http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/1349361-Developer-AMA-Recap?s=b6d18cb98b8bf2c5b91f714923bfbc70
Hello everyone. About a week after launch, had a few members of the development team sit down and take the time to answer questions you had for us. We enjoyed discussing these topics with you and are very thankful for your interest in the game.
On December 7th, we assembled in a meeting room and answered your questions for 2 hours. Time was limited so we were not able to answer all questions in the thread, but did our best to reply to as many as possible.
The following Devs were present to answer your questions on the associated topics:
Alexandre – Brand Director
Daniel – Lead Game Designer
Duff – Lead 3C Programmer
François – Associate Producer
Geneviève – Community Developer
Jalal – Lead 3D Programmer
Jean-Baptiste – User Research Manager
Lorenzo – Online Architect
Pierre – Lead AI Programmer
Sapin – Lead Gameplay Programmer
Steve – Lead Multiplayer Programmer
Vincent – Multiplayer Programmer
Xavier – Creative Director
Below you will find your questions and our responses!
Q: When is the next patch?
A: Our next update will be in mid-December.
Q: Sometimes the enemy doesn't die when I feel like they should have. Why does this happen? (Long answer below)
Hello everyone. We have indeed heard your concerns for hit detection within the game and we want to address it.
We already knew we had improvements that could be made, but after further investigation, we can share that the problem you experience is based off multiple issues that we will be working on. Some of them can be addressed with quick fixes, while others require development time.
BUGS ON REPLICATION AND KILLCAM
Let’s start by talking about quick fixes. We have a few bugs that we managed to get out of the way and that will be fixed for our next title update in mid-December:
Fixed: Pawn rotation latency: the difference between a player’s action, the server’s perception and another player seeing said action had an extra delay due to a bug. This had even more impact on shield wielding Operators since sometimes players using those would think they were protected while they were not because of the additional delay caused by the pawn rotation bug.
Fixed: Shield positioning while rappelling: certain shield angles were not being replicated properly, this caused the shield wielding player to be overprotected in certain cases. This caused hit detection issues for the player shooting at the shield wielding player.
Fixed: Shooting and moving while rappelling: when moving and shooting while in rappel, the hits were sometimes not registered properly by the server.
Improved: Kill cam replication issues: the kill cam was not displaying an accurate representation of hit positions. The point of view seen after death was not the exact point of view of the killer. Moreover, we have instances in which the kill cam shows body parts sticking through walls while they actually weren’t being seen from the killer’s perspective. This has been improved for the next title update, but we still need additional work on this. It is still considered under development.
SERVER TICK RATE
We are currently investigating having a higher tick rate, which would improve positioning and shooting replication. The current servers run at a tick rate of 64, but the position of players is updated 30 times per second. We have plans to address this very soon and are currently running tests in which we have a position update rate of 60. If the results are satisfying, we will be deploying this in a future update as soon as possible.
CONNECTION TO WRONG DATA CENTER
Another issue we will be working on is that right now, some players connect to the wrong data centers. If you are not connected to the nearest data center, your gameplay experience will likely not be ideal. We believe that the best solution for this will be to allow the players to select their data centers and that is what we will be working on.
GENERAL ISSUES WE ARE AWARE OF
Although we do have a high ping kick in place, one thing to note is that there are some edge cases in which some players have high ping due to poor internet connection spikes. This affects replication quality for the other players within that person’s match.
We hope that this addresses your concerns and we will make sure to keep you updated as we keep monitoring and improving on this and progress within our plans.
Q: What is the servers Tick Rate?
A: We are currently investigating having a higher tick rate, which would improve positioning and shooting replication. The current servers run at a tick rate of 64, but the position of players is updated 30 times per second. We have plans to address this very soon and are currently running tests in which we have a position update rate of 60. If the results are satisfying, we will be deploying this in a future update as soon as possible.
Q: Why are some people connecting to the wrong data center?
A: If you are not connected to the nearest data center, your gameplay experience will likely not be ideal. We believe that the best solution for this will be to allow the players to select their data centers and that is what we will be working on.
Q: Sometimes I feel like my bullets don’t register when I hit an enemy. Why does this occur?
A: This is due to pawn rotation latency. That is the difference between a player’s action, the server’s perception and another player seeing said action had an extra delay due to a bug. This had even more impact on shield wielding Operators since sometimes players using those would think they were protected while they were not because of the additional delay caused by the pawn rotation bug. This will be fixed in our next patch, to be released in mid-December.
Q: Why is the Killcam sometimes showing me getting killed from an impossible angle?
A: The kill cam is not displaying an accurate representation of hit positions. The point of view seen after death was not the exact point of view of the killer. Moreover, we have instances in which the kill cam shows body parts sticking through walls while they actually weren’t being seen from the killer’s perspective. This has been improved for the next title update, but we still need additional work on this. It is still considered under development.
Q: I feel like I hit that shield Operator. Why didn’t some of my hits register?
A: Certain shield angles were not being replicated properly and this caused the shield wielding player to be overprotected in certain cases. This caused hit detection issues for the player shooting at the shield wielding player. This will be fixed in our next patch, to be released in mid-December.
