As galvanizing as this game can be for some, I thoroughly enjoy it. I primary stick to PvE, I don't do much PvP these days and from the comments I've heard and what I've seen I don't have the desire to dive into it at the moment.
PvE-wise, this game is pure magic in many ways with a long clear road ahead of constant improvement. Sure the devs make some questionable choices here and there, but for the most part the process and development has been steady and a constant improvement. There will be naysayers in every camp and fanboys, whatever, that's everything in life. So far even the decisions I thought were odd at the time have turned out well such as the darker nights.
I'm the kind of PMC who spawns in and chucks a dozen customized DDM4s into the donation box because I spent three hours the previous evening making them and forgot I have three weapon boxes packed full already. I'll throw spare mags, rounds, healing kits, whatever into the box on every server I spawn into and I'm not gonna stop. I can recoup with an hour of runs into Midnight Sapphire or Tiger Bay and do it again.
I play in a squad with my friends or solo, and thanks to the devs listening and updating the task system that's never been easier than it is now. Tasks are challenging overall requiring some basic orienteering or even problem solving. Some, like the cache locations, can be time consuming and frustrating with low overall gain and I think those could use some work. Advancement past rank 30 is slow and arduous and the actual benefit of ranks seems minimal at this time, I think the game would benefit from an incremental improvement system to your PMC's overall stats and condition, or even just a simple skill point system, something to make a slight (SLIGHT) overall difference, not a godlike one. The realism is where the game shines, even with the current state of hit detection which does seem a little off. Unarmored NPC enemies seem somewhat bulletproof at times, often they'll be downed by a single headshot or suddenly become a T800, scanning the forest and absorbing 50 rounds like they're in a hot dog eating contest only to headshot you from 50 meters in the pitch black with a Vz61.
Enemy AI can be very interesting as you explore, the actual army forces will bum rush your position or flank you, they'll lay down suppressing fire and they work well together. They do show instances where they can track you through walls and at long distance, however this has seen steady improvement since 0.4 released, and I know they're working on it.
Weapon customization is... an art. I have a bizarre obsession with it I won't lie and I love tuning and building my gear. Give me more. I love the AR15 options, the AKs could use some more love, and I'd love to see some more heavy hitters like the HK G3 or the SCAR lineup. Some ammunition types do seem a little buggy like the 7.62x51, but those weapons aren't commonplace for usage like the Russian calibers are, which all seem to perform quite well.
Gear can be frustrating. Most of the good vests are far too heavy to be any use, however even a simple lightweight SKS vest (NJA II) will save your life more often than not as they do reduce the impact enough to prevent some one-shot kills. Helmets are pointless other for NVGs, they cap out at IIIA and most enemies are running ammunition that will punch through that, I've never had a helmet save my life yet. I would like to see a rework on the protective vests and the rigs, reduce the weight a bit and maybe make them a bit more modular or sensical. Helmets need some love too down the line that's for sure, and I'd love a thermal scope.
Performance wise this game can be a beast however it does run well on almost anything. I have a laptop with a 4060 mobile, this beastly editing system with an old X299 and a 2080 Ti and a gaming rig with an 11700K and a 3080, they all perform well at high settings and 1440p. Server connections are usually tight, however I've seen some issues as they run "too long." A server with a long up time seems to develop more qwirks with the enemy AI and odd loot generation, after a reset you'll typically experience a really different and smoother gameplay. I believe this has to do with garbage code collection, I'm hoping they work on this issue soon and they're probably well aware of it.
Overall, I've gotten way more than my money's worth out of this game and I enjoy it constantly. I tend to just cruise into Tiger Bay and Narith for a relaxing evening and I love encountering some of the players on here, most of the community is amazing and friendly.
If you see me out there, check the donation box at the HQ. If you're hurting for some gear and you see me in the active list on your sever, send me a message, I'll always help if I can.
Good hunting!
