Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)

[GreatScawt]

Yep, ridiculous name, but man it's fun - watching and playing. It has absolutely exploded in popularity.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/578080/PLAYERUNKNOWNS_BATTLEGROUNDS/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqkThqd_mOg

[Rare White Ape]

I'm only just beginning to find out what the hell this game is. It's an audacious concept but holy hell it seems to work amazingly. It's too bad for me that I don't have the hardware to run it with any decency, nor would I have the skill or beans to play it well.

But the community around it is amazing. Watch this video, right to the end.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsM98GKFbro

[Kchrpm]

I see highlights from this on Kotaku's Highlight Reel, quite entertaining.

[GreatScawt]

Oh god, that Stone Mountain video is fantastic. :lol:

Once you start to realize that the circle is really small, and there's not many players left, the heart really gets going. I've never had a game up my BPM like this has. Quite an experience.

[Rare White Ape]

Question: how does the circle choose the focus of where it needs to condense to, assuming it's not the same each round?

Is it possible to gather all the armour/guns/ammo you need then hide for the whole round, only to pop out at the end with full health to face the last opponent?

[GreatScawt]

Nope, I don't think there's any way to know where it will end up. It's different every round and there is no way to know how the new one is chosen.
I kind of love that. That element definitely adds to the on-the-fly planning and strategy that makes this game so good.

There's definitely a level of "circle luck". If the new white circle is close to you in the later part of the game (or if you're still in it!), you are at a great advantage, obviously.

Also, the late game force field just obliterates you if you are outside for too long. The first couple of circles really don't do too much damage, and can actually be counteracted by an energy drink or painkillers (those regen health and increase run speed). When you consume one of them, it fills a thin yellow bar above the health meter and slowly dissipates.

Also - tangential to painkillers - that brings another point. If you take damage, you can never go back above 75% health unless you have painkillers or energy drinks to regen it back up... or if you have a very rare Medkit that is an instant full heal.

[GreatScawt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyCQ-BOTEnE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8THc1ioTDEU

[XHawkeye]

I like watching this on twitch (Circon) but I be worthless playing it so I'll just watch. Am amazed anyone can kill with a sniper rifle, the targets look like they're only 1.2 pixels wide.


Escape From Tarkov is the next fad to hit Twitch, still trying to figure out how it works. While it won't overtake PUBG it is more intense to watch. Do like how getting wounded affects your vision and mobility vs PUGB.

https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Escape%20From%20Tarkov


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn5uPe2Sfxc

[GreatScawt]

Yeah, I remember when it first got announced and I was really excited. Looks like they're making good progress. Extremely hardcore game.

[Rare White Ape]

I think I'll be getting this when it hits Xbox.

That means I'll need a paid Live subscription, tho.

[GreatScawt]

Dunno what's going on tonight. Friend and I got two Duo wins in a row. Then played a squad game (3 people vs the normal 4) and we won that. Got carried pretty hard in that last one though. :lol:

[XHawkeye]

"Best" way to win a chicken dinner.

https://clips.twitch.tv/SilkyMistyBaconOptimizePrime <--- Open for twitch clip

[GreatScawt]

More nonsense from me

https://gfycat.com/RapidUnitedDutchsmoushond


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMr7DfgduEk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aALeFqCrGrk

[novicius]

Counter-Strike all over again. :up:

[Rare White Ape]

One. In. Ten.

They've sold 10 million copies, and PUBG was played by one million of those across the course of a day. It's leaving DOTA in the dust.

Insane.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-09-08-playerunknowns-battlegrounds-surpasses-1-million-concurrent-steam-players

[Rare White Ape]

Here we go, PUBG now hold the record for highest concurrent players in 24 hours, topping over 1.3 million and beating the previous record set by DOTA 2.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-09-16-playerunknowns-battlegrounds-sets-world-record-for-most-concurrent-players-on-steam

There's a massive caveat though; the recent controversy about idle farming accounts in the game might be bumping that number up by a decent chunk.

[Rare White Ape]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9Y4FUmG9A

[MR2 Fan]

someone who has more time and programming skill should do a PUBG meets Mad Max or Twisted Metal type of game...vehicles only (or maybe you can walk/run between cars but can't use weapons while on foot.)

Lots of weapons, armor options.

Maybe choose your basic car to start out...have 2 minutes to do some mods, then get upgrades in certain places....same system of shrinking the playing field.

[novicius]

IGN gives PUBG a 5/10 on Xbox. (http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/22/playerunknowns-battlegrounds-review) :|

[Phil_SS]

That sucks. I was actually thinking about giving it a try.

