Battlefield 2042 developer DICE has addressed the state of the game's current maps, even suggesting that the maps are too big.
In a recent blog post , the developer outlined what it sees as the “current problems that we face with gameplay on maps", going into detail about the problems the community has brought up and offering specific examples about what it's doing to fix them. Interestingly the developer admits that one of Battlefield 2042 's key selling points, the sheer scale of maps, might actually be one of its biggest problems.
DICE explained: "The biggest action point for ourselves is that bigger maps doesn’t necessarily mean more freedom and playstyles, or fun. So you can expect future maps to be smaller in scale than most of our release maps. This also means we are reviewing a possible reduction in the number of Sectors and total Capture Points per map when playing at 128 players."
The post says there are five areas in particular that the game is focusing on to improve the feel of the maps. Those areas are traversal, intensity, paths, line of sight, and cover.
On traversal, DICE acknowledges that many of the maps are too big and that moving between objectives takes too long.
"We’ve seen you use terms such as 'Walking Simulator' to describe how this feels in-game," DICE wrote in response to criticism. "We understand that this isn’t a satisfying experience and agree that there’s too much overall travel time."
This came along with a commitment to rearrange the maps and make that travel time shorter.
DICE has also highlighted that 2042’s chaos, one of the key aspects the game touted early on, is a bit too much. On intensity, DICE wrote: "When fighting over Flags, either there are too many players, or vehicles, and sometimes the overall chaos can make it feel overwhelming when accurately trying to assess what’s happening around you."
The post also singles out the map Kaleidoscope as a key offender, especially when it comes to issues of cover and line of sight. Essentially, players can be shot at too often, with little reprieve in the way of safety.
"We presently feel that Kaleidoscope is an obvious offender for line of sight challenges, and are already making passes internally on improving certain areas of the map, including re-designing our Breakthrough experience to move combat into areas of the map where better cover already exists," DICE wrote in the post.
On Kaleidoscope, the developer shared its vision for reworks of the map to help the player experience, showing off where it’s planning to move Zones in certain modes.
DICE has also said that these changes will take substantial development time. The updates will come to maps one by one rather than simultaneously, and Kaleidoscope is the first up. DICE has said that players can expect the changes to come in Season One.
Opinion: Battlefield 2042 is salvageable
Battlefield 2042 has had a more than troubled launch . The game’s player count is exceptionally low right now, with it dipping below Battlefield 4 . It’s been a rough time for the current DICE team.
That said, it’s clear the team is dedicated to the game and its problems. While it’s easy to scorn the developer for getting the release so wrong, it should be recognized that it is making transparent efforts to get the game to where players want it to be.
The developer worked wonders with Star Wars: Battlefront 2 after an equally disastrous launch . That game, thanks to a dedicated live team, turned it around and it now has a loyal and passionate community, even after support has stopped.
Even Battlefield 4 was plagued by issues at its launch, but it has remained ever popular. Battlefield 2042 feels like it might be the developer's biggest ever salvage job, but it's certainly one that it’s proven it's capable of. Here’s hoping anyway, because, in the moments that the game hits, it’s easy to see the potential.
Intel’s DDR5 ultimatum could be another blow to budget PCs
New reports suggest that Intel may be pushing manufacturers to only support DDR5 memory with 700 series motherboards, which are expected to release later this year alongside Intel’s 13th gen Raptor Lake processors.
If these rumors, which were first reported on by TechPowerUp , are correct, then this could be a blow to people who were hoping to build a budget PC, as DDR5 RAM prices are still incredibly high.
Intel’s Raptor Lake processors will ship in Q3 of 2022 with support for both DDR5 and the older DDR4 RAM. With DDR5 being both expensive and quite hard to get hold of, including DDR4 support should make the upgrade easier for a lot of people.
If you have a current-gen series 600 motherboard, you’ll be able to switch to the 13th generation Raptor Lake processors when they launch and still use your DDR4 RAM after a BIOS update.
This will make upgrading to Raptor Lake processors a lot more affordable for many people, as they’ll only have to buy the new processor. However, if you’re building or buying a PC from scratch, and want to use the new 700 series motherboards, then it looks like you may have to also buy new DDR5 RAM, and that could seriously jack up the price.
