Homefront hasn't seen a completely problem-free launch, but the PC version of the game has been so far the most stable. Maintaining a high-quality experience on the PC is always easier than the console versions, since updates can be pushed to customers immediately, without having to undergo approval from another party like updates to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. So when the PC version needs fixing, the developers are quick to respond. Next week Homefront's patch 1.03 will go live, solving many of the problems some players may have been facing.

Kaos Studios has recently announced that the PC version of Homefront is poised to recieve a rather large update early next week. Homefront patch 1.03 will offer a number of changes that should help make it easier to track and report cheaters, while balancing some of the issues players have had with the game's multiplayer.

The online component may not be as hack-filled as Crysis 2, but with any large launch of a new property there are bound to be a few bugs or hiccups that make it onto the disc. So while console players may be struggling with Homefront freezing issues, those who chose to pick the game up on PC can look forward to seeing their issues resolved before long.

A complete list of all the changes and upgrades is included below and should be great news for any fan of THQ's latest shooter:

New Feature: Demo Url

  • A DemoURL can now be specified in the server playlist, this is used to indicate the location of stored demo files to user’s in-game (see the multiplayer options screen). A good practice for server admins would be to share the demo folder via FTP, this would allow users to grab demos of games they starred in, and also (very importantly!) allow users and anti-cheat authorities to download evidence for cheat reporting. Incidentally, it is now possible to dump all users unique steamID's from both in-game, and in-demos to the console or text file (this will make reporting abusive players and enforcing bans incredibly easy).

Improved Squad Based Gameplay

  • Players will now re-spawn at a point nearest to the closest member of their squad.
  • Squad mates will now be colored blue on the mini-map and full-screen maps.

Game Balance

  • RPG's now deal additional damage to HMMWV's.
  • Lowered m200 and m110 sniper rifle damages. The only 1 shot possible is now headshots.
  • Flak jacket now has a lower BP cost, and a slight effectiveness buff.
  • Diablo damage adjusted.
  • Weapon is taken out of ADS and accuracy decreases when jumping.

Optimizations & Fixes

  • The Rhino drones weapon attachment was not being properly moved with the Rhino drone on dedicated servers, causing the rockets to fire incorrectly. This is now fixed.
  • We have added some animation optimizations for large player games.
  • Several UI related improvements were added for large player games .
  • Fixed scaling text zooming on Battle Commander when opening up the battle chat or squad UI.
  • Switched the buttons around on the load out rename confirmation dialog to better abide by conventions.
  • Improved SLI/CrossFireX support.
  • A few reported issues with WinXP 64 bit edition have been addressed.
  • Improved menu navigation with analogue controls.

General Improvements

  • User feedback for kicks and bans has been improved.
  • The intermission lobby now displays clan tags.
  • Text chat is now possible in the kill cam, spawn selection, and intermission lobby screens.

New Settings & Control Options

  • EnableD3D10/11 is now accessible via the system settings menu.
  • Mouse acceleration is now accessible via the controls menu.
  • Mouse smoothing is now accessible via the controls menu.

All in all this should be an exciting patch for PC players of Homefront and will help reinforce Kaos' promise to continue supporting Homefront well into the future. Players without mics will be pleased to see that text chat is being incorporated into the intermission lobby, which should help promote community as players can now discuss their matches without headsets.

Have you been playing Homefront since its release? Are you glad to see new features like text chat in intermission lobbies?

Homefront brings the fight for America to gamers everywhere on the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and OnLive.

-

Follow Game Rant on Twitter @gamerant.

Source: Homefront Blog