What I have heard so far from Crom and from various members of the development team has convinced me that the game introduces enough new stuff that I won't even have time to focus on the fact that we have no TL or RK.
1. Packs are always active
2. Mines have to be deployed individually
3. Grenade changes?
4. Packs have a secondary function
5. Skiing has been altered enough that its going to be "new" with NO speed caps
6. Gliding as part of jetting
7. New ultralight
8. New sensor/radar as part of HUD
9. New manually controlled turrets
10. New vehicles with no missile launchers to take them down
11. Semi-guided rockets
12. New weapons that will take time to master
13. Deployables are carried and setup differently (and whatever deployables are options)
14. Ammo for laser rifle
15. Possibly targeting incoming projectiles with CG or other fire to take it out
16. PROBABLY only 3 weapons per armor
17. New stations and spawning for items/deployables (this sounds very confusing to me off the cuff and will make for some radical game play changes if my understanding is correct - WAY more than not having a TL or RK).
These are largely RADICAL changes to gameplay with the exception that we can jet and ski still and have most of the desired weapons. I don't think I wil have any focus at all on having a TL to use or a RK to save my butt with all these changes. We are going to find out if we love or hate this game based on these (and probably two dozen more that I have forgotten) point rather than not having a louse TL or RK. I would love the TL and think the RK is good too but hell I am open to try new concepts.
We are getting too hung up on the T2 sucked and we had such high hopes mantra here. These guys know our likes and desires and they are trying to turn a profit too. If its easier for the mainstream to adapt to no TL or RK then I can deal with that. There are enough other more MAJOR changes at hand that have my interest piqued. We shall know when Beta arrives. I forsee they will be altering things the whole time based on comments and reports.
Lets not crucify these guys for this stuff. Pick your battles and this one just doesnt seem like something thats worth falling on our swords over.
Personally I will be too busy trying to figure out how to take out an opponent who is perpetually "repairing" himself than to figure out how pissed that I don't have a RK handy.