PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Gets Epic Update

The next big update for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is finally about to go live after a few minor delays. The monthly update (the 4th so far for the popular MMO shooter) was originally scheduled for two weeks ago but was pushed until this week before getting another one-day delay for some last-minute bug fixes.As promised, the latest monthly update adds a new weapon (a 7.62mm marksman rifle this time that is only found in crate supply airdrops) alongside many much-needed and welcome quality of life changes. The 4th monthly PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is already life on the test servers and should go wide tomorrow, adding in horns for drivers in vehicles, a reconnect option for disconnected players, first-person only servers for solos and duos, Xbox controller support, new animations, sounds and effects for vehicles, movement, weapon use, and tweaks to consumables, some of the weapons, and much, much more!The latest update also adds more microtransactions through a key and crate system which as stirred as significant amount of controversy for it coming before the game has left early access, and during a time when the game is a top-seller. The devs claims it's required in order to test.Below are the official patch notes and details on the newest weapon being added to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Also note that this is the last blog update by Brandan "PlayerUnknown" Greene for a while as he'll be travelling for the next few months. The community team will handle future update/patch posts.

PUBG's New Gear & Character Options

New Items

Added new weapon Mk14 EBR (Enhanced Battle Rifle). Mk14 EBR is a Designated Marksman Rifle that can only be obtained from Carepackages. This weapon is chambered for 7.62mm and sniper rifle attachments

The Mk14 is a semi-auto sniper rifle weapon comparable to the game's current SKS, as another crate-only weapon however, the chances of getting it (and other care package items) is becoming increasingly rare. With the previous rifle add-on (the Groza), soon the game will have to cycle some of these weapons into the regular loot table.

Character

Added two new face presets and hairstyles to character customization for both genders

Microtransactions and New Cosmetic Items

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' œcrate and key system isn't supposed to come until the game launches in full but of course, money talks so it's coming NOW. According to Greene and the devs, it's for testing but they're selling items already for real cash so take that for what you will. The goal is to provide a "healthy economy" after launch to keep monetizing the player base for future updates and content additions (like the two in-development maps). All the items are cosmetic only and should not affect gameplay. Still, microtransactions during early access are tough to swallow, especially for a game that's selling so well right now. The other concern is that because the in-game cosmetics count as Steam inventory items, players can sell for real-world cash which can lead to skin gambling/market issues like CS:GO had to deal with recently.

"Like the current free-to-open system, you will be limited in the number of crates you can receive each week, with the crate prices being reset each Monday. Currently, this limit is set to 6 crates per week, and you are free to trade them on the Steam Marketplace. I also want to point out that the full cosmetic system is still being discussed internally, and we are taking your concerns into consideration when it comes to the ability to get free cosmetics by playing the game."

Now onto the new crates themselves. Here is a look (up top and below) at some of the items available in the 2 free-to-open crates. There's an additional one only available during Gamescom that requires the purchase of a $2.50 key to open.

And here's a glimpse of what's coming down the road:

I'm at our new @PUBATTLEGROUNDS office in Madison today. The team is working on our desert map. Here's a WIP preview of this new location... pic.twitter.com/ReLbsvwv9A— PLAYERUNKNOWN (@PLAYERUNKNOWN) July 3, 2017

PUBG Gameplay Updates and Changes

Added 1st Person server options to NA and EU Solo and Duo game-modes
Players who choose 1st Person mode will be matched together
Character view is set to 3rd Person mode in starting airplane and during free fall from the airplane. This will be set to 1st Person only in a future update
Camera will stay still while looting items to prevent dizziness
Added a new feature to report players
Some people killed knocked-out teammates in order to avoid giving kill count to an opponent who knocked them down. Now the kill count will still go to the opponent in this specific case.
Added new animation when using different consumables
Improved camera transition when disabling Free look feature (Alt Key)

Just a reminder that the 1PP in @PUBATTLEGROUNDS is the very first iteration. We have lots planned to improve it over the coming months!— PLAYERUNKNOWN (@PLAYERUNKNOWN) August 2, 2017

Decreased the reload time of VSS
Players may now re-enter games if they have been disconnected mid-game
You may now play with Xbox controllers, and we will continue to make improvements with Xbox controllers
Sound volume difference from inside and outside of building is more obvious
Added new sound effect while scoping or aiming weapon
Added new effects when a character is running or sprinting over different types of surfaces
Improved character animation without any weapon or with melee weapon
Added slight delay when using the drag-and-drop feature on items in inventory UI. We implemented this delay to provide a fair gameplay environment to all players
Improved post-process effect when a character takes damage outside of the blue circle

PUBG Items and Vehicle Changes

Added a lower rail attachment slot to SKS
You may now honk a car horn when sitting in the driver's seat with Left Mouse Click
Decreased the chance of vehicle explosion after the vehicle gets stuck in objects
Vehicle driving sound will change slightly in FPP and TPP modes
Added new sound effects for motorcycle tire screech while driving
Eliminated firing delay of S1897 from pump action after reload
Improved effects of boats
Added spark effect to flat tires
Reduced cast time of First Aid Kit / Painkiller to 6 seconds
Reduced cast time of Med Kit / Adrenaline Syringe to 8 seconds

PUBG User Interface Updates

Added more features and hot keys to the Options Menu
Added new option for V-Sync
You may now designate a maximum of two different keys for each key bind
Added new option to set toggle on certain actions and features
You may now use Mouse wheel up/down as one of your key binds
Added new keybinds, such as all mute (Ctrl+M) and switching Voice Channel (Ctrl+Y), and a new option to adjust the volume of voice chat
Added new keybinds to use specific throwables
Added Colorblind Mode
Added an FOV slider for 1st person view
Added some region names to the mini map
Added new option to display helmet, vest, and backpack equipped on HUD UI. This HUD UI will be updated further in the future
Added new option to display all equipped weapons on the right side of the screen. This UI will be updated further in the future

PUBG Bug Fixes and Optimizations

Partially fixed client crash issues
Fixed an issue of weapons sporadically ceasing to fire despite being set to auto firing mode
You may not use consumables in vehicles underwater
Fixed bugs below while spectating another character
A character appeared to be shaking when the character moves around
Camera swing when a character scopes while walking
Camera swing when a character peeks left or right while scoping
A character appeared to be shaking when the player moves his mouse while scoping in Prone
Characters farther than 500m away from a vehicle will no longer hear the tire screech sound
Fixed post-process bug underwater in FPP mode
Fixed an issue of the reloading sound getting played repetitively after dropping a weapon while reloading
Fixed the probability of getting rainy weather to previous value
Fixed a bug where a character could not equip attachment with full inventory
Fixed a bug where weapons would continue to play looped reload animation even after canceling the reload
Fixed a bug where a character could see through the other side of wall when scoping or crouching against certain walls
Fixed a bug where a character sitting on objects inside of certain buildings could see through ceilings and walls
Fixed sporadic issue of disabling in-game UI
Eliminated bombing outside of Red Zone