Yes, this is one of those posts. Yes, this post will not be liked as much as the “Praise Illfonic!” posts. Yes, I’m expecting the comments to be filled with “LUL, you played too much”, “LUL, adapt!” or other comments, but…
This last patch broke the game, and from a competitive aspect I no longer have fun.
How did I enjoy the game before the patch? Simple - I stream it quite often by queue’ing against ONLY PC players. I do this as both FT and Predator. These players are, quite simply, the best in the game and offer me the biggest challenge on either side. PS4 players are, and I say this with no offense, generally VERY bad at this game and can be toyed with at will.
I find nothing more enjoyable as the FT than being forced to strategize, communicate and out-position the Predator. As the Predator I loved the concept of fighting ‘PCDS’ or the Russians - the game is TOTALLY different and forces you to be on your toes at all times.
How is the game now with Patch 2.0? Well, as the FT I now have a button to press when entering a base to find all items, all AI and the Predator if he is near. The skill aspect of listening, looking and finding a Predator is gone… a simple button press does my job for me. So, now that I have spotted the Predator, with the SAW-Z and Yautja’s bane I am dealing 1/8 of the Predator’s health in a single shot. With the 2nd SMG I am dealing close to half. I can parry a Predator and ‘stun’ him for 1 second, allowing my allies to finish him. I have healing EVERYWHERE. I have ammo EVERYWHERE. Sure, the AI is brutal, but it’s nothing to a team, duo or trio who talks.
And, if all that fails and I die? The last guy becomes Superman and can bring me back with ALL of my equipment, ammo and health.
Well, as the Predator, all of this just sucks. Do you want to spend the first 2-3 minutes blowing up health? Too bad, the FT can complete their missions in UNDER FOUR MINUTES. (Not a joke.) Do you want to live the fantasy of being Predator while stalking them through the jungle, poking them with a bow and slowly picking them off? Nope - there are at least 6 medpacks around the map. This is NOT counting the amount of health packs they can carry depending on their class. So, with that much healing, the “best” way for you to play as a Predator is to try and hit hard and fast, with just enough survivability to endure their focus fire. Do you know why the Combi is the most spammed weapon? Because it is the CLOSEST FT WEAPON we have - the throw damages near instantly. None of the other weapons are exceptionally ‘good’, so the bow becomes the default due to it’s versatility.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, I have no way to replenish my items, if I lose my mask it’s a massive blow to my tracking, and if I get found eating a pig it’s impossible for me to stop the heal (Mind you, the FT has no limitation to pausing THEIR healing.)
So, what does this mean? Well, the natural answer would be to play Private matches with all the friends I have made… except the ping in these games is insanely high - close to 400 for many players.
The game has simply lost it’s competitive edge. I didn’t mind waiting in 20-40 minute queue’s - I’d simply play a game on Steam while I wait. But now as FT I go through games knowing it’ll be a stomp. If I get a win as Predator it feels like I just pulled off some sort of God-Tier victory with everything against me. I’ll keep playing, because there’s nothing like it out right now… but I am disappointed that this game is going the Evolve route and losing all of it’s competitive edge.