[novicius]

Well the first patch for Xbox has dropped this morning so maybe it fixes a lot of gripes?

This patch will be live at 1AM PST / 10AM CET / 6PM KST. Please restart your Xbox after the patch goes live to get the update.

Here are the first of many Xbox-focused patch notes to come:

:: Gameplay ::

Gas can now be used while on bike or bike with sidecar


:: UI/UX ::

Equipment icons on HUD will now be visible

Player icon is now more clearly visible on the world map

UI prompts now appear when reload and enter a vehicle options are present


:: Character ::

Tweaked hair color options


:: Animation ::

Cleaned up sidecar passenger animations in first person view

Fixed player camera issues while a passenger on the backseat of a Buggy

Addressed arm animations specific to holding some weapons

Character now correctly faces the proper direction when stopping while swimming


:: Others ::

First pass visual and performance improvements

Slightly improved anti-aliasing on Xbox One and Xbox One S

Localization updates for Vietnamese, Spanish,(Spain/Mexico)

Controls on motorcycle no longer inverted

Keyboard functionality is disabled


:: Bug Fixes ::

Fixed instances of player nametags not properly displaying in the lobby during Squad and Duo play

Fixed minor animation while crouching and prone

Fixed issues where curtains on windows block line of sight of players in the TPP mode

Fixed an issue where when Squad leader left the party, voice chat ceased to function as intended

Fixed issue where players could lean out of vehicles even when obstructed

Fixed collision of cardboard boxes in Yasnaya city

Fixed typo in the controller guide

Other minor fixes


Thank you again from all of us at the team.

[GreatScawt]

I mean, it's not even version 1.0 yet on PC. I can't click the link, but I'd imagine they should be labeling it a temp review for the early access Xbox port.

I'd give it time for the devs to optimize. I watched some gameplay and it runs... not great. When I first played on PC, I had to bump the settings way down to get it to run 60-70. Now with the update, I expect it to run 100 FPS+ consistently. If they can make similar improvements with the Xbox version it will be fine.

But it seems Fortnite BR is the way to go if you want a console Battle Royale fix.

[Rare White Ape]

It’s s bit unfair to give it a score as it’s still in early access, but yeah it’s not the best performer at all. That definitely needs some work, as I don’t think anyone would be interested in PUBGee in 30fps.

[Kchrpm]

If you're advertising and distributing a product for sale, it's ready for review on whether people should buy it or not. Don't give me that early access bullshit.

[GreatScawt]

Truth. That's why I was saying they should label it a temp review... like what Polygon does with their provisional ratings.

[Rare White Ape]

Here’s what the combined activities of 10,000 players looks like.

https://vimeo.com/249970399

[MR2 Fan]

:up:

[MR2 Fan]

Finally got to play PUBG on my new PC...it still doesn't run great, but my new PC is still relatively low spec.

Had fun thought, got all the way to #8 rank on my first attempt in the desert map (forgot their names), pure luck. Found guns and ammo but no armor or helmets at all...died when trying to run over someone in my VW bus....it nearly worked too!

Had a few other fun matches...but I think I need to upgrade my PC a bit more before I can play it seriously.

[GreatScawt]

Nice! I find it so much more enjoyable with KB+M.

Threw some quick highlights together. Finally getting a chance to play a little more now.

Of course Shadowplay crapped out right before my Miramar match last night, so I had to go back and record using the PUBG Replay system. Which is a bit jank.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kOIW0NnzgY

[MR2 Fan]

I'm only using KB+ M on PC

In one match I hung out in a large empty trashcan/dumpster for 15 minutes......I guess I'm a camper.

[MR2 Fan]

so apparently everyone hates campers :p

Whatever, I'm actually doing better using First-person view...third person just isn't for me.

Meanwhile a lot of people are moving to Fortnite:BR and it just looks really silly to me...the instant building of...um...buildings and stuff? very odd. I don't think I could enjoy it.

[Godson]

I had been playing fortnite, but after some really shitty deaths, I've written the game off.

[GreatScawt]

For me, first person only is the best way to play. It's too easy for people to hide behind trees and walls and camera peak in third. Not a fan of that.

------------------------

And yeah, Fortnite is neat. I'm fascinated by it's surge in popularity. I've been watching some of the really good Twitch streamers play Fortnite (Ninja, Shroud) and the meta is apparently build close, build high, and drop in on the other players using double pump shotties. I don't feel like rebinding my keys to be better at building, so I'll probably never be all that great at the game. It's still fun, but I prefer PUBG.

