I completely agree that the game has balance for high level competitive play.
This can be great, but right now the barrier to entry to get to this point as a beginner is a very steep curve. A lot of this is that the base Predator is so weak that you almost need to have inherited skill in the game to win matches from the get go. I understand that Illfonic needs players to want to be the fire team. If you have a game where everyone wants to be the Predator for every match, you don’t have a game. Evolve suffered from this a bit. Having a weak Predator may defer players to the fire team who don’t want to put the time into mastering the systems.
So, right now it feels like they want committed and serious players to be the Predator, and casual players to be the fire team. One problem with this current balance is that people are buying this game thinking that the Predator is some badass (which it can be) from the get go, but it actually takes a lot of work and patience to time cool downs, know when to attack, when to hide, etc. For people who play a lot of video games and love a challenge, this is probably the perfect balance for them. Casual players looking for something easy, fun and digestible will not find the Predator fun to play unless they have all perks and weapons unlocked and at max level. Personally, I like the challenge but understand the frustration.
I think the fire team should have required objectives beyond going to the camps. Objectives that take them off the trail for longer periods of time. As of right now, fire teams are just sticking to the trails and blasting through camps very quickly. It’s almost like they are speed running through the map. These objectives could be intel discovered at camps that requires them to trek to a different location in the jungle to escort hostages, loot - something/anything to open up the map and diversify player choice.
