Several days ago, Epic Games and People Can Fly confirmed the decision to revamp the map for Fortnite's Battle Royale mode this week, with the companies stating that a forthcoming patch will add new locations, refreshed "biomes," and various quality-of-life improvements. Now, it looks like the publisher and developer are ready to give fans a preview of what's to come by providing some details that unpack the contents of the new update.

For starters, the updated map for Fortnite's Battle Royale mode–internally dubbed "Map 2.0"–will add five new named locations in the western half in the map, including the biggest town yet, Tilted Towers, which has buildings that are several stories tall. Plus, there will also be a medium-sized underground mine called Shifty Shafts for close-quarters combat, and three other areas named Junk Junction, Haunted Hills, and Snobby Shores. Those interested can see these locations on the newly updated map directly below, and compare it to the old map that's underneath.

Alongside the addition of the new named towns for Fortnite's Battle Royale mode, the development team has also added more "points of interest" for players to explore, which essentially consist of several smaller settlements and buildings. Not to mention, the update will include "biomes" to make the map look more diverse and make points of interest more recognizable, with spots like a mountain region, a farm region, and a swamp region being added. An immediate example can be seen by comparing the new and old maps above, with the new topography showing Fatal Fields' wetlands neighbor, Moisty Mire, appearing much more swamp-like than before.

According to Fortnite level designer Sidney Rauchberger, the newly refined aesthetics for the Battle Royale mode's map partially resulted from the development of new level streaming technology for Epic Games' Unreal Engine that has been built into the game. Essentially, Rauchberger explains that this piece of tech lets the team craft more detailed environments without impacting performance.

"Before, we loaded everything at the same time, so all corners of the map were always there. With this new tech we can stream those in selectively based on where you are in the world, which basically means we gain a whole lot of free overhead.

"That allows us to have more visual variety in the POIs, more POIs in the first place. It will allow us to introduce new gameplay items, new cosmetics, etc. Basically, it just frees us up to be more focused on adding cool stuff to the game."

There's no question that Fortnite's myriad fans are practically champing at the bit to explore all there is to offer in the Battle Royale mode's newly refined map. The five new towns, extra loot locations, and underground tunnels will likely keep players busy for a while when the patch drops later this week. Naturally, though, the update's release will lead many to wonder if a second map will be in the cards at some point in the future, especially with Rauchberger confirming that Epic has no "concrete plans yet," but is "open to the idea."

Fortnite is available now in early access on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with its full launch occurring at some point in 2018.

Source: PC Gamer