Last week I created 3 new characters, one for each faction, from scratch on a new account, I wanted to experiment how different is PS2 when you begin (side note: I am a 7 months player so not a veteran, but there have been a few changes here and there since I began). Feedback: - Koltyr is a desert now. There is absolutely nobody there (maybe 5 players?) either day or night. As a beginning experience it teaches you absolutely nothing. On the positive side you can get 5-7 levels just by ghost capping, hacking turrets and terminals until you are bored to death. You get immediately a generous amount of certs/implants so you can equip yourself almost decently. - The starting weapons are not so bad and some are actually rather good. NC weapons are (as discussed in other threads) not bad per se but a nightmare for beginners: 1. The Gauss SAW makes you a dead man walking while you are landing on-target maybe three rounds per second (due a mix of Bloom, Recoil and low RoF and lack of skills in general) while you are chewed by an 850 rounds/sec SMG 2. The NC gets a Bolt Action Rifle to begin with. What's the point since as beginner you are not supposed to know anything about bullet drop, how to use the cloak, leading a target, hold breath properly, find a good spot and so on? It is worse than useless. Give them a basic point-and-click/no brainer/semi-auto like the other factions 3. The Mag Shot feels like shooting in slow motion compared to the continuous stream of bullets coming from the Repeater. TR has really the upper end here. --- All in all, by spending enough time/gaining certs&implants in Koltyr you can almost level the field in terms of equipment.The 100 certs/level, plus some experience free-of-risk, plus the implants for doing some basic stuff are really a great boost for beginners. For sure you will have implants at level 1-2 compared to level 3-4 of the others, medic/engineer tools upgraded but not to the max level, you will have the default weapons while the others have the fancy gear but your weapons have all the sights, grips, laser dots needed to make them working properly. The rest is up to you. Conclusion: Equipment-wise the starting path now is not so steep, you get enough. In terms of teaching however you get nothing. That really sucks. Yesterday on Amerish I sniped a BR8 5 times in a row and then out of pity I contacted him on the chat to tell him to stop repeating the same things over and over again like a Lemming. No wonder there are less and less new players, the retention rate must be horrible.
I think every infil should start off with a close-med range weapon AND a cheap bolt action OHK sniper rifle. In early PS2, there was lots more ignorant (they just stood there) Infantry, and they would/could wander all over the map. And there was no Lattice, so you could flank much easier (enemies weren't steered toward you, so they didn't stumble over you as much). So the starter NC having access to a Bolt Action was great. Sniping and Bolt Actions were both effective and target rich. Now Infantry doesn't wander too far from bases (nothing out there and they get eaten by vehicles), and Lattice has them all pointed at each other so true flanking is tougher to set up. The game is much more about close-mid range combat. Sniping and Bolt Actions are not both often ineffective or target unreliable. Verant/SOE/DBG Devs have always been a bit "tough love" in terms of their new players. They also love to coddle hardcore, group, and veteran players. It's a cultural thing. And (especially in their games as they age) it leads to really bad New Player systems and a very low new player retention rate. It's not just a poorly designed New Player system. It's a Dev's disregard and animosity toward non-hardcore New Players, and the parade of "New Player" systems that spawns.
This is something that really hits home for me, especially considering i've tried several times to get people into this game andhere I am still not sharing experienes with people i've met outside of ps2. Regarding Koltyr, https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps...o-test-weapons-equipment.247381/#post-3478597 Additionally sprinkle some randomly spawning turrets in koltyr also. Maybe put a PMB with automated defenses. Maybe have a PMB tutorial or something?
