I firstly want to say, the ridiculous amount of hate for this game only a couple days from release is really absurd. I completely agree that there are some balancing issues to be addressed, and of course the matchmaking/crossplay features aren’t working as intended. However this gives none of the haters any right to completely bad mouth the Devs and the work they have put in.
I’ve been having a blast playing so far, and despite the wait times, the game itself has some great potential.
Playing both sides of the coin however, I have to agree on some of the cons brought up.
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The Predator is extremely underpowered until late stage leveling when you unlock more items. As much as that sort of makes sense, the Fireteam weapons are all quite useful and they have decent weapons from level 1.
In order to rectify this, I believe buffing the early level weapons (Like the Elder Sword and Wristblades) to do slightly more damage would help. -
I’ve been enjoying playing the Fireteam as well as the occasional Predator game, but there are a few game tweaks needed to bring them down from the “Chase the Predator while it’s in second wind mode” to actually being the Prey on the map.
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For starters, in second wind mode I think the Predator should still be able to leap but not use Predkour. As such, running away does not give you enough distance when a lot of Fireteams chase the now helpless hunter.
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Likewise, in Second Wind, I think the Predator should still be able to attack and even interact with the environment (EG. Claiming trophies if able). As it is getting put into Second Wind is demeaning enough as the “Killer” on the map, but then having to run away with your tail between your legs is embarrassing. If the Predator chooses to fight on and be completely killed while in second chance, I believe that should be an option.
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As much as I like to run the combos myself, I can’t in good conscience agree that allowing Shotguns and the Minigun to be used as a sidearm to be a smart idea. If these were made Primary weapons, with Pistols and SMGs being sidearms then the Fireteams would come back into a much more balanced state.
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I agree that some items in the Environment should stop bullets/plasma shots, but the amount of times I have lined up a shot (Both Predator and Fireteam alike) and been denied a hit due to a leaf getting in the way is ridiculous. There should be definitive tweaks to the destructible environment so bullet/plasma velocity isn’t impeded by the most minute amount of foliage.
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A very frustrating aspect in this game is healing. As much as the Predator can full heal with a healing kit, the fact it takes an absurd amount of time whilst the Fireteam can heal to full off a medkit in half that time is beyond ridiculous. And worse still; insta-heal with the Field Syrettes are a horrible mechanic that feels cheap. I’ve saved myself that way countless times going 1v1 against a Predator.
I absolutely believe that the Syrettes need to be interacted with for a certain period of time, exactly the same as the Predator has to inject into its own body. -
Along the previous line of thought; either making the Syrettes needing to be used while standing still, or if keeping the movement aspect, reduce movement speed whilst healing as it’s crazy to think you’d be running full sprint trying to inject yourself in any scenario.
There are probably other issues I have missed but to me these are the core things that when fixed will make the game a lot more stable, but most importantly a lot more balanced.
I’ve been a big fan of asymmetrical games like this since playing Dead By Daylight when that first came out, and I understand the headache it is trying to constantly buff and nerf the game to make it feel competitive for both sides.
Keep doing what you’re doing Illfonic, will be keen to see any and all patches and changes coming to the game when they’re ready!
TL;DR- The game is a little bit unbalanced but is still extremely fun in this early state. All haters, shut up and refund. No one needs your negativity.