Kagehoshi, dig out the old "superpower like active modules" thread

For all its complex fitting systems, planetary conquests, faction warfare, skills, etc, Dust's gameplay is still basically a simple shooter with no substantial mechanics to set it apart and make it unique compared to other shooters. There are some unique systems, passive scan system, damage types, active modules for vehicles (fairly unique in a shooter) and that's about it; they don't fundamentally effect how you play the game in a big way.

The battlefield series has destructible environments (kind of cool)

The Killzone and Mass Effect series have cool class-based powers (awesome)

COD has those killstreaks (meh)

Bioshock infinite had powers and that skyline (cool)

Planetside 2 has the massive scale (ok)

Titanfall has the aaaaawwwwwwwwesome mechs (awesome)

Many shooters (Halo, Titanfall, Killzone 3, Section 8) have jetpacks (cool)

Dust has many many things going for it that make it unique interesting, and special, but none of those things are in the actual gameplay.

Our equipment is basically the same things we see in Battlefield or similar games (active scanner = motion sensor, drop uplink = spawn beacon, injector = defibrillator, repair tool = health pack, nanohive = ammo pack, and REs = C4). We have enough gear for the game to be tactically functional, but nothing strays outside the ordinary and dares to show any creativity.

Forge gun, scrambler rifle, and (especially) laser rifle, and flaylock pistol are pretty unique weapons for a shooter, but these are not enough to make Dust's gameplay stand out beyond average.

Our dropsuits are pretty simple and boring in terms of function in a shooter with the exception of the logi (no sidearm, multiple equipment).

Mechs (MTACs) and cloaking are coming eventually (sadly doesn't seem to be anytime soon), but I don't think that will be enough. While i do want mechs and cloaking, they have been done so many times by so many shooters (Halo, Killzone, etc) that I don't think it will be enough.

Players have proposed methods of dealing with this:

Infantry active modules

Fun new equipment that bring exciting new gameplay, teleportation grenades, inertial capacitors

I have suggested stargate-like installations

CCP, please sprinkle some pizzazz. Right now Dust is a very deep generic shooter, but still generic.

It's TIME.

Players, I think that is the one core asset that you're not reflecting on here (but yes, you are reflecting on a lot of good ideas here. Um, except the mechs and the cloaking, because they are sci-fi concepts that I just HATED in every game I've played except Killzone).

I can't read the devs minds, and they don't do a lot of explaining about the past, but the goal with this game was (still IS) to be a slave-companion to EVE Online. A clone merc doesn't fight. Outside of the EVE lore that says we're in this because of a violent desire that for the time being causes us to be "restricted" to the Molden Heath sector of space,... Dust 514 is conceived to give EVE capsuleers the chance to "own" and "develop" planets on a surface-level. THEY travel entire systems of planets, and they choose to hire us (buy us?) for combat on their chosen planets/districts.
That means potentially VAST "maps" chosen (or possibly designed via purchased-sockets) by EVE players. The merge is not fully accomplished yet, so at present time we're temporarily stuck with "practice battles" called 'Public Contracts'.

That also means "Drone infestation clean-out" or similar maps chosen by EVE players when they think it's lucrative,... but at present time we're temporarily stuck with no PvE content, no room to expand combat goals.

That means that, instead of working to get better toys, the core challenge of the game becomes gambling yourself in wheel-n-deal arrangements with MEGA-ISK corp-moguls for a battle that may no pay out big in the end,... but for now with no real business interaction programmed yet, we're starting to dream of more toy types to keep us interested during the boredom time.

I respect your suggestions here, but I don't think Dust needs anything more than just to get over this time period. We can't go anywhere further without EVE's marriage. It's close, yes, I can detect that in the Patches we are getting and that FW chat channel explosion recently.
But I can see the prize ahead because I've only been playing this game for six months. Some of you have been at this for plus-2 years, so for you guys the "TIME" endurance must be excruciating!!

2 years of Betas, then the May release that is SORT OF just an additional "Beta", with monthly plug-ins/fixes... the game hasn't really "RELEASED" for us to do what the EVE capsuleers can't do and will be falling over themselves to hire and enable us to do. DANG, this may be SUCH an amazing game when it "get's started"!
I don't know if releasing these infant forms of the game was the better idea or masacist's idea---I think it HAS helped cull some gamers away that we're better off without in the long run---but who am I claim that's true for sure.

We're in a waiting game. Wow, LOL, I said a cool new description for Dust. It really is now a "Waiting Game".

EventuallyGäó

What we need is the promised strategic element and a progressive battle.

Gameplay is flat because the match objective is simple and requires nothing more than DPS to achieve.

DUST desperately needs to graduate from being a mindless lobby shooter into a tactical/strategic team based game.