(source: callofduty.com)
Call of Duty: Vanguard is almost here, with the release date set for November 5th 2021 and the world wide multiplayer reveal on the September 7th. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 players have already had a first look at the multiplayer this last weekend via an early access, and PC and Xbox players will have the opportunity to do the same during the second Vanguard weekend. PlayStation players won’t be left behind though, as they will be able to join the cross-play from Sept 18th to Sept 20th.
There are still no details on whether the second Vanguard weekend will be open beta or early access, but we are keeping an ear to the ground and waiting any Activision announcements.
PC optimisations
(source: callofduty.com)
The lead PC developer Beenox and Raven Software have been working hard on the optimisation of Vanguard for PC. According to the COD website, Beenox and Raven Software have been developing PC optimisations for years, and COD: Vanguard will be coming to PC with, among other features, uncapped frame rates as well as ultrawide and multi-monitor support. This is excellent news for COD players, as 21:9 monitors used to stretch the game’s 16:9 resolution, making it look distorted. But even more importantly, if you’re an ultrawide screen enthusiast, you can finally play COD without the fear of VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) ban.
Call of Duty is VAC secured, and if you’ve ever played Modern Warfrare 2, you might have heard of people getting VAC banned due to their ultra-wide monitor. The VAC system may consider it a cheat, especially in PvP modes.
With the new PC optimisations coming with Vanguard, a full support for ultrawide screen will be available (Goodbye Flawless Widescreen), but it remains to be seen how this will impact the gaming experience now that ultrawide screens will be supported.
But the monitor support does not stop there. According to Activision, Beenox have added something called the “focus mode” especially for borderless display modes, allowing the brightness reduction on multi-monitor settings without the interruptions.
In addition, there will be options to reduce motion sickness and options to reduce input latency straight from the game’s settings. Activision has focused quite a lot on monitor optimisation, which is excellent news for everyone wanting to get in on the action, regardless of their gaming status.
If you’re not sure what or how to pick your gaming monitor, you can check out our guide.
No player left behind
(source: callofduty.com)
Weekend One of early access was platform specific and it focused on the PlayStation players. Weekend two will focus on Xbox and PC players specifically on day one of Weekend Two (Sept 16th to Sept 17), then the cross play will be open to all three platforms (PlayStation, Xbox and PC) for the remainder of the open beta (Sept 18th to Sept 20th).
We do not yet have information on whether the weekend will be early access beta only (i.e., those who have pre-ordered will have access to the game only), or whether Weekend Two will be an open beta. Although terms tend to be confusing, generally speaking, early access allows those who have already purchased the game to try it before release, while open beta allows anyone, regardless of the pre-order status, to try before they buy.
Activision have not released details on the next weekend quite yet and whether or not it will be an early access or an open beta, but here’s to hoping that the last two days of cross play would be an open beta.
What you need to know about Weekend Two
Sledgehammer games have released some fixes and made some changes to the upcoming Weekend Two; we will miss out on a few maps this upcoming weekend.
Due to the player feedback, Sledgehammer have made the following adjustments:
- Removed Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed with Tactical Combat Pacing from Quick Play
- Removed Hotel Royal from Patrol while we investigate spawns.
- Increased the frequency of Blitz and Assault matches in Quick Play for higher intensity gameplay
- Added Blitz Team Deathmatch as a Featured Playlist
There’s even more to look forward to in Weekend Two as the cross-play testing weekend will be a bit more optimised for the player experience.
We’re eagerly waiting for more info on the upcoming Weekend Two, so keep checking back for updates.
Stay frosty.
