I've been spending the past few days playing Killing Floor 2's Early Access. It's been an exciting affair, to say the least. I usually steer clear of Early Access games, but Killing Floor 2 is in great shape.
As great as my experience has been, there are five major items that I feel the game needs to address before launch. Below I'll share what they are.
1. Matchmaking feedback
Currently, when you click 'Play Online Now' to be paired up with other players there is nothing on the menu that tells you that you're currently searching for a game. It doesn't help that the matchmaking servers have been routinely overflowed, leading to frequent search failures. I have never played a game where searching for a game is this frustrating. Most players, including myself, have begun to exclusively use the server browser to find games. It works, but isn't as seamless as a proper matchmaking system.
2. Boss repetition
By nature Killing Floor 2 is a very repetitive game. Perhaps its biggest weakness is its singular boss model which pits you against Hans Volter, an excruciatingly difficult boss, once your team has completed the last wave of foes. He has a ton of health and can even absorb some from players, resulting in a fight that ends up being 10 minutes of bullet sponge madness. Some boss variety would help alleviate the pain.
3. Class/perk balance
Support is by far the worst of the four class choices. The Berserker feels less potent than the Commando in most situations. Field Medic doesn't seem substantial since everyone can buy the HMTech-101 Pistol, a handgun capable of healing enemies. The classes need balancing adjustments to ensure that they are all attractive options. For now, lobbies are packed with Commandos.
4. Zed Mode
There is a reason that virtually every other developer has shied away from using slow-motion in online games. It impacts pacing in a negative way, and results in frustration among players. Zed Mode might be helpful for landing a few key headshots, but a large portion of the time players spend several seconds watching themselves reload or doing something else unexciting. The game would be better without it, but if it has to stay bullets should at least travel faster during the slow-motion. Currently, they sail slowly like molasses dripping down a refrigerator.
5. Tutorial
Killing Floor 2 is by no means a complex game, but nothing is worse than joining a team of players who want to succeed when you have no idea what you're doing. A tutorial system to introduce players to the ins and outs of the game would do it a whole lot of good. There are tons of players I've met who had no idea what the Trader is, how to enable the microphone, or how to obtain additional ammunition.
