I dont hate BF3 CoD so yes we can have a normal conversation.

Lovely

I have to admit to being Colonel 20 on BF3. It does not matter that i played EVE for years and have a good understanding of that game. When I play DUST and I have to move my right thumb up to crouch it pisses me off, the flow is lost. One tiny gripe I know, but I really want this game to play as well as Battlefield because I really want this game to succeed,

I know that any mention of the dreaded COD will bring howls of derision from some. And comparisons to Battlefield will probably attract similar dire hatred.

BUT...

Is it possible to discuss the straight mechanics of the game, the shooting, kneeling and running around bit while discounting the opinions of anybody who mentions COD, or Battlefield, as I have seen on this forum?

In truth DUST514 will compete with COD and BF3 for players attention. If this game plays badly in comparison to those games it will fail to attract big numbers.

Seems like a near perfect blend of mag, bf and halo.

I think people here seem to have forgotten the game known as Star Wars Battlefront. Surely that game series is closest to Dust in most ways...
I mean it has futuristic weapons, a class system similar to Dust in how roles are distributed, space ships, tanks (sort of) etc.
Obviously it has also the space battles and I want to dock on an MCC like you could dock ships on Battlefront and destroy it from the inside out
Oh and it is objective based like Dust where what your K/D is has little value over who wins lol

SWBF2 was fun as f

however the vehicles in that game were mild compared to this

Vehicles though worked differently. The At-At and AT-TE were completely more like walking spawns armed in every angle with guns. I think personally though the SW vehicles were buffed on elite squadron for PSP which my favourite mechanic of being able with ships going from atmosphere to space and back, as well as Ion cannons down below which are like playable versions of the current meltcannons that fire at the MCC. You are perfectly right though vehicles were mild mainly because the soldiers were capable of so much more than in Dust.

I always shake my head at the people complaining about the actual shooter mechanics...they are way better than they were last build, and I expect them to continue to get better with each build going forward. If the next build comes and the base mechanics aren't improved, then I will start to worry.

Like or hate CoD it is one of more fluid shooter engines out there. It's also the one with the most gimmicks and that's where a lot of the hate comes from and breeds from but if you strip away the gimmicks to the bare bones of your character's actions you can't deny it, it just feels fluid and good and has nothing to do with 'arcadey'. That's why people like it so much, it's the controls. Every action in the game is smooth and fluid, from the way you change your weapons to how you change stances to and from crouch, the way grenades are thrown, how you aim down sights, the drug-inducing sound and fluidity of the gun reloading, the way actions can be canceled, and the way the running/jumping is balanced (no Halo superman jumps). I can go on. The only thing I dont like is it's knife, it feels good the way you melee is but its too powerful. Knifing should only be powerful from behind your target like BF3 (don't bring a knife to a gun fight).

The sooner more shooters devs realize this the better. The more popular and niche titles that do smooth fast controls right - CoD, Counterstrike, Starsiege Tribes, MAG, Halo, Quake, Doom

The way some shooters go about is to make character actions 'natural' but they just end up feeling sluggish instead, a.k.a. 'shooter tank controls' like BF3, and Section 8 for example. The way Dust has it now feels kind of like inbetween CoD and BF3. Some things feel kind of fluid but most others feel sluggish (when they work, seems glitchy). For example, jumping even in scout feels like your trying to jump while carrying a ten ton hammer. Switching weapons feels like a chore, especially when you have equipment equipped it just gets in the way there should be different wheel for equipment if you insist on using the wheel system. Trying to crouch or stand feels like some old man, even in scout.

If you want to attract the CoD market like you say you do CCP then you need to have your character actions feel like CoD. The way it is now, it doesn't. Forget the gimmicks and learn from your competitors - Once you get the controls down to a fluid and smooth system then this game's depth will keep players coming back for more.

Somebody said MAG?

This game is not for competing with CoD or BF. This game is for people who already got bored with those games and want something more challenging.

Fast pacing? What a joke. The last thing you will see in a game where every life you have costs you money is a fast pace of respawning and rushing straight into enemy positions.
This game will be squad-based assault groups with slow advances and softening of enemies through missile bombardment from dropsuits.