Design and balance experts, executives and other representatives from the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS development team answered questions from fans about the game's redesign of the Vikendi map.
Our PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS team was grateful for all your meaningful questions and we hope we were able to quench most of your curiosities.
However, due to time limitations, we were also aware many questions went unanswered.
So today we’ve prepared an additional Q&A session that’ll respond to some more Vikendi Reborn questions!
Our PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Respondents
– TAEHYUN KIM, PRODUCTION DIRECTOR OF IN-GAME
– SANGKYUN KIM, PRODUCTION DIRECTOR OF OUT-GAME
– YINJEONG JUNG, WORLD TEAM LEAD
– SEUNGKYU KIM, IN-GAME UNIT, LEVEL DESIGN PART LEAD
– GIHWAN PARK, IN-GAME UNIT, SENIOR LEVEL DESIGNER
– DAHYUN KWON, IN-GAME UNIT, BALANCE PART LEAD
– YOONJI CHUNG, IN-GAME UNIT, BALANCE PART
Q. I believe gameplay styles distinctly differ per map, especially when environmental features seem to greatly affect the battlegrounds. What gameplay styles did the team expect for Vikendi Reborn?
A. (SEUNGKYU KIM) Vehicle play and highland advantages are definitely important factors for the traditional 8x8km sized maps, but Vikendi Reborn also brings you a distinct gameplay style with its unique geographical and environmental factors. Seizing the highlands and diving for cover would be helpful in the northern part of the map, and being strategic and using slopes to hide vehicles or using items such as smoke grenades, Folded Shield, etc. in the relatively flat, southern area. Furthermore, you can also use the Cable Cars to make it harder for enemies to predict your next move.
Q. Have you intentionally created hot drop locations for Vikendi Reborn to lure groups of players? And where are these hot drops?
A. (SEUNGKYU KIM) The main hot drop would be the Train Station located in the middle of the map. The Observatory, Lumber Yard, and Dinoland could also be popular hot drops. Big cities and towns are scattered on the outer area of the map, and large house sets are positioned near the center of the map to lure in more players.
Q. Do you have any area recommendations or helpful tips for newbies?
A. (GIHWAN PARK) I’d like to recommend the Coal Mine located in the northwest. It is a town consisted of large container buildings holding relatively easy-to-loot items, and as it’s located in the outer area so we’d expect fewer enemies to accompany your fall. Additionally, it’s easier to move on to the inner areas of the map once you’re done at the Coal Mine. And what’s best, if you don’t have a vehicle, there’s a train right at the entrance – and if you happen to miss your ride, there’s always the romantic Cable Cars.
Q. I noticed relatively unused items such as the Jammer Pack seemed to be useful in Deston. Did you have any other specific items planned or discussed for Vikendi Reborn?
A. (GIHWAN PARK) For Vikendi, we expect a lot of engagements to occur on land. Therefore the BZ Grenade or the Folded Shield could be frequently used – you can throw BZ Grenades at enemies hiding behind boulders or trees, which we already often witness among our players. The Folded Shield is also intended to help you protect yourself especially when you’re fighting on vulnerable land. For example, you can install the Folded Shield beside your vehicle, or perhaps block the open entrance of the Cable Car you’re riding.
Q. You’ve added many new features to Vikendi Reborn such as the Blizzard Zone, Ascenders, weather, Cable Cars, and more. But I’m worried this big update may also bring in-game bugs or lags. Has the team come up with any plans to prevent this from happening?
A. (YINJEONG JUNG) Vikendi was released after proven world performance through profiling, asset memory/type optimization, and more. Actually, there used to be an additional Cable Car route installed to the map but we removed it as we discovered risks during our map performance test in the early stages of development. We are continuously running multiple tests and analyzing possible risks to stabilize your gameplay experience as best we can.
Q. I think the Mountain Bike brings a lot of fun to PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS! Are you possibly thinking of adding skis or snowboards to Vikendi Reborn?
A. (GIHWAN PARK / SEUNGKYU KIM) Skis or snowboards were included in our early development ideas, but we unfortunately have no current plans to add them to this update.
Q. Vikendi Reborn’s Comeback BR system seems a lot different from Taego’s as players are given three Comeback BR opportunities. Not only that, items will not reset per Comeback BR Phase. Could you let us know your intentions to this change, and what you’d expect from your players?
A. (YOONJI CHUNG) Since you’ll be using the same arena for each phase, we believed it’d be more realistic to leave traces of the previous battle. We also wish to witness more dynamic gameplay patterns by creating different environments in the same arena. But as players in the last Comeback BR may suffer from a lack of items, we are showering Comeback BR Multidrops every phase and leaving previous deathboxes/multidrops as they are. Remember, only the brave who dares to try for the Multidrops can leave the Comeback BR arena with rich loot!
Q. New weapons such as the G36C and MP5K were previously released in Vikendi. Would there be new weapons for Vikendi Reborn as well?
A. (DAHYUN KWON) We currently do not have plans to release new weapons for Vikendi Reborn.
Q. Will there be a weapon balance update for Vikendi Reborn? I’m curious to know what’s been discussed regarding weapon and spawn balances, and if you have any future plans.
A. (DAHYUN KWON) Since weapon balance updates affect every map, we do not have specific balance updates planned for Vikendi Reborn. As Vikendi Reborn expanded to a 8x8km map, looting spots have also been adjusted and spawn balances have been measured in coordination with Ranked’s system to provide a more consistent experience. We’ll continue to look into spawn rates and decide whether to proceed with balance adjustments for future updates.
