The folks behind PUBG published a lengthy video and blog post outlining the game’s 2024 roadmap. One feature that instantly got my attention was destructible environments. We’ve yet to see that type of feature play a big role in the Battle Royale genre, but it could be a game-changer if implemented well.
The developers didn’t go into too much detail, but they did show an image of a player using a pickaxe to carve out cover. Explosive weapons can also be used to manipulate terrain.
In the blog post, they discuss how “by providing the ability to strategically destroy sections of buildings, we unlock the possibility for them to carve out new attack routes or construct defensive barriers.”
We have seen small bits of destructible environment added to PUBG in past, most notably on the Karakin map.
But what the devs talk about today sounds like a much more in-depth system.
The devs describe discussions around this feature as “currently ongoing,” but they do plan to start introducing some of the mechanisms in the April update. What we see today will likely be the first parts of this destructible environment mechanic. I expect the pickaxe and the terrain manipulation part to go live in the April update.
I’m curious to see how far they go with building destruction. Will it be partial destruction like we’ve seen on Karakin, or something more along the lines of Battlefield? It’ll probably be somewhere between, but hopefully, it’s enough to make end-game fights around buildings more fun.
We’ll see how the terrain manipulation shakes out. Today’s short clip shows a player taking several swings with a pickaxe and not doing much. Then again, it could go much faster if several players were doing it. It opens up an option for late-game matches where players can often be stuck with little to no cover.
In today’s roadmap, the developers also revealed that the game will be transitioning fully to Unreal Engine 5 this year. Besides the expected graphical improvements, this will help implement new features like the dynamic environments we heard about today.
The first parts of the 2024 roadmap will actually go live later this week as the PUBG team celebrates the 7th Anniversary of Erangel.