Yup for sure, I've been running custom kits to burn through some more of my greens and blues before the wipe and the games tonight on the UK servers were all shoot on sight. More people camping extracts with traps. This was pretty predictable, but honestly I'm liking it, it was too boring with everyone being constantly nice. The last bastion for PvEers will be free kits only where there's obviously gear based matchmaking (Despite Embark denying this). But after the wipe and the PvP guys go back to free kits for a bit while they re-level, I think that's going to be an utter blood bath and really be the final nail in the coffin for casuals. That's when we'll see the player count drop to more of it's long term position.
I'm enjoying the chaos to be honest, it was way too nice with everyone getting in line for bunker consoles and stuff. I'm enjoying the adrenaline rush of PvPing more. The problem before with half and half was testing if people were friendly usually guaranteed them the opening salvo and put you at a disadvantage. Now with a more shoot on sight mentality you don't have to worry about any of that. Also people are more chill about it, you get way more gg's if you down someone, rather than complaints about being a "rat", the moaning and bickering we see on Reddit and all the psychological analysis of players PvPing for the fun of it had become UNHINGED. Some players are even refusing to take free kits because they dont want to give their killer anything if they get into a fight and that they'll use safe pockets to just get bit of gear out at a time. The Reddit dads are not dealing with this transition well at all.
We'll see if this is fun enough long term to keep playing, I still have fun, but the cracks are showing and Embark have been both slow and incompetent at fixing them, they're going to have to take this seriously to retain players longer term
