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Several issues found in Call of Duty: Vanguard's alpha will reportedly be fixed for the game's upcoming multi-platform beta. The recently announced FPS, developed by Sledgehammer Games, will allow players to take part in every major front of World War II. A live PlayStation alpha for Call of Duty: Vanguard was held between August 27 and 29, allowing players to get their first hands-on experience with the franchise's next installment.
Alpha releases are used by developers to acquire player feedback before a game's full release, and Call of Duty: Vanguard's alpha resulted in plenty of constructive criticism for Sledgehammer Games. One of the biggest pieces of criticism was the first-person shooter's aim assist feature, which was found to be much too generous. Aim assist typically helps players target and track enemies in their line of sight, but Vanguard's aim assist was strong enough to let players track their targets through walls and see their name tags. Alpha players have also pointed out other features such as damage visibility, spawn locations and audio mix tuning. The developer has stated that this feedback from the Vanguard alpha will be addressed before the start of the game's beta release.
A blog post by Sledgehammer Games has detailed several changes that will improve the player visibility, spawns, and audio tuning in the Call of Duty: Vanguard beta. While injured players were nearly rendered blind in the alpha, the damage overlay will be toned down in the beta to hopefully fix the problem. Several lighting changes, such as adjusting the game's overall exposure, will also help players navigate the environment and identify foes. On the aural side of things, footstep volume is being increased and weapon volume decreased to help players hear approaching enemies. Finally, player spawns on the alpha's Champion Hill map have been adjusted so that players don't spawn right next to an opponent. Call of Duty: Vanguard's beta will be open to PlayStation players between September 10 and 13, while a cross-play beta will be held between September 16 and 20.
While Call of Duty: Vanguard's alpha resulted in an abundance of player feedback, the release also caught players' attention for another reason. The Vanguard alpha didn't Activision's logo, despite it being the video game juggernaut that owns and publishes the highly successful FPS series. Many gamers assumed that Activision chose to omit its logo from the alpha due to the ongoing lawsuit against parent company Activision Blizzard. Some players even claim that Activision's logo was present in Vanguard's alpha before being removed with a patch, suggesting the omission may have been a last-minute decision.
As with every annual Call of Duty release, excitement is running high for Call of Duty: Vanguard. While there were some issues with the alpha, the entire point of these tests is to find and adjust issues. With Sledgehammer apparently taking feedback to heart, Vanguard's beta will hopefully be an improved experience.
Call of Duty: Vanguard will release on November 5, 2021 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Source: Sledgehammer Games