Right I agree it's a little steep, but like I said if you love tactical fps's then I think it will be well worth it even in it's current state.

The main advantages to pre-ordering now is the Offline mode, learning the maps, and how the loot\trading system works (although all of that will probably change).

I only pre-ordered because the NDA was lifted for streamers so I got to see how the game actually plays "live"; and I wanted to support an original IP and a dev team that seems like they give a #%&*$# about their product (which seems rare these days).

Well, I went out and got it. It's very nice, a bit like Squad meets ArmA meets... DayZ or something. I've only played offline to get the hang of the maps but it's very nerve wracking. I love and hate the idea of loosing your gear when you die or disconnect. It's a nice mechanic to raise the stakes, but at the same time it's daunting when you don't have much gear and need to go out and learn things. It's the only reason after five days I'm still not online yet, if that's saying anything. I guess the way to go about it might be to start as a scav until you start bringing home some loot. I'll be trying online next weekend I hope.

Anyway, well worth it IMO if you're into realistic shooters.

Bought this game last year as invited, only to find obtaining assault rifle is like a reward after 10000000 times of looting with only knife equipped and its all gone once you get killed.

its shame gun modeling in this game is topnotch but then the access to the gun is so privileged that you have little chance to see it.

There's some truth to that. Because even if from a purely gameplay perspective a gun is a gun and bullet is a bullet (there's no 'power' advantage with modded guns), there's no doubt the enjoyment factor is much higher when you can play with your painstakingly modded AKM.

But again, you can play as Scav with random gear and if you survive you get to keep your gear. If you hit zero you get some money to get you started again. And it probably keeps even the best players on their toes, plus it makes sure there's a point in going back out on raids. It's an interesting mechanic really, when you think about it. The point of the game is to scavenge for loot, but we're sort of conditioned to think that it's about leveling up your character. Here, losing stuff is the game.

I still want to pick this game up but I just dont feel it's worth 45 bucks...

Well, that's impossible to figure. I've passed on several titles but bought this one. It's something fresh and I'm willing to just tinker until it's fully fleshed out. If it doesn't live up to my expectations in the end it will still have been worth it.

My only nagging disappointment so far are the maps. They're rather small, often not too interesting both visually and in features and overall just can't compete with anything recent IMO, especially with the heavy distance haze after just a few hundred meters (but that does give a false impression of map size). But we'll see how things develop. It is just beta and there's a lot on the roadmap.

The maps are what killed it for me.

It's like they are an afterthought next all the effort put into depicting the gear and to some extented the movement dynamics.

Of course if you ask me, all that detail is wasted on a multiplayer oriented game anyway.

Yeah, maps are the weak point. I'm being unfair to a point because I still don't have the balls to go multiplayer (only PvE), so I have had the relative peace of mind to look around, but they're really nothing special. Plus they use a lot of retro arena-FPS map staples like 'ramped' obstacles and such. For a game that models the actual compatibility of weapon accessories with specific dust covers or receivers, that's just way below par in a far more obvious area. But I guess I'm spoiled by ArmA. Plus it's still beta.

Weapon and inventory management is really amazing though. For a looter/shooter, it's really a huge step up to be able to remove just parts of looted weapons or break them down to save space. Also replentishing mags from others etc. Sure, ArmA is just a smal step away from that but it's a world of a difference.

The maps are going to be expanded, and spawns will be expanded as well, as they wanted to keep the maps somewhat small and confined for playtesting. They already opened up a new area in Customs with the latest update, and there's locked doors and containers all around each level where special loot is stored (keys are either bought or found)

The goal is to connect all of the individual maps and make it one giant area, and in turn it should spread out the spawn areas and chokepoints.