Disclaimer: Been here 3 builds, I know its a beta, I hang out in IRC alot and know what the devs are up to well before most of the community is and actually hated for it, my interest in game development is extremely high and I have done alot of 'research' to approach philosophy of designing games.

I have spent 3 weeks researching why my will to play has been waning, its not the bugs, lack of balance, the short comings of an incomplete game, or lack of features, while this may not be the exact problem why I don't feel like playing I honestly beleve this is the most likely culprit.

So onto the issue.

Just like the soda you forgot about in the back of your car the fizzy is no longer there, the want to drink that soda is gone now.

What do I mean? Where do I know? How does go? I'll explain.

To help you out let me define flat term for you as I use it in this context and no it doesn't mean the maps are flat.


So... what is a Flat game?

A game that does not emphasize getting better gear simply because its not a possible option as 'better' weapons don't really exist because all weapons are balanced and its more about the situation or play preference.

Some examples, Counter Strike, Halo, CoD1-2, Earlier Battlefields

To call these games flat isn't a bad thing, the shift in focus from either being able to use one gun very well, or use the best gun for that situation. I would point out that Halo was probably the best example of this (though biased via endless hours of playing for nothing), there was absolutely no 'go-to' weapon in the game, every weapon was subject to drawbacks vulnerabilities and short sightedness for whatever advantage you can get out of it. A guy with a pistol can still easily kill a guy with a rocket launcher.

Now onto flat games unsightly evil twin the Depth Game

This is a non flat game emphasizes progression, or 'optional-ization' you way into bigger and better game play options, guns, add-ons, attributes ect ect ect. The game that dust 514 is trying to sell itself off as.

Games like current battlefields and current call of duties, and just about all of your MMOs. The more you play the 'deeper' it gets in terms of things to do, ways to improve and of course ways to play.

So you may be asking, what am I complaining about?

I have gotten to the point in this game where I feel that its far to flat despite flaunting around the depth.

Slap on an armor plate? I still die just as fast as if I never had the armor plates. Usually in the current environment right now is that when I start dying I die so fast the HP bar cannot keep up so having armor doesn't seem to slow that down at all no matter how good it is.

How about weapons?
Other than getting to lvl 2 to unlock different types or the swarm launcher. I don't seem to kill faster with 'better' guns than previously before, Heavies still drop to my militia rifle nearly at the same rate to my Duvolle. The swarm launcher is the only anomalous weapon that has markedly vast gapping between meta levels.

The point is, Skill Points, Meta-levels, and Isk has just about no value to me. There is no progression or at least no feel of it. If I have to spend 3 weeks of skilling and gearing just to feel marginal amounts of difference (which it doesn't)

There is nearly no change in feeling on equipping modules either. It almost as if I am not getting rewarded for creating good fits and I certainly am not getting punished for making bad fits. In eve making bad fits is amazing transmitted clearly as a bad idea once you face something that melts your face off.

Its actually its to the point I am getting PUNISHED for making good fits. because after all dying costs isk and good modules cost alot of isk. (thought that can be fixed and it will be soon)

Now it wouldn't be so bad if and only if the flat game was good, Its not. There are so many unused modules, guns, and far to few many goto weapons resulting in most people copying each other on weapon usage.

Gun handling is still bad, I had to go back and play halo to get and idea of smoothed out console based gun handling. While its not as bad as Kill Zone's torso on pegs, dust 514 does have the pegged torso feel to it, just extremely higher fidelity vs KZ but its enough to **** anyone off who has played halo a lot which doesn't feel pegged at all.

While I have to side with the FPSers that having skills effect performance can be seen as a bad thing. When it comes to to weapons being advertised as being bigger and better and there is still no feeling of bigger oumph, something is entirely off.

Overall I feel that the game has gone extremely flat the last few builds with all the skill level nerfs meta level refactoring and suit hp squashing, just overall its not been entirely helpful.

It just feels if you where to give me a character with maxed out SP and lots of isk I still wouldn't be able to enjoy, notice the difference, and probably just go back to using militia suits. Less load lag that way.

Either way I am not feeling it, playing dust 514 these days feels like pulling teeth. So I break I shall take.

TL;DR

I feel this game has gotten to the point that I feel there is no difference between a militia suit with only a gun on it vs a full proto suit with proto modules and max SP, ergo no need to progress. IE ISK SP and Metalevel has no meaning anymore.