PUBG’s third map, Sanhok, is a nice change of pace. But the smaller map is presenting some issues for the folks at Bluehole. Lag rears its ugly head in a big way during the early game.
In a blog post announcing another extension to Sanhok testing, Bluehole talks about why a map 1/4th the size of other two maps is having such significant issues with performance.
“Currently, the distance in which players are rendered is up to a maximum radius of 1km from your current position. As Sanhok is 1/4th the size of Erangel and Miramar, the number of players within this 1km area is generally much higher.”
“Some performance issues have arisen due to this, with the direct result being a reduced server frame speed, which leads to early-game server performance issues, including player teleporting or stuttering. According to our internal data, the kill rate at extremely long distances is very low and therefore we’ve decided to reduce the maximum player render distance specifically on Sanhok, which will increase performance.”
Yep, it’s a big problem. From delayed looting and d-sync to general lag, the start of many matches is frustrating. But there is a lot of good once you look past the performance issues.
Loot density is in a much better place compared to Erangel and Miramar. Gone are the days of running through several buildings with only a brick of ammo in your pocket. Now, you hit a building, and you almost always get a gun. Hell, most of the time it’s an AR.
I’m also digging the faster blue zone mechanic. The time between zones is smaller, but you can also outrun it. It gives you time to get into an engagement while running to the next safe zone without worrying if the blue zone is going to kill you. Or, getting stuck running through the blue zone for 5 minutes while burning through all your medkits. I wouldn’t mind seeing Bluehole test Sanhok’s bluezone on PUBG’s other maps. Maybe use an event mode one weekend and see how the community responds.
Speaking of an event mode, War Mode returns this weekend. “One Shot, One Kill” puts you on a rainy Erangel with a ghillie suit, a Kar98k, a handgun, and one frag grenade. Bluehole is changing things up a little bit with by getting rid of knockdowns. Once your health reaches 0, you’re done. No second chances.
One Shot, One Kill kicks off tonight (June 7) at 10 pm PDT and wraps up on June 10 at 10 pm PDT.
Sanhok testing is expected to wrap up on June 11. Unless Bluehole extends it again. Right now, the plan is to get the map on live servers before the end of June. We’ll see if Bluehole can get a handle on Sanhok’s performance issues in their next patch.
Besides the early game performance woes, what do you think of Sanhok? Do you like the new blue zone mechanics?