Critical Changes The Game MUST Undertake

#1

1. Cloak

To put it bluntly, the cloak is absolutely useless. It does not blend you into your surroundings which completely inhibits all aspects of stealth traversal, ambushes, surprises and most importantly swift escapes that leave no trace

The fireteam should not be able to chase the predator down like a dog, which happens a lot because he cant hide from them. The predator should be able to disappear like a ghost and re position himself for his next attack

Truth is, the cloak as it is now makes you even MORE visible, and the main reason for this is that it doesn’t reflect light at a 180 degree angle relative to the viewers perspective (which would make him see through)

Instead, it reflects light from different angles… and if that angle happens to be upwards towards the sky for example, then the predator gets lit up like a Xmas tree

So in closing the optic camo needs a buff, whether this be done across the board OR a feature thats tied into the perk system ie ‘enhanced camouflage’

Will say though i’m not a fan of the latter

2. Plasma Caster

One of predators greatest weapons, and yet doesn’t feel like it in your game (when fighting players)

You’ve taken away its power and tracking capabilities… and sure I understand why, its a balance aspect, but you have gone about it the wrong way

Auto tracking doesn’t have to mean auto kill

Here is my balance formula for the plasma caster:

  • The weapon auto tracks 100%
  • Has a 80% chance to HIT its target
  • Shots that HIT have a 50/50 chance of either downing an enemy or dealing great damage

remember, pred tech isn’t perfect, theres a reason they miss shots in the movies too

3. Pred Sounds

Now I know some audio work was done but its still lacking in some areas

One in particular that stands out is the sound of activating/de-activating the camo, its too loud and needs to be toned down a lot more and should only be audible to the fireteam in close proximity

And even then it should only be a quiet sound

4. Fireteam

Just some quick tweaks i’d like to see to the fireteam also:

  • Reduced stamina (stops the crazy sprinting from A to B and gives the predator time to hunt and think about tactics)

  • Greater stamina costs (goes hand in hand with the first point, but also helps stop the ridiculous bunny hopping)

  • Greater fall damage (fireteam should not be able to drop/jump from great heights with no penalty)

  • ZERO insta heals (syringes need to go, and all heals should take time)

5. Pred vs Fireteam

After spending some time with the game and playing as predator, its extremely difficult to win against a fireteam that sticks together

The aim of the game for the pred should be to split them up and then pick them off one or two at a time. But as the predator stands now its almost impossible due to many imbalances in the game, some of which I’ve listed here

The fact that the fireteam can destroy the pred when they stick together is great, that’s how it should be

But without the pred being able to equally move around undetected and ambush efficiently… the game remains unbalanced in favour of the fireteam

Thanks for your time Illfonic,

-TC

11 Likes
#2

Plasma caster is actually pretty OP > Lose line of sight > charge the plasma caster > fire while peeking> hide> repeat. Just like the sniper rifles every single pc marine players uses, 1 shot is 1/3 hp… Cloak? lol I dont even use that, and I pretty much win every single game.
Also Overgrowth needs a rework. Way too buggy for predator. And the missions can be done within a couple of minutes on that map. Makes no sense

6 Likes
#3

Plasma caster is insanely OP with energy regen perk, more energy reserve perk, and range damage boost perk, 1 full charge direct shot will down all classes but the armored support class, and you have enough power and regen to fire full power shots almost endlessly without running out as long as cloak and vision are off. splash damage is great too. if fireteam sticks together too close they all die. use it or combi stick to separate them. I do NOT want an auto-aim weapon.

when you cloak you must STAND STILL for 2 seconds and you become completely invisible. cannot be seen but you can be heard. also vision mode must be off or else your eyes will glow. cloak works ok as is, just fireteam spotting is a bit too OP. when moving turn cloak off anyways, it is unnecessary when stalking from a distance and drains power.

everything else you said may be worth looking at as they collect data over a few weeks.

1 Like
#4

What you describe with the peaking (I use it too) just underlines that the mechanic of using the plasma caster is off. Having to find a ridge or wall shouldn’t be a must to make the weapon useful. I’m not saying they should buff the dmg a lot, but being able to make good use of the caster in a less restricted play style would be nice.

#5

the whole notion of this ‘peek-a-boo’ method for using the P.C is pathetic -_-

no predator has ever used the P.C this way

secondly, just because you don’t use cloak means nobody else should, therefore it shouldn’t be buffed?

Dude, its a staple gadget OF the predators, they all use it constantly

1 Like
#6

you don’t want the plasma caster to auto aim?

do you even know what game you’re playing? do you know that this is the predator franchise and not some random sci fi shooter?

its written IN LORE that the plasma caster auto tracks its targets

If you don’t want to use it then don’t… stick to the plasma caster gun

#7

I didnt say cloak doesnt need changing. I said I never use it. You are just assuming things. Peek-A-boo is a must till they nerf sniper rifles. Its the only way you can deal with them.