Q: It seems like some of my hits don’t register while rappelling?
A: When moving and shooting while in rappel, the hits were sometimes not registered properly by the server. This will be fixed in our next patch, to be released in mid-December.
Q: What is your current anti-cheat solution? Are you happy with it?
A: We cannot disclose too much information about the current anti-cheat solution (Fairfight), but we can confirm that we are satisfied with it.
Q: What is the best method for reporting cheaters?
A: Currently, the best method is to submit a support ticket here.
Q: What are you doing to improve server stability?
A: We are constantly fixing game server crashes and have already released several seamless updates that have improved server stability. We will continue to do so as long as the game is live.
Q: I’ve noticed that some users have ping spikes. Why aren’t they getting kicked from matches?
A: Although we do have a high ping kick in place, one thing to note is that there are some edge cases in which some players have high ping due to poor internet connection spikes. This affects replication quality for the other players within that person’s match.
Q: Can I play University in PvP/All Terrorist Hunt modes?
A: We are currently working on making that map available for all in PVP and PVE, on top of all other free maps that are planned for year one. This map does not count as one of the 4 post launch maps promised for 2016.
Q: Will you be releasing any more Situations?
A: No additional Situations planned as of yet.
Q: What is the current plan for handling excessive team killers?
A: We will be addressing team killing and friendly fire issues based on data that is currently being collected. We will communicate our plans shortly.
Q: How often will you be updating the game?
A: We plan to provide you with monthly updates and patch notes to accompany those updates.
Q: Will you implement the Tactical Board into the game?
A: We do not currently plan on implementing the Tactical Board into the game itself.
Q: You have shared your one year plan with us. Will we get any updates after the first year?
A: It is our ambition to keep supporting the game Post-Launch for as long as possible.
Q: Will we get anymore infographics or statistics?
A: We are currently working on something along these lines. We will share more info on it when we're ready.
Q: I sometimes experience trouble with voice comms. Will these be fixed?
A: We are aware of those issues and are currently working on fixing them. We hope to bring this to you as soon as possible.
Q: I feel like I should get a larger Renown bonus from my Season Pass.
A: We do not have plans to change the renown bonuses for Season Pass owners at the moment. We are tracking the game's economy and if we believe changes should be done, then we will address this.
Q: Will I ever be able to customize my Operator between rounds/matches without leaving?
A: This is a feature that is on our wish list for future improvements. We do not have an ETA for this at the moment.
Q: Will we see more weapon attachments for all guns in a later update?
A: We are currently discussing the possibility of adding more weapons attachments in the future.
Q: Can we get more detailed weapon stats when looking at weapons with attachments?
A: This is not a part of the current plan.
Q: Will we have more weapon skins in future updates?
A: Yes!
Q: Will we be able to view global leaderboards for various stats/modes?
A: Not at this time, but we are looking into it for the future.
Q: Can we spectate live matches?
A: Not for public matchmaking. We are planning on bringing the Spectator Camera to all platforms, on dedicated servers, within custom games, in early 2016.
Q: What changes do you have planned for the Ranked playlist?
A: We have a communication about our vision for all game's playlists (casual, ranked...) that should answer all your questions. It will be released this month.
Q: Would it be possible to let us type more characters in the in-game chat messages?
A: The character limit will now be set to 128 in the mid-December title update.
Q: Will you be implementing a chat history feature?
A: We do not currently plan on implementing a chat history feature.
Q: Why is the blood splatter orange?
A: This is a bug. It will be fixed in the next update (mid-December).
Q: I find it difficult to distinguish friendlies and enemies. Are there any plans to have matching team uniforms?
A: We do not have plans for this at the moment. We are looking at improving the current system to help distinguish friends from foes without disrupting the experience and immersion.
Q: Will we see the cancelled Yacht map in future DLC?
A: We do not wish to spoil our DLC content plans at this time. Maybe there is a Yacht, maybe nacht.
Q: Will you be releasing a map editor/Steam workshop functionality?
A: This is not a part of our current plans.
Q: How will balancing issues be addressed? Will it be based on player performance or will it be placed mostly on community feedback?
A: We are and will continue to collect hard data, as well as community feedback. We will be having monthly patches, and balancing updates will be a part of these.
Q: Will you be adding advanced functionality for in-game lights and lamps? Possibly adding flashlights or night/thermal optics?
A: Although we love the idea, it is very demanding for GPUs performance, and has strong design implications. It is not in our plans at the moment to have advanced functionalities for in-game lights.
Q: Will you be implementing clan tags?
A: We are working on something similar.
Q: Will you allow us further customization of Terrorist Hunt matches?
A: We do not currently plan on implementing customization options for Terrorist Hunt matches.
Q: Will you allow for customization of recruit weapons?
A: This does not currently fit with our design vision for the Operator system.
Q: Will you be providing support for colorblind players, such as a colorblind mode?
A: This is on our wish list for future development.
Q: Do you plan on randomizing camera placement?
A: Limiting randomness in PvP is a design decision, which includes camera placement.
