A livestream from developer DICE on Friday announced some of the changes we can look forward to in the Battlefield 1 May update. The latest Battlefield 1 update announcement shares details regarding some balancing changes and gameplay improvements that will be implemented very soon.
New Operation playlists are coming to Battlefield 1. The current system returns players to the main menu after completing an Operation. But instead of searching for a new game after every operation, Operation playlists will allow players to continue the games. Not only will players be able to play in different Operations, but will also enjoy better matchmaking and server stability as well.
Next, Dice made a slew of changes to make weapons and loadouts more balanced in the game. One of the weapons that received a great amount of criticism is the Bayonet. Now, Dice will remove the 15 percent damage reduction while in charge, which means charging players will receive just as much damage as normal. What's more, players will not be able to turn as much during a bayonet charge.
Additional changes implemented to Battlefield 1 in the anticipated update include improvements to gameplay, controls, as well as tweaks to vehicles, field gun, AA, fighter planes and tanks.
Check out all the changes to Battlefield 1 in the anticipated update in the list via PVPLive below:
Netcode
- Tweaked values to reduce the number of kill trades within 30m radius.
- Improvements have also potentially fixed an issue with not being able to continuously hit somebody even if they are standing still.
- Implemented per region threshold settings for server side hit detection: 130ms for US + Europe, 200ms elsewhere.
- Fixed server-side hit registration interpolation.
- Leading shot only necessary by the margin above the threshold, eg. For US @ 150ms ping, you have to lead by 20ms.
- Fixed latency display for server which is also responsible for decision if to perform client or server side hit registration.
- Fixed input offsets for server side hit registration to match client side.
- Fixed wrong hit indicator display when dying.
Bayonet Charge
- Activated aiming speed modifier during prepare state as well as charge state.
- This means a player can rotate a maximum of 50 degrees during the prepare state. Also added an input modifier disabling strafe while charging.
- Adding a subtle boost to third person footsteps when bayonet charging to increase threat awareness. Boosted the volume of Enemy VO for Bayonet Charge when close to the player.
- Slightly reduced maximum turn rate while charging.
- Removed damage reduction while in charge. Weapons will now hit charging players for normal damage.
Map and Modes
- Spectator Mode: Fixed a bug where the first person camera could become stuck during the Pigeon Carrier Artillery camera sequence on the Assault Tank.
- Changed ticket count for Domination to 200 from 100.
- Fixed missing game mode description for Breakthrough.
- Tweaked scoring values for capturing flags in Conquest. Capturing gives less score now, however more capture ticks have been added and the team controlling more than 3 flags than the other team will be awarded Conquest Control bonuses.
- Decreased the percentage of contribution to flag capture/neutralize from 50% to 30%.
- Added Join Any Operation button to main operations screen. Will start a matchmaking session to join any available operation at any size (40 or 64).
The developers have also changed the end-game lobby process for Battlefield 1's Operations. You should no longer have to exit to the main menu and re-queue after your current match ends. With this new continuous lobby, you'll stay with your team and switch sides.
Vehicles
- Tweaked self-repair for A7V, FT17, St. Chamond, and Pierce Arrow.
- Reduced health gained per self-repair cycle from 320 to 200.
- Reduced time taken to complete a self-repair cycle from 8s to 5s.
- This makes these vehicles' self-repair equivalent to the self-repair of the MkV Landship.
- Increased time that the shell camera is active on the MkV mortar landship from 3.5s to 4.5s. This better fits the increased flight time of the new heavy shell.
- Extended Fighter and Attack Plane elevator flap scaling curves to better cover the entire speed range.
- Reduced cooldown of speed boost ability from 30 seconds to 15 seconds for both the Dogfighter and Airship Buster Attack Plane.
- Set up rear view on all planes.
- Hold freelook while in third-person to use rear view.
Field Gun and AA Changes:
- Doubled the health of Field Gun and Stationary AA.
- Made Field Gun and Stationary AA Indestructible.
- Field Gun and Stationary AA will now enter a disabled state at 50% health where they become unusable.
- To use the weapons again they must be repaired back to 100% with the repair tool.
- Changed how max range for AA is applied.
Changes to Fighter planes:
Dogfighter
- Added new secondary weapon, Incendiary Ammo.
- Incendiary Ammo does greatly increased damage to plane parts, allowing the dogfighter to quickly cripple an enemy plane by breaking a wing.
- Changed active ability from emergency repair to speed boost.
Bomber Killer
- Changed active ability from speed boost to emergency repair.
- Increased field gun damage against light vehicles.
- Armored cars will no longer take less damage than light tanks from field gun hits.
Changes to FT Packages
Close Support Tank
- Increased 37mm HE ammo from 4 to 5
- Replaced Secondary Case shell with Coaxial LMG. These changes should help this tank better fulfill its general purpose role.
Flanker Tank
- Increased reload time on the autocannon from 2.5s to 3.75s
- Increased HE autocannon direct damage from 15-10.5 to 17.5-12.5.
Howitzer Tank
- Corrected primary weapon to HMG as shown in customization, was actually LMG. The more powerful HMG should help offset its limited firing arc when compared to the Coaxial LMG of the Close Support Variant.
- Changed driver secondary weapon from case shell to flamethrower on the A7V Flame Tank Variant. This change will reinforce this variant's role as a close range tank.
- Added third person freelook to the FT Howitzer Variant.
- Missed this one with the other tanks because the normal version has a turret that can rotate 360 anyway.
- Added rear firing Tankgewehr as driver secondary weapon for the Tank Hunter Landship Variant.
- Enabled driving and third person camera while using driver rear guns in the Squad Support and Tank Hunter Landships.
- Improved MkV Mortar Landship Variant.
- Changed secondary mortar shell from airburst mortar to heavy mortar. Heavy mortar does much more damage and is effective against both infantry and vehicles, but has a much longer reload.
- Replaced alternate smoke and gas mortar shells with with track repair and vehicle smoke equipment.
- These changes should make the mortar Landship more viable as a combat vehicle, rather than sitting in mortar stance in the backline.
- Fixed a bug with third person aiming on vehicles that caused a bullet to not fire in the correct direction when aiming at a soldiers head while they are on a horse.
Gameplay
- Adding a camera shake advanced gameplay option to adjust the amount of camera shake caused by explosions, etc.
- Added missing spotting animation when spotting a downed allied soldier as a medic with the Medical Syringe.
- Automatically show low on ammo icons on friendly soldiers.
- Made all players immortal during EOR.
Controls
- Players using controllers can now do custom buttons/sticks mappings.
- Fixed select Operation button not properly appearing when using the joypad or on console.
The Battlefield 1 May update is expected to arrive before Tuesday, May 30.
