In their most recent update, the developers behind the famous battle-royale game Fortnite introduced a system that segregates players based on skill level. The patch was intended to facilitate more fair and enjoyable gameplay, but the update came with an additional feature that was unannounced before its release.
Fortnite‘s developers, the Epic Games Studio, not only authorized a new skill-sorting algorithm for players but also instituted cross-platform play for the game. That means players, for the first time, are playing against players on other consoles or gaming systems. This was happening whether they were playing on a smartphone, a computer, or a gaming console. The problem with cross-platform play is that some systems confer significant advantages to the players who use them. But, despite the obvious, Epic Games claims the change was intentional.
Epic Games has done little to calm disquiet about the move. In a recent blog post, the Fortnite Team wrote that “the new matchmaking system accounts for various skill levels across different platforms and control inputs, and groups players of similar skill levels together.”
Most gamers felt this was a non-response to their complaints. At best, it seems to be an attempt to not deal seriously with the genuine observation that different systems give different advantages to players.
Without even discussing technical details, it’s easy to see the problem. Just imagine the lack of competition between someone playing on an Android phone against someone on an Xbox One. Other difficulties abound. Technically speaking, those playing on gaming PCs could be able to achieve around 60 FPS while a Nintendo Switch player might be capped at 30 FPS. This complaint and others were raised on Reddit and in other forums for the game. And these players are mostly right: it’s almost impossible to talk about skill levels when comparing those numbers.
So far, Epic Games has not offered any legitimate response to the complaints brought up by their players.
The institution of cross-platform play wasn’t the only thing that came out with the latest update. Other changes included the introduction of bots and The Combine obstacle course, both of which go together. The Combine will pit players against bots as they attempt to pass through the obstacle course before the timer reaches zero. Bots are also supposed to play other roles within the game world. The developers have said that so far, the bots have limited functionality regarding the number of in-game actions they can perform.
We’ll see how the new patch plays out over the next week. Fortnite‘s Season 11 will begin on the 13th of October, which is next Sunday.
