The first draft of the server administrator’s manual is now available for download, which can be found here in the Battlefield 3 UK forums.

Some highlights from the post include:

• Remote admin protocol spec included
• lists of all maps
• lists of all gamemodes (and all maps can be used in all gamemodes)
• list of gameplay-affecting settings in the admin manual
• you can mix gamemodes in the maplist
• For BF3 PC, Normal / Hardcore / Infantry Only are umbrella names for a specific group of settings; details in the manual
• there is a section in the manual which describes how changing server settings affect filters and Quickmatch on Battlelog
• unranked mode is, well, “nearly working” so for the first few days after launch all servers will run ranked
• in ranked mode you can control all settings (but at some point we will enforce PB on, game-password off .. or similar)

Interested in the server browser for consoles? Check it out here!

Also important are a list of times for all regions of when the PC digtial pre-loads will actually be able to be playable. Found at support.ea.com.

Tuesday, October 25^th, 12:01am Korea Standard Time (GMT +9)
Brunei, Cambodia, Cocos Islands, East Timor, Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Northern Mariana, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Tuesday, October 25^th, 12:01am Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -7)
American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Martinique, Mexico, Moldova, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Virgin Islands

Tuesday, October 25^th, 12:01am Moscow Daylight Time (GMT +4)
Russian Federation

Thursday, October 27^th, 12:01am British Summer Time (GMT +1)
Antarctica, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Denmark, Finland, France, French Guyana, French Southern Territories, Germany, Heard and McDonald Islands, Kiribati, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauru, Mayotte, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Island, Poland, Polynesia (French), Reunion (French), Romania, Samoa, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futura Islands

Friday, October 28^th, 12:01am British Summer Time (GMT +1)
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Ireland, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom