This is not a bitchfest or a rant. this is me pointing out potential issues if things remain unchanged going live. I like Dust and want this game to succeed. however, while I like the customization and the play I have a few things to point out that may be issues when the time comes to collect more troops from other games... and keep them in a really persistent game where actions matter and there are consequences.

If I hit a point that self-corrects later please inform me.

1. LAV controls are oversensitive. the Baloch more often than not winds up facing the way you came than making a turn. Not standard-controller friendly.

2. ISK Gains. It doesn't take long to train yourself to the point where tech one (militia is tech -1 AFAIK) is right around the corner, and the ISK gains in play don't allow for much sustaining of non-militia suits or free balochs. If this changes tell me when, but I believe if you can use it, then as long as you aren't a complete moron and go 0/40 killrate then keeping your favorite T1 fit supplied and sustained is not unreasonable. I'm less inclined to say this for prototype gear, but sustainable skill 1-3 gear at varying points should be doable without having to resort to sending ISK to my Dustbunny from my battleship driver once DUST goes live.

3. Swarm launchers: useless unless you're specifically hunting LAVs. Can't use them on infantry, and it takes more shots than the militia launcher can handle to kill a militia HAV. these need some better utility. I still have yet to have one hit a dropship. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. if dropships are stupidly easy to kill, no one would use them.

4. SP gains dropped sharply for no discernable reason, no I am not close to 500k earned SP this week.

5. militia gear is crap. I think the stuff should be purchasable as BPOs, all of it, except for vehicles. I think those would be good bought in small lots. with a limit. I'm thinking baloch deployments being infinite is borderline, personally. Or hell purchase deployment privs if they are BPO'd. You have X number of available equipment drops for turrets, tanks, LAV, etc.

6. antitank: New players need an anti armor option that isn't a bloody joke. See: swarm launchers. Forge guns have a rather sharp price of admission for a new player, but a lesser (militia) version might give options for learning the ropes there. I firmly believe this is something that would hack down on bitching about HAVs. weapons that will hurt them. Note I said hurt, not instapop.

7.sniper. this is the freaking future. why does my scope wobble like it's being supported on the shoulder of a drunk when wielded by a superhuman? I was a marine machinegunner and rifleman. If you've trained yourself to control your freaking body the crosshairs don't wander as much as they do in DUST.

8. Vehicles: Yeah. in the right place as far as pricing. Cheaper and they'll be used nonstop to the detriment of the idea of infantry combat.

9. We need attack drones. No I am not talking about the autonomous fire and forgets of EVE. Use a device to target an area for repeated strikes by atmospheric combat drones. less damage than players output overall on a per drone basis, but a good way to soften up an area, or kill tanks. pick one. It should also be hella expensive to use and not a fit that you just use for the hell of it..

10. Artificer/Logistics: this role needs some love in the form of some variety of self-repair. If you have a genius mechanic/medic I would think the ability to fix his own armor would not be a horrendous leap of logic. Obviously, this should not be usable while shooting/repping others. Even in EVE logi ships can self-rep, if you fit for it.

11. ISK gains. Isk gains are pathetic. if this increases with more SP please tell me. but it's not obvious and the scoring/payout/SP gains seem absolutely arbitrary and inconsistent. it is impossible to use anything but militia gear with either a T1 dropsuit OR a T1 weapon.

12. Lastly, and most importantly, the New Player experience. The tutorial is a joke that tries to mash in the basics in as short a time as possible. it needs a new player campaign, or Bootcamp sequence that teaches new players the ins and outs of fittings, clone counts, what happens when you hack a CRU, how to call for orbital, what the commander of the MCC can do, and how to decipher the magic of fitting. Dropping FPS shooters on their heads and saying here's the basics, go will make them go to easier pastures. Make sure the new players are trained properly means players will be retained when they realize their actions matter. use the so-called Drone PVE scenarios to train players how to fit and fight in DUST in an active battlefield sequence. We have the chance here, let's figure something out.

You shouldn't need to be an EVE player to intuitively grasp the interface after you complete the tutorial.

Also make sure the tutorial teaches dusties how to deploy and operate orbital defenses do they can shoot **** that orbital bombards them.