#8

uhhh lol. No it doesnt work that way. i will keep using it how it is now. and it will likely never auto aim, so it’s you who suffers not me. lmao.

and no in the lore of the '87 movie it doesnt “auto track” It follows the laser on his mask and where he looks, same as how it works in this game now.

#9

I agree that the P.C. is powerful in using it the way you describe, but in no way is it too powerful. It is the only way to use what is otherwise an underpowered weapon. Unless the shot is fully charged the damage and splash damage is useless. So you have no choice but to charge it behind cover and release the shot around the edge. When this method works and you land a hit its great. But it makes aiming far more difficult as you only have a short time to aim before you release the shot. Aiming with this method also becomes more difficult when the fireteam are running around like a bunch of monkeys. Because their stamina is almost endless they are constantly sprinting and strafing like its a game of Quake 3. You’ll hit some noob players that have just started out and don’t know what the hell is going on, sure. You’ll feel great about it to begin with, sure. But soon enough the fireteam knows how to play and hitting them with the P.C becomes way harder.
Like others have said, if the only way for the P.C to be useful is to use the environment like this, then it’s lame.

I too turn off vision and cloak to regen energy. But I have to say that this strategy is pretty pathetic for Predator. Being cloaked and using heat vision should be the Predator’s natural state. It’s annoying to constantly turn everything off just to recharge enough energy for another shot. I think that heat vision should not use energy at all and the cloak should drain energy very slowly.

As for P.C. auto aim… I understand that you should encourage players to have skill in aiming. But I have to agree with True_Coverage. Predator Lore has always had the P.C autoaim. I think at this stage if you could make the P.C. more reliably hit the target then that’s a great thing and will balance the game out way more. At this point any improvement for the Predator is a good idea.

1 Like
#10

the mask doesnt use any energy at all if you bring the perk for improved energy restore lol. you actually gain more then it uses so it stays filling up unless you cloak or shoot. This is a balance thing to make the game more unique and “fair” every time you play… different builds, different options… you cant have it all or else you’d be too OP

#11

also why you get so many presets. I have one set up with all ranged weapons the bow and the disc, scout class pred with buffed energy restore perk, increased energy reserves perk, and increased ranged damage perk.

then I have another preset that’s berserker pred with combi stick and net gun for melee, with the bullet resistance perk, increased melee damage perk, and better jumping perk

there are soooo many options you can play with and try. My hunter class is balanced with 1 ranged and 1 melee weapon with perks for more item usages and bear traps and stuff… a hybrid build…

#12

I have used the perks for energy. Do you mean expanded cells or the heated vision?
So basically for the Predator to have normal behaving heat vision, you need to waste 2 perk slots. When you need them to get acceptable HP?

I understand where you’re coming from. But the Predator should not use energy for heat vision whatsoever. it doesnt make any sense. The Predator’s natural way of seeing the world is heat vision. Why would it need to use any energy?

From a game balance perspective I dont see why it helps to use energy, it just makes it irritating to switch back and forth constantly. Specially when they can see your eyes flash.

Anyways dude. Guess we just have different opinions. Hope you still feel the same after you get your ass whooped by decent fireteams 100x >.<

#13

yea, its sad to see players resorting to silly tactics like that just to get an edge over others due to balance issues

#14

on the scout predator JUST bringing the perk for improved energy restore makes the mask use less power then the perk restores.

#15

that’s not a balance issue that’s how the plasma caster was intended to be used.

#16

your eyes dont flash when you switch vision modes. when heat vision is on they STAY glowing gold at all times. when you turn heat vision off the gold glow goes away.

combine no heat vision with cloak and standing still and you become 100% invisible to the humans. heat vision on and they can always see your eyes.

#17

the plasma caster “doesn’t work that way” ?

a entire body of lore says it does

stop making yourself look like a fool to everyone who reads this thread

1 Like
#18

dude. its a shoulder mounted gun that follows the aiming laser on his mask. what are you talking about?! put the meth pipe down.

#19

I’m pretty sure you’re wrong about the eyes flashing man. I’ll check again. But last time i saw they flash when you change. They don’t stay a colour unless you’re glitched. Sometimes they stay black for some reason?

Anyways small detail.

Overall, I would say that it doesnt matter what the lore says if the plasmacaster auto-targets or not. What matters is if making it auto-target would make the game any more fun or better balanced.

I think that making it auto-target would make the game way better. You could balance it out by making the auto-targeting a perk perhaps? Or only allow auto-target to work when you fully charge a shot and stay still for long enough with the target in sight.

#20

In all Predator games except this one, the Predator’s P.C auto-targets. He’s not on meth. chill dude.