'Battlefield V' Will Soon Test Time to Kill, Time to Death System Changes

Battlefield V's Time to Kill and Time to Death systems are being worked on to provide a better experience for players who feel they're dying too quickly, EA DICE said.

Two elements that the developer said are closely linked to each other, Time to Kill (TTK) and Time to Death (TTD) affect the perceived and actual time it takes to kill an opponent and the time it takes to be killed, respectively. When there appears to be something that feels off with these systems, it can lead to players feeling like they've been killed too quickly or unfairly, something Battlefield V players have expressed since the game's release.

"TTK and TTD are very closely linked," EA DICE said in an update about its plans to work on both systems. "We're seeing players die too often/too quickly and get frustrated because of it. So, we're looking at how we can improve the experience for new players and veterans alike. This may lead to a perceived slower TTK."

The new Battlefield V update, the one for Tides of War's first chapter called "Overture," won't have changes that impact the TTK system, but EA DICE said it's looking into any element that could affect players' TTD experience such as netcode and damage feedback elements.

"The TTD experience is one of our high priorities right now and there are a lot of important and complex pieces that are being investigated to identify any issues in that area, including netcode," core gameplay designer Florian Le Bihan said. "We are also expanding the scope of our investigation and improvements to other components that are directly related to the player experience when it comes to getting shot, receiving damage, etc."

Outlining one of the ways EA DICE will potentially test alternate TTK settings, the gameplay designer said a current idea is to have two separate playlists soon, one with the current TTK settings and the other with updated settings that EA DICE has been working on. This would allow players to experience both versions and see which one is preferred.

"This TTK experiment may take the following shape but may change as we're still investigating how to approach," the core gameplay designer said. "It may be proposed to players in-game by rolling out the new TTK changes globally to all players connecting to any server, while adding a new playlist accessible through the server browser where players can play the old (or as it is, current) TTK to compare the two experiences."

EA DICE said it would make another announcement when the changes have been implemented and will also detail what all is included in the update.