What a battle ground game. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - game review

Military Shooter Developers Playerunknown's Battlegrounds told when the full release of the game will happen. According to them, no one is going to artificially keep the game in Early Access, but that's not the point. Here's how the main ideologist of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, Brendan Greene, described the situation.

“People said that we would not achieve anything in six months. Well, the challenge is accepted. I guarantee that the game will be out of Early Access in six or seven months. We are a team. It's a matter of honor, do you understand? We will complete the development completely in six months. We work with the Unreal Engine, it's a real pleasure. Imagine, the whole company deals exclusively with technology. Look at Daybreak and Bohemia - they have their own engines, and that complicates things endlessly. Yes, their technologies are old, but people have no idea how long it takes to improve them. Nobody quits games, do you understand? "- said the developer.

Brendan Greene mentioned several games that have been in Early Access for over four years. In his opinion, although the developers themselves are to blame for the situation, no one will abandon projects. In other words, DayZ will definitely come out someday.

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is an online military shooter in the popular Battle Royal genre - players are thrown into a huge location, where they find weapons on their own. The only task is to survive until the end of the competition. The game was released in Early Access in March 2017. Until the beginning of July, the developers already sold over four million copies, and according to Brendan, the game will be fully released before the end of 2017.

The release date is the time limit after which the game is considered released, which usually means that it can already be downloaded and tested if a licensed copy is purchased. For example, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) release date is December 20, 2017.

Recently, more and more often, developers allow you to buy a game in advance - to make a pre-order. In response to support from potential buyers, who believe in the success of the project so much that they give money for it even before the release, the developers are sharing various bonuses and exclusive materials. It could be a soundtrack, artbook, or some mini-addons for the game.

Thus, pre-order actually allows you to buy the game before its official release, but this does not mean that the announced release date loses its significance, since you can play fully only after the release.

Why do I need to know the release dates of games?

If only because it is more convenient to plan your time and finances this way. If you know, for example, when Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) will be released, then it will be easier for you to navigate: set aside money in advance for its purchase, plan things so that you can dive into the game as soon as it comes out.

Many gamers keep track of the release dates of games using special calendars and thematic articles about the most important releases of the month or season. Both you can find on our game portal site

How do developers choose when to release?

They are guided by many factors at once. First, it is important for them to know that their target audience will be able to immediately join the gameplay, so games are released less often during the vacation season, as well as in those months when they usually have a rush at work, and students have a session.

Secondly, for a successful release, developers try to compare their plans with the announcements of potential competitors. For example, if we are talking about a shooter, then releasing it simultaneously with the new Battlefield or Call of Duty is not very reasonable.

Thirdly, the release date marks the so-called deadline - the very line after which the game is ready. This means that it needs to be completed on time. Alas, this does not always work, and therefore the release date of the game can be shifted one or even several times.

In addition to this, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) release on PC and consoles may differ - often developers try to release one version first, and then move on to the next.

Screenshots

Battle Royale as a genre in the gaming industry has had a tough fate. All the games that came out and turned out to be more or less suitable were, in one way or another, amateur. From post-apocalyptic Rust and H1Z1: Just Survive to military simulators Arma 2 and 3, and even such MMO projects as Tom Clancy's The Division. Of all these games, only H1Z1 stood out from the general background, as it was an independent project that could be purchased separately on Steam, separately from its progenitor. But the game has a strange reputation due to the strange policies of the publisher and developer.

But here, out of nowhere, a game appears from a little-known developer, which is presented as a project entirely dedicated to the King of the Hill mode, having a bizarre and, one might even say, not very Google-friendly name PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

As for the name, the developer of the game is not so obscure. Behind the game is none other than Brendan Green, who developed his own game mode on the Arma 2 platform, which later became known as Battle Royale. Brendan used the pseudonym Playerunknown at the time of development of the game, which influenced the name of the game. We finish with the history of creation and move on to the game itself.

Gameplay

The gameplay is exactly what it should be in a game of this genre. You, along with 99 other players, land on an island that has various types of weapons. Only one remains alive, and by what sophisticated ways you will get to the top of the mountain of corpses, it's up to you.

