Epic Games has provided a rundown of the current state of its popular Fortnite: Battle Royale game and what players can expect in terms of updates, changes, and new additions in the future. Starting off, Epic acknowledged that its current social features do not make it very easy to find friends to play with. Thankfully, changes are coming.
“We are working on making it easier to play again with people you had a great game with, make new friends, and import your friends lists from other social networks,” Epic said.
Playing together in Fortnite: Battle Royale happens through the Duos system and playlist. It’s not available in every region worldwide; for example, Oceania is left out currently. Epic said it’s looking at player popular data by platform and region, and is now working on a system where the Duos system will be available during peak hours so players can find partners more easily.
Also on Epic’s radar are changes to help stop team-killing. The developer acknowledged that it “dropped the ball” on this, saying the system to report bad actors “isn’t straightforward to use, and doesn’t let you know whether we took action or not.” Going forward, Epic is planning “better analytical models” to help weed out the worst offenders. A long-term goal is to pair players together when they each have good standing.
Additionally, Epic is planning a new shooting model that has the goal of getting rid of the random bullet spread that can happen when aiming down sights. “We want to improve shooting while maintaining the usefulness of building cover while under fire and without changing engagement distances or the flow of the game,” Epic said. The developer is testing this internally right now and the results so far are “promising,” though more work needs to be done before the new model is rolled out for everyone.
Below is a rundown of some of the other changes and new additions coming to Fornite, as posted on the game’s website. Battle Royale. Epic said its overall goal is to be “transparent and accountable” when it comes to talking to players about what its plans are for the game.
Fortnite: Battle Royale Changes/Updates/New Features In The Works:
- A “big rework” is underway for the inventory system; the new UI should be “cleaner.
- There will be a post-match stats page where you can see “interesting and relevant” stats from your match after you die.
- The map is getting new points of interest with the aim of introducing “more gameplay variety.” Additionally, existing areas will have new elements like flora added.
- Epic is planning a “full remodel” for some items such as pickaxes, gliders, and characters.
- A number of audio changes are coming, one of which is that footsteps will sound different based what you’re stepping on–wood, stone, metal, and water will all have different sounds. Additionally, the audio for teammate footsteps will be quieter. Epic also said Fortnite is experiencing some amount of weapon audio panning–that is, sounds do not always follow the player. A fix is on the way for this.
- Limited-time modes are coming to Fortnite starting in December; these will be modes with special conditions to give you a new way to play. Epic will announce the first one soon.
- Server performance optimizations are also in the works.
- More stats and leaderboards: Epic says the initial launch of leaderboards was “quite limited,” and you can expect a more fleshed out experience later. In terms of stats, Epic said it hopes to add more to help players understand where they are succeeding and where they are struggling.
- More items and weapons are coming.
- Custom games, where you can set the parameters of a match, are in the works.
- Epic is prioritising performance over graphics; the goal is to get Battle Royale sticking at 30 FPS on console.
- Badges/medals that highlight cool and impressive stuff that happens in the game are coming.