PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has ushered in a bunch of changes to the game via Update 5.2. The update is on PUBG test servers right now and will go live on PC and Console November 20th and 26th, respectively.
The addition of the PUBG Labs, which was developed to garner meaningful feedback from gamers, is the most noteworthy update. Gamers can find PUBG Labs by navigating to the menu under the Play button.
It’s a space where the developer, PUBG Corporation, will insert an experimental game feature and players can battle it out using the new elements.
PUBG Labs will be receiving new content like rule sets and game modes regularly, and once gamers get a feel for the latest additions, they can give their feedback to Community Managers.
This is an absolute win-win situation for the gamer and the developer. The new features are always exciting for gamers to try out, and this is an excellent way for the developer to gauge the reaction of players.
Instead of dumping a bunch of resources into a new mode and it turns out to be bust, PUBG Corporation can minimize the risk of being creative by placing the idea into the PUBG Labs. Gamers will try it out and, as gamers typically are, be brutally honest with what they think.
Now there are still Test Servers, and they aren’t going anywhere. The “Introducing: PUBG Labs” post on the PUBG website stated:
“Labs isn’t replacing the Test Server, which will still be utilized on a regular basis for normal content updates. Think of it as more of a place where we can experiment with new settings and features outside of the typical development cycle, some of which may be far down the road still while giving you a way to chime in on what we’re doing before the design is finalized.”
There is already experimental content coming down the pipe for PUBG Labs in the form of the Skill Based Rating project.
Skill Based Rating is a feature that PUBG wants to try out, and players can do just that when PUBG Labs servers go live. For PC, that will be November 26 to
January 1 KST (Korea Standard Time), and for consoles, that will be November 26th to January 6th KST.
Here’s how the Skill Based Rating works:
Skill Based Rating will track the player’s matches and assign them a rating related to how well they have done. The Lab focuses on factors, like number of kills and final placement in the match, that will make the player’s rating either go up or down. Gamers must play at least five matches to get a rating. Once they get a rating, every match after will adjust the rating accordingly.
Feedback about the change to the rating can be left at the end of every match, and once the Labs period is over, players can leave feedback via an in-game survey. The feedback period for PC is January 2 to 9, and for console is January 7th to 14th.
This is a fascinating feature for PUBG as it will streamline communication between players and the developer, which should then lead to the addition of better elements to the game.
