Life doesn't have unlocks. If you were a self-contained entity in a state of no gun laws, the only prerequisite for ownership of a G3 over an M16 would be funds. In the military, you are issued weapons which the army gives to the majority of it's troops for logistical and maintenance reasons. As you gain rank, you are given more choice over what you want to take into the field. (this is from an Australian army standpoint) If an expert sniper with lots of experience can justify the purchase of a replacement for his SR-98 which will give him the edge in battle, the army can acquire one for him. Dice has simulated this through unlocks, and each unlock has different applications. No multi player game developer would create a weapon superior to all which you can spawn with and use all round - it would remove the competition from the game. Game developers try to make their weapons diverse, so that they are superior in a certain situation, but are balanced by their limitations. BF2 is one of the few multi player games where this has worked i think. Aside from people getting lazy and abusing things such as the SRAW or M203 you don't really see any kit being used by the majority of players and suppressing all others. F.E.A.R combat is an example of this failing; most people use the G2A2 and those who chose not to fall behind or are forced to employ unconventional methods of play. Long story short: the unlocks in BF2 work, they are fair and the small differences (like the thinner cross hairs of the L96A1) make them feel worth aspiring to. People who claim you are not being fair to them by killing them with unlocks are part of the underlying BF2 conspiracy of 9 y/o's who manage to find an excuse for their death in every situation which they will follow up with a kick vote and then a map vote for Strike at Karkand.
