There are some development updates, soldiers!

Note: all the screenshots in this post are taken directly from the Vilaskis' posts on the game's official Discord server

On the 26th of November, Vilaskis, a level designer on the BattleBit team, gave us some updates on his work. In a bunch of messages on the official Discord server of the game, he has presented progress on the rework of two existing maps - Valley and Sandy Sunset.

In the following paragraphs, we will look at what has been done, why such changes were needed and when we can expect to see them live on the game servers.

Why the rework is needed?

Both maps have not been touched since early 2022. Gameplay, however, has changed and that raised some issues that the ongoing rework tries to address.

Both Valley and Sandy Sunset have some large-scale areas along with spots ideal for snipers and tanks in which they are quite safe to stay and oversee their surroundings. This leads to unbalanced play.

Large areas also mean long travel distances. How many times did players on those two maps run for a few dozen seconds after the respawn, just to be instantly taken down and had to run the same road once again? Such situations can result in frustration and even abandonment of the match.

So, with the above in mind, the goals that Vilaskis try to achieve are to reduce camper advantage in those safe spots and to shorten the travel time, so the players can go back to action faster.

Let's go further and let's see, how exactly the BattleBits level designer aims to achieve it.

Changes in the Valley

The linear layout of the map, which created a single lane from objective A to E often caused the games to stall in its middle, around the Nuclear Power Plant. It is the place where much of the focus was put, to make the players' experience better.

The reworked layout splits the map into two main lanes, with three objectives each:

• Top Lane (objectives B, D, E) - better suited for long-range combat, where snipers and vehicle users will feel comfortable. Larger, more open spaces, that resemble the current version of the map.
• Bottom Lane (objectives A, C, F) - located in the Nuclear Power Plant itself, tailored for infantry and short-range fights. Multiple plant blocks and cooling towers that add tactical cover.

The addition of a new flag made the map more compact. That allowed reducing the distance (450-500m to ~250m) and time (50s to ~30s) that players spend moving between objectives and increased the chance that they will spawn closer to the action. Less walking, more shooting.

Rework of the Sandy Sunset

The issue with the current version of this map, that Vilaskis has identified, is that players are abusing safe zones at the mountain edges, from which they can dominate large areas beneath without exposing themselves too much, either using sniper rifles or vehicles. Let's see how it was addressed.

The mentioned safe zones were moved further away from the objectives and the terrain was adjusted. It introduces more forests to provide some cover, yet snipers will have to expose themselves to gain visibility and a chance to shoot.

The city became 40% bigger, creating more space for the fast-paced and more tactical close combat. More buildings mean more cover, both from the regular infantry as well as from the snipers. They vary from tall ones in the centre to small ones in the outskirts. The city features now also remnants of the castle walls and underground overpasses below wider roads to allow safer passage in more open areas. The industrial area also adds to the variety.

Similar to the Valley, Sandy Sunset also received one additional objective. Same as there, it shortens the time to get back in the action and the way players need to cover to do so. This change along with more buildings in the city creates more possibilities for strategic play. Particular objectives were changed as well, so let's go through them:

• A - Radio Tower - upgraded current E objective. Vilaskis has added a TV Station there. After the rework, snipers here should be able to control attacks from D and F
• B - City Entrance - fortified, with an outpost, allowing control over the vehicle movement from the US Base
• C - Mall - a multi-level building that provides varied cover and different combat scenarios. An exception from the limited verticality of other buildings in the rework
• D - Military Base - Pivotal place positioned on the hill. From here players can easily get to 4 other objectives and support them with mid/long-range fire. This will be the most valuable spawn point for both armies.
• E - Marketplace - open plaza, ideal for intense infantry fights
• F - Hotels - tall resort buildings, ideal for snipers. Can make a constant threat for enemies stationing at objective D, as well as for those coming from objective A and in the surrounding area
• G - Industrial Zone - warehouses near the train station and power plant, providing cover for both infantry and vehicles.

When will those be live?

Unfortunately, Vilaskis hasn't given us any estimated time for this rework to go live. It is doubtful that these will be a part of the upcoming update, as reportedly its scope is closed and the update itself undergoes QA testing and bugfixing.

Still, the fact that such work is being done currently is a good omen. It could mean that any level design for the closing update is done and we are one step closer to its release.