>>1249758
>Is there something about this game I didn't get?
No you got it, pretty much. MGSV's big Ballance flaw is the fact it is still using the progression of MGS Peace Walker, but MGSV isn't designed to be a portable game like Peace Walker where the waiting times on things made sense to how the game worked. You still made progress in progression even when you had the PSP in sleep mode or whatever. All those wait times and progression paths worked for Peace Walker since without them the game would be pretty short, and lack Longevity. Part of Peace Walkers design was possibly inspired by Monster Hunters progression systems, which would explain why there is the cross-over in that game.
MGSV is a full-fledged AAA game designed to be played for extended periods of time, yet the progression is still filled with these aspects that are designed for "Progress when you're not playing the game." This isn't necessarily enough to ruin MGSV as there is a ton of things to do in the game, but if you want to get to the point where you're simply on the same level you were during Ground Zeroes, that takes hours upon hours of progression. The game is designed for the long hall, where you'll be playing it for over 100 hours, but if you just want to get though the story to see what happens, similar to how you would in all the games before Peace Walker. Suddenly your upgrade progression is way slower, and you are tasked with doing many things that aren't the main story to outfit yourself with necessary gear, to make later parts of the game more manageable.
I bounced off of MGSV in 2015, not making it even to Africa, and I didn't finish the rest of the game until 2023, when I decided to complete it, as well as doing the rest of Ground Zeroes contet. I feel like I have more positive feelings toward Ground Zeroes just because that game is more streamlined, you get the things you need to complete the game's missions, and it doesn't waste your time.
Perhaps Phantom Pain could have used some kind of "Default recommended load out" for the main story missions so you can get though them with the Essentials, and if you wanted to bring your own custom equipment that is what would require more effort. As is Phantom Pain requires you to just kind of be fortunate enough to decide to build the right equipment for missions you won't know are coming, if you want to progress though the game smoothly. If you don't build the right equipment, then you'll probably hit a wall until you do, and that'll just require waiting for that stuff to get made. It might not happen too much, but the fact it can happen at all is an issue.
The game has plenty of good aspects, but it's a bit unfocused, without having played Peace Walker first then i'm sure it can feel like a huge departure from the rest of the series.