One of the main reasons Fortnite Battle Royale’s immense popularity has yet to die down is because the game is kept fresh by a seemingly constant barrage of new weapons, cosmetics, and game modes. One fan, hoping to aid Epic Games in this epic quest for new content, has outlined a pretty compelling mock-up of what a custom game menu might look like for the game.
The concept was posted by Reddit user Jaguar115 in the form of an imagined set-up menu sporting an array of customization options including max health, max shield, gravity strength, and permitted weapons. Also in the proposed settings is an option for toggling weather; Fortnite players would be able to choose between a default, snow, and thunder mode.
Perhaps most important of all to the mock-up is the option to add the player’s desired number of bots to the game. Clearly, Jaguar115’s intended implementation of the custom games option is for private matches only, similar to the kind we see in Call of Duty games where players can dictate the settings of a game, but only in matches that are closed off to the general player base and populated by friends or bots.
Though the custom games menu in question is, of course, a fan-created suggestion, the post has proven very popular with the Fortnite subreddit, and Epic Games present themselves as a company interested in keeping an open dialogue with the community. Take, for example, the constant balancing patches based on community feedback, or the upcoming competition for players to get their own emote into the game. The idea that Epic Games regularly takes notice of popular fan suggestions, then, isn’t at all out of the question.
Of course, many may doubt Epic Games’ willingness to divert significant resources to adding a huge new feature like bots during a period in which the studio is still working on Save The World, Fortnite’s PvE mode that is currently still in early access. Another usual roadblock to the implementation of a new game mode is a divided player base - however, considering Fortnite’s jaw-droppingly large player base, it’s unlikely this will ever be a significant issue for Epic Games so long as its success continues.
Although it may be a while until we see private matches implemented in the kind of way suggested by the mock-up, it’s possible that we could see some of the ideas make their way into the game. The weather system, for example, is a very exciting prospect, and with players regularly theorizing about whether Epic Games will add a new map to Fortnite, it would offer some welcome variety to the Battle Royale mode with minimum effort from developers.
Moreover, the issue of programming bots complex enough to both shoot and build in response to players could be completely avoided by simply making the custom game mode public. Players could, for example, host their own public games with their own custom settings, populated by others who have enabled the option to join such matches - think Halo 3’s custom matches, on a much larger scale.
While speculation about Fortnite custom games continues, players can only wait to see if any of the additions in question will be added in one of the game’s numerous regular updates.
Source: Reddit
