A couple of days ago, Nikita, the C.E.O. of Battlestate games, posted on Reddit asking players for feedback on the ongoing wipe. Most answers pinpointed one problem.
Nikita asked active players what is their general impression of the current wipe as Battlestate Games introduced a few big changes along with the new map. He also asked what are the things that most annoy players currently in Escape from Tarkov.
The thread reached over 3 thousand responses, and 90% of the users simultaneously agreed: the audio.
Having inconsistent audio in a game that heavily relies on a careful tactical approach is trouble. And players are unanimous that fixing sound issues should be the top priority for Battlestate Games.
Inconsistent surround
The biggest problem with the current sound design is that it is inconsistent. It is not completely broken, and in many cases, you can orientate yourself and hear your enemies correctly around you.
Except when you don't.
And you get killed because you relied on the surrounding audio.
There are many cases where you will hear footsteps close to you, search the area, only to find out that you heard a Scav 50 meters away as if he's ready to jump you.
Those instances are bad, but you can ignore them for the most part as the biggest disadvantage is you slowing down to investigate.
But the other way around is what gets under players' skins - being observant of your surroundings, moving carefully only to get tapped by moving players or A.I. whom you never heard.
And even worse glitch that happens is when you hear the enemy, but because of bad positioning sound, you hear them from another direction, and not only do you turn your attention to the wrong direction but open yourself up to the direction enemy actually is.
Confusing vertical sound
The buildings that have multiple levels such as dorms on Customs or bishop building on Reserve will have you running around the place looking for the source of the sound you heard, as you're unable to tell if the sound coming from above or below you.
Not the mention that sometimes it's non-existent and you get an unwelcome surprise when moving up the flight of stairs.
This issue is very problematic considering many PvP fights occur inside the buildings.
Audio range is still unrealistic
This problem is most obvious when the player occupies higher sniping positions with a lot of clear space around them. In those positions, a player can hear the door open across the map as if they're opening just below him.
This puts the player in a very advantageous position where he can pick off players around the map by listening for their movement. And quite often, the players that are using these tactics will get reported for cheating.
The same problem occurs on the ground as well, with sound traveling between two very distant points that have no physical barriers between them.
That isn't that noticeable in more packed maps like Customs or Reserve, but can be noticeable on Lighthouse and Shoreline.
Other issues
Besides audio, many players mentioned the SCAV movements, which do not abide by the inertia rules which players abide by, and that puts A.I. enemies in advantage.
That is most noticeable while engaging the new enhanced sort of A.I. enemies: The Rogues.
Not only that they have better weapons, aim, and larger health than usual Scav's, but having them occupy one place makes them almost unbeatable, especially from closer range as they get to shoot you using the M.E.T.A. behavior used by players before the introduction of Inertia.
There are still remaining performance issues on the Lighthouse map, which we covered in this article where we listed possible solutions to improve your performance.
Battlestate Games are doing a podcast on Friday at 19:00 Moscow time, where Nikita will brief the players about the next stages of development.
