Enter Savage: New Map for PUBG
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds opened up test servers for a limited number of players who wanted to try out the new map called Savage. Overall, this is the third PUBG map that is released as a part of the 2018 roadmap content upgrade for the game, and it brings a different, much faster playstyle. The reason for is that this New Map for PUBG is merely a quarter of the size of previous maps from PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. With a much smaller area where a hundred players intend to loot and fight their way to the chicken dinner, it is obvious that we will have an entirely different tempo of the game than what we have right now.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has been known by now for quite long matches, which could last up to half an hour. 100 players would jump out of the plane, land on the ground, loot various building in search of the best weapons and engage in combat. As the blue circle would contract, bringing death to anyone who stayed outside for too long, people would run towards a specific part of the map, which was deemed safe as an inside of the white circle. Matches can usually last up to half an hour until the winner emerges. However, many players want for quicker paced, more action-packed matches that would last up to15 or 20 minutes each. Since Fortnite, the number one competitor to PUBG, already had such a gameplay dynamic, the PUBG developers decided to provide the same option for the PUBG fans.
Enter Savage map for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Table of Contents
Tropical Map with Spartanic Touch
Savage is a map with a tropical setting, and to me personally, it felt like revisiting one of the many Vietnam themed shooters I played through the years. Initially, it was said that this 4×4 map was a small island situated somewhere in the Adriatic Sea, but now it resembles more the games set in jungle regions, although with somewhat smaller amounts of vegetation.
Embarking on the Savage map for the first time was a surprise, especially when compared to the previous two maps in existence. First of all, this being a test server with an incomplete map version, it immediately felt that there was a lot of detail missing from the game. The enemy players were easier to spot, the buildings that we entered were basically bare walls and floors, and outside on the island itself, the vegetation was far less prominent than, for example, on Erangel. On one hand, I did actually like that, not only because it helps with the performance issues, granting us more FPS than we had so far, but also because it stripped away unnecessary clutter and enabled us to focus more on the gameplay. Also, I must admit that the maps now feel a little bit to empty when it comes to the richness of detail. However, as odd as it sounds, the entire island looks far more vibrant than Erangel, let alone the desert of Miramar.
While old maps were size 8 x 8 and made it possible for longer periods of time where players wouldn’t engage anyone else, Savage is 4 x 4 and enforces a much more straightforward, direct action playstyle, something of the type that the Fortnite players have been used to. Unlike the previous, much more spacious maps of Erangel and Miramar, the Savage map ensures that every player who drops on the ground will probably have a couple of players with him and will face an imminent threat. It is very hard to find safe spots on this map where you can rest alone for longer periods of time, pondering your next move. Naturally, there are also much fewer buildings, but these are in turn brimming with high-quality weapons and gear. Surviving the initial phases of Savage (no pun intended!) map matches is a challenge and many times you will find yourself gunned down a second before you got your hands on a weapon or, reversely, you will find a weapon a blast away your opponent a fraction of second before they can do the same to you.
However, keep in mind that this is only the current situation and that this map is still in development. It remains to be seen how much of the current state of the map gameplay will survive to the final edition.
Faster Midgame and Endgame
One of the interesting features with Savage map is the fact that dynamic weather is making its return to the game. We also had fog and rain on Erangel, as well as the evening time map, but the Bluehole guys took these features out of the rotation because of “performance reasons.” Personally, I miss fog and rain very much, just like many other players (in fact, the request for the return of the weather types to the map is a frequent occurrence on the forums), and I hope they will be reintroduced to the game as soon as possible. Of course, we hope that this will mean the return of dynamic weather for the old map as well and not Savage only.
Previously, the early PUBGmatches were a thing of chaos, where dozens and dozens of players would perish within the first three minutes. Afterward, a much slower middle phase would ensue as people would start converging from all parts of the map towards the new center defined by the white circle. This would culminate in endgame where the rapid constrictions of the blue wall would cause a chaotic scramble for the safety, with little to no time to actually have proper fights or prepare for the next engagement; too often one would barely have enough time to “med up” after a fight, let alone properly loot the opponent’s crate. The Savage map is putting the heat on the players due to its size and features, making sure that engagements and combats are essentially there for the largest part of the game. There are hardly any lulls and ebbs in the gameplay, just a constant struggle with numerous players almost on every step of the journey to the chicken dinner.
Bring Your Friends
Initially, only solo players were allowed on the Savage, but then the possibility to play as squads was added as well. Squad games are much more interesting due to the size of the team and greater chances that not several teams will get into the same fight at the same time. Due to the relatively small size of the map, it is guaranteed that the neighboring teams will hear the conflict and rush over to participate in picking off the remnants. Using vehicles is dangerous as well due to the fact that the maps are small and sound travels far in advance to draw in opponents on your merry little band of chicken dinner hunters. The transportation across the island was also heavily water reliant; with many, it lets cutting through the map it gets easier to transfer from one side to another by using boats.
Savage map means movement, action and constant need to loot to replenish meds, ammo and replace damaged gear, knowing that the next fight might be behind the next proverbial corner. The long, lonesome marathon runs of Erangel and especially Miramar are not present here, and “dynamic action” might well be the operational keyword for this new map.
Final Thoughts
Overall experience from the Savage map testing was quite positive. Just like Erangel and Miramar, this map has its own feel, tempo, and atmosphere. Of course, we will need to wait a bit to see the final result, when all the visual details and assets have been implemented. We also hope that this will occur as soon as possible, even though at this very moment we do not have a definitive release date on Savage map for live servers. However, we believe it will occur fairly soon if the PUBG update and content patches in 2018 so far are any indication to speed and reliability of PUBG Corporation.
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