Pavlov VR Review (phrenia)
Pavlov used to be my favorite VR title Until the recent update (29). The newest update makes a number of changes that sound great on a change log but don't work in practice.
in the update the engine switched to Unreal5 and this has caused a number of performance issues on high-end systems.
Along with the drop in frame rate the sound quality has also gone to shit. New FX were added like adaptive reverb but this has caused audio to clip in and out constantly. Along with this some sounds were changed and no long feel as responsive particularly when holstering a weapon. Some people just cant run the game anymore.
More unasked for features such as hand smoothing were added. This has caused a couple problems (jittering guns, not being able to throw grenades). Other games identified and fixed these problems when hand smoothing was added. Now, Vankrupt just lets you turn it off entirely (you couldn't do that before :D )
The most talked about issue with this update is the switch to mod.io. Pavlov no longer supports steamworkshop maps on its main branch. This is due to most maps not being compatible with unreal5 and supposedly community map developers do not like steamworkshop that much. This means that all of the maps and game modes that Pavlov players have come to expect are now gone and may never return.
The last update for this game (28) was an official version of a community made mode and since then the players and community map devs have been the ones carrying interest for Pavlov VR. For over a year and a half this game was left untouched just to have the devs erase 4+ years worth of work and, for lack of a better term, tradition.
cant recommend it any more as it feels like a muted, unpolished, earlier version of itself with a few new features added.
Some other things im too lazy to write about:
- 12V12 servers are now unplayable.
even on the Lowest of pings i get shot through feet of solid concrete after ducking behind cover.
- Push servers (the only reason i play to begin with) are all gone.
When you do find one its always the same map, Stalingrad, And its always unplayable (see above).