Battlefield 4: Winter Update Details

Battlefield 4 has received another update to improve the multiplayer experience it offers and it seems to be quite a large one. Improvements include a new game mode, netcode improvements, better connection for players with a lower bandwidth and more.

Here are some of the changes DICE has made:

Major improvements have been made to the Battlefield 4 network layer. Making the “Netcode” better allows for a more exact multiplayer experience for all participants, and this has been done in various ways. For instance, we’ve done long range network updates by adding a cone to the High Frequency Update (30hz), illustrated in the image below.

Network prioritization and filtering has been improved. This now prioritizes health/damage, enemy players and vehicles above all.
Vehicles now use a larger (front) hemi-sphere shape for collision improvements
Aiming down sights, or zooming in sitting in a vehicle or on foot, utilizes an even longer range cone for better target acquisition at a distance

The new mode DICE is adding is called Squad Obliteration and is a scaled down version of the original Obliteration Mode, but featuring 5 vs 5. The differences are:

No vehicles, no parachute spawns
Secondary base spawns are made available
First team to destroy two out of three bases wins the round
Bomb carrier position is only known to the enemy team if spotted

Other features include new presets and servers when using quickmatch. This includes New Player Gating servers that let's new players up to rank 10, play with other new players to get a feel of the multiplayer experience. There is also Ranked Preset Support and Premium Playlists that cater to various play styles and include all the maps from the base game and the various expansions.