Q. Will other maps also receive a remake update? Can smaller maps also be expanded to bigger sized maps?
A. (TAEHYUN KIM) As of now, we are not planning any huge remakes. We believe small maps have their distinct, entertaining aspects thanks to their size – therefore, we are also not planning to expand any smaller maps either.
Q. We were recently introduced to an update to the Normal Match matchmaking system; do you have any updates for a feature to show us what our MMR is?
A. (SANGKYUN KIM) It is quite rare for a game company to reveal their internal MMR and its calculation logic. We do not have any plans to implement this feature.
Questions already answered during the live show
For those who missed our Dev Talk: Vikendi Reborn, we have organized the questions and answers covered during the live show.
Q. Do we receive damage when we’re inside a building within the Blizzard Zone?
A. For a realistic depiction of winter’s brutality, we have designed the Blizzard Zone to affect players’ health, movement speed, etc. even when they’re inside a building.
Q. Will the old Snowmobile return to Vikendi Reborn?
A. As you may have already seen in our teaser video, the Snowmobile has returned even better and faster.
Q. Is there a possibility that Vikendi will be added to Ranked and Esports?
A. It’s difficult to provide a firm answer, but it may be highly possible if players consistently enjoy playing Vikendi.
Q. Are buildings added to glacier areas? How are the building objects structured?
A. Lab Camps (where researchers work) are scattered around the glacier areas, along with the Observatory located on the right.
Q. Aren’t there too many Comeback BR Phases in Vikendi? What’ll be changed from the current Comeback BR system?
A. There is only one Comeback BR Phase in Taego, but players in Vikendi can enter up to three Comeback BR Phases during the first phase of the match. Therefore, players who die in the main arena will no longer have to wait for so long.
Q. I’ve noticed a huge ridge placed between the Comeback BR arena and the main island. What is that for?
A. A snowy ridge has been placed to naturally divide the main arena with the Comeback BR arena.
Q. Is there a new Ghillie Suit for Vikendi Reborn?
A. You’ll be able to find the white Ghillie Suit for Vikendi.
Q. Can we engage from Cable Cars moving opposite directions?
A. Panzerfausts will most likely spawn in Cable Cars, so make sure to gear up and engage when you can!
Q. Will Comeback BRs be implemented to other maps?
A. We are monitoring and reflecting player/internal feedback to further improve the Comeback BR system. The Comeback BR can be added to other maps once significant improvements are made.
Q. The snow in Vikendi had originally been removed due to negative community feedback. Can we expect some improvements since the snow terrain’s coming back?
A. We were concerned about Vikendi’s map theme and community feedback when we ended up removing the snow from Vikendi. As we add the snow back into Vikendi Reborn, we utilized various environmental aspects, the clouds’ shadows, etc. to reduce the eye strain players may receive.
Q. Are the size of Blizzard Zones random?
A. The size of Blizzard Zones are fixed, and the spawn period will be identical to the Red Zone’s. The number and spawn location of Blizzard Zones are random.
Q. Will there be a secret cave in Vikendi Reborn?
A. There will be Secret Rooms in Vikendi Reborn. Each location will be displayed on the minimap, but why ruin the fun when you can discover them on your own?
Q. Will Helmets (Level 3) world spawn in Vikendi Reborn as well?
A. Helmets (Level 3) will not world spawn, but Molotov Cocktails will have a high spawn rate to enhance Vikendi’s wintery traits.
Q. Will the Thermal Scope be added to Vikendi Reborn?
A. The moonlight weather update is upcoming along with the Thermal Scope.
Q. Are there any plans to release new Survivor Passes / Progressive Weapon Skins with the Vikendi Reborn concept?
A. No plans for progressive weapon skins, but definitely yes for a new Survivor Pass. We’ll also be adding some end-of-year holiday items.
Q. Do you have any additional comments regarding the recent MMR update?
We first wish to apologize to the players. We tried our best, but issues occurred and we face disappointment as well – we are currently looking into resolving the issue with high priority. We communicate and disclose our data with our players, but we hope you understand it is difficult to disclose specific information regarding cheat programs. We are looking into improving our current MMR system as we discovered several spots that could be better. We will do our best to provide our players a safe gameplay environment. Thank you for your feedback.
Q. How long did it take to create Vikendi Reborn?
A. Approximately a year, starting from concept creation to actual development.
Q. Can we obtain items only found in Care Packages with the new Crowbar interaction system?
A. Care Package items will not spawn in places that can be opened with Crowbars. But other valuable items are definitely waiting to be looted!
Q. Are there any unique factors when driving in Vikendi Reborn?
A. With the Vikendi Reborn update, vehicle tires such as the Zima, etc. have been replaced with sturdy tires prepared for winter.
Q. Since we now have the Blizzard Zone in Vikendi Reborn, can other zones like sandstorms or tornadoes appear in other maps as well?
A. Ideas such as these are always a part of our plans, but the stage where we can test out their feasibility is where we need more time.
Q. Do devs refer to Partners’ content when developing maps?
A. Our devs all love PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, so they of course enjoy watching and sharing our Partners’ videos and streams.
And this is it for our additional Q&A for Vikendi Reborn!
We hope your questions have been answered – don’t forget to check out the #21.1 Patch Notes for more details on Vikendi Reborn and its new features!
We’ve prepared bunches of new content for Vikendi Reborn, so whip out your parachutes and get ready to land into the snow!
And as always, we appreciate your feedback. See you soon at the next update.
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