EFT Wet Dream (or - another ride on a dead horse)

March 14, 2021

This is my first wipe. Also - I don't play much FPSs and I truly suck at them (bad at seeing enemies, slow to react and worse at aiming). And I'm getting old, which doesn't help any of those issues.
And I have limited time so I can't put 8-12h a day to it, and practically no friends to play EFT with (their main reason for not getting the game being the PVP part).

That's the premise where I'm writing this from.

First and most importantly - I love EFT. I can't remember when a FPS has captured me like EFT has. And here's the main reasons why I love it:

1. The realism - no crosshairs, no 3rd person, no map/hud compass etc. The sounds and one-shot deaths... just pure awesomeness.
2. The gun modding - I've looked and I have not found a single game that comes to even close on the variety on gun modding... and the sounds - both in lobby when modding and in the field using the guns...
3. The looting and crafting - there's so much to see, search, loot - the joy of searching and finding the stuff you need...

Those are the top three things that make EFT unique and separates it from the competition - in addition there are other aspects I really like:

4. The guests (for the most part - don't care much of the PvP quests)
5. The Graphics
6. The aspects of eating/drinking/using meds etc... permadeath and loss of gear (I mean, no corpse runs - technically you could do it as scav, but...)
7. The sounds... did I mention the sounds... I mean, they are just awesome, from reloads, and gun shots (and distance effects) to drinking milk or just listening for enemy...

And then there are few things that I REALLY love - that is unique compared to the competition...

8. NO ducking ZOMBIES... all enemies are human (yes - I know bunnyrambo TTV players are a stretch, but I count (most of) them humans).
9. No fricking lazers or any other "future" weapons - all the guns and mods are actual existing real-life items.

and finally
10: the potential and things to do - there is just so much...

There is a lot of other games that could compete - here's just the ones I've tried (in no special order): ARMA 2&3, PUBG, SCUM, 7D2D, Rust, COD, MOH, Ghost Recon, Division 1 & 2, Ring of Elysium, APEX and as a small curveball: theHunter Classic/theHunter COTW... But while any of those have some aspects I mentioned I love in EFT - none have them in so perfect combination as EFT. There are some interesting one coming, like Dark Matter (with - sigh - Zombies again, how original) and The Day Before - but I don't think they can compete with EFT. I just haven't found anything that could - so that is why I have this wet dream I'm about to say.

With all that said - the only thing that is a shame is the lack of SP or PVE only mode. I've read the forums and there are lot of people asking for it and also lot of people speaking against it. I don't quite get the PvP players saying the SP/PVE mode should never happen - as I don't see how that would affect them at all. The only "valid" point would be that it would draw away players from PvP... but that is not a good point. As it only indicates that those PvP players want to force others to play a mode the others don't enjoy and wouldn't play if there is an option. The PvP players want to keep those others just for their own needs. It's like if there are a group of people that are hungry and there is only blood-pudding to eat - everyone will eat it as it's the only option and they would starve to death without it. And if there would be some other food on the table, those who love blood-pudding would keep insisting that everyone eat only the blood-pudding... anyway - not a great analogy but hopefully understandable, besides I digress...

This is how I would see my "wet dream" version of EFT PVE-mode:

- No Flea market
- No scav runs
- No Insurance (or insurance but with random chance to succeed)
- More raiders / harder scavs in every map

All other aspects, like if you die you lose all your stuff - that you need find items/keys to progress etc. still apply.
It would be a perfect game for more casual players like me to enjoy, and at the same time challenging enough (I haven't died a lot to PMCs in EFT, as I tend to die to scavs before the PMCs have even a chance to kill me).

AND - in my opinion and personal experience - it would actually pull me towards the PVP side as well.

The main reason why I personally like to play EFT (or any game really) is to enjoy it to the fullest - this means, exploring the map, looking for the work the devs have put in it, perhaps find some easter eggs or other clues, lore and hints what has happened - and small stories, like finding a dead pmc in shoreline bustation, or the two in one of the rooms - or the upsidedown room... etc... And EFT has lot of that kind of things.

But for players like me with limited time/skill, it tends to be a fact that some areas are just off limits to us, or if we get there, we have no time to look around and experience the surroundings.
In PVE mode I could do all that, I could experience the game completely - all aspects of it on my terms (and still there would be grinding and hard tasks to complete). I can do a lot of that "checking surroungings" offline (and I have - a lot) - but I am missing a lot of the other cools stuff when there is no progression offline. I mean for example things I've NEVER experienced in game so far:

- Not Found in Raid: Graphics Card, Bitcoin, Tetris, LEDX and a lot of other valuable or important items

- Not killed a single boss or their guard (Rashala, Shturman, Sanitar, Killa, Gluhar - don't even know if there are others), not even seen one online... (And most likely should I ever be the first to them, the most likely would kill me anyway).

- Certain Hideout upgrades like Bitcoin farm

- Other cool stuff (never been in labs, I just managed to get my first secure container upgrade Alpha -> Beta... with money - Kappa is utopia etc.)

I know with time I can reach those - but, as said - I don't have the 8-12h/day to put in EFT - and since I suck it would require a lot more for me to reach those things - likely never before the next wipe.

With PVE - I could experience all those aspects of the game as well...and at the same time I would learn the maps, weapons and playstyle... and once that is complete and I would find it less challenging - I would go for PvP with more comfort and for that purpose only, I wouldn't need to "check the world" anymore as I've already done that and I can just focus on the PvP side and all the "limits" and "rules" it brings to the game style and maps. One thing that (the PvP only) people tend to be unable to realize - to play PvP is a completely different that to play PVE in so many aspects - basically only the maps are same - you could compare it to like COD single player experience vs COD PvP - they're completely different games and require completely different playstyles and focus points. And - even while I do suck at PVP - I do want to experience it, but I would also like to experience a lot of the other aspects of the game which currently are - if not completely out of my reach - very hard to reach for me.

I know the PvP players don't like this idea, but as I've stated in other post - it doesn't matter. I'm not here to satisfy their needs. Like them - I'm only interested in ME and MY needs - and this is my wet dream.

However, I'm a bit conflicted how I feel about Nikita/Devs if they just want to make a PvP game... On one hand I feel it's counterintuitive (business wise), as a PVE mode would most definitely bring more players to the game (the game is really that good and more importantly unique, specially the gun modding, realism, sounds and the lack of Zombies). And as I feel it, it wouldn't require much anything as all the elements are mostly there for people to start enjoying the PVE side...
On the other hand - it's their game, their work of art and their expression on their vision. And I have to respect that - even if I don't completely understand it or enjoy it. So - I'm not demanding anything - PvP only is fine if that is how the DEVs feel their vision to be fullfilled - I'm only dreaming...

I just wanted to write this - to voice my "wet dream" on EFT as well as just highlight my appreciation of the game and how great it is. I've enjoyed it a lot, even thou I'm still only L23 (at the time of writing) and haven't got a bitcoin farm (not even close) and are currently trying to work to get Jaeger to L2 so I couldn't progress my hideout.

I currently have the "cheapest" version of the game (as I want to experience it without any help) - but even if there will never be a PVE mode, I will be upgrading my version to the best one on the next wipe. This game is one of the rare games that I just want to support. And if there would be a PVE mode, which you would have to buy another account at full price - I'd do that in a heartbeat. And I can't recommend this game enough to anyone even remotely interested in the genre...

Thanks DEVs and thanks for listening... now.. release the flamers

- Finuc -

P.S. Nikita/Devs - if you ever do want to have PVE mode with progression and need testers for that aspect - I'm ready when you are