As far as unlocks go, I prefer a much flatter progression tree than what CCP Z proposed for Project Legion some years ago.

I would have a few hours of play time unlock the base model of all weapon types. Then a much much longer time with a base weapon to unlock variants of that weapon. So, once you have played long enough to get oriented to the base game you get a message letting you know that you have unlocked other suits and weapons. (Encourages you to investigate fittings after you have figured out other mechanics so it is not so overwhelming.)

So, once the base weapons are unlocked you have access to the Assault Plasma Rifle and the Breach Rail Rifle, but you would still have to play for an extended amount of time to gain access to the Breach Plasma Rifle. But then, the main reason to chose the Breach Plasma Rifle over the Rail Rifle is if you want to take advantage of your Plasma Rifle Proficiency, which takes time to level anyway.

This setup allows fitting versatility fairly early on, while still rewarding specialization.

I would see it as something you would chose before you deploy, or possibly something you can change at a Supply Depot. I don't want every fit to be able to optimize itself to every situation on the fly, as one of the things that makes fitting fun it the tactical planning aspect. You try to pick the right fit for what you expect to be doing, and if you chose wrong you try to make the best of it until you get a chance to change fits.

However, being able to change ammo type on your fit before you respawn, or while interfaced with a Supply depot without having to save a different fit for every eventuality would be nice.

I agree. I could see it being something more like a swappable mod for the gun rather than something you swap on the fly. Besides, we are all just going to use Antimatter anyways ;)

I am not sure what has gotten your panties in a knot. EVE has different ammo types that can be swapped to change damage, range, and damage type profiles for a weapon.

Or was it that I suggested earlier having Explosive or EMP rounds for Rail or Projectile? If an Explosive or EMP round can be made small enough it can certainly be pushed down a barrel by an explosion, or pulled down a barrel by a magnetic relay (assuming iron content). They probably don't have that for Rail ammo in EVE because for some stupid reason which makes little sense they use the same ammo in EVE for both Rail and Plasma weapons. An Explosive or EMP round would lose its properties when converted to plasma, so that prevents those two damage types from being included in hybrid ammo.

That does not mean it would be unrealistic to include them in NOVA as long as different ammo is used for Rail weapons than what is used for plasma weapons (Blasters).


Edit: I am fairly sure this is more of a misunderstanding between me, you, and Pokey than an actual conflict of beliefs/values.

TL/DR: Significant power progression good, vets encouraged to stomp noobs bad, increasing risk vs reward good.

I don't think CCP should shy away from a progression system that significantly powers up a character, like it does in Dust. This is an MMO aspect that really keeps people invested.

Yes the gear and passive skill disparity in Dust between vets and new players was a problem, I find it more an issue with mixing new players and vets than a problem with the progression system itself. If I was going to criticise dust's system I'd say it took too long to unlock the higher level skills, rather than the skills being a problem. Though I agree that %damage increases don't really make much sense lore-wise.

The higher isk cost helped mitigate the power of high level gear, which I really like. But in the end, especially with the vast wealth available from PC, this element further pushed the gap between those who could aford expensive gear and those that couldn't.

I've been playing a lot of Hearthstone recently, which is a lot more similar to Dust than you might imagine. That game has a massive power discrepency between new players and veterans / pay-2-win players. But that power-gap also means that you can feel a significant progression as you play. Also, as you are generally matchmade against similar level players you don't get crushed all the time. It's helped by the 1v1 format so there's no relying on blueberries.

I guess my point is, I'm worried that without a certain amount of power progression people may not be as invested.

Part of the problem with Dust was that vets stomped noobs, and were rewarded for it. How about this for an idea, inspired by other MMOs:

Players can choose from high-sec or low-sec matches.
In high-sec you can skill up gear from level 1 to 3 but not beyond. Only level 1-3 gear can be used.
In low-sec any gear can be used and gear can be leveled from 3 to 5.

If ISK is a thing (which I hope it is), rewards in low-sec would be significantly greater than high-sec, as to render high-sec effectlively worthless to veterans unless they are skilling up gear from low levels. Matchmaking should also exist within tiers.

By the way, death costing you ISK is an issue as it breeds cowardice. Something to think about if CCP carry this aspect over.

It's worth noting, part of the progression in Hearthstone is the opening up options to build decks with powerful combinations, rather than just more powerful cards. It sounds like Nova's proposed progression of opening up options may work in a similar way.