I really like the ladder idea, though there are many people exploiting the game to enhance their 'skills'. I would say for these ladders to not give any cash incentives and to be strictly solo.
I think the balancing is fine at the moment. (There are some exceptions like those ridiculous Jack Rifles and even double MGs) With that said, I can't speak on the new range versus damage system that is in its testing stages. I think members of the community should collaborate with the dