Ok, I love the first two STS games, and enjoy DL. However, the release of DL has revealed a major weakness in SL and PL, but as SL is the one most affected, I'll post about it. SL has a major shortage of customization options. Prior to infested deck, nearly every single player lvl 40 and up had the same armor (red voleria) save the rich ones, who were rocking custom mega or custom Voleria. and don't even get me started on the <sarcasm> wide variety of weapons used, not just pistol and shield <sarcasm/>. The fact is, even with the new infested vanity items, nearly the entire player base looks the same. Something needs to be done about this. IMO, it detracts from the fun of the game to enter a town and discover a horde of your identical twins. In DL, every character is different and unique, with a look that reflects what their player wants. In SL, every player is dressed the same, except for those who have enough money to buy the store or custom sets.
Suggestion #1: More designs. In DL, there are only about three weapons per level, but because there is a large number of different weapons skins, it creates variety. SL needs to have one or two versions of armor available, with a noticeable cosmetic difference. Maybe make a set that has more armor vs one that has more stats, and make the armored one thicker and heavy than the stat model, for example.
Suggestion #2: The Vanity creation and paint shop. My store bought lvl 20 olive drab armor remains my favorite armor set I've ever owned, and I was really sad when I was forced to upgrade away from it. I suspect most other people have been in that same situation at some point. To fix that, and add a degree of customization, STS could add a option to turn a standard armor into a vanity item (for a fee in plat), and also be able to recolor the item while you're at it. Then, each player could assemble a unique look for their character.
Suggestion #3: Ability swapping. I love duel pistols, but don't like most other aspects of playing an operative. Some other people probable like armor from another class, or wish they could acquire a skill from another class. I propose STS add the ability to give characters that are one class the ability to use armor, weapons, or a few skills from another, once again for a plat fee. I'd suggest limiting this to two skill transfers, and only allowing you to use two of the categories. for example, an operative could gain the ability to use cannons and the growing rage skill, but wouldn't be able to wear commando or engineer armor. This way, the characters can grow in uniqueness, but not to the degree that they drift out of their class role. Swapping should cost a fair amount..
Suggestion #4: More class weapons. Each class needs at least two types of class weapons, not just one. Commando could have cannons and maybe a rapid fire, low damage rifle (perfect for aggroing a target, switch to aggro another, and repeating). Operatives could have duel pistols plus a slow firing, high damage sniper rifle. and engineers could have gloves and a rapid fire, low damage pistol. Essentially, more tactical weapon choices to better suit play style.
Suggestion #5: Because the suggestions above will make it very difficult to tell members of different classes apart at a glance (a problem that already occurs, to a limited extent), classes will need a class icon either on the avatar page or visible in gameplay (maybe stick it next to the name).
To the people who say that these changes (and in particular #3) will widen the gulf between players who buy plat and those who don't, you're right. But the key phrase there is widen, not create. There is already a gulf, and STS will have to decide if more customization is worth widening it. Personally, I think it is (and I'm not a heavy plat buyer). If STS doesn't want to widen that gap, delete #3. #1 and #2 are the easiest ways to boost diversity, with #5 to prevent the changes from distorting gameplay.
