PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has been somewhat of a runaway hit, despite the bad track-record of similar games in Early Access. That’s probably why the developers have already laid out their update plans.
Check out our list of the best survival games for similar.
The game will be updated on a tight schedule, with daily updates to improve the servers, weekly updates focusing on bugs and stability, and big monthly updates for new content and balance passes.
Another thing the developers explained in the blog was how bullet sound works in the game. Previously players assumed shots heard in only one ear meant the shooter was to the side of you, but sound is captured on a perpendicular plane, meaning the shooter is either directly in front of you or behind you if the sound is only heard in one ear. Check out the blog for a handy diagram and further explanation of how this works.
As for changes, here’s what’s planned so far:
Leaderboards
- Our leaderboard system has proven to be a very popular feature, and for the most part, we are happy with the current ranking system. However, the system will need balancing once we have sufficient data from a good sample size. The ELO system will need many balance passes before it is ready and to complete this we will be wiping the leaderboards on a monthly basis so to allow us to get a clean data-set from any changes we make.
OC/SA Servers
- With tomorrow’s client update we will be bringing Oceania and South American servers online. These servers will feature their own regional leaderboards.
Ping Lock
- We are looking into implementing a ping lock for our servers. We have no ETA on when this will be added just yet as we have limited resources, and at the moment server performance and stability is our highest priority. We also don’t want to restrict the ability for friends in different regions to play together, but we understand how frustrating it can be playing against high ping players and take this very seriously. Please bear with us while we come up with the best way to add this new feature.
Finally today, here are the patch notes for the weekly patch we will push this Thursday, March 30:
Week 1 Patch Notes
Out-game
- Added Oceanian & South American servers
Server
- Performance/Stability
- Resolved an issue where game server performance would degrade over time
- Resolved several server crash issues
- Client Stability
- Resolved several client crash issues
- Client Optimisation
Gameplay
- Adjusted movement speed of endgame play zones
- Adjusted weapon sound volume in the lobby
UI /Graphics
- Removed crosshair while in a vehicle and not in the aiming state
- Added ability to see item durability state directly in vicinity pane
- Added View Distance setting to graphics options
- Step 1: Art assets optimisation (April 7)
- Decrease the LOD vertex for buildings seen at long distances
- Decrease the total amount of vertex by adjusting the LOD on terrains
- Step 2: Improve the rendering performance of terrain and ocean shader (TBD)
- Step 3: Decrease the overload on the CPU by rearranging wall near buildings (TBD)
- Step 4: Decrease the usage rate of the video memory (TBD)
Bug fixes
- Fixed a bug with the volume of crouch walking
- Partially addressed performance degradation when opening inventory
- Fixed a problem which would allow characters to go under the map in certain areas
- Removed the depth of field effect when spectating in team-play modes.
- Fixed a bug with the character creation system
- Fixed an issue in the revive system where a player would get stuck in the revive animation when the downed player died
- Fixed a bug which would cause the PlayerUnknown hi-top trainers to render incorrectly
- Fixed a bug where a character would receive damage from vehicles while behind trees/walls
Known Issues
- There is a rare bug which will cause some buildings not to render for players, allowing them to shoot others seemingly through the walls.
- We are tracking down the cause of this and will update you when it is fixed.
Client Optimisation
- In case you missed it last week, here is a look at our schedule for client optimisation. This process will take time, and will not be fixed with a single patch. We ask for your patience as we work to improve performance.
Initial Performance Improvements
- Key Objectives
- To reduce the overload on the CPU, and make sure that the GPU performs to its full capability
- Expected Results
- Frame rates will be stable even when in high-density areas
- Get higher frame rates across all graphics options