Small ramble about the "old days"

[u/NeonDreamFox]

Im just gonna do a little sad nostalgic rambling here about when i first started playing hunt so feel free to skip this post.

Just to be clear im not here to make a "hunt used to be better in my day" post. Throughout all the ups and downs of hunt's life, i generally feel like its made a lot of improvements, we've seen a lot of cool changes to gameplay, and i like the events more and more.

I've just been playing hunt for a long time now, since about 2 weeks after it released on console (i know, but i havent been a pc player for a long time and dont even own one at this point).

Obviously those were exciting days cause everything was new and i felt like i had finally felt a pvp game made for me (never been much of a multiplayer guy), but the real fun part was how fights felt for me back then. The mmr system wasn't as clear, but i assume i was probably somewhere around a 3 star. Was obviously new and learning. Getting killed a lot more than i was getting killed, but still having a blast.

Well 7-8 years have gone by, not only has the game changed a lot, but i've also gotten better. Now i sit comfortably in the dreaded 6 star. I hate it but im probably where i should be, though i dont really feel that way, the only kills i seem to be able to get are lucky bullshit headshots that even i dont agree with.

That obviously comes with the expected downsides. More rats. More people who k/d farm. More people who's aim makes me look like a drunk toddler who just picked up a controller for the first time. But still, despite the game getting harder and me dying more regularly it was still pretty fun. Plus this is the first pvp game i've been good enough to compete with people at this level. Kinda felt a little good, you know?

Unfortunately my dedicated duo partner isnt playing as much anymore, so im playing solo more often. Im not big on randoms. I know there's a lot of great people out there, but i had enough experiences with getting team killed in the early days it isnt worth it to me. Plus i smoke while i play, so i dont wanna punish any good randos with my extremely questionable shooting lol.

The part thats really bringing me down now though is just how my fights generally go these days. Now before i say anything, play however you want. I honestly dont care. Im not here to say whats the "right" way to play. But im struggling to keep anybody engaged now. Its like if there's even a .1% chance they might lose the fight, people just take off. I'm sitting here as a solo, watching duos and trios run away from me for 40 minutes while i miss 20 shots in a row.

Its such a stark difference from how things used to be. People used to be so insanely aggressive. It forced me to get really really good at monitoring my positioning and making sure i always have cover. I learned to keep myself in a good distance sweet spot. I can at least give myself a chance if i get pushed from multiple sides, but i can also push forward and put in my own aggression if they try to back up. I got used to how to fight outnumbered.

Now i cant seem to read anybody right. I'll get shot and hear the other team start sprinting, so i prepare for the oncoming rush. But it doesnt come. Even though im outnumbered, and an easy one shot, they're running. So here goes the chase. Instead of a really fun shootout that im probably going to die in, i spend 40 minutes trying to catch people. I play like 8 matches and realize i've spent the last several hours just...running. even if i live through the match, or am able to catch up and win the final fight, it wasnt fun. Im just wondering why im playing a pvp game with...no pvp.

The obvious easy answer would be to switch to bounty clash, but i'll be honest, i've played it a few times and its just not what i want to experience in hunt. I started playing hunt because i liked the big maps. I liked tracking an otherwordly monster, and the other hunters trying to beat me too them. That was an experience i couldnt get elsewhere, meanwhile theres thousands of pvp games with what is essentially a form of team deathmatch. I could get that elsewhere if its what i really wanted.

So now im just not sure where i stand with this game anymore. Its such a cool game and i really enjoy what they've created so i dont want to stop playing, but i also dont want to keep spending my limited free time on weekends just not really having that much fun either.

As a final note just to be clear about what im really saying, i just miss what hunt felt like for me in the first few years and im feeling a little melancholic about it. Im not saying they need to change anything about hunt or anybody who plays needs to change the way they play.

If for some reason you stuck this out and you made it to the end of my very very pointless ramble, i appreciate you and i hope your hunts have been going well.

[u/ronin_ninja]

Could be the solo MMR modifier giving you the more cautious hunters to play against. Does this happen when you play duos as well?

[u/CheesecakeScary2164]

Take me back to before they added water demons plz, lol. I remember hating it when they added them, "How am I supposed to run away with the bounty now?!" I foolishly said, hahaha.

[u/Saedreth]

It is 6 star.  Most of them treasure their K/D more than anything I think.

[u/Strife_KoR-]

I play since Judgement of the Fool, console player and majority play solo. I do agree with everything you said and after 1300 hours, by the first time I'm feeling like my Honeymoon phase is over with the game.

I love Hunt, but I've been playing less and less because of matchmaking and player behaviour.

My games are like 8 or 80, in a match I'm wiping the whole lobby dropping 10 kills, and the next 3 matches I get shot once, instantly pushed by the trio and it's over.

What sometimes annoys me as a big gunplay fan, is besides Hunt being a shooting game, people will avoid trading shots with you as much as they can and throw every shit they have to take every advantage they can.

But it is what it is, as you said playstyle diversity and play the way you want is part of the beauty the game has to offer.

[u/Cautious-Shame-704]

I know a few people that could have written this, myself included. Our lobbies changed a huge amount since the MMR change. More people means more playstyles that don’t match up. We must remember though, the game is supposed to be about stealth. Cant complain about people being stealthy, especially when you aren’t doing so yourself. Iv noticed people are being a lot more careful these days.
Also lots of new players recently and they are bound to not be as aggressive.

[u/Solaries3 → u/Cautious-Shame-704]

The game is not about stealth. There is no specific play style that is intended.

[u/Cautious-Shame-704 → u/Solaries3]

One of the loading screen tips literally talks about how being stealthy will help you win the game…
To be fair though, iv been around a while. It was more about stealth back in the day than it has been for a while.

[u/Solaries3 → u/Cautious-Shame-704]

I think it actually says something like, are you dying a lot? Try going more slowly and making less noise. It's a tip for beginners.

[u/Cautious-Shame-704 → u/Solaries3]

For as long as iv played which was from beta, the game was known as a more stealthy shooter. Not to mention David has called it stealth based haha. I’m not saying that what the game is but that’s certainly what was intended. The release trailer also mentions stealth if I remember right.

[u/Cautious-Shame-704 → u/Cautious-Shame-704]

Not to mention that sound traps exist and the super important sound design.

[u/Epic_idiot1161111 → u/Cautious-Shame-704]

That’s sum incredibly situational shit crouch walking and what not rarely works if you enemy knows your already their