A month ago, EA and DICE launched something called a Community Test Environment for Battlefield 3. Here "passionate fans" could help DICE test new features and give feedback.

The fruits of that labour have now begun to appear, as a netcode patch - making the game work better online - has rolled out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It's coming later this week on PS4 and Xbox One.

This is the first update developed in conjunction with the Community Test Environment, and would have been "difficult to pull off" (ooh err) without you.

There's a long list of changes on the Battlelog website but the general idea - at least on PC, PS4 and Xbox One - is that the game will update more often in your immediate radius, apparently resulting in a "smoother, more 'correct' player experience".