With the October launch date for PSVR fast approaching, the Valkyrie dev team have been hard at work getting things into shape ready for PS4 Valkyries to join the Oculus players. With the latest patch set to land on September 1st, there is a concise but impressive list of changes and tweaks that are set to make for a smoother ride for both rookie and veteran pilots.
The AI has been given an overhaul in a lot of areas; from making them less predictable with slower-firing weapons to improving the pathing of AI heavies, a slew of fixes to their behaviour in Carrier Assault matches should make the pilot/AI team feel more like a cohesive team when battling for control around the massive Wyvern-class ships.
One of the highlights of this patch is the introduction of 'more recognisable personalities' for the AI. No longer just a random name, each AI will have their own persistent stats that will make them more individual and give them their own distinct presence in a match. With no fewer than a hundred AI pilots in the game, this change will hopefully make going up against AI opponents more akin to going up against other players- and may even spark some AI names to be more hunted or feared than others.
Newer pilot frustration at being thrown up against experienced players so early into the game has always been a potential problem area. This has now been addressed by the addition of a new Player VS AI server known as the 'Proving Grounds'. Featuring 'specifically tuned AI' pitted against players below rank 5. This will to allow newer player time to grips with the game in Team Death Match mode before going out into the wider world of player VS player on Control and Carrier Assault maps on reaching rank 5.
The final change may be a welcome one for players both old and new - XP rewards have been given a significant boost with this patch, allowing much faster levelling and allowing players to gain access to new classes and ships without it starting to feel like too much of a grind. The bonus for winning a match has been doubled to 200XP, while the Match Played bonus has leapt from 300XP to a massive 800XP. Players will be able to get their hands on a wider range of ships and their respective upgrades at a steady pace, keeping the ship variety fresh and giving players a chance to try new flying styles sooner rather than later in order to find one that suits them best.
Things are definitely gearing up to welcome PSVR pilots into the Valkyrie when the hardware launches on October 13th. As convention season reached its peak Valkyrie continually received positive feedback for the PlayStation version wherever it was demoed. The ranks of the Valkyrie look set to grow larger than ever; the Schism forces had best be prepared for a hard fight!