The Finals, a high-speed multiplayer shooter game developed by former Battlefield developers at Embark Studios, has been facing several issues since its surprise launch. The game, built on Unreal Engine 5, quickly climbed the most played charts on Steam, but was met with mixed reviews, leading to a 68% positive user rating. The primary concerns raised by players include slower movement, frequent crashes, and stuttering.
Movement Speed Issues
One of the central complaints pertains to the game’s movement speed. Players noted a significant difference in movement dynamics compared to the beta version, describing it as “slow” and “sluggish.” This feedback confused the developers, as there were no changes made to the movement system or speed between the beta tests and the launch. Embark Studios believes that minor adjustments to animations, sounds, and settings could be responsible for this perception of slower movement, particularly in light and medium archetypes. They are currently working on rebalancing these changes.
FOV
Another issue that might be influencing the perception of movement speed is the default field of view (FOV) setting. The game’s FOV was reset to 71, which can significantly affect how fast the game feels. Some players have reported an improvement in the game’s feel after adjusting the FOV setting. However, others who adjusted their FOV from the start still experienced issues, indicating that the problem might be more complex and could require animation adjustments from Embark.
Stability and Crashes
In addition to movement issues, The Finals has been plagued by frequent crashing, a problem exacerbated following a Christmas update. Reports suggest that these crashes are due to a missing script in Unreal Engine 5, identified by the error code “MISSING_ANGELSCRIPT_CALLSTACK.” Players also report stuttering even on powerful hardware systems. Despite these issues, the developers have not yet issued an official statement or acknowledgment. The community has taken matters into their own hands, sharing potential workarounds like turning off the XMP in the BIOS settings, updating GPU drivers, unlinking Steam accounts from Embark, restarting the game or platform, and adjusting graphics settings. Players experiencing crashes are encouraged to raise the issue with Embark Studios’ official support team.
Overall, while The Finals has shown potential with its innovative gameplay and design, these issues highlight the challenges of game development, particularly for live, constantly evolving games. The developers’ response to community feedback and their ability to address these problems will be crucial for the game’s long-term success.
