WotC calls it a playtest, but it's really a concept test. They're throwing up a wave of new ideas and concepts and seeing what people think. Which means going with the most experimental stuff that they're uncertain about. It's not really meant to improve the ranger, it's to get them the information they missed during the mass playtest.
I agree with this. This seems exactly what they're doing. But that, also, speaks directly to the question of the thread...Yes. They are overthinking and, each one more than the last, is overwrought!
Mechanical complexity/retcons just to remove spells? A spirit-companion shaman/conjurer/medium...that gives you benefits for the whole party? Massively immersion breaking mechanics? What?! Why is any of this necessary?!
As has been pointed out here many times, the PHB ranger needs two or three tweaks, and it's done. [I won't get into what the actual changes need to be, as the one with the most vocal detractors is something I find whiny and entitled and trivially houseruled.]
The obvious follow up question, "Why?" Why are they doing this? Why are they, what seems "purposefully" at this point, making it so difficult?
This whole crisis of identity and purpose of the ranger is a load of crap, as far as I'm concerned.
Stop looking at/to things that are derivative of D&D and say "Oh, yeah, we have to include that too!" No. No, you don't! That is something that branched off from you[the D&D ranger]. Let it! You can't redesign a tree TRUNK off of the twig or leaf. But for some reason, that's what they seem to think they want to do..."Here's this offshoot of the D&D ranger (often for little more reason than it's called a "ranger") in this book/video game/whatever context. Our ranger needs to do that, too!"
Stop trying to "innovate." Stop trying to be all rangers to all people [or, since they apparently can't do that, be purposely NO ranger to anyone, as evidenced in this latest version] and be THE D&D RANGER! Just do/be that! They know what it is. They've shared enough design notes (and a lot of the material in the PHB) to show us they know what its supposed to be/be doing...
D&D [by way of the Tolkien literary base] knows what the ranger was intended to be...Make a outdoorsy/wilderness/borderlands warrior surviving and holding back the tides of evil from civilized lands/peoples. Throw in some rogue skill, an ambush/skirmisher focus/style, and a bit of magic know-how/lore (not, necessarily, spell-use).
HOW and WHY do they keep messing it up?! Why is anyone trying to experiment with the concept?! If we can't make everyone happy, we'll just make no one/change the whole premise of the class?!
Just...STOP! WotC has a serious problem with the whole "fixing what ain't broke" mindset.