Devs:
Here are my thoughts regarding balance in this game (new Steam player):
-
I played 15 matches as a Fireteam, won 13, lost 2 (all matches were random/quickplay, players from all platforms, queue time 1 minute), the ones I lost were from Elder Predator (so I’m assuming experienced 150 level players that knew exactly all the tricks, meta builds etc, one Playstation player, one Epic player). The ones I won ended in Predator getting killed by my own (not all of them but still) without using knife and parry (my timing was way off), every time Predator attacked me with melee I was able to bring him down to a second wind.
-
Playing on Fireteam side is like a cakewalk, Predator is not a threat, more like a nuisance (with exception of these 2 Elder encounters, both of them were using Combistick throw and Yautja Bow), considering that I’m a casual player with casual aim (my Predator damage ranged around 2500-3700), one player with good aim and reflexes can kill Predator in matter of seconds (5 seconds? less?), this is just ridiculous, to be honest I felt sorry for the Predator (really!, very easy to spot/wallhack, cloak practically doesn’t work, can be seen from a very far away, trees are like: Kill me I’m here!)
-
Now the sad part/Predator matches, I played only 3 matches as a Predator + tutorial (queue times 10 minutes, so not good, all 3 matches ended in Fireteam escaping, every match lasted below 5 minutes, very short Fireteam missions), every match frustrated me, maybe the “fun” factor will come later on higher levels and all but when a game frustrates you in the beginning then it’s very easy to for the player to lose interest, Predator gameplay is suffering all the things I wrote above: cloak is bad/nonexistent, very loud footsteps, leaves falling from branches, destroyable Predator weapons and equipment, Predator animations are stiff, Fireteam missions are very short and easy so Predator can’t hunt and stalk, reinforcement/resurrection option for Fireteam is too quick
To summarize: Fireteam isn’t even overpowered, it’s broken, Predator is a nuisance, gameplay is designed in favor of Fireteam
Ideas (note that some of them may be overpowered or broken, it’s up to devs/veteran players to decide, also all ideas are for Predator side because it is a worse side at the moment):
- diversify Predator classes (Fireteam classes have unique traits like: longer mud duration, hip fire accuracy etc.), for example: Scout doesn’t make footstep noises/leaves don’t fall from branches,
- make cloak relevant (clicking should be disabled on all classed when cloaked), improve drastically “cloak effect”,
- make Fireteam knife destroyable after 2? parries (maybe some other equipment/weapons too), adjust Fireteam melee damage,
- adjust Fireteam missions to last at least 10 minutes (no 3-5 minutes speedruns),
- spot should work only on open areas, when Predator gets behind something, spot mark should disappear, spotting right now works like a wallhack cheat,
- increase drastically Predator movement speed and stamina on all classes,
- add other Predator weapons on maps as pickups (it can be very simple: green blood after dead Predator and a weapon beside it), so they can be changed (like weapon lockers for Fireteam),
- reinforcement should restock Predator equipment/fix biomask, right now reinforcement is a penalty for Predator but a complete reset for Fireteam (no consequences for them),
- considering this game using 1987 Predator movie as a template, Last Man Standing is a cool feature but can be much more, I thought something like this: Last Man Standing goes to a specified location on a map, lights a big bonfire that alerts Predator (alert like a chopper called), Predator goes there and they have honorable melee duel (both Predator and Last Man Standing weapons + equipment is disabled, Predator removes his biomask), of course this cannot be done right now because such duels would end with Fireteam winning all the time
Thanks in advance