the MAIN causes of "end of round" CTD's is the errors have propagated in a predictive fashion (because of the engine) and as the map closes too many calls are outstanding and unresolved Etc, this results in a CTD as the map changes. *if your running boarderline (dropping below 25fps) -or- your system is totally screaming overclocked to the hilt, such can cause CTD's because of the above issues in the BFBC2 engine... **End of map CTD can also be caused by dropping packets -exactly- when the server tries to restock the players as it sets up the next maps polling. -->Consider testing to determine if this is happening to you The number one BFBC2 multiplayer tip -->The location and quality of the server you are connecting to -and- the connections and framerates of the users you are playing against -and- your connection quality and distance to that server. Many users fail to understand that most, if not all BFBC2 servers are not just running "one" game, but are really running mutiple games at the same time. This means that server "overhead" and "stress" can be affected, because of the fps and connections of the players on it. If everyone in a server is running low framerates and pinging 400+ even the best server will start to tank... This is why its important to pay attention to the pings (and possible framerates) of other players in the server. Your gaming experence will be much much better if the players on it are running fairly equal... For the best Multiplayer experience, play on quality servers with the lowest pings as close as possible to your geographical location, and with players who's fps rates and pings are closest to your own.... -->Continued on next post
post edited by maniacvvv - 2011/09/15 23:48:51
