Just sharing some observations and opinions below. When playing as FIA I’m basically in an extractor shooter roleplay. So I have never had an issue with spawning with just a pistol. You’re dropped in and have to survive and progress. So it feels rewarding when I get better gear. I will note that I do tend to play solo when FIA. But not always. I noticed some amplified pain points for me after dying. Just some suggestions below to make the experience more realistic/rewarding:
My absolute biggest issue: FIA struggle with mobility/speed. IRL small local ragtag resistance groups dominate in this area (Vietnam, Chad, 1776 Revolution, etc). While I don’t necessarily believe it’s primarily a vehicle issue, I will note that vehicle despawn times hurt FIA twice as hard, because other factions are usually going to rely on their specialized vehicles. IMO, the other factions push hard in the beginning because they have better mobility not (just) because they have bigger/better weapons. There may be other mobility solutions for FIA besides vehicles, but I’m not sure about solutions for that.
Ranking/progression. I logged in on official server as assault class for USA, filled a truck to 1500 and dropped off into empty container. Immediately ranked up. Did a similar supply run on official with FIA with 1500 supplies into empty container, and didn’t get half as much XP. With mobility issues, definitely need luck to pull off a supply drop with FIA in 5 minutes (enemies may spawn near you beginning of game, etc). So, I feel like for all the work I put in I am not rewarded.