Today we got a brand-new update from the team at Battlefield Studios regarding Battlefield 6 and the Battlefield labs! Labs return as we expect to see testing rolled out for the fans to engage in and give the developers feedback as to how it feels and what it needs, hence why the labs are open, straight-forward-thinking boys. I like it! With the return of Battlefield Labs, the latest updates and content will be included to help refine and touch up the game before its October 10th release. With the team receiving a lot of feedback from the open beta, they are bringing more content to be fed back on and spoken about with the devs so that the October 10th launch goes as smoothly as silk flows.
Bringing an end to the open beta provided the team a crucial opportunity to return to the Battlefield labs and engage in play sessions. This time around, they will be done in “intervals” as the hard-working bunch of tech geeks want to “finalize the launch balance and features of Battlefield 6“. It seems a good exchange in my eyes. Bring forth the testing!
As we know, the labs give the opportunity to see games built in varied stages throughout. As the team mentioned, it is “an experimental environment”, so this is where the latest changes and works-in-progress’ will be brought and made available for testing in a closed and private space thanks to Battlefield Studios. The various builds in the labs range from alpha stages right up to stable builds which are solid in transition. This way, it makes it easier for a balance and makes “adjustments much faster” as they shape the future of the game for the players. However, if you are intrigued thus far, sign-ups are now available for Battlefield Labs!
One of the main things the dedicated team is working on is a Portal and server browser, which has been a frequently requested item and questions regarding this have risen from the community. In an upcoming play session, there will be a focus on an early implementation of portal functionality, and the main goal is to observe how it works and, as the team say, “with initial feedback focusing on accessibility and UI clarity,” to ensure full use of a working portal in the release. The scope of the server browser is intentionally limited, however, so that “we can focus on stability and core usability”, which makes sense as you want a working server browser before releasing a full-fledged title with a half-hearted browser instead. Side note – there will be no custom portal experiences in this test as yet.
As stated in the community update, it was mentioned that the upcoming play session within the Labs will be focused initially on hosting, as follows – “we will concentrate on the ease of setting up player-owned servers via predefined shortcakes, altering descriptions, selecting tags and joining those experiences. “We are aiming to validate this flow to ensure the scalability and accessibility of the feature.” This in short means for players during the play session, you will be able to use the experience library to find a verified conquest experience using a short code where you will be able to play or host a server for conquest with its own tags and the likes. Alongside this, there will be the option to use the server browser from the UI to view all running servers where players can select and join them, with the team gathering feedback on tag and filtering systems to identify “areas of improvement in live service.”
And one last speaking point, combined arms testing! Yes, before the open beta labs, play sessions were focused on the core fundamentals of gameplay, such as movement, destruction, gun playability and server stability. However, during the open beta it highlighted a key feedback point around balancing across different environments within the maps. The Battlefield labs are also opening access to ensuring optimizations for the future with improvements to weapons, vehicle combat and a lot more, which are due to take place soon in play sessions.
Start to get hyped because new maps such as Operation Firestorm and Mirak Valley, designed for combined arms combat and vehicles, are taking the show this time. The testing that will be carried out here will be to ensure that a large range of vehicles will work across both map settings and gameplay balance will be in full play as the developers look to compare these results against previously tested maps to get maximum capability!
One last thing, promise! Battlefield labs will also be used to determine the official setting for hardcore mode, and the team look forward to working with the gamers to ensure that the final product is as smooth as it gets. Hardcore mode, as we knew, was a hyper-realistic combat experience that made gameplay feel even more tense with every bullet feeling like it held a certain weight. This looks to make a comeback in Battlefield 6!
Stay tuned for future testing and keep your eyes peeled on the Battlefield Comms X page (formerly Twitter) where they post further community updates and potential workings which will be pushed into the play sessions of the Battlefield Labs, and to be a part of their official discussions, join the Battlefield discord server and stay locked in.
This is a major win for the fans and a huge win for the team working on it! As it shows that the guys are listening to the feedback and are working double time to make sure the game is released in its most finished state, and as it should, as some games have been released as buggy messes only to be fixed at a later date. Thank you, Battlefield team, thank you so much!