Why?
While the push to only support DDR5 RAM on new motherboards may seem counterintuitive – as DDR4 support is one of key features of Raptor Lake for upgraders – there is some logic to this move (assuming this isn’t just a rumor, of course).
DDR5 offers a lot of benefits over DDR4, including vastly increased speeds, so any PC that uses DDR5 is going to perform much better. By going DDR5-only for 700 series motherboards, manufacturers will be able to concentrate on getting the absolute best performance out of the new memory, and pushing speeds higher than ever.
This could also help the adoption of DDR5 when it comes more readily available. With AMD Zen 4 CPUs also expected to launch later this year, and which are also said to support DDR5, the new RAM has a chance of becoming more mainstream. However, there’s quite a big issue it needs to overcome…
Analysis: Bad news for budget PCs
The move to DDR5 RAM is certainly welcome for people who want the best possible speeds, and are happy to pay for it. However, this may cause an issue for people who were hoping to build or buy a budget PC, as DDR5 remains very expensive.
Coupled with higher than normal component prices due to the global chip shortage , this could make the days of budget gaming PCs numbered.
Hopefully, DDR5 prices will start dropping. It may take a while, but if and when they hit DDR4 prices, mainstream adoption will likely dramatically increase.
Until then, if you’re looking to build or buy a budget PC, you may have to stick with previous generation parts for now. The fact that Raptor Lake will support DDR4 and can be used in older motherboards for 12th generation Alder Lake is also welcome, and a nice example of Intel following its rival AMD’s lead, as AMD CPUs are often backward compatible with previous-generation motherboards , taking the financial sting out of upgrading.
Not everyone wants, needs or can afford cutting-edge high-end PCs, so we really hope that this new push doesn’t spell the end for budget alternatives.
Via PC Gamer
Invincible crew are 'working hard' on season 2 – but don't expect it this year
Work on Invincible season 2 has been going on "for a while" – but it's unlikely the hit animated show will return this year.
That's according to Invincible showrunner Simon Racioppa, who exclusively told TechRadar that the Prime Video show 's crew was making significant but slow progress.
Ever since the first season ended, fans have been desperate for an development update on seasons 2 and 3, and Amazon Studios previously announced that it had greenlit the wildly popular R-rated superhero show for two more seasons. Apart from a recent update from lead star Steven Yeun , however, news on Invincible season 2 has been thin on the ground.
Speaking to TechRadar as part of The Boys Presents: Diabolical 's press junket, Racioppa provided a small but important update on Invincible season 2. While he revealed that plenty of work had already been carried out on Invincible's next two instalments, he suggested that its TV adaptation wouldn't be making a comeback in 2022.
"We've been working on it for a while," Racioppa said. "We're working very hard on it. Basically, every day Robert [Kirkman, Invincible's co-creator] is working on it, I'm working on it. We're talking about it, and we are well in on the process. We've been working on it longer than I think people are aware, but it takes a while. It's a big show."
While Racioppa doesn't outright confirm that Invincible season 2 won't arrive this year, his answer provides plenty of wiggle room over its potential release date. At the time of writing, we're only in early March, so there's plenty of time for Invincible's second season to return this year. Should the show's crew require more time to make Invincible season 2 as good as possible, however, Racioppa's non-committal answer provides breathing space for that.
Based on Kirkman and Cory Walker's graphic novel series of the same name, Invincible became a TV sensation among audiences in April 2021. The show's shocking plot twists, gratuitous violence, and surprisingly meme-worthy content ensured it was one of the most popular shows last year.
At the time, we suggested that Invincible was "in line to be Amazon’s next big hit". We also spoke to Kirkman and some of the cast to see how it compared to similarly great animated series including Batman : The Animated Series, and other Prime Video R-rated shows like The Boys .
Speaking of The Boys, a mature animated spin-off series – The Boys Presents: Diabolical – lands on Prime Video on March 4. Read our spoiler-free review to find out more about this animated anthology series. And check back in with TechRadar on Saturday, March 5 for our in-depth chat with Racioppa to learn more about Diabolical and The Boys season 3.
