PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has evolved considerably over the last few years, as have its players. On PS4 and Xbox One, their collective skill level has increased to the point that the development team is implementing bots in order to make it easier for new players to get competitive.
Implemented as part of the game’s update 7.1, bots aren’t being added to PUBG as a one-size-fits-all solution. Experienced players who perform better in battle royale matches will have a lower chance of seeing them than those who are struggling. Newer or less-skilled players are more likely to see them, and it will give them a chance to make it further in a match and practice late-game strategies such as defending a small area or placing traps.
The development team created “navigation meshes” to cover every corner of the game’s maps in order to guide the bots and prevent them from accidentally dying via environmental hazards. They’ll still be able to navigate dangerous areas like normal players can. Bots will also consider bullet drop and trajectory when aiming at targets to make hit probability closer to a real player. They’ll even target specific items as loot during each phase of the match, ensuring players will get worthwhile items after killing them.
PUBG Corp. is continuing to update the game throughout 2020, including examining recoil changes for weapons on console. It’s also working to close the release gap between updates on PC and console, with there currently being about a two-week delay.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
