It's been interesting the last couple of years, they've been adding in "RPG Elements" into multiplayer component of FPS and various competitive online games. It's basically a required thing now. You earn gear and skills to benefit your player. Unfortunately, unlike Diablo and similar games, instead of using these cooperatively or single player, you're using these benefits directly against other players, in an environment where newbies and maxed out player are running around fighting on another. The veteran already has a massive advantage with the maps memorized, knowing where to hide and camp, he's got the game modes mastered, knows that the best combination of weapons are, and how to use them effectively.

So its a double edge sword, pretending not to punish new players, while giving veterans something to work for, and developers have to somehow convince people on both sides of the fence that they're doing right by them.

Kinda like pre-order bonuses for games. With a pre-order you have to convince the person getting the pre-order that they've gotten something really valuable and special that will give you a benefit no one else will have, and at the same time then, they have to convince people who didn't get in on the pre-order bonus, that they didn't really missing anything. In the end, one of the two groups got tricked.

So in the same vein the multiplayer bonuses the developer has to convince veteran players that their hour and hours of gaming is earning them perks that are actually gonna make a difference. But then they have to also convince newbies that they're not being punished with crap gear, making their learning curve more difficult, and their game experience even less competitive and miserable. It's obviously impossible. Either these perks are making a difference or they're not. And if they're making a difference than that is punishing new players, and benefiting veteran players who already have a big advantage. If they're not making a significant difference, than they're a waste, and veteran players are getting "horse armor". 
 
See I think perks and gear upgrades do make FPS games a lot more fun, to feel like you're earning something that will help you.  But I have also had some really horrifically miserable online game experiences where veteran players are just harvesting newbs for points, using their upgrades to dominate even more than they would be otherwise, creating a horrendous experience for any new player, or anyone unlucky enough to get on a team with several new players.  Black Ops seems to be the embodiment of this. Where on top of experienced players having all their natural advantages, they also have advanced gear, and perk advantages, and on top of that, they get air strikes and gun turrets and attack choppers to make the game an even bigger devastation.  90% of the games I've been in were a totally non-competitive slaughter, where one side uttterly dominates the other (and I've been on both sides of this), with no remote chance of a close game.

I think the solution is to create an effective matchmaking system and adjust how EXP is earned. I think depending on your skills, you should get a skill rating, and that will determine what kind of matches you get placed in. So if you have a new character, but you've played the game before, your "skill level" will increase quickly and you'll get matched with higher level people. But if you've played the game a lot, and you're just not that good at it, you'll get matched with lower level people. Also, if you kill an enemy of higher skill level, you'll get more EXP so you level up faster and get access to better gear sooner. But if you're a high level person, hunting newbs, you'll hardly get any EXP.

What do you guys think of gear and skill upgrades in FPS games?