XDefiant releases first patch, but it's not tackling cheaters just yet
XDefiant Patch Ignores Cheating Crisis?
Ubisoft's free-to-play shooter XDefiant released its first patch addressing several bugs, including issues in the Practice Zone and incorrect health bar displays during combat. Despite these updates, the game is facing significant problems with cheaters, as the anti-cheat system BattleEye, similar to that used in Rainbow Six Siege, has been bypassed by hackers. This has led to frequent encounters with cheaters, affecting player experience.
What specific issues does the "Preseason Patch 1" for XDefiant address?
Patch Details and Fixes
Ubisoft's "Preseason Patch 1" for XDefiant tackles several specific issues to enhance gameplay experience2. Firstly, it resolves a problem where players loading into the Practice Zone would find themselves in a glitched area outside of the intended game world, described as a "hellscape." This fix makes the Practice Zone accessible again, although the developers caution that some unexpected issues might still occur.
Another significant fix addresses the issue with devices (like grenades) that players use during combat. Previously, if a player died while deploying a device, the device would drop at their feet instead of being thrown. This patch corrects that behavior, ensuring devices are thrown as intended even if the player dies during deployment.
The patch also improves the accuracy of the health bar display during combat. There was an issue where hit markers would appear on an enemy as they killed you, but their health bar would still show as full, which was misleading. This has been corrected to accurately reflect the damage done to enemies.
Additional fixes include correcting the orientation of end-of-match text in Arabic and addressing performance issues, specifically low frame rates, that affected some AMD GPU users2. These changes aim to provide a smoother and more accurate gaming experience.
Why did Ubisoft decide to drop the "Tom Clancy" prefix from XDefiant's title?
Ubisoft decided to drop the "Tom Clancy" prefix from the title of XDefiant primarily because the game began to incorporate elements that deviated significantly from the typical Tom Clancy brand. The original branding, "Tom Clancy's XDefiant," suggested a game deeply rooted in the themes of military realism and strategy that are hallmarks of the Tom Clancy series4. However, as the development of XDefiant progressed, it included more diverse and unconventional aspects, such as factions from games outside the Tom Clancy universe, which shifted the game's tone and style away from these traditional themes.
The change was also influenced by feedback from the community and fans of Tom Clancy's works, who felt that the game's stylistic direction — including its "punk-rock moshpit" vibe and less serious tone — was not in keeping with the spirit of the Tom Clancy brand236. This feedback prompted Ubisoft to reevaluate and ultimately rebrand the game simply as "XDefiant" to better reflect its broader and more eclectic gameplay experience. This rebranding was part of a broader strategy to align the game's identity with its content while still maintaining connections to the Tom Clancy universe through certain in-game factions.