Escape from Tarkov

Escape from Tarkov is an extraction shooter that's been in Early Access for more than a decade, and it seems to have undergone an internal shift from the 1-day development cycle of an Early Access game to a full release. Many elements of Escape from Tarkov, including server stress, gear customization, and the like, have remained, and the player base has only grown by just a little bit over the past two years.

There are no current plans to release Escape from Tarkov on Steam, so developer Battlestate Games is taking a long hard look at player feedback and putting the game through its paces to make sure the game's experience is as smooth as possible.

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Now Playing: Escape from Tarkov Video Review

In contrast to the map selection currently available, Battlestate Games has implemented some new features for Escape from Tarkov. First up, we've got new options for customisation of the inventory. There's now a deeper inventory system, and a more intimate in-game shop, which will also serve as a break from the pack, keeping you stocked up for more.

This works in much the same way as the inventory screen in the Battle Royale shooter, with the items and the items shuffled over, but in a more simplified fashion. You'll no longer run through an inventory of items you can't drop. Instead, you'll have a list of all items that you can currently pick up in a match, complete with description and description, to help you understand what items are available. The rest of the list is smaller than the one in the inventory menu, and will be easier to navigate through as you make your way through the menus.

Finally, we have the addition of CQC to the lobby system, which allows you to chat with friends in a bid to progress the narrative. Now you can show your performance to anyone within your squad, which is incredibly helpful for uncovering the full story of the group's mission. Of course, the other major feature of the game is the choice of loading screens for online games, which has been a staple of the multiplayer genre in recent years. The difference between this and the first of what was a few games ago was that the lobby menu would display exactly what kind of game you were playing. So you can customize whatever you want, and if you want to play games in a private lobby, you can. This is one feature that we're really proud of.

Speaking of customization, it really is really exciting to see the amount of effort from the developers, especially the team at Bluehole. Even though it's a little bit early to begin, the system is robust, and the team has been testing it out for some time now. With a new patch, we're adding a new menu that includes several more customizations and "TV creation" options that we haven't been able to put in the game yet. This is where the input and graphics tweaks come in. For instance, the pop-up window that appears when you click on the preview icon in the bottom right of the menu pops up. This is a very important part of the experience for players and will definitely help add some replay value to the game.

It's going to be very difficult to get the hang of all of this going with the new patch, but the team is currently working on further optimisations and fixing various issues in the meantime. We'll be keeping you posted as new features are added to the game, and we'll be sure to let you know how that turns out.

Right now, it's still pretty early on to announce exactly what these features will look like. What is your final thoughts on them?

It's not a huge surprise, but I'm actually pretty happy with the whole package, and I hope the rest of the system works as well as I've had on the previous version.

I've heard the patch is a huge improvement to the existing game, and the team is currently considering several enhancements, which will be great news for players.

How would you describe yourself as a gamer? Do you ever find yourself thrown in the deep end with hundreds of hours logged on to play?

I was an old school gamer back when the first game was released and I went to bed. I got a birthday, and one of the things that got me hooked was the desire to play for an extended period of time. I was a kid who was away from home and so, through some magic, I was able to experience a sense of energy.