The latest patch of Red Dead Online did not solve the biggest problems of the game.

The February 26 patch of Red Dead Online addressed some of the game's most important issues, including grief and lack of content. Although the update improves some aspects of Red Dead Online, it aggravates others and worries players about the future of this cowboy-themed sandbox in France. Red Dead Redemption 2.

The most recent patch introduced a system of law and bonuses. A bonus system is, in theory, intriguing. In practice, the current system needs to be refined or much more detailed explanations. Players who defend against grief are rewarded with bonuses; self defense does not apply. And previously harmless activities, such as fighting in bars or accidentally trampling a roaming NPC, are now in the charge.

Much of the new content is focused on aesthetics. The new emoticons and new clothes perfectly complement the online mode, especially when players have their own avatars, with a morality system and a scenario. However, many of the new items are on a rotating system and therefore can not be viewed immediately in the store. This means that the players have logged in, consulted the catalog and discovered that the new items were marked with a "coming soon" icon – for the most part, they were not yet available.

New emotes have been added, but they are also behind a door. A new emote can cost between $ 100 and $ 300 in play, some being purchasable with gold bullion, real money currency.

To add a perceived insult to an injury, players report that the hunt brings in half less money. While Rockstar Games has fixed a bug that causes skins to disappear, players report that even the perfect skins are worth $ 5 instead of $ 10. It seems like this is part of a bigger rebalancing of how the hunt works, as the animals give more meat and the birds seem to congregate into larger groups.

These changes were not explained in the release notes, which prompted many players to call one of the most reliable methods to make money and to make money. experience of a stealthy nerve. This is combined with new items in the game with higher price tags. Many Red Dead Online players express their displeasure, seeing it as a way for Rockstar to encourage microtransactions. This is not the first time players have felt that the economy of Red Dead Online is penalizing, although developers have changed the rewards and prices after the launch.

Many bugs also remain in the game, including facial hair clippings, decreasing skins, and unknown missions that do not start.

Rockstar Games via Polygon

The new patch has some positive points. The new player visibility system, which hides everyone on the map outside a radius around you, allows for more organic encounters with other players. The world feels a little more friendly and meeting other players is a pleasant surprise. This gives the impression of getting out of the city and nature Sea of ​​Thieves or survival titles, where finding other players has an air of mystery and enthusiasm.

Daily challenges are also an interesting addition. I like to log in and check my tasks for the day. Sometimes I have to eat fresh produce, and sometimes my detachment and I have to hijack a train. It adds variety and zest to the standard game loop. Other recent additions, such as the Gun Rush mode of the Royal Battle mini style, are also a fun, although superficial, way to play.

However, the world of Red Dead Online – especially in relation to the campaign – is still hollow. Until now, the online mode looks more like Westworld than any type of living world. New game modes, new weapons and new clothes are welcome, but they do not solve this underlying problem. Instead, the new additions simply complete what already exists and add some new targets to navigate (and ways to rectify).

Red Dead Online is still in beta and much more needs to be done, including next steps in the reporting campaign. Rockstar will have to balance the goodwill of the players with the new content, while managing one of its biggest competitors: Grand Theft Auto Online. In its early days, Red Dead Online is already in a better condition than GTA Online, but it remains to be seen how Rockstar will rely on its new game as a service for future updates.

Update: Rockstar clarified the nature of the hunt price changes through its official support account.

Prior to the update of title 1.06, a bug caused sales of stripped animal carcasses to be identical to those of an unfrozen whole animal, although its parts had already been harvested. This meant that the players could skin the animal and sell the carcass and parts separately to do more than expected. Sales of animals and products of animal origin are now correctly paid; the selling prices of parts of animals or whole animals have not been modified, only the value of a carcass without skin has been corrected.

This change aligns the hunt on hunting prices for a player.