Multiple fans in the FPS genre have been awaiting a new title that would add new and exciting aspects, and Ubisoft's XDefiant seems to be the answer. While still yet to be fully released given the rigorous testing from developers, its gameplay features and mechanics have been enough to light up the eyes of players. Many are hoping it will be a game that could stand front and center of all FPS titles.
Though there is currently no definitive date for release, its roadmap has promised a plethora of content for fans to expect. So far, developers have showcased four different seasons, containing each of their own maps, weapons, modes, and much more. Potential tweaks and adjustments could allow for the title to function well at launch amid the controversial buggy releases of other titles. Here's what the game needs to succeed.
5 Hit Registration
While XDefiant's gunplay and smooth animations have played a pivotal role in the title's popularity, it does not come without issues. A plethora of players were quick to point out that during gunfire battles in intense games, or even stationed at the game's firing range, bullets often fail to register when players are accurate with their aiming. Despite some of these instances stemming from the recoil of certain weapons, there are clear and obvious circumstances where bullets will not register whatsoever.
Issues such as this can either make or break an FPS title. Among all the bugs that need to be addressed before launch, this is one that must be taken with the largest priority. Ensuring that hit registration functions the way in which it is intended is crucial to the idea of fairness, as it will leave matters to players' skills specifically in the aspect of aiming.
4 Respawns
When speaking gameplay pacing and how quickly players are able to spring back into action, the nature of player respawns is at the summit of it all. XDefiant appears to do a great job at providing fast respawns depending on the mode. This ensures that players do not have to wait long to dive back into the heat of battle. However, in the game's current state, players can often respawn right in front of enemies, giving them no time to react before they are shot down again.
Striking a balance between a fast respawn and having it be in a safe and secure location may be a difficult task for developers to achieve. This has been an issue with other popular FPS titles, notably Call of Duty. It is imperative that developers find a solution to this at launch, as it leaves players at a disadvantage especially within modes such as Domination, giving opponents the upper hand.
3 User Interface
One aspect that has become a prevalent unexpected problem with modern-day shooters, such as Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield 2042, is the user interface. The aspect of the game needs to be appealing as well as functional. While there is nothing particularly wrong with XDefiant's user interface in terms of functionality, many players feel that it could do with some improvement in terms of font and text sizes.
This is specifically in regard to in-game text such as the match score, killstreak notifications, player names, and in general, the added special effects along with the pop-up of notifications. It's not necessarily a dealbreaker, as most players will have their eyes locked on how the gameplay actually functions. Still, would be nice to see an overhaul in this region. Developers could potentially add a little more style and polish to the user interface, making it unique.
2 FPS Drops/Crashes
It must be acknowledged that these issues are likely due to the fact that the playing experiences so far have been in beta. However, there's no denying that XDefiant's frame rate drops and crashes were a little worrying, to say the least. Some of the huge long-lasting issues with a plethora of Ubisoft games, mostly on PC, have been the constant frame rate issues and crashes, especially with The Division 2.
Despite this being likely to occur at any given time depending on players' hardware or settings, developers must alleviate any game-breaking issues. Players have voiced concerns about being stuck loading after matches or being left with a frozen game in the middle of matchmaking.
1 Implement Prone
Acknowledging that this feature could promote camping to many players' frustrations, the addition of going prone in the midst of gunfire is one of the features that may help elevate XDefiant's gameplay experience. When getting into cover by ducking, players are still sometimes exposed to enemies rather than being able to recover and regather themselves.
It is possible that developers may have left this omitted on purpose to avoid the aforementioned issue of camping, and force players to come out and face combat. Still, it can also be frustrating to be hit even when ducked with the intention of recovering health or locating where gunfire is coming from. This is an unlikely change that could be made for launch, but it's certainly one that developers should consider as it will adhere to players who are accustomed to these mechanics that are normally placed in popular FPS titles.
XDefiant is set for release sometime in the summer of 2023.