EA details Need for Speed Payback progression changes

Electronic Arts has been taking a volcanic amount of heat over Star Wars Battlefront 2 these past few weeks, but the recently-released racing game Need for Speed Payback has been the subject of criticism too. EA acknowledged last week that the progression was underpowered, and said that changes to increase both Rep and Bank awards were in the works. Today it detailed those changes, some of which have already been made and others that will arrive in a client-side patch that's on the way "soon."

"We’ve been reading your feedback, watching your videos and digesting all of our game data, all to make Need for Speed Payback the best experience possible," developer Ghost Games said in a blog post. "Something we’ve heard loud and clear is that it’s often too time consuming to upgrade multiple cars. We agree, and as a result this is something we’ve been tackling over the previous weeks, and will continue to act upon."

One big change is a reduction in the amount of time required for parts in tune-up shops to refresh, which has been cut from 30 minutes to ten; Speedlist rewards will also be given out more frequently, and winning the Speedlist now guarantees a new part.

A rollout time for the patch hasn't been set, but Ghost said that it will be announced through the usual social channels when it's ready to roll. The list of changes, both complete and coming, is below.

The Changes – Already Live

Decreased the time it takes for new parts to appear in Tune-Up shops, down from 30mins to 10mins.
Increased the amount of REP awarded by taking part in events.
Increased the amount of Bank awarded by taking part in events.
Bait crates now reward increased REP.
Bait crates now reward increased Bank.
Competing against a Roaming Racer will reward you with increased REP.
Competing against a Roaming Racer will reward you with increased Bank.
Increased rate in which parts are rewarded within Ranked Speedlists.
Air Suspension will now appear more frequently.
Slightly increased REP and Bank for finishing an event outside of first place.

The Changes – Coming in a Patch

Tune-up shops now stock higher quality parts.
Improved quality of cards from targeted rolls in the Tune-up Shops.
Increased the level on parts awarded from winning events.
Multiple fixes to Improve stability.
Improved game performance.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.