PUBG got bots last year in an attempt to shore up falling player counts and also give newcomers a chance at actually killing something–if not a player, then at least a punching bag designed to look like a player. Since PUBG is an established battle royale game, veteran players with loads of experience could seem like unkillable gods to the uninitiated, and bots lowered that barrier to entry so that new players could learn the ropes.
Still, veterans didn’t like squashing matches full of bots, so their prevalence was curtailed in later patches. In the most recent update, PUBG Corp tried to address veteran concerns about easy bots by giving them improved AI that was designed to make them a bit more of a threat.
Instead, the devs turned PUBG’s bots into unstoppable killing machines that acted a lot like PUBG cheaters.
As reported by Eurogamer, various social media posts showed bots exhibiting behaviors that made them no different from wallhacking, aimbotting cheaters, making them less of a challenge and more of an exercise in frustration.
So it was back to the drawing board for PUBG Corp, which recently issued an emergency hotfix to tone down those rampaging bots.
“In response to recent player feedback, we have deployed an update with additional changes to the bot balance adjustments applied in Update 12.1; reducing the overall strength and effectiveness of bots when engaged in combat against players,” the developer wrote in its update. “We are closely monitoring player sentiment related to bots and will make additional changes if needed.”
Those nerfs included reducing overall bot accuracy, reducing full-auto engagement distance so bots stick to single shots at all but close range, and decreasing bot overall reaction times.
If you’re tired of getting slapped around by bots, you can always head to the PUBG Labs server to try out the new racing mode on Miramar. You’ll be able to choose from several desert vehicles such as the Mirado, dirty bike, and Coupe RB, in a race that last a surprisingly long time.
