Hacking Battlefield 3: Play Without Origin

I recently went out and purchased Battlefield 3 (BF3) for my desktop, and for the most part, my experience with the game has been incredible. The graphics look amazing (despite the fact that my card can’t quite seem to handle “ultra” graphics settings though I am considering upgrading cards), the gameplay is fun and intuitive, and the immersive experience overall is powerful and memorable.

However, there are a few mechanics to the game client that simply baffle me. I’m sure many of you already know this, but to play BF3, you have to download and register through Electronic Arts’ (EA) game manager and downloading portal, called Origin.

Origin works primarily the way the well-known “Steam” client works (which is owned by Valve), except the steam client literally pioneered this electronic gaming distribution service almost a decade ago in 2003. Origin literally adds nothing to the table except that it is competing with Steam, and you can only play BF3 through Origin, thus requiring all gamers who already have Steam downloaded on their computers to also download Origin.

Not only this, but BF3 (the game which many consider the flagship for Origin) actually runs out of a browser instead of some type of built-in in-game browser interface that would then allow you to track friends, view performance tracks, and set up matches. Now, the idea of running a game through a browser isn’t that painful (although it is very unattractive); however, considering that you are running origin to start a game that runs through a browser, the word redundant comes to mind. Also, requiring you to be online in order to play a game with a single-player campaign is a bit mind-numbing in and of itself.

Luckily, BF3 and Origin Have Already Been Hacked

No more than two weeks after the game has hit shelves, a group of hackers collectively known as Razor1911 have already hacked the BF3 client and taken Origin out of the equation. Unlike many hacks, this does not actually allow illegal distribution or pirating of the game. It simply gives customers more control over the game they purchased, allowing them to run BF3 without having to open Origin.

In the release notes, Razor1911 state: “This release is dedicated to our fans worldwide who bought this game on legal way and don't want to install the trojan from Electronic Arts to play online.”

Precautions

Do keep in mind that, if you would like to continue playing BF3 online on EA’s servers, there may be some risk involved in running the hack. First off, EA is very likely to respond to the hack directly and nullify its functionality as soon as possible. What would be even direr, however, is if EA bans people who used the hack from their servers. So please keep these risks in mind if you would like to hack BF3.