The Battlefield series has been battling Call of Duty for first-person shooter superiority for over a decade. And like its CoD competition, Battlefield has gradually branched out from its World War II origins to explore modern warfare and weaponry. Its latest incarnation, Battlefield Hardline, sees the franchise evolving yet again, this time shifting the focus onto conflict between police and organized crime. But these days a game is rarely finished even when it's finished, so Battlefield Hardline's evolution isn't over yet.

Hardline debuted to modest reviews last month, and like pretty much any AAA title released these days, it had a few technical hiccups along the way -- including server issues and a DDoS attack against Xbox One users. Especially for multiplayer-heavy titles like Battlefield, however, success is as much a marathon as a sprint. Thankfully the folks at Visceral Games have been listening to player feedback. In addition to a continued focus on making sure Hardline players experience a smooth and stable gaming experience, they're spotlighting five specific areas in the latest patch.

Here are Visceral's 5 top priority fixes, via Lead Multiplayer Designer Thaddeus Sasser and the official Hardline blog:

• Punkbuster fixes – We’re addressing some of the heavy CPU usage seen by players
• Nvidia DirectX driver fixes – We’re working with our partners at Nvidia to create new drivers to prevent the most common crash issues
• Extended Conquest time – We've extended the length of Conquest matches by increasing the number of tickets on both Large and Small
• Fixed TDM spawns – We've adjusted spawn points and the spawn system for better TDM spawning
• Multiple weapon balance tweaks – We've addressed some common complaints with the weapon balance, there will be more coming soon

Visceral Games targeted these issues via feedback from the Hardline community, and it's good to see they're addressing a mix of both gameplay improvements and pure technical issues. This forum post digs into the real nitty-gritty of the first patch, although there isn't currently a confirmed date when the patch will drop. Some of the other noteworthy gameplay tweaks include reducing the amount of "bullet impact flinch" -- the amount the player's POV "winces" when a bullet strikes nearby -- and reducing recoil on weapons such as the HCAR and HK51.

Visceral Games is also expanding the Rent-A-Server program for consoles as part of this first patch. This will allow Hardline gamers to "customize the multiplayer matches to their liking and then invite their friends to play." That ability to adjust the gaming experience to suit player preferences can make all the difference when it comes to lifespan of a multiplayer game, so it's good to see the console customers are getting it early. It would have even better at launch, but better late than never.

The Hardline blog only says that the first patch will arrive "soon," which could mean anything from "tomorrow" to "three months from now." Stay tuned to GameRant for more info when it's available.

Battlefield Hardline is now available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. See what we thought of Battlefield's transition from warfare to war on crime by reading GameRant's review right here.

Source: Battlefield Hardline blog