Early Access Update 1
29. März - PLAYERUNKNOWN
Players,
Today we outline the schedule for updates during Early Access and address some of the bigger issues some of you have faced so far.
Early Access Schedule
During Early Access, we plan to release updates in 3 phases.
- Daily updates, to improve server performance
- Weekly updates, to push bug fixes & client performance and stability fixes
- Monthly updates, to add new content and push balance passes for game-play
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.
Sound
A lot of you have given feedback on our positional sounds, and today Marek will explain in a little more detail how sounds work in the game.
Gunshot Sound
- Each gunshot sound you hear in game has propagation delay based on distance between source and the listener
- The propagation velocity is 340m/s so if a pistol is shot 340m away from the listener, he will see the muzzle flash first and hear the gunshot after 1 second
- If gunshot is fired from indoor or there is no direct or approximate line of sight (obstructed), the reverb effect and LPF are applied to the sound effect
Bullet Crack/Whizz Effect
Bullet crack effect (or bullet bow shockwave) is generated when a supersonic projectile passes in close proximity to the listener. The effect can be heard in a closest point on bullet trajectory line. Basically, the sound source is always perpendicular to the trajectory line, so if you hear a bullet crack just in your left headphone, you know that the shooter is either directly in front of you, or behind you
Most of our weapons are supersonic. This means that you will hear the crack/whizz before you hear the actual gunshot
In a scenario where you see a shooter 1000m away, using AWM (>900m/s muzzle velocity) the events will occur in such order:
1. You see the muzzle flash
2. After ~1 sec you hear the crack/whizz (assuming no air drag)
3. After ~3 sec you hear the gunshot
Bullets passing close to the player will generate a crack sound, the ones passing further away will only generate whizz effect
We blend between different sound samples based on distance (the maximum distance and attenuation characteristic is also affected by suppressor attachment). The close gunshot sounds louder and more clear than the distant one
In the current public build, all bullets generate a sound crack effect. We've changed this mechanic by adding a velocity check, so bullets travelling slower than speed of sound will not generate the crack effect but just whizz.
I will do a Q&A session soon to get more feedback on sounds in the game, so stay tuned! - Marek
Client Optimization
In case you missed it last week, here is a look at our schedule for client optimization. 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 graphic options
ETA: Apr. 14th (Expected to take roughly 5 weeks)
Further Performance Improvements
Step 1:Art assets optimization (Apr. 7th)
- Decrease the LOD vertex for buildings seen at long distances
- Decrease the total amount of vertex by adjusting the LOD on terrains
ETA: Apr. 7th
Step 2:Improve the rendering performance of terrain and ocean shader (TBD)
Step 3
ecrease the overload on the CPU by rearranging wall near buildings (TBD)
Step 4
ecrease the usage rate of the video memory (TBD)
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.
Week 1 Patch Notes
This patch will be deployed for both clients and servers Thursday, March 30, 5PM KST/1AM PDT/8AM UTC
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 Optimization
- Added View Distance setting to graphics options
Gameplay
- Adjusted movement speed of endgame play zones
- Adjusted weapon sound volume in the lobby
UI
- Removed crosshair while in a vehicle and not in the aiming state
- Added ability to see item durability state directly in vicinity pane
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
See you in-game,
PLAYERUNKNOWN
