Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 guide to launch issues, A.B.C. error message, redeeming code and more

Here is the guide to help players install and play Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 from developer Treyarch and publisher Activision will be released on 6 November. Ahead of its release on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, a first day patch has already been released.

The first day patch promises to improve stability and will weigh 2.5GB on PS4 and 3GB on Xbox One. The PC, PS4 and Xbox One version will be getting three unique game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies. But PS3 and Xbox 360 do not come with Campaign mode, only with Multiplayer and Zombies.

In a guide to help players ease the installation and setup, Activision Support noted that before players install the game, they will have to check and install updates for the consoles. This can be done by selecting the Home button in the controller, going to Settings and then selecting System Software update.

The Support page noted that users may experience slow downloads due to the size of the download. It is also dependent on the region and the speed of the Internet connection.

PS4 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 weighs 43 GB, Xbox One version weighs 45 GB.

Guide to solve launch issues

Activision Support helps us in resolving launch issues in the game's Xbox One digital download. Players who have pre-ordered the game before 7 October and who are not using the Instant On power mode might have incorrect "stub file" for the title, which was meant to be a placeholder file. Those who get this, need to delete it and reinstall it.

Anyone who is unsure how to check the stub file can follow the steps listed below:

Go to My games and apps.
Sort your game collection by selecting Installed - Sort by size.

If your Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game size is greater than 40 GB, you've got the correct version and you're ready to download the necessary updates when they become available.
If your Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game size is less than 40 GB, you've got an incorrect stub file. Delete that version and reinstall the game.

Guide to connectivity issues

Players having issues related to Black Ops 3 must check Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Server Status, noted Activision Support.

If the server status is not DEFCON 5, then players might face issues until it's restored. But there could be other factors too that could affect connectivity and players must make sure they are signed in to their system account.

Guide to solve A.B.C. error message

Some players got A.B.C. error message as they tried to get into the game's Multiplayer, and the reason according to Activision Support was that players were trying to get into the Multiplayer lobby even as the update was being deployed.

Players can follow the steps below to resolve the issue:

Restart the game.
Wait in the main title screen before pressing X or A to start.
Allow the game to update in the main loading screen. This should take about a minute depending on connection speed.

For PlayStation 4, the updated version is 33.1.9.1.
For Xbox One, the updated version is 33.1.9.2.

PC issues

Treyarch is aware of issues in the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. The issue is with the i5 CPUs.

The developer noted: "There have been reports of certaini5 CPUs having performance issues causing very low frame rates - We are still working on the final solution for this issue, but we have had reports that changing WorkerThreads = 4 to WorkerThreads = 2 in your config.ini file can help (In the game folder, commonly located here, C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonCall of Duty Black Ops IIIplayersconfig.ini)."

Steam â€" Fix to mouse lag and FPS drops

Below is a guide from Steam community for mouse lag and FPS drops:

Mouse input Lag

Turn Resolution Scale down (<100) *This will always work*
Lowering "max prerendered frames" in Nvidia Control Panel
Decrease Mouse Polling Rate to 250
Set FPS Cap below the refresh rate of your Monitor (i.e 60hz Monitor, 58 FPS Cap)
Turn off VSync can help

Also,

Turn Mouse Acceleration off
Mouse Smoothing to 0

Random FPS Drops

1. Head to your Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Folder and go to "Players"
2. Open the Config.ini from there
3. Search for "WorkerThreads" and change the "4" into a "2"
4. Save the File and start playing

Guide to restore Multiplayer rank and stats after being reset

In the event players face the issue where their rank and stats have been reset, Activision Support said that the "Call of Duty servers will attempt to restore them using the most recently stored backup."

Some of the reasons for the reset could be:

Playing on a shared connection â€" Data loss can occur over shared connections such as institutional (school) or corporate networks.
Playing on a Wi-Fi connection â€" Wireless connections tend to be unstable and can lead to data loss.
Quitting matches early â€" Data is routinely stored at the conclusion of each match. Leaving a match early can negatively impact data being saved from previous matches.
Exiting the game early â€" Leaving the game before a Public Match is complete could impact data from previous matches.
Playing in private matches with players you don't know â€" Accepting Private Match invitations from players you don't know can unknowingly enter you into a hacked lobby and/or leave you susceptible to corruption or loss of data.

Players can follow the steps listed below to ensure that this does not happen:

Always play Public Matches over a wired connection.
Always complete Public Matches.
Avoid playing on a shared connection.
Only play Private Matches with players you know and trust.

Guide to redeem the code

Players will be able to redeem the code received for NUK3TOWN, a Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Season Pass, The GIant Zombies bonus map, and the Cyborg and Weaponized Personalisation Packs.

Below are the steps from Activision Support that will help them redeem the code:

PlayStation 4

From the PlayStaion Home screen, select the Store icon.
Select Redeem Codes at the bottom of the menu.
Enter the code.
Once the code has been entered correctly, select Continue.
Select Confirm to accept the Terms of Service.
Select Continue to complete the code redemption.

Please note: Codes are case sensitive and must be entered exactly as displayed.

Xbox One

From the Home screen, scroll right to Store.
Under Categories, select Games.
Select Use a code. Or, say "Xbox, use code."
If prompted, sign in.
Select or enter the 25-character code, and then enter your code.

Launch the Steam client software and log into your Steam account.
Click the Games Menu.
Choose Activate a Product on Steam...
Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

In case players receives an error message stating that the code is in use, then they have to contact PlayStation Support, Xbox Support, or Steam Support for assistance.