Today marks the release of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Early Access Month 4 Update. As expected it’s a huge patch that has introduced an assortment of additions that range from new collectible items to game balance tweaks. And hidden in the patch notes is arguably the biggest game mode addition PUBG has seen since launch: Solo and Duo FPP.
These two games modes enforce first-person view, which previously was a toggleable option unpopular among players. The reason for this lack of popularity were the perks that the default third-person viewpoint provides when outside of combat, effectively limiting the amount of information available on your screen. By manipulating the camera in third-person view, players have been able to peek from behind cover and view angles out of the line of sight of their character with ease, resulting in significant tactical advantages.
When combined with the sheer difficulty of PUBG, and the incredible pressure for players to do anything in their power to be the last man standing, camping behind cover has been encouraged. It’s extremely common for players to find a strong defensive position to settle in after a mandatory phase of looting , and then spend upward of 15 minutes in a single spot without moving more than a few feet. The only thing that combats this is the safe zone, which increasingly limits the available map territory to push players closer together as time goes on.
Alternatively, the first-person viewpoint provides a drastically different experience. There’s a sense of immersion and presence in the game world that comes from looking through the eyes of your character. This is a survival game, after all, and there’s some intimacy that you get from first-person that isn’t available otherwise.
More importantly, there are gameplay implications. Since you have to reveal your character for line of sight in first-person, the combat experience is much more fair. Camping isn’t quite as common in this game mode because, well, it isn’t nearly as effective, or at the very least you can’t just hide behind a wall without having some way of peeking for information.
Many players also argue that PUBG‘s combat feels better in first-person. In other game modes, you have to press a button to toggle between these viewpoints, which can feel awkward. By sticking to this preferred viewpoint, the game feels more natural, and eliminates the need for viewpoint decision making.
All in all, today’s update is significant, and I have a feeling I’ll be playing exclusively in FPP for the next week or so.
If you’ve tried out Solo or Duo FPP in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, let us know what you think in the comments below.
