It goes without saying that 2013 was not kind to both Battlefield 4 and Grand Theft Auto Online, which, despite strong sales, were met with a healthy dose of gamer backlash. Specifically, both games released with significantly broken online components, and their respective developers have been working around the clock to improve them.
Earlier today, a set of updates released for both games that will presumably improve the stability and overall experience for multiplayer users. And while GTA Online's update is geared towards eliminating cheaters, the Battlefield 4 update is a more abrasive fix — one that further highlights just how broken the game's multiplayer component is.
For Grand Theft Auto Online, update 1.09 offers "improved anti-cheat measures" to keep the online playing field even. As players know, money is everything, especially in the world of Grand Theft Auto Online, and this update reportedly squashes several GTA$ and RP exploits.
Rockstar Games wouldn't explain how exactly these anti-cheat measures work, but their patch is most assuredly appreciated by those honest Grand Theft Auto Online players out there, players who have been enjoying the new multiplayer modes and creation tools.
As far as Battlefield 4 is concerned, there were several platform-specific updates released on Tuesday, which address a wealth of issues. Unfortunately, while these updates do cover a wide variety of issues, there are still reports of connection problems with Battlefield 4's servers. So while the multiplayer itself might run a little smoother, getting into an online match might be easier said than done.
To read the patch notes for each platform's updates check out the links below:
At a glance, it appears that the majority of the fixes focus on specific game bugs, tweaking damage values, and helping overall stability. Thankfully, nothing as significant as the one-hit kill bug appears to be affecting gamers.
Although most of these problems could have been avoided with a more robust round of alpha and beta testing, it's nice to see DICE is rolling out regular updates for Battlefield 4 across all platforms. They've clearly taken the game's poor reception among fans to heart, and are sticking to their plan of fixing Battlefield 4's core game first and then moving onto DLC development. Much like Grand Theft Auto Online this may be a case of too little too late, but the online experience is apparently improving.
Was this Grand Theft Auto Online update too little too late for you? Have you noticed any improvement in Battlefield 4's multiplayer? On which platform?
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