It all starts exactly the same as in other games of this genre, if not for one thing. This game differs from the mass of other developers' approach to the implementation of the gameplay. Disembarkation is not just about throwing the player in the air. You sit on the plane and yourself are free to choose at what moment and on what section of the map you would like to land in order to more effectively advance yourself to the TOP.

A minimap with your exact location, a graph showing the distance from your location to the save zone, even a compass, which is unnecessary if you have such a sophisticated map. All this is done for the players, in order to make them comfortable to play.

Ballistics and weapons

This point should be highlighted separately, because in the games of the battle royale genre, this is not so simple. I will not cite as an example the same H1Z1 with its peculiar, if I may say so, shooting that you have to get used to, the same Rust with its ballistics, I will just tell you that you will not have to get used to shooting PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds if you have have experience of shooting in first person shooters. A couple of aiming shots at a moving target will be enough for you, and you will understand how everything works here.

It seems that it sounds too simple and even a child can handle shooting, but this is not entirely true. Here, for example, there is a zeroing setting (for many, even this word is already complicated). Also, modifiers for weapons were brought here, which will affect shooting, such as sights, butts, flash suppressors, enlarged magazines, switching the fire mode, and so on. The game has everything so that after you have been killed, you do not shout at the monitor that this cannot be.

As for the weapons, there are not so many of them. But already now there are three times more firearms and twice as many edged weapons than in the already mentioned H1Z1. Not to mention the variety of its use when applying modifications. If you do not delve into the enumeration of weapons, then the list is as follows:

3 types of sniper rifles, 5 assault rifles and carbines, 3 types of shotguns, 3 types of pistols, 2 PP, 2 machine guns, 1 crossbow and other machetes and pans.

Equipment and customization

With this, everything is good enough, not like a weapon, of course, but there is room to grow. At the moment, there are 3 types of helmets and 3 types of body armor. Their differences lie only in how well this or that vest or helmet protects you from damage.

With customization, things are better, there is everything from caps and glasses to boots and gloves and gas masks. More recently, the Steam marketplace has been added to the game. So, whoever wants to, can do some good here too. Prices are still biting here, but it's a matter of time.

Sound

The sound in the game where you have to fight for your life plays an important role. After all, determining where they are firing at and correctly taking a position or hearing the footsteps of an enemy sneaking from the back in time always helps to avoid the appearance of unnecessary holes in your playing body. In this case, the direction of fire is determined quite accurately, the steps are also clearly audible, you can even determine which floor the enemy is on.

Cooperative

An important factor for games of this genre. How easy and expedient it is to enter and play with friends, everything is ambiguous here. It's more fun to play with friends, the complexity of connecting to one server comes down to adding players to one lobby and pressing the play button, and in a few seconds you are already on the plane together. Your teammates are displayed on the map and shine through the walls, so shouts like "Are you running?" followed by dying with a burning ass disappear completely.

But the expediency of playing with friends is lame. The reward for playing with friends at the end of the match is about 5 times less than if you played alone. The game seems to be pushing you to play solo mode.

Transport

Transport, like ballistics, is a sore subject for this genre, but everything is not so bad here. There are not many types of vehicles, there are Buggy for two snouts, a likeness of a Zhiguli for 5 people and a similarity of an UAZ for the same 5 people. It is worth noting that the latter has 3 varieties that differ only externally. Technical characteristics do not differ, except for the version without a roof, with a high percentage of probability, being in the cabin, get a field.

Cars are driven with inertia, the weight of the car is felt. Some realism, but there are also moments that ride under water, and with a sharp turn can just lie on its side. Is it critical? Not at all.

Graphic arts

The modern and very good Unreal Engine 4 is responsible for the graphics here. It produces a nice picture, for games of this genre it is generally excellent. Only you most likely will not see it, since there is a problem with optimization, and even top video cards sometimes cry. This is how we got to the main problem of the game - optimization.

