Launch Community Letter
December 5, 2024
Dear Community,
Today marks an exciting milestone for PLAYERUNKNOWN Production as we release Preface: Undiscovered World. I’m thrilled to share the vision and the ambition behind this tech demo, built on our proprietary engine, Melba.
This demo is not the end - it’s just the beginning of an extraordinary journey we are eager to embark on together. It lays the foundation for a lasting relationship with you, our community, for years to come.
Our Vision for the First Release
Our primary goal with this initial release is to showcase Melba’s unique ability to handle Earth-scale worlds. We want you to experience an environment that feels genuinely vast, where exploration is seamless, with no interruptions or visible loading. Delivering a sense of authenticity in the world’s size and density is our top priority, creating an immersive experience that feels boundless and real.
Snapshot feature in Preface: Undiscovered World
In addition, observing how the technology performs in the real-world conditions is essential. Even a single hours of exploration from a small group of users will provide valuable insights into Melba’s behavior. Your involvement is crucial in refining the technology, helping us understand the strengths and challenges of Melba.
Acceptable Compromises
While we strive for innovation, we recognize that achieving such an ambitious goal involves some compromises:
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User Experience Metrics: Metrics like user count, satisfaction, and retention take a back seat. For this demo, these are secondary concerns as we focus on the technical validation of our engine.
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Bugs and Stability: Some crashes and noticeable bugs are expected at this stage. What matters is having robust systems to identify and address these issues.
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Visual Fidelity: While graphics play a significant role in any experience, this demo prioritizes scale and immersion over high visual fidelity.
For users who need support we offer help with technical troubleshooting, as well as help with how best to engage with Preface, and community bug reports in our User Support Hub.
Preface: Undiscovered World is a tech-demo of our earth-scale proprietary engine Melba
What Comes Next
As we progress, we anticipate releasing several hotfixes to address initial feedback, while new features will roll out in updates. For the most curious of you, we have also published a development roadmap for those curious about the future of the project. It is important to remember that Preface is a tech-driven experience, the purpose of these features is to validate our technology. Each iteration helps us refine Melba, preparing it for future game development that will incorporate these insights.
This tech demo is just the start - a platform to explore, challenge, and push the limits of what’s possible. We view Preface not just as a demo, but as a collaborative experiment where your input shapes the future of our technology and, ultimately, the games that emerge from it.
Join the Conversation
We believe that building something revolutionary is a collaborative endeavor, and your thoughts and experiences are the backbone of this journey. To foster deeper discussions, feedback, and community, we invite you to join our official PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions Discord. There, you can engage directly with developers, share your insights, and stay updated with the latest developments and articles, including the detailed roadmap we’ll soon release.
Preface features a diverse array of more than 8 biomes
Thank you for being a part of this journey. Your support, patience, and participation mean everything to us. Together, we can create something truly remarkable.
With appreciation and anticipation,
Laurent Gorga
Chief Technical Officer
PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions
