To access the multiplayer content of Battlefield 3, the reason most people are picking the game up in the first place, you need to use a single-use code called an Online Pass. Pick the game up used, you have to pay $10 for a new pass. This isn’t a new thing however, as many games with online content curbed piracy by having a serial code which could only be used online once, the original DRM but only got in the way once.
A screwup on someone’s part caused retailers to get invalid codes packaged with the game, and EA has stated simply that they are aware of the problem, “apologize for the inconvenience”, and that you should tell your retailer you have a faulty code and get a replacement. It’s simple and it works unless you get unlucky twice in a row, or bought it from somewhere you can’t easily get a replacement from.
To be honest, I think that this would be a much more simple solution.
“My online pass code doesn’t work.”
“Can you provide a photo of the code and the receipt, please?”
“code.jpg”
“Yes that’s an invalid code, give me five minutes okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’ve manually activated the online pass for you, have a nice day.”
That would be so much simpler and far more straightforward it’s not even funny. EA is known for a lot of things that are sometimes negative but until recently they had the edge of excellent customer service, but it seems to be slipping into hit and miss. I don’t see how they could screw up on the codes, create the generator, have the site reverse the generator’s math, and profit! Having people come in and out of a gamestore is going to do nothing but heavily irritate clerks who think they’re getting a sale, and instead it’s someone with a BF3 code problem.
Here’s an even better solution, drop that online pass BS altogether!
Rian Quenlin
I’m starting to wonder how long it’ll be until companies using DRM, faulty online passes and other problems get into a massive fight with the European Union, they take customer rights so seriously it’s quite tyrannical.
Chris Hernandez
I don’t think manually activating an online pass would be as easy as just providing a new code, but either way this is awful news, as this process is already painful enough for gamers.
Robert
Or just not putting an Online pass, EA will be having a lot of users playing their game. 😀
Guest
Boycott EA
Rian Quenlin
Way ahead of you, I’ve not bought anything from them in over a decade. I remember when gaming companies used to be cool.
aarrrr
Greedy motherfuckers make money off of used shit over and over again… battlefield sucks shit any how FUCK YOU EA… need for speed sucks GIANT asshole as well
Turtleofthesea007
dude. chill.
Nothing
Great idea that will unfortunately never work unless everyone complies. All of the gamers unite and stop buying EA products all together drive those greedy sons of bitches out of business so new blood can produce products that is worth our hard earned cash. It’s not just the added inconvienance that these assholes are producing. They are also destroying quality of the games themselves not allowing designers to have the time to develop fully functioning games or good quality games for that matter. It’s all about time lines and deadlines and if the product is shit they really dont give a fuck, all they want is your cash and they know they have already got it. So the only solution is to demand better games by boycotting these cancerous companies before they totally destroy the industry as a whole then we will all just have to either stop playing games because they are so horrible or be content to accept that games are just utter shit now and take it up the ass, Fuck EgAy, and all their employees. Fuck this god damn world fuck them all.
The Guy who likes waffles
I just bought a pre owned copy of the game and so knowing about this online pass stuff, i went to the store and bought and online pass via the Playstation Store. Afterwards i went straight to the game but it won’t let me play online. I created an Origin account and bought an online pass but it still it won’t work. I’m not willing to buy another pass but i REALLY want to play online as it is the only reason i bought the game.