I agree with this. Why call it a beta if we cannot possibly test something without being bounded for all eternity to it? I mean, by the current method you might as call this game released as of January 10th and everything else is just an expansion to an already released game.

To all those concerned about the "flavor of the week' thing, keep in mind this would only be for while in the beta stage so beta testers can actually test. The game is supposed to "release" in the Summer right? So it wouldn't be for that long. Plus the data from the beta should increase substantially with players able to test a wider array of gear. Currently we may have someone say "Type B Assault dropsuits are over powered" or "Prototype heavy suits are not worth the cost for the one extra slot" or stuff like that, but all most people are judging this off of is numbers which isn't always the best indicator. Having to ability to actually go in the battlefield with whatever is in question (if you have enough skill points for it) would give the tester a much better idea for the matter.