The difference between the old and the new is that I used to play without plate or any high end equipment in the old version and still performed extremely well, in the new version if I want to do well I am basically forced to play a certain way with certain equipment that is effective. It's true if you play with silly weak weapons it will be harder, but at least if you were good enough you could still do so in the older versions.
This current version does away with all that, if you arent at least wearing medium armour and a nice heirloomed poleaxe/big 2 hander sword you are a waste in melee. As for ranged, that is a different matter entirely which I wont get into because I dont want to make a big post longer.
You still have the choice in this current version, but it is an illusion of a choice, afterall if you make something so bad that it isnt even worth considering then it can barely be called a choice at all can it?
What? Where did you get this from?
I have the exact opposite sensation, that in the old c-rpg the differences in gear/levels were so huge that some people just rolled servers by themselves simply due to time played, whilst today I can happily troll around in peasant gear and still come away with 8-1 scores (if I don't get shot to pieces, but owait, friendly archers were even more silly powerful in the old version...)
"If you don't have atleast medium armor and a nice heirloomed poleaxe/big 2 hander sword you are a waste in melee"
Now this is the biggest pile of bullshit I've seen in quite a while, we both know that there are a huge number of fighting styles around now and people are performing well with everything from scimitars to mauls.
Either you are just being extremely nostalgic, or the average player used to suck so much back them that you could just roll everyone regardless of gear provided that you at least had the brainpower of a cabbage. And I find that quite unlikely.