Battle Royale phenomenon Fortnite is about to receive a rather significant update in the form of a new game mode called 'Playground', allowing players to roam around freely in a creative setting, rather than the standard 1 vs 100 fight to the death.
The mode was initially teased by Epic a few weeks ago in a blog post (which you can see below), and could arguably be the start of the biggest change the game has seen since the introduction of the Battle Royale mode we all know today. Playground is a creative mode that ditches the usual focus of securing a Victory Royale, instead allowing you to practice your strategies, build as you see fit, play casually with friends, and crucially immediately respawn after death, taking away all of the pressures present in the main game.
"The Playground LTM will load you into the Battle Royale Map with some adjusted settings.
Battle and build to your heart's content with an extended period of time to roam around the map as well as increased resource generation. All treasure chests and ammo crates will be spawned, try droppin’ in different spots and scope out the loot. Friendly fire is on so you can scrimmage with your squad (up to 4 friends per match), but fear not you’ll respawn immediately."
It seems like a perfect fit for newcomers to the game on Switch; without the Save the World mode available on other platforms, the Switch version of the game currently has no way for players to practice or even learn what the game's all about without jumping headfirst into a field of experienced players. This could be the perfect way for new players to get used to the controls and see what's possible before taking on the main course.
A limited-time version of the mode has appeared in-game on Fortnite's news board, hinting that it's "coming soon"; when an announcement is made here, we usually see that content arrive during the next scheduled update (which should be tomorrow, 26th June). This limited-time trial is expected to act as a test for a full mode in the future, potentially becoming a major, permanent fixture of the game.
We can already imagine the mayhem being shared online, with users building crazy structures, creating their own games within the mode, and possibly even using the game's environment in ways we haven't seen before.
Have you been enjoying Fortnite on Switch? Would you welcome a more sandbox-like mode to learn the ins and outs of everything you can do in-game? Let us know down below.
[source vg247.com]
Comments 53
My wife was (strangely) interested in Fortnite after seeing our daughter play it so often, but was turned off by the fact that there was no tutorial or anything to help the new player learn the ropes. This might actually pique her interest.
Not mine though. Fortnite isn't for me.
This is such a great idea! It basically acts like a training mode.
Ooo, I'll try this out. I dipped my toe in again the other night for a match and came out 15th. I'm not nearly the competitive type in these deathmatch games (other than Unreal Tournament in the day), but I like the huge map and destructible structures. I end up having more fun demo and building than anything else.
When I used to play CoDMW2 with friends, I tended to be the one that would flush people out of hiding because i would just relentlessly pursue them without killing them. I do shooters for the lulz haha
When will the Switch get stats and leaderboards?
@DarthNocturnal Protip I learned this morning; press 'Post' once and wait forever. Otherwise you're stuck cleaning up multi-posts. Must be the Russians from the Nintendo site.
Cool to have an nice "in" for new players.
That being said this feels like a way of funneling people to save the world.
I'd say Fortnite is a basic enough concept that you don't really need a tutorial. Plus, it's like any shooter. You grow with experience.
You know what would be an even better addition for making the game more accessible to Switch players? Gyro aiming.
This is cool! It sounds like a great way to just mess around with friends.
Wheres the damn carear tab! Cabt even see how many kills etc u have or ur placed finishes. Its a major part of the game and an epic failure
@GoldenGamer88 How much experience do you think Pokémon and Animal Crossing players have with shooters? 😉 Even if you add in all the 2D platformers and 3D Mario and Zeldas, MK and SSB, unless you've been playing Splatoon there are probably a lot of Nintendo only console owners who have never played a shooter. I've been playing video games solidly for 20 years on every console and even I don't have much experience with shooters, not since my Doom shareware floppy discs. FPS aren't for me. Among Nintendos fanbase there could be millions of others.
A Minecraft sounding tutorial is probably a good thing, a lot of them may have some experience with that.
It’s about time they added something similar to private online lobbies. This was needed way before battle royale was a thing.
that's awesome! I can consistently land in the top 5 or 6, but I'm terrible at building so there's no chance of me winning a game. Now I can 'git guud'
This is what Save the World mode is for! it offered a great way to familiarise yourself with the games various mechanics in a low/no pressure environment.
Still hoping it eventually gets ported, however with Sony holding my account hostage its not like I would be able pick up where I left off even if the mode was available on Switch...
Still no local multiplayer right?
Didn't see any gameplay, but save the world sounded like a fun mode, endless waves of enemies and you need to build a fort to survive, if only it was on switch.
@Undead_terror Has there been an explanation as to why that mode isn’t on Switch?
I agree it’s a shame. so hopefully it arrives anyway.
It took me 5 days and about 4 hours of gameplay to come out in top 10 consistently and even won 2 this morning.
Here’s the only tip, be the last to jump and go somewhere alone. Get a couple weapons and just stay near outer edge of circle. Kill 2 people and bang, top 10. Kill 4 and you’ll probably win. I am enjoying it but the game is so shallow and feels like a beta that I don’t know why it’s so popular. I won’t be playing it in a couple months from now.
Man, I really wish we could get save the world mode soon ☹️
@Aven Stats will come eventually, they aren't here yet due to the fact that there are many new players on switch, making it to easy for people to rack up kills and wins, but soon once every e has had the chance to try the game and improve, stats will come, they are doing the same thing with mobile
@NintendoFan4Lyf Ic. That does make sense.
