Crypex
Veteran
I think there are solid arguments to both sides of the debate, to be honest.
Most of Warband's equipment choice was an illusion, but it was something that was in the hands of players, allowing them to make their own decisions. Admittedly, I was always a big fan of just running around with throwing weapons and forgoing armour and a proper melee weapon to do that, and it was a lot of fun in a casual setting. In higher-level play though, most pieces of equipment were ignored, or at least that is my understanding of it.
On the other hand, the class system simply removes most of these non-choices and allows you to just jump in and play on a more level playing field. But at the same time, it does take away some of the fun of mixing and matching gear to suit your own playstyle.
I'm just thinking out loud here, but is it possible that a lot of this frustration actually stems from the lack of visual customisation? Like, being unable to show off your silly character face, or running around shirtless as a statement of your melee prowess, or just to pick what you think looks cool?
But then the issue is with the options given to the players and not the system itself. If you were to incorporate the same system and make everything balanced out then the player is able to create more strategies and meta from a simple formula. Instead, if you want to stick with the class system people will constantly want new class systems for new content. Also incorporating a class system is difficult to balance because there are so many variables to consider.
Also, consider the fact that some factions are going to be weaker when facing other factions saying for example battania not being able to field maces for their higher tier infantry. Now you can make the options 4 but that can get out of hand or you can just give players the ability to choose what they want. Another example is empire fielding very skinny shields and short swords. Both those factions have big problems and you can say that maybe we can keep balancing but at the end of the day, you have removed a possible playstyle option for players that enjoy this specific playstyle, instead if you give everyone very close options the players will be able to perfect their playstyles given that the actual weapons are balanced and are all feasible.
Edit: If players were to "switch weapons" this might be feasible in high-level play but truth be told probably will not happen in a pub match. Instead of forcing players to play the way you want, do not make a path of least resistance and instead just make all the paths/playstyles possible. It will also be a lot easier to balance.
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