14 DAY TRIAL // Overkill Software, the developer of Payday 2, has just confirmed that it's rolled out a brand new update for the game on the PC platform, which reduces the install size of the title by a whopping 20GB, while preparing for the release of a new free heist DLC today, May 29, and more surprises in the following weekend.
Payday 2 impressed lots of shooter fans with its intense cooperative action last year, when it launched in August across the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 platforms.
Overkill Software has since implemented a huge amount of different changes, particularly on the PC platform, where it rolled out lots of patches via the Steam digital distribution service.
Slowly but surely, all these updates increased the game's size exponentially, causing problems for users with smaller hard drives and longer loading times when in-game.
Now, through Update 28, Overkill has finally decided to address this problem and is implementing a new file content system that reduces the game's install size by a whopping 20GB.
"The content system has been restructured to allow some assets to be loaded during loadout and the blackscreen instead of during the loading screen. This eliminates the need for duplicates between bundle files. The old system did not scale up well and we still want to release lots of content. Patching was slow, due to the size of the files and the install size was too much for a lot of systems," the studio said about the new update on the Steam group.
The in-game performance might be affected by the system change, but players can tweak the settings to ensure the best experience, according to Overkill.
"Because of the background streaming during loadout, you might notice drop in framerate. The streaming speed can be tweakd by adjusting the size of the streaming chunk size in advanced video options. After loadout and the blackscreen, the performance is not at all affected."
For PS3 and Xbox 360 owners, Overkill has emphasized that it doesn't know if the new system can be applied to the consoles, as they have slower hard drives that would severely impact the loading process.
The patch weighs in at 2.7GB and includes a variety of different other tweaks and changes to existing mechanics.
What's more, Overkill is also launching today, May 29, a new free DLC heist in the form of the Shadow Raid, which emphasizes stealth and coordination. A free weekend and a 67% discount throughout it are also planned between May 29 and June 2.