Since the game is in early access, the optimization has not been delivered yet. FPS is unstable and jumps depending on nothing. From this we can conclude that if you are playing for the sake of ideas and gameplay, and not for the sake of graphene, then put on "low" and enjoy the best Battle Royale at the moment.

conclusions

From all of the above, I think you have guessed my furious recommendation for this project, no matter what. And if you were in doubt about the purchase, then I hope that this review will help you make the right choice.

Trailer for the game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

System requirements

The game was released as part of the Steam Early Access Program in March 2017. The author of the modification for Arma 2, which later turned into a game H1Z1, the maestro of the battle royale genre - Brendan Green, intoxicated by the commercial success of his projects, together with the Bluehole team, is making an attempt to bring the genre to new heights. In just three days, the project topped the top of the most popular Steam games and earned $ 11 million. The number of players simultaneously playing was 86 thousand people. At the moment, the game has 12,700 reviews on the Steam website, of which 72% are positive.

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is an open world survival MMO, a mixture of shooter and survival simulator genres. Something like The Hunger Games, but without politics and Jennifer Lawrence. No drama, just meat, blood, violence and an attempt to survive in the local hell. Before us is a completely redesigned H1Z1 on the engine Unreal Engine 4... Unlike boring brainchild Daybreak gamePlayerunknown's Battlegrounds looks much fresher and more dynamic.

Its essence, as it should be in the "Royal Battle", is to get supplies, weapons and finish off all the other players. By the way, the action takes place on the post-Soviet Black Sea island of Yerangel. Sometimes from "recognition" it takes a lot. The size of the location inspires respect - 8x8 kilometers. The island is surrounded by an energy barrier, upon contact with which the player takes damage. You have to move on foot or by transport, and since the barrier is constantly narrowing, each player gets closer and closer to the others, which leads to collisions. One hundred people on a huge map, who from the first seconds only think how to stay alive - it's cool! You listen to everything, even to the silence, you peer into everything you can, and you can still miss the enemy. Simple tactics like camping or rush alone don't work here. You can put on a bunch of armor and powerful firearms, and still die ingloriously, acting thoughtlessly and carelessly, or you can in pants and a T-shirt, with one pistol, reach the final (top 10 survivors). Well, luck plays a role. Everything is like in life.

The means of transportation in the game at the moment are very limited: a buggy, a UAZ in different variations, the pride of the Romanian car industry "Dacia" and a boat. Physics, of course, arcade - you can make a somersault by hitting a small bump, but within the framework of a specific game - it's already not bad, and it will probably still be improved.

Separately, it is worth noting the excellently made team modes: you can compete not only solo, but also together or even with a team of four players, which provides the widest choice of tactics and strategies. In general, I play with one hand, wipe my tears of happiness with the other.

At the end of the match, coins are awarded in proportion to the results achieved. For them, you can already open boxes containing all kinds of cosmetic items that transform the character.

Iron

Here's what the minimum system requirements look like:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7; 8.1; ten
Processor: Intel Core i3-4340 / AMD FX-6300
RAM: 6 GB of RAM
Video card: nVidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB / AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Disk space: 30 GB

Unless you have at least a GTX 680/770 and a processor below the i5 4460, you are unlikely to play comfortably. Immediately we advise you to reduce the vegetation settings to minimum, and the shadows to medium (this way you can better see the enemy). On an Nvidia GTX 960 video card, the game produces about 35-40 frames at high settings, Nvidia GTX 980 - mostly 60+. On GTX 770 lags for 2 seconds per minute. (With all video cards, the processor was higher than the i5 4460). Nevertheless, if the hardware is weak, and you want to play horror how you want, raise the FPS according to the instructions, you here or here.

Updates

How long the game will stay on the Steam sales leaders and on the players' computers depends only on the studio Bluehole... After all, an MMO survival game in the "early access" is a well-known "diagnosis" that many players are skeptical about. But the developers are working hard to fix various bugs and improve optimization. All plans for the development of the project for the coming months can be seen in a special schedule. For Playerunknown's Battlegrounds plan to release daily updates to improve server performance, weekly updates to fix bugs and improve performance, and monthly updates to add new content and improve game balance. The first patch was released on April 6 at 5 pm. Improved server performance, adjusted sounds, fixed many bugs. True, as often happens, at the same time they broke everyone - they had to almost immediately "roll back" the game to the previous version. So, owners of relatively weak computers and nerves should, perhaps, wait a little with the purchase.