This sounds really cool. My 2 boys had a couple of their cousins over for a sleepover on the weekend. Watching the 4 of them, sitting in a circle, all on their own switch playing Fortnite in a squad was a sight to behold, really was. I'm sure they will love messing around with this mode. Glad they keep improving and adding things to this game!
Awesome, Can't Wait
Since Fortnite released on rhr Switch I have 60 hours logged. Yeah I need help
This is good news. The lack of any tutorial has made my first few hours a lesson in frustration. It's a silly oversight as it would make the game much more fun for beginners. I've persevered and picked up a few tips from YouTube but if your game doesn't explain how to play it's badly designed in my opinion.
@BenAV the pro controller works fantastically!
@Undead_terror They said it won't come likely but there is a good chance it still will, we are just going to have to wait and see how much demand there is.
what if I told you...Fortnite .. is an average game at best
You asked for it, you got it people. A tutorial type mode!!!! Yeeea!
...but limited! Wooo!
Seriously, seems daft to me :/
@Donutman Because it IS a beta. Reason why it is so popular is the fact that the game is changing all the time. New weapons, new locations (which is worked into the story), etc. The fact that the game is free (aside from the unnecessary DLC) is the cherry on top.
@GoldenGamer88 But you have the added building gameplay. There's really not a whole lot of time to try building when you have people shooting at you.
This is far the the best shooter battle royals game ever! And this new update is just icing on the cake a good concept I also have been playing often Fortnite and gotten better and better with my squad,friends online I have even placed #1 a couple of times with my squad,in 50v50,squads, and final fight new mode this game can be kinda addicting Lol at times that's why I don't play it so much like one of my friend those on PS4 btw is not cross platform to them,but I am seeing we don't have that feature yet on switch version yet why is that? Xbox one n switch n PC cross-platform play on Fortnite.
Now this might get me on board with Fortnite. I absolutely hate having no tutorial and getting shot down as soon as I land on the ground. It just doesn't feel like good game design to me but I know people will just tell me to "get good" so I guess it's no use commenting on it.
@20wonders A few pointers - pick an area of the map that may not be as populated as, say, Tilted Towers. Like a remote cabin or something that isn't in a named area.
When dropping from the bus, aim directly down so you can land as quickly as possible, then glide in the direction you're heading when it automatically brings out your glider.
This one even I struggle with, but it's paramount - when taking hits, immediately start building walls first. Don't try to shoot back right away unless you have a really powerful weapon and a clear shot. Even then, it's best to build first - shoot later. At least until you're comfortable with both. Good luck!
Looking forward to this!
Step 1 find weapons fast
Step 2 hide and stay near edge of circle
Step 3 make it into top 10
Step 4 die in a fire fight because I'm bad at building and shooting
Step 5 come in 2nd - 6th every match
Awesome. I will like to know if there is coming Save the World to Switch
Great news.
@Grant007 Stick aiming is stick aiming. I hate it regardless of suck controller I'm using.
I personally play fortnite more on my Xbox anyway. Just find the controller more comfortable as I don't own a pro controller.
I’d heart a tutorial. Played it for the first time last night - I genuinely suck; managed to shoot the sky and the ground multiple times mid-battle, whilst half the players looked like they were flying???
I’ve never played Fortnite before it was released on Switch. I gave a chance several times and the only thing I got from it was frustration and being killed by some random guy before even knowing what was going on.
I’ve never disliked a game in my whole life like I dislike this Fortnite thing. I don’t think this new mode is going to change my perception of the game in any meaningful way.
Definitely this is not my kind of game. Honestly I can’t even believe what it’s making it so popular. It’s the antithesis of what I could call fun.
OK, rant over. For those who do enjoy the game it’s great it’s getting lots of updates and support.
@Donutman also deploy your glider as soon as you leave the bus and hover in midair until the first circle appears, then land.
Saves much running.
@onex My brother plays Fortnite all the time and he tells me that Tilted Towers is one of the most heavily populated areas. Other than that, that is some pretty solid advice. Thanks!
Call me when they include an actually fun game mode like a standard 12-player team deathmatch.
@maruse I would have to say the first few times I played it was massively frustrating. Then one of my friends asked me to play with him, and my what a huge difference. Team based play in this game is so much fun. That is why it is so popular. Plus, it's free.
@20wonders No problem!
Yes, Tilted is always a gamble. You either get a weapon right away and survive, or get killed right away. I usually stay far away unless my mates all say, "let's go to Tilted!" Then I just go, "Ok, roulette it is!" 😅
I enjoy it. I came in 6th my first time playing, but only because I was somewhere else practising building and shooting and nowhere near anybody else!
@BenAV it's so funny all these Nintendo folks complaining about stick aiming. Welcome to consoles!
@Grant007 We're complaining because the Switch is a console that actually has a better alternative that almost every other shooter on the system manages to utilise just fine.
@Grant007 People are complaining because games like Doom are adding in gyro support and it's basically the closest to being on par with mouse/keyboard as a console can get.
Great, it always baffled me how this game has no training mode and no singleplayer mode with bots.
Like, when I downloaded it, the first thing I wanted to know is whether it had gyro aiming. But I couldn't because there was no offline mode and I certainly didn't want to commit to a full online session.
I don't like fortnite personally but my son was turned off playing battle royale so maybe this mode will help him enjoy it with my husband more. I hope it really is coming to the Switch, seems some developers are o ly willing to do the bare minimum with their ports.
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