Criterion Games hasn’t stopped working on Burnout Paradise since it’s been released.
Last week they announced that a new update (V 1.2 – titled BOGART) will be hitting on April 24th. Included in the update are a whole bunch of game fixes.
Here’s the list of everything that’s been remedied, taken from the site-
* PS3 game can crash when a player is taken down and the player that has performed the Takedown leaves the game.
* The game indefinitely displays “Connecting to Paradise City Servers” if it’s having problems communicating with the rebroadcast server.
* Disconnecting the controller before a race begins can mean that race timings can be manipulated with players who didn’t cross the line first being awarded the win.
* Repeatedly joining and leaving a game with 8 players can cause the game to hang.
* Hammering the A (360) or X (PS3) after unlocking a car can cause the game to hang.
* East Crawford and Watt St achievements cannot be achieved if the player goes online and sets road rules before attempting them.
* Audio distortion when using 5.1 / DTS and looking back at the car.
* Enhanced 360 streaming performance stops instances where the game seems to pause for a second or so.
* Total time driven in player stats would stick at 145 hours.
* VoIP connection problems with 8 player games. This is now live on the Paradise City servers.
The update also adds the following game experience enhancements:
* We fixed Head-on Takedowns as these seemed generally unfair and unrealistic. Unfair low speed Takedowns have now been eradicated.
* Increase online race timer timeout so players have a greater chance of finishing the race.
* Fix drifting bug when drifting and boosting. There wasn’t any real control on the brake so players would grind around the walls of the corners. Giving you all better control of the car.
* Stabbing the boost has too much of a jerky behaviour in the car handling, when in Stunt Run.
* Surround sound fix – Centre speaker was 4dB louder, ruining the mix. The speech has now been positioned correctly.
* Increase the # of search results returned for online games.
* Increase Picture Paradise timer so it doesn’t kick in so quickly.
* Post event ticker commentary is not now displayed for disconnected players.
* Show player the number of Complete Challenges easily by listing X/50 in the Challenges menu.
Other high priority issues that have been fixed:
* Instances where Barrel rolls were not registering correctly in Stunt Run.
* Takedowns online were not counting towards the Total Takedowns.
* Some instances where Revenge Rivalries desync & don’t get fixed until players are updated online.
* Some instance where the Host couldn’t change the game access if the game was created through an invite.
* Online challenge issues where the challenge couldn’t be completed if it was started at the exact time that a player left the game.
* Incorrect rivalry updates when European players played against English or Japanese players. Online connection issues.
* Rich presence on 360 didn’t change correctly when there is a change in the game parameters.
* Instances where Friends were not being displayed on the mini map.
* Some online race start points face the players in the wrong direction.
Along with all of this, the real good stuff is coming in the next download, cleverly labeled 1.3. Now we’re finally going to be getting some fun online multiplayer modes, no more simple 8-player races! The three new modes are:
Online Stunt Run
• This is 8-player simultaneous online Stunt Run – everyone competes for the highest score within the 2 minute time limit and you can play anywhere in Paradise City.
• An on-screen display shows all player scores, so you can easily see how you’re doing.
• Earn multipliers for taking each other out but you lose your combo score, if you’re taken down.
• Eliminated players are greyed out of the scoring area but can exact brutal revenge by chasing after players that have managed to keep their combos alive beyond the time-out.
• For the first time, you can drive alongside someone as they complete a billion score in Stunt Run – you can absolutely use this mode to try and show off to your friends.
Online Road Rage
• This is an 8-player online team event.
• At the start, everyone chooses their team (red or blue).
• One team of “runners” has to drive to a checkpoint then the finish – they can only see one checkpoint ahead.
• The other team has to take them down. These guys can see the checkpoint and finish and choose whether to wait and ambush in key locations, shortcut to the action if they get left behind or just follow the pack and cause chaos.
Online Marked Man
• We randomly choose a “Marked Man”.
• There’s an intense few moments, while all players wait for the selection to be made – you want to stay close to other players, so you can hit the Marked Man, as soon as he’s selected but far enough away that that you can run like hell if it’s you that’s the Marked Man.
• The target is selected and a 90 second timer starts – you get 1 point if you survive and 1 point if you take down the Marked Man. After 90 seconds a new Marked Man is selected at random.
• If you’re the Marked Man, you can’t see the attacking players on the map, your car is a little slower and you don’t get boost.
• The session usually consists of around 10-12 minutes of intense gameplay depending on the number of players involved.
All of this will be available straight from the online menu, which is currently the best in the business. All you have to do is click the D-pad right and you’re in there. No word on when update 1.3 is coming, but the best part of all of this? It’s all free.
They love us, they really love us! I can’t wait to play some online Marked Man and smash you bastards off the road. The team also promises much more in the future, saying “Over the next 12 months, we’re going to transform the Burnout Paradise you know and love into the Burnout Paradise you only ever dreamed of!” and that they have much more in the works.
Can’t wait. See you folks online…