Priorities for future development: PS5, bug fixing, new content

#1

As a pure multiplayer game (or life service), Predator: Hunting Grounds needs a sufficient playerbase and must generate a steady income. In my opinion, the following topics should have priority.

1. Make it free-to-play with ingame purchases.
I doubt that Illfonic will do this and many of you don’t like it. However, this is the current way to keep a multiplayer game running.

2. PS5 support
Actually, Predator’s playerbase consists mainly of PS4 players. If Predator is not marketed for PS5, the Predator will die sooner than later.

3. PS4 improvements
Due to the playerbase, development priority should be Playstation not PC. Start with adding basic functions to the PS4 version like a higher field of view and improve PS4 controls.

4. Bug fixing
Version 2.02 was a disaster. Users had to manually delete their profiles! This should never happen again.

5. More content but without wasting ressources
Version 2.05 was great. The new map is really nice but the new game mode is a waste of ressources from my point of view. Predator’s unique feature is the game mode Hunt while Clash is nothing special. No one would play Predator: Hunting Grounds just for Clash.

6. Paid DLC
Paid DLC is essential to keep the game running. For instance, I assume that all fireteam members of the first movie would sell profitably. I know that voice recording would be an issue since not all of them are still alive.

7. Balancing
Start with balancing the Predator’s weapons against each other. There should be a variety of options. There are lots of nice suggestions in this forum.

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#2

I absolutely agree with everything, especially #1.

#3

I would love to see a ranked mode also. It could give a motivation to the players that already have a lot of hours to keep playing without get bored of the game.

#4

Ranked mode is a good idea by principal. However, it is necessary to distinguish between ranking with random players and with friends - just as stated in one of the threads. It makes a huge difference if you play with friends or with randoms. Furthermore, the match making rating had to be defined properly which may be rather difficult.

But they could introduce leaderboards like total claims, daily claims, stealth claims, average claims per match and so on.

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#5

Dlc does not pay for itself the far majority of the time, it has to be combined with game sales (there are exceptions ie. ForkNight), to turn a profit. This goes double for when the Dlc requires you to pay for likeness rights or may have to pay royalties. Making the game free to play and then depending on Dlc won’t keep the game alive.

Yes things will need to be done to bring in new players but first they need to build up the amount of Dlc they have available. Currently the only successful model they can reasonably follow is Behaviour’s model for Dbd. Friday was also successful but that had more to do with initial sales numbers then over lifetime numbers.

Going free to play would be a mistake at this point in the games life, there will be a time when it may be a smart move but now is not the time. Now it would simply signal the end of PHG.

#6

In addition, free-to-play might not be really compatible with Predator’s mature rating.

#7

Rating could definitely play a factor. Currently there’s no in game currency that can be bought for real currency, no way to recoup costs. Plus they have physical copies that still need to be moved.

#8

By the way, I only bought Predator day one since I assumed that you have to play it now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow, it will be gone just like most multiplayer games.

#9

I wouldn’t agree about free to play.
What about people who paid for it and helped the development of the game?

#10

We need a Progression system, that has healthy and rewarding grind.

A significantly larger number of Dlc, that includes things purists won’t like much ie. Xeno’s. Simply because people won’t currently buy every Predator (likely just the ones they play) or an average number of around 3 per player. So franchise related Dlc needs to be created to encourage more purchases.
To give you an example of Dlc they could release, imagine they added some of the trophies from the wall in Predator 2 as things that might make an appearance in Hunt mode, extra prey or match modifiers. But you could also buy them as Dlc so you could hunt them offline at you’re leisure, as either Pred or FT.

The other thing they can work on is offline challenges, that allow you to place you’re human or Predator skins on the NPC’s. I know I’d buy lots of characters, so that I could then recreate scenarios with them. Would the cast of part two survive the route travelled in part one? The challenges can be designed, so it doesn’t matter who you slap in the slots but their own unique traits should provide some variety as well. To easy make it harder, to short add more fodder to cut down. The possibilities are many.

#11

Typically, former purchasers get premium content for free. Latest example: Rocket League

For sure, it is somehow unfair but you have been able to play the whole time. You don’t own anything in case of these multiplayer games nowadays. It is rather a service and more like paying a membership fee for a sport’s club.

#12

I would say, paying a subscription in MMO monthly is like a premium membership fee.

The way it works, (in Star Wars The Old Republic MMO for example), the game is f2p, but, you only get to experience some vanilla content, just to peek your interest.

In WoW, I’ve heard that you can’t even play it when your subscription is gone.
But this isn’t an MMO, it is still a multiplayer, like Counter Strike (just an example) and CS isn’t free to play, being the same type of the game, FPS.

It would be unfair to everyone who bought the game and to correct you, I’ve played it the whole time because I paid for it like everyone else.

Second thing.

Buying the game and DLC’s keeps the game alive, they still have to pay for the server maintenance, development of future content, staff etc. Buying the game keeps it alive, in simple words.

5-6$ DLC every other month won’t keep this game alive. Paying 40-60$ for the game will. It is what it is bro, it’s how it works.

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#13

-Introduce a type of “Prestige” Mode that rewards players for grinding XP and gives out exclusive Cosmetics such as Bio-Masks, Predator/Fireteam Weapon Variants, Armor/Outfit Varitents/Colors, Pred Skin Patterns for each “Cycle” of Levels. There could even be a Level Cap increase included.

This wouldn’t be a Battle Pass or a Ranked Season, but rather, a gameplay experience that takes advantage of the current Leveling System and rewards for Gameplay.

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#14

1- F2P must only have 1 map 1 class and few weapons for the FT, same goes for Predator. They’ve allowed a free 1 day trial twice already…I wouldnt be surprised if they did it again every few months. Its a good strategy, if ppl aren’t satisfied it’s their own damn fault.

7- Balance in the form of new weapons and classes. No more requests from the general public whom have no technical knowledge of any of our characters to scream Buff this nerf that, as its getting freaking annoying af. These recommendations are baseless and useless if not for their own perspectives which can be surprisingly limited. Leave the decimal numbers to the devs who will do it as its part and parcel of their day job as more weapons are developed for the game. The game mechanics as it is currently are far more polished (or complicated) today than it has ever been.

I generally agree with points 2-6, those are pretty much the idea from day one for those who experience the “bugs”. But again, it could be their own damn fault for not cleaning their consoles, running too many applications at once, like those who capture their videos on playstation and not anyother device.

#15

Actually, CS was a free mod 20 years ago and the lastest version has become free-to-play.

#16

A ranked mode would help with people insulting each other “got gud” whenever some one says something contrary to some ine elses view of balance. It might actaully give Illfonic some guidance on balancing

#17

This would be great because then XP would matter again, and everyone would be getting more free fields

And if Illfonic wanted to they could sell double XP to those players who don’t want to grind for everything