PUBG Monthly Update Hits With First-Person Mode, Xbox Controller Support, Fixes, And Some New Issues

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds received its fourth monthly update Thursday since its Steam Early Access release in March. While this update was originally intended for July, the developers at Bluepoint squeezed in all-new first-person modes, new optimizations, Battle Royale-themed crates for Gamescom, a ton of tweaks and fixes, plus Xbox controller support. Unfortunately, there are a few new issues since the update went live this morning.

First-Person Mode

The list of fixes in the monthly update is quite lengthy and those interested should go visit the Steam announcement to read them. The major addition though is the inclusion of a new first-person mode. As previously covered, players will have the option to select between traditional third-person and first-person servers in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Single and Duo first-person servers are available for now with plans to add four-player squads later.

While it may seem like a small change, it dramatically alters the gameplay. Experienced PUBG players use the third-person camera to peek around corners and scout in all directions. The first-person camera provides a much narrower field of vision by comparison and will force players into a much more careful gameplay style when trying to move through buildings or crossing fields.

Gamescom Crates

The other major new addition is the Battle Royale-themed crates. Bluehole has added the Wanderer Crate and Survivor free crates for players to pick up and open for free with Battle Points (BP) during the Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany. Additionally, the Gamescom Invitational Crate can be purchased with BP and then opened with a key that can be purchased for $2.50.

Funds from the Gamescom Invitational Crate will go towards paying for the Gamescom Invitational event and prize money for the participants. Any extra money will go towards charity.

This is a test run of the crate and cosmetic items system Bluepoint plans to launch when PUBG is officially released later this year. It is by no means final and Creative Director Brenadan Greene says the studio is still discussing how to handle crates and is “taking your concerns into consideration when it comes to the ability to get free cosmetics by playing the game.”

Update Highlights

Other highlights of the changes with the PUBG monthly update include an updated mini-map with locations like the School, Shooting Range, Hospital, Prison, and others clearly marked now. Players will also notice a little extra detail to the map with building shapes and even walls more defined.

Meanwhile, a new report player feature has been added in-game. How this is used will be interesting as PUBG has had more than its share of controversies over player bannings during the past month.

The inclusion of Xbox controller support won’t mean much to PC veterans as they will still prefer the mouse and keyboard. However, this is a noticeable step towards Bluepoint getting PUBG ready for release to the Xbox One after the game officially exits Steam Early Access.

Update Issues

While there are numerous bug fixes with the game, there are some new issues introduced with the August update to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The first-person mode appears to be dropping frames, which has been acknowledged by the developers. Not acknowledged yet is server lag which causes players to feel like they are teleporting around the map and is generally causing bad gameplay.

Another major issue is BP is not being rewarded at the end of matches played on first-person servers. Bluepoint is likely busily trying to squash these issues for a hotfix release soon.

[Featured Image by Bluepoint, Inc]