The problem for PUBG: Epic's AAA development and attention to Fortnite are really starting to become apparent. Bluehole (the PUBG dev, awful name) can't keep up. The put out an update to combat rampant cheating recently that immediately got pulled back due to crashing issues. They finally answered the Fortnite surge by communicating their "roadmap" for 2018, but there's a whole lot of promise and I don't see any of it happening all that quickly or as effortlessly as Fortnite's new content / modes.

[Rare White Ape]

From where I see it, PUBG is on its way out unless they do something about performance, bugs, and content really quickly.

Fortnite’s advantage lies in its speed of progress, plus the availability to millions of school age kids - it’s free and it’s cartoony, so parents have a hard time finding reasons to ban their kids from playing.

I predict that by the time PUBG reaches 1.0 on Xbox it will have lost most of its momentum and struggle to grow any larger.

[GreatScawt]

Yep, I think it's definitely on a decline for a while, but not completely out. Still a huge following. But it's hard to beat free.

However - playing PUBG last night - I was surprised to see an achievement pop up. What the hell?
Then I checked the 2x Scope... low and behold... the scope's improved.
Then I noticed someone in the lobby doing emotes.
Interesting. I hadn't realized it, but they pushed out a few of the recent roadmap updates already to the live version. I was expecting that to be another month or more. Nice to get hands on with the latest updates so quickly.

[Godson]

The advantage to both games, the overall engine is very complex, but stable.

It is a very moldable design. It's why fortnite can be modded so fast.

[GreatScawt]

Got a key for PUBG Corp's "experimental test server" where I tried the new 4km x 4km map. Played a round, got to #8 within a matter of 15 minutes, I think. Quick to find people, quick circles, quick games. I do like it. Map looks good, too, albeit some unfinished textures/geometry on a lot of the buildings. I recorded some gameplay but my buddy is telling a story over top the whole time :lol: I'll see how the clips came out.

Some more random / funny clips from our duo sessions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEceMpKcSQI&t

[GreatScawt]

Last game yesterday evening, I dropped Hacienda (that's one of the hotspots on the Miramar map) and came out the sole survivor after just getting a crossbow (2 kills) and a grenade (1 kill). :lol: I got picked apart by a couple people while running into one of the later zones, but man that beginning was worth it.

A little annoyed that my video capture crapped out due to hard drive space; it recorded the exact time between my grenade kill and a long range M416 kill. But the crossbow shots I got :up:

[GreatScawt]

Sifting through more footage, just throwing some uploads in here. Went back and recorded some footage from the replay system. That's why some of it looks jank, and with no UI.

Duos clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt82thD30Ig

Solo win:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uouz30PWR1U

[GreatScawt]

Almost pulled off a duo win last night after my buddy died right before the last few circles. Literally had one guy to beat and he had level three armor and a Groza. Got some shots in, and I swung out too much on my next peak and he easily outgunned me. Almost. Had. It. :angry:

[lostnight]

I got this a couple of weeks ago for the Xbox One (lostnite66), really enjoying it so far. My brother Rob in Pittsburgh bought an Xbox One 2 months ago, and told me about Fortnite, so I downloaded it so I could play online with him. I thought it was a pretty fun game, but would prefer to have something similar, but without the building.

So that'swhen I started looking into PubG. PubG is much more up my alley. They just added the Miramar map to the Xbox, got a few games in on that one, can't wait to explore it some more. My stats were reset, but screw it, itÂ’s still in preview mode anyway. I do have to say that the reward system in PubG is really weak, maybe it will be rewarded in the finished version.

I play more for the memorable moments anyway. For example, I was in a game a week ago gathering throwables so I could practice with them. The safe zone was in the opposite corner, too far at that point to get to, so a good game to practice on till I died. I was playing one man squad mode, figured I was alone that late in the game and in the opposite corner. As I continued practicing my grenade throwing, all of a sudden bullets started taking on the ground around me. I started running and weaving across an open field, thinking I was dead meat. I spotted a tree in the distance, my only possible cover. I made it to the tree, whipped out my M16, and returned fire. I saw there was a two man squad firing at me, couldn't believe how far away the were, they looked like ants standing on a plateau. One of them started descending the plateau. I continued returning fire, and they stopped pursuit, and ceased fire. Wish I had a scope, but the didn't know I didn't have one. They realized I had cover and the advantage, they had the come across an open field to get to me, very exposed. That felt good! Eventually they turned around and disappear over the other side of the plateau. We all probably died a couple of minutes later from being so far from the safe zone. It's the little strategic encounters like that that make the game for me.

Have not touched Fortnite since.