The latest Apex Legends patch adds two features that players have been requesting for some time. After a match is over, everyone now has the option to invite the members of their squad to party up for more. There's also code for a penalty on leaving games before they're finished. These might not be the biggest changes, but they could be the first steps towards improving player-to-player relations.
Patch 1.1 took effect Wednesday. The official notes on Reddit are short, but give a glimpse into the first highly-requested feature. After you finish a match, and assuming you're playing alone or with one empty space, you'll see two icons on the lefthand side of the lobby. They look a lot like the mid-match icons for your teammates, and indeed list the last two people you've squaded up with. You can then use the buttons to invite them into a party.
Another big change is code that seems to refer to a "Leave Penalty." Such a penalty can be seen in other online multiplayer games like League Of Legends or Rocket League. Typically the function locks someone out of playing if they quit a game mid-match. While the function doesn't seem to be in Apex Legends yet, players are already reacting to its potential inclusion.
Some appreciate Respawn's attempt to discourage people from leaving during character select, a problem especially prevalent in the wake of new character Octane's release. Others worry that they'll be forced to spectate a match despite their teammates' failure to activate their respawn beacon. Rather than being able to just start a new game, fear of the leave penalty will commit them to a game they can't even play.
Meanwhile, the patch also tries to improve the experience of dealing with other players. "Behind-the-scenes" measures were implemented to further target cheaters. The mute button is now available as soon as Legend selection happens, letting you avoid annoying mic chatter from the start. Finally, the report system has been expanded to include reasons for the accusation.
On the hardware side, Respawn is still working on improving stability. All platforms were given slight fixes, and PC in particular is seeing more work on its penchant for crashing. PC players might now be given a message that explains why their game might have crashed. Also, players can now turn off lighting effects for accessories like lighted keyboards. Not sure how that impacts the game, but that was nice of Resapwn.
The last few fixes were for very specific bugs, although one detail was implemented that might affect Wraith players. Now when you go Into the Void, you will no longer be able to bounce on Octane's Jump Pad. Somewhere, somehow, that probably affects someone's pro strategy. But if that's the price we have to pay for maybe dealing with leavers, many players will probably be okay with that.