PUBG Sanhok map testing extended again due to 'interesting performance problems' (Updated)

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Update: The final round of testing for PUBG's Sanhok map has been extended to  Monday, June 4  Thursday, June 7  Monday, June 11. Wow, it's tough keeping up with this one.  

After uncovering some "interesting performance problems", writes PUBG Corp in this Steam Community update, testing for the battle royale's incoming Sanhok map has been extended for the second time. 

"We’ve identified an issue where unnecessary packets are transferred from the client to the server, which causes excess load and dips in server performance," says the developer. "Currently, the distance in which players are rendered is up to a maximum radius of 1km from your current position. As Sanhok is 1/4th the size of Erangel and Miramar, the number of players within this 1km area is generally much higher. 

"Some performance issues have arisen due to this, with the direct result being a reduced server frame speed, which leads to early-game server performance issues, including player teleporting or stuttering. According to our internal data, the kill rate at extremely long distances is very low and therefore we’ve decided to reduce the maximum player render distance specifically on Sanhok, which will increase performance."

PUBG Corp says it plans to implement these changes in an upcoming patch—and that it'll update once its patch schedule has been finalised. 

As reported in our original story below, developer PUBG Corp plans to launch the Thailand-inspired arena on live servers "near the end of June." This round of testing—this map's fourth—kicked off last week, has been extended twice, and will now run till June 11 at 4am PST / 12 noon BST. Full patch notes can be found in this direction

Here's a trailer to mark Sanhok's latest test period:   

 Original story:

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' Sanhok map returns to its 'Experimental Server' this week. Once known as Codename Savage, the tropical 4x4km arena enters test servers on May 31 at 7pm PST / June 1 at 3am BST, and wraps up on June 4 at 4am PST/ 12 noon BST. 

"As before, everyone who owns a copy of PUBG will be able to play simply by downloading the updated version of the 'PUBG: Experimental Server' found in your Steam library," explains this Steam Community update post. Developer PUBG Corp notes that this phase of testing will likely be the map's last. All going to plan, this means Sanhok will hit live servers "near the end of June".

The post adds: "Even after it launches, we’ll continue making changes based on the feedback we get from you guys"—which ties into PUBG Corp's planned performance improvements statement last week.  

As reported by our Sam Horti, the developer underscored its commitment to "making literally every inch of Sanhok perfect for players, whether it’s the texture on a rock wall or little unique trimmings around each of the islands houses." It will also target player movement, animations and character models, in its bid to boost framerates across all platforms. 

In other PUBG-related news, PUBG Corp has filed a lawsuit against Epic Games regarding perceived similarities between Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.