Steven Schuster 
Fortnite was first released in 2017, and since this time, it has become one of the most popular battle royale platforms on the market. Considering the fact that Fortnite is nearly eight years old, it only stands to reason that updates are performed frequently. It is still a fact that not everything goes as planned on occasion. What is the deal with the latest vehicle upgrade, how has it impacted the end-user experience, and what steps are being done to rectify the issue? If you happen to be an avid Fortnite fan, the information found below is critical.
What is the Point of in-Game Upgrades?
The best way to understand why the developers at Fortnite chose to perform an upgrade is to take a quick look at another popular game within a different genre. The slots platform Legacy of Dead is a five-reel, ten-payline game that offers an immersive overall experience thanks in large part to lucrative scatter symbols. However, bugs can and will occur occasionally. The main point here is to ensure a superior UX (user experience) so that players keep coming back for more. So, updates occur when needed.
Fortnite is no different, although it caters to a much larger fan base. Another issue common with MMORPG games is that players are always looking to push the envelope further with the help of even more in-game options. In this case, we are referring to the vehicles themselves.
What Happened?
The fact of the matter is that a seemingly small problem quickly conglomerated into a much larger problem. A recent software upgrade caused certain vehicle bodies (such as the ever-popular Whiplash) to suddenly appear with much larger sight lines. This made it difficult for drivers to accurately navigate through challenging courses.
Let’s also mention that this commonly occurred during F2P (free-to-play) sessions. In other words, those who chose not to open up a paying Fortnite account were placed at an immediate disadvantage.
Another major issue which some players noticed involved how enemy cars can quickly overwhelm players. This is particularly the case for those who randomly choose their squads. An example will help to cement this point.
Many have cited situations when they begin to engage with a group of enemy vehicles. In the event that an enemy squad had only two upgraded cars the player would have virtually no chances of winning. Another issue can occur if a player becomes separated from his or her teammates. Once again, upgraded enemies can quickly put an end to the match. This essentially makes it feel as if the “cards are stacked against” the player from the very beginning, and once again brings up the question of F2P sessions versus pay-to-win scenarios.
Such situations are actually not unheard of within the gaming community; especially when referring to MMORPG platforms. One recent example was associated with the Diablo: Immortal franchise. A series of updates were essentially seen as favouring “whales” (players with a great deal of money to spend); placing F2P enthusiasts at a severe disadvantage.
Thankfully, Blizzard developers quickly realised their mistake, and began to roll back some of the more contentious updates. This brings us to the next main point.
What is Being Done?
It should not come as a massive surprise that online portals such as X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit were soon awash with complaints about the latest Fortnite overhaul. 
It also did not take long for its developers to respond. The good news is that a major upgrade is not likely to be necessary. Fortnite will simply adjust the driver position associated with vehicles that present line-of-sight issues. In other words, this is a relatively small patch to what might have otherwise represented an embarrassing (and costly) scenario.
Par for the Course
Ultimately, players should give the team at Fortnite a modicum of leeway when it comes to coding “hiccups”. Considering that updates normally occur on a weekly basis, it is perfectly understandable that minor problems can come to the surface from time to time. As their developers have embraced a decidedly proactive stance, it is a foregone conclusion that things should be back up and running in no time at all.
About Author
Simone Reed 
