Now that Planetside 2 has been release and players have managed to sink quite a few hours into the game, It is possible to gauge what the game might have to offer in the long term for soldier customization and in game purchases. Currently the weapon lists are quite long, and do not appear to offer much in the way of game changing or highly interesting purchase options which could cause issues later down to the line for the game's longevity. The current class system also causes issues for the game by forcing a great number of limitations on how players customize their character and segmenting purchase options. Cosmetic purchases aside, the Plansetside 2 store offers a short list of 'weapon-types' with a long list of 'sub-weapon' variants that mostly feel the same, fill the same role, have very similar 'cert-unlocks' and don't really provide any major difference to the core game play. There are a few exceptions to these cases such as the specialized MAX weapons or shotguns but they are simply the other 'weapon-types' that do not come with the default stock account and once purchased leave very little incentive for players to purchase or unlock the other variants. Fortunately Planetside 2 is less about individual weapon balance and more about situational combat and teamwork, and would therefore benefit greatly by having a much wider diversity of weapon-types to be available to players. More weapon ranging from the standard (Rifles, shotguns, submachine-guns) to the extraordinary (Anti-tank rifles, Plasma flamers, beam cannons) or to the more specialized (such as weapons that can bypass shields) would make game purchases far more interesting. Additionally the class system as a whole is a major limiting factor to how players are able to customize their soldiers and actually play the way they want. First interpretations of Planetside 2 was that the level of customization for soldiers and vehicles was going to be highly comprehensive and flexible to allow players to develop their own configurations and play styles to either fit a specific role or complement their team mate's setups by offering a much wider range of choice based on a "Pros vs Cons" style system. It is unfortunate that the class system carries with it so many limitations to specific items, weapons, and abilities that could have made creating your soldier a far more interesting and in-depth experience. A Player's role should have been determined by the armor, weapons and tools they choose to take, or in some cases not to take with them, rather than only offering six pre-determined class choices. Combinations such as a power-shielding MAX unit, a medic with a jetpack, or a cloaking soldier with a rocket launcher could have made the game so much more interesting if there were controlling game mechanics to support it. Control mechanics such as modifying an ability's base strength and how many items you could carry based on your choice of armor-type, or even modifying your base movement speed based on how many inventory slots are filled in your character would have been sufficient for governing these sorts of customizations in terms of balance. Regardless of how many tools and weapons you manage to cram into a character you can still only use one item at any given time. Future item content releases would benefit greatly from the removal of the class system as players would be able to buy any item they choose and apply it to their favored way of playing without all the restrictions and limitations of a class. For example, if a content patch of new rocket launchers where released in the game store and a specific player only liked to play as a Jetpacker, there would be no incentive for that player to buy these new items at all. Segmenting new game content could become a major issue for Planetside 2 as the developers may have to ensure that every patch brings extra content for every single class to try and keep everyone happy rather than simply adding what the game 'needs' at that time. Once the developers are satisfied with the state of their game engine and the stability of their servers the game developers should be looking to make a radical turn similar to Team Fortress 2 and do a massive overhaul to their class system. It would be a shame to see this game close down and simply become a technological stepping stone for another massive online first person shooter.
