Not that I expect this to get any meaningful attention, but I figured i'd post this just so no one could say I didn't try...

Most of what im about to suggest is probably going to be very unpopular but I request that you at least give it a thought before you reply. (summary will be at the bottom for you lazy folks :P)

I've been involved in DUST since the beginning of testing and i've seen it evolve quite a bit (Oh Breach AR's, how for you have fallen :P). The gameplay seems to have deteriorated slowly over time in regards to "fun" factor. I'll admit that nowadays I really only play for a few days after the updates to see how it changes. Over all this time i've been trying to figure out precisely why I can always play games like Battlefield, Planetside 2, or even Killzone: Shadow Fall on my PS4 and have some fun, but can't really seem to with DUST514 anymore.

Well, I think I finally have an answer and I felt like I should share it.

To put it simply, the game is TOO MUCH like EVE. What I realized is that the other shooters were fun because they didn't require a large amount of dedication to be competitive. Sure, in say Battlefield, it takes some time and dedication to unlock weapons, but I could still be COMPETITIVE without that time. DUST does not share this feature. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you're in a militia suit you're only useful against other militia wielding players and maybe a few inattentive advanced users.

The first suggestion is in regards to items (dropsuits, equipment, vehicles, weapons, etc)

Please don't get me wrong, I love the idea of dropsuits and players using actual assets that cost real ISK rather than just giving players free stuff. However, I feel the tiers of itemization are adding complexity to the game without actually serving a meaningful purpose. Not to mention how difficult it is to find a proper line to separate players into matches based on what tier of gear they can use vs what they choose to use (I can technically use proto gear, but I sure can't afford to), etc.

So one of my solution suggestions is as follows:

Leave in the free militia gear, and dissolve all basic, advanced, and prototype gear into one tier of gear equivalent to the advanced tier (so that choosing a skill path still gives a gear improvement over militia, but not so much so that militia becomes powerless). This not only levels the playing field more, but makes being competitive in the game easier for newer players without segregation into categories.

The next part is about skill, both statistically and actual tangible player ability.

This one is gonna take some explaining just to make sure my point comes across as clearly as I can make it.

There are things DUST is lacking that helps separate the skilled players from the unskilled. One of them is recoil patterns on weapons, and the other is a solid baseline of weapon handling that is consistent from one player to the next.

The first takes very little explanation, rather than add skills which reduce "shake" and dispersion of the weapon, give weapons unique recoil patterns that players must learn and adjust to in order to maintain accuracy when firing. Its a common concept in shooters and I believe its absence in DUST is detrimental to creating the divide between players with skill in shooters and those who do not have those abilities honed yet.

The second goes into actual skill training, but ties in with the first. I think weapon skills that increase damage, accuracy, or reload times should be done away with so players with an ability to control a weapon through their own literal ability are rewarded more. I know this would change a lot of things with the skill system, but I believe it would be much better for the games success.

Next is about the EVE-DUST link

Or, more bluntly, the lack thereof.

DUST feels less like a part of the EVE universe and more like it simply exists on the same server and shares a chat system.

What really got me pumped about DUST was the idea of being a true mercenary, of being able to take a contract from an EVE corporation to attack or defend a planet in their name, for their ISK. Unfortunately I dont feel like that in DUST. Sure I could get into planetary conquest, but PC to me feels more like a distraction than something with a galaxy-wide impact.

My solution for this is simple and something that's been requested for awhile by folks other than me:

LET US INTO NULL SEC

DUST corps don't have to own the planet like in PC, at least not for me. Just being paid by an EVE corp to help them take it is all i want. I WANT to be a MERCENARY, not a conqueror.

I fell in love with the idea of starting up a DUST corp and getting together a group of players, and eventually marketing ourselves to the highest bidder. i still await the opportunity to do that.


I do not pretend that any of the ideas are foolproof, or even possible with the current state of the game. However, I do feel that these are steps in the right direction toward attracting a larger player base, and making it so a players physical skill is rewarded rather than how much time and ISK they have to burn.

(TL:DR) So in summary, my suggestions for improving the game are:
1. Get rid of basic, advanced, and proto tiers of items and dissolve into one tier equivalent to advanced.
2. Get rid of skill training that alters weapon behavior. Introduce recoil patterns, and unique weapon characteristics players must adapt to in order to allow physical skill to become more rewarding than time spent in the game.
3. Let DUST mercs into Null Sec. Let EVE corps pay us to help them secure planets, I WANT TO BE A MERCENARY, NOT A CONQUEROR.