Even though DICE and Battlefield 3 beta participants have been at odds over various perceived missteps on the part of the developer, it looks like, at least in one area, DICE has finally caved. According to a post on the Battlefield 3 forums, DICE has decided to bring the Caspian Border, 64-player map, into the PC beta of Battlefield 3 to do a little stress testing of their servers. In fact, at this very moment, the map is available to all PC beta participants.

While this will provide no solace to those PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers who scoffed at Operation Metro as the beta map, it certainly is a big checkmark in the “win” category for PC gamers. And it makes sense since they are the ones getting the 64 player multiplayer experience after all.

Some points of note coming from DICE include the fact that this is a stress test and, as such, will see many hiccups along the way. Players might see glitches, be inadvertently kicked from a game, or experience slow down, all of which are common practice during these types of tests. Bare with the developer and stick with it because the more time you’re willing to give to this beta test, the better the final experience will be.

We’ve already heard several sets of updates that are planned for Battlefield 3 on the whole, but perhaps this PC stress test of Caspian Border will help iron out important details like how vehicles figure into the experience. The experience thus far hasn’t been exactly perfect — there have been tons and tons of complaints — but at least DICE and EA are listening.

On top of that PC gamers might be in store for even better news as talks continue between Valve and EA to bring Battlefield 3 to Steam. It really is potentially good news all around.

There’s only three more days until the Battlefield 3 beta comes to a close so, whether you’re a console or a PC gamer, it’s best to get your fill while there is still a multiplayer experience to be had. And after that we wait.

Have you had a chance to check out Caspian Border and would like to share your thoughts? How has the experience evolved since the early days of the open beta for you?

Battlefield 3 releases October 25, 2011 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Source: Battlefield 3 Blog