Battlefield 4 is getting a netcode patch this week, designed to improve the first-person shooter's multiplayer performance on all platforms, according to a post today on the series' official blog.
The PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Windows PC versions will receive the patch today, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions be released later this week.
The PS4, Xbox One and Windows PC versions of the patch will include a feature that developer EA DICE calls "High Frequency Bubble," which uses a player's position to bring more frequent server updates.
"Within a certain radius of the player, we add the possibility to update the clients at a higher rate from the server," the post explains. "What this essentially means is that the server will update the client on what is happening more often than before. This normally results in a smoother, more 'correct' player experience."
High Frequency Bubble is bandwidth intensive and turned off by default. Players can enable it with three different settings: low, medium and high. According to the developer, anyone with a connection of 1 Mbit or faster should be able to use the high setting. EA DICE is releasing it first on 48-player servers and then on 64-player servers. If those servers perform well, "all servers will be supporting the high frequency update after 24 hours or rollout and testing." You can see the High Frequency Bubble technology in action in the video above.
You can also find a full list of platform-specific changes in the announcement post.
Early last month, Battlefield 4's developers began recruiting players to help test future updates in the Community Test Environment (CTE). Developer EA DICE said at the time that its first area of interest was the game's netcode. This weeks update is the first Battlefield 4 patch released using feedback from those enrolled in the PC version's CTE. Currently open to Battlefield 4 Premium members, interested testers can sign up at the official CTE site.
Since its launch last year, Battlefield 4 has been plagued with problems. You can follow along with Polygon's coverage of the continuing developments in our StoryStream.
