Last month, DICE held an early Alpha for their upcoming game Battlefield 5. This gave players a chance to try out the Arctic Fjord map. The developer released a comprehensive blog post where it discusses the data and feedback they generated from the most recent trial.

Battlefield 5 Alpha: What DICE Needed To Know

One of the main reasons DICE held the Alpha was to test Battlefield 5’s technical component, including backend systems, player scoring rate, and other critical aspects of the game. Another area the developer wanted to focus on was gameplay, more specifically, actually joining matches. Over the course of the Alpha, many issues occurred that were related to matchmaking configuration These issues resulted in players receiving error messages or being placed into less than suitable server locations leading to latency.

According to DICE, over the course of the Alpha, players found it easier to join matches by using the server browser. While many take the manual approach of finding a server, DICE said that it is important that regular matchmaking works reliably as well. Effective matchmaking relies on a multi-layered system that involves things like server location, skill level, and more.

“There are many factors to juggle when it comes to matchmaking: finding players with equal latency and skill level, and more–and these factors all need to co-exist,” DICE said. “Getting the best possible matchmaking is a challenge of balance; we want to match you into the best possible server and experience, which may take a few moments of waiting, but at the same time not have you waiting too long to deploy.” (https://bit.ly/2LbIm8O)

DICE also reported that they found many issues in keeping squads together during matches. The developer wanted to assure fans that these problems would be fixed by launch, as they said: “keeping you and your squad buddies together is a big priority for us.” (https://bit.ly/2LbIm8O)

More Fixes Incoming!

On top of on working on various improvements to stability and matchmaking. DICE is finding time to work on improving the queue system, minimizing toxicity with a non-cross-faction chat room, and taking care of strange bugs.

Here is a look at some of the gameplay issues DICE is addressing after the Battlefield 5 Alpha:

• Revives will feel “less clunky.”
• Buddy revive will be 2.5 seconds faster.
• Starting ammo will remain limited, but some changes are being made for “optimal balance.”
• The use of “reinforcement” weapons–which are really powerful and are meant to help turn the tide of battle–will be toned down in some regards.
• DICE will continue to tweak Time to Kill (TTK) values with things like tuning the amount of camera shake when you’re hit. The developer will consider making weapon damage changes, too, if its current efforts aren’t enough.
• Recoil for some weapons will be tweaked

Battlefield 5 is set to launch on October 19th, but subscribers to EA/Origin Access can start their war on October 11th. Fans that purchase the Deluxe Edition will be able to play on October 16th. If anyone is a big fan of Battlefield, definitely look into the various ways to play early.

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