The Battlefield 3 beta is just around the corner, but already DICE has made quite a few refinements to the multiplayer with help from fan feedback. According to executive producer Patrick Bach, the number of changes already made to the game based on alpha feedback ranges in the hundreds. The beta promises to keep even more changes coming, making a day-one patch likely.

"There were plenty of complaints, of course," Bach said at a roundtable interview in Sweden, reported by VG247. "There were some things we found out that we wanted to change based on the alpha; quite a lot, actually." He referenced map changes, and said they are "still moving things around" on the Rush map. "That's why we're doing it. It's not to market the game, it's actually to test it in a proper way. There are hundreds of things that we've changed since the alpha."

He also says that the beta will close very near the ship-date of the game, but feels confident DICE can finish patches for launch. "We will still have time to do, for instance, day one patches and changes to the Battlelog that will actually be game-changing," he said.

Bach was less forthcoming when it comes to actual beta release timing. "Soon," he said. Another staff member added, "Sometime between now and the end of September." We've heard that release target before, so DICE apparently doesn't want to commit to a more specific date yet. On the bright side, if you picked up the Medal of Honor Limited Edition, you're guaranteed a spot.

Not only will DICE have to scramble to make its day-one patch for the October 25 launch, but it will have to account for platform differences on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as compared to the PC. Check out our PAX 2011 hands-on for more our own impressions on the latest demo.