About Upcoming Updates
Hello there! This is Kazuya, the Executive Producer for GUNDAM EVOLUTION.
In this blog, I would like to continue sharing all of the opinions and questions we received from you through our questionnaires and surveys, as well as the latest development news based on the info we shared at the ""Mission Briefing Live"".
Stability and Matchmaking Environment
In the Season 3 update, we will continue to work on improving client stability, reducing the occurences of forced shutdowns, and addressing several issues. We are also working on a solution to players receiving penalties when they are involuntarily dropped from a game.Regarding the matchmaking environment, the PC version had 4 regions (Japan/Asia/North America/Europe) and the console version had 3 regions (Japan/North America/Europe) to choose from when logging in. But starting from Season 3, both the PC and console versions will have just 2 areas (Asia/North America & Europe). This change is made to ensure fairer matchmaking and to shorten queue times, but we will continue to monitor the situation and optimize the system as necessary.
Unlocking Units
"Please make it easier to unlock new units."
Currently, the only ways to unlock units other than using EVO Coins is by completing the Beginner's Challenge or unlocking them using Capital Points, which are earned as free rewards through the Season Pass. In the future, we would like to create more events and campaigns that make it easier to unlock units, like the Winter Campaign that was held in December.
More Frequent Balance Patches
"We want to see more frequent balance patches."
In our current adjustment cycle, we want to make sure we have enough data before considering balance patches. If we were to preemptively make balance changes without sufficient data, it could have an adverse effect on the game. That being said, we are looking into ways to consider this much-requested change.
Addition of Usage Titles
"We want to be able to earn titles based on things like the number of times a unit is used."
We are looking into titles that Pilots can earn from unit usage and performance. Development for this has already started, so hopefully we will have a more concrete update for you soon.
Teammates' Damage Numbers
"We want to see teammates' damage numberes on the match results screen."
Since all units vary in role and specialty, we believe that damage values alone don't properly evaluate how much a player contributes during a match. This information is difficult to display, and since we are concerned with the negative effect this could have on inter-player communication, we do not currently plan on imprelementing this function.
Mid-Match Challenge Progress
"We would like to see the realtime progress in Challenges during a match."
We are currently working on adding this feature. Once we have a better idea of when this can be implemented, we will make additional announcements.
Unit Hitboxes and Damage
In the Gundam universe, mobiles suits come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The sizes (hitboxes) of the units are currently and will continue to be determined based on their sizes in the original series. In order to balance this out, HP numbers and damage multipliers (ex: headshot vs body shots) will be used to create an even playing field.
Support for TwitchDrops
TwitchDrops have actually been in our plans for a while. They were supposed to come out earlier but due to some difficulties they are currently scheduled to launch in March.
New Customization Items
We have announced that we are already working on adding Pilot voices from the original Gundam series, but there will be more to come, so stay tuned!
Graphics (FPS) Improvements
We have received requests to increase the current 120 FPS limit. It is difficult to respond to such a request in a short period of time, because we want to keep the game fair for players who don't have access to an optimal playing environment. That being said, we do have long-term plans to improve this aspect of the game. We will share this information with our community as soon as we have more concrete information.
Online Tournament Regions
For the SHOWDOWN#2 tournament held in the U.S. last December, participation was limited to U.S. residents only. As a first step, we are planning to expand these sorts of events to players in North, Central, and South America. Rest assured we are working to expand further, so please stay tuned for further information regarding other areas.
Information for Players Outside of Japan
We are aware that there are areas that can be improved, such as the timing of live broadcasts and announcements. We will continue to improve on the localization quality and to support more languages beyond just English. We will also do our best to provide the latest information to a wider range of players in the future. We appreciate your continued support and feedback.
That is all for this Developer Blog. Please look forward to the upcoming HYPER UPDATE that will include three consecutive months of new units and various other updates.
We hope you enjoy, and we'll see you again in our next Developer Blog!