So what's the deal with this game? My younger brother has won like 5 times since it came out on the xbox and he plays primarily stealthy, just surviving with ok guns and ambushing someone at the end to stock up on what they looted.
I'm playing all out from the moment I drop, picking my places reasonably close to others, playing the wall and people trailing, picking buildings in the thick at the end, etc. I haven't won, but I've been top 3 several times by now and always get a bit overzealous dying to someone else picking me off as I mop up the top 10.
Does the game favor stealth? The combat controls seem to be so rough around the edges that my play style might be my downfall, aiming isn't very tight (CoD, BF, etc) and the controls on the XB1 are awful. My least favorite part of this game is 3rd person aiming isn't in sync with bullet placement, a shotgun blast on target will hit just to the side of someone or hit a wall, etc.
Different styles for different people. It's also different if you're playing solo, duos, or squads.
I don't like to drop in high populated areas solos because of the lag in the early game. Recently I was popped because I couldn't load a shotgun due to rubber banding issues not allowing me to pick up the ammo on the floor. I didn't die because I'm bad, I died because the game doesn't run smoothly and I find that to be frustrating.
Playing the edge of the circle can be good, but it leaves you vulnerable to be screwed by a bad circle. The benefit of playing the edge is obviously that you're eliminating one side that people can attack you from, so it narrows down what you have to focus on. One of the other negatives to playing the edge is that it eliminates a path for
you to take if you get into trouble, and a lot of times people don't think of it that way. If someone notices you and you're stuck behind a rock at the very edge, well, you better hope you win the battle because there's no alternative.
If you play the middle of the map after looting up, you have to move a lot less but the threats can come from any direction. It's not uncommon for multiple people or squads to roll up into the same area at the same time and have multiple people/groups fighting it out over prime real estate in the middle of the map. However, if you're geared up a bit and can control the map from the center, you're in a really strong position.
I like to combine the two strategies a bit when I'm playing alone. I drop in areas that can get people but aren't crazy populated (i.e. the mansions), get some decent loot and a kill or two, then move on to the zone. Playing the very edge of the circle can be hard, so I play inside it by a good margin and clear areas of space (late game, I try to control like a 1/4 or 1/5 of the circle space). I then know for certain I don't have anyone in a particular region and can use all of that space to maneuver without much worry. If I get noticed or am in a bad spot for an engagement? No worries, I know the area behind me is likely clear and I can disengage and move to another location. Generally I don't like to shoot unless I know I can secure the kill. No sense in giving up your location to other people if you can't get the kill. If you're down to the top 3 players, try and get the other two guys to engage each other. It will give up their position if you don't know where they are and it will allow you to take advantage of them being distracted by either killing the victor or by moving to a more favorable position.
That said, there is no wrong or right way to play. The objective is to a) be the last person standing and/or b) to enjoy yourself. As long as you're doing those two things it doesn't matter what strategy you employ. Some people are good enough to secure 15 kills in a round and win. I'm not, so I don't play in that particular style. I've also goofed around trying ridiculous things to try and win or just have fun. Cars only, boats only, that sort of thing.
Just to note, I do play on PC and have no experience playing on console. There may be slight differences in strategy because of the limitations for the controls.