I'd say learn what's getting players leaving PS2. It has it's problems.
As for the rest - many are side-grades, some are pretty essential to pull of many things.
Example of non-sidegrades:
A2A and A2G rocket pods. *NOT* side-grades. The A2A make a huge difference in air-to-air combat. The ground pounder models can still work in A2A (I've done this) but really shine when trashing ground.
We won't go into the Dalton and Zephyr but I think you'd agree they aren't some kind of "side-grade" either on those gunships.
Both lock-on launchers - AV and AA for the HA class. The "dual purpose" is 2/3rds the damage of these and it takes 6 lock ons to take out a liberator class gunship. That is over 8 to knock that ship down with the dual-purpose ones that were just introduced.
Then we have that second burster for a Max - it's pretty eseential for anti-air. If you run VS, that second "grenade launcher" is of amazing value. 2 shotguns as NC... So on and so forth. Not really side-grades more specializing for a given task and that can by VERY important - especilally with how OP Air is in this game.
The "S" series guns aren't "hitting harder" but offer one hell of a lot more options than the basic model. Seriously - nobody would call that a "side grade" when you can fit grenade launchers and the like on them. It's not a bad thing but if you want to maximize options - this route is good.
Shotguns... That opens up their use across ALL your infantry classes. Yes, once you get a shotgun - every class that can use a shotgun can use that gun.
As for moving on from the game...
The OP nature of air... I dearly love the "teamwork" reply. So everyone *EXCEPT AIR* needs to use teamwork - not to defeat them, but to drive them off... Lovely idea of teamwork isn't it?
Also that is an entirely different portion of the game. Helicopter simulator is quite different than infantry - far beyond the differences between infantry and the vehicles in the game. It is a different type of game-play yet one that you *WILL* need around to play.
Then we have the poor attack vs defense rewards model. Indefensible bases due to how many holes in the defenses. 15% bonus for nothing is still nothing and trying to defend locations where it's much easier to spy them out for how you will approach vs actually trying to defend them...
That's a problem.
I could detail them but I think you know what I mean. The air portion is a different game mixed in and way over the top for balance between the other portions which people do seem to enjoy.
Having so much splash damage from explosions is also rediculous - I can't count how many times I've been killed inside a building from tanks and such pounding the outside of the building - without doing any damage to it. Not just builidings but any obstruction. Splash often goes through the terrain.
Then we have the hacks and bugs - the guys getting inside walls, aimbots and such.
Toss on the pod deployment being 8 out of 10 times a death sentence...
Adding it all up it gets frustrating and only by hanging in a "platoon" that is more interested in flipping near-empty bases, vs actually fighting other large groups, you end up with an introduction that seems interesting and fun then slips towards annoying and frustrating.
Oh, and with some 50+ levels across chars - and tossing some funds SOE's way - with literally over a thousand kills and deaths... I'm finding it hard to justify logging back in to play.
"Ok, time to deploy. Ok I'm dead again, now let's pop at a spawn point... Ok... Ohh - enemy air, they win - find a new spot." "Ok, it's our air - we win..." "Look, another empty base to flip." - driving off, you see it being flipped back but who cares? Better to go to the next base and double back to take it again *AFTER* flipping the next empty spot.
Infantry fights are fun and exciting but they aren't that common compared to butchering of individuals/small groups by large forces or air/tank farming and that gets old pretty fast but what "vets" in the game seem to prefer.
Comments
I'd say learn what's getting players leaving PS2. It has it's problems.
As for the rest - many are side-grades, some are pretty essential to pull of many things.
Example of non-sidegrades:
A2A and A2G rocket pods. *NOT* side-grades. The A2A make a huge difference in air-to-air combat. The ground pounder models can still work in A2A (I've done this) but really shine when trashing ground.
We won't go into the Dalton and Zephyr but I think you'd agree they aren't some kind of "side-grade" either on those gunships.
Both lock-on launchers - AV and AA for the HA class. The "dual purpose" is 2/3rds the damage of these and it takes 6 lock ons to take out a liberator class gunship. That is over 8 to knock that ship down with the dual-purpose ones that were just introduced.
Then we have that second burster for a Max - it's pretty eseential for anti-air. If you run VS, that second "grenade launcher" is of amazing value. 2 shotguns as NC... So on and so forth. Not really side-grades more specializing for a given task and that can by VERY important - especilally with how OP Air is in this game.
The "S" series guns aren't "hitting harder" but offer one hell of a lot more options than the basic model. Seriously - nobody would call that a "side grade" when you can fit grenade launchers and the like on them. It's not a bad thing but if you want to maximize options - this route is good.
Shotguns... That opens up their use across ALL your infantry classes. Yes, once you get a shotgun - every class that can use a shotgun can use that gun.
As for moving on from the game...
The OP nature of air... I dearly love the "teamwork" reply. So everyone *EXCEPT AIR* needs to use teamwork - not to defeat them, but to drive them off... Lovely idea of teamwork isn't it?
Also that is an entirely different portion of the game. Helicopter simulator is quite different than infantry - far beyond the differences between infantry and the vehicles in the game. It is a different type of game-play yet one that you *WILL* need around to play.
Then we have the poor attack vs defense rewards model. Indefensible bases due to how many holes in the defenses. 15% bonus for nothing is still nothing and trying to defend locations where it's much easier to spy them out for how you will approach vs actually trying to defend them...
That's a problem.
I could detail them but I think you know what I mean. The air portion is a different game mixed in and way over the top for balance between the other portions which people do seem to enjoy.
Having so much splash damage from explosions is also rediculous - I can't count how many times I've been killed inside a building from tanks and such pounding the outside of the building - without doing any damage to it. Not just builidings but any obstruction. Splash often goes through the terrain.
Then we have the hacks and bugs - the guys getting inside walls, aimbots and such.
Toss on the pod deployment being 8 out of 10 times a death sentence...
Adding it all up it gets frustrating and only by hanging in a "platoon" that is more interested in flipping near-empty bases, vs actually fighting other large groups, you end up with an introduction that seems interesting and fun then slips towards annoying and frustrating.
Oh, and with some 50+ levels across chars - and tossing some funds SOE's way - with literally over a thousand kills and deaths... I'm finding it hard to justify logging back in to play.
"Ok, time to deploy. Ok I'm dead again, now let's pop at a spawn point... Ok... Ohh - enemy air, they win - find a new spot." "Ok, it's our air - we win..." "Look, another empty base to flip." - driving off, you see it being flipped back but who cares? Better to go to the next base and double back to take it again *AFTER* flipping the next empty spot.
Infantry fights are fun and exciting but they aren't that common compared to butchering of individuals/small groups by large forces or air/tank farming and that gets old pretty fast but what "vets" in the game seem to prefer.