Summing up:

pros

+ The graphics remind of Arma 3, not without flaws, but overall - looks great! Unreal Engine 4, after all.

+ A large number of very different weapons, you can even arrange a showdown in pans. Weapon attachments - collimators, compensators, sights, handles and other delivering pribluda - really affect.

+ Thoughtful system of other loot: helmets, armor, medicines, etc.

+ Well-implemented command modes.

+ Transport physics is better than all Ubisoft games combined. The mechanics of character movement and shooting are on the level.

+ Andrenaline gameplay. The map is huge and varied. The combat system is excellently made, it is pleasant to shoot from a weapon - you feel it, there is no fierce randomness in shots. It's very interesting to watch the game even on streams!

+ Price (compare with other similar games, the rest is a matter of the ruble exchange rate).

Minuses:

- Common early access issues: glitches, bugs, lags. Thank God, not in catastrophic volumes, it is quite possible to play now.

We count Playerunknown's Battlegrounds the best representative of Battle Royal at the moment. Definitely, H1Z1 is not worth it.

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds - Briefly about the game with a long title

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Playerunknown's Battlegrounds was released as part of the Steam Early Access Program in March 2017. The author of the modification for Arma 2, which later turned into the game H1Z1, the maestro of the battle royale genre - Brendan Green, intoxicated by the commercial success of his projects, together with the Bluehole team, is trying to bring the genre to new heights. In just three days, the project topped the top of the most [...]

Already a phenomenon, the action game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds continues to amaze with its achievements. Last weekend, the game managed to outstrip in terms of the number of simultaneously connected users for the first time. Thus, it climbed to the second line of this list of the digital platform Steam, behind only Dota 2. However, to keep the record of action could not and soon dropped to third position.

On July 9th, lead developer Brendan Greene posted in his microblogging a screenshot of the record. At one point in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, 239,167 players were playing simultaneously - 695 more than Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A day later, Valve's shooter had about one and a half times as many people as in the Bluehole game. in the maximum daily number of players between these games is still high: on July 10, it was 232 743. Be that as it may, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is significantly ahead of the survival simulator H1Z1: King of the Hill and action, which have not left recently top 5.

Meanwhile, Green told reporters the resource PC Gamer about the change in the release date of the final version of the game. Initially, the developers planned to withdraw the action from Early Access six months after the release: in an April conversation with Rock Paper Shotgun, the game designer assured that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds would leave Steam Early Access no later than October. “It's a matter of honor, do you understand? He said then. - We'll be finishing the game in six months. "

In a message to the players distributed via PC Gamer, Green thanked the players for "Incredible" support, bug reports, feedback and suggestions. “We continue to fix bugs, improve gameplay and add new content, - he wrote. - It is very important for us to release a well-polished, polished “battle royale”. Over the past months, I have done many interviews in which I have expressed the hope that the game will be released from Steam Early Access six months after the release of the early version. Recently, I realized that the rigid boundaries of the release window could prevent us from fulfilling the plan. There is a danger that we will not be able to add to the game all the features that were mentioned. In addition, we run the risk of disappointing the players if we do not meet the deadlines. "

“Therefore, we decided to postpone the release of the full version, Green said further. - But we can assure that the game will still be released this year - no later than the fourth quarter. We will continue to release weekly and monthly updates right through to the final release to make sure the game is as good as possible. That is why we give approximate dates, not exact dates. We hope this will bring the desired result. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. "

In addition to new maps, weapons and items for the final release, the developers will add a jumping system that allows you to climb walls and fly through windows, three-dimensional replays and in which players can control the undead. Also PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds may acquire. By the end of the year the action will be released on Xbox One through the Xbox Game Preview program.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds became available on March 23. For three months it has over 4 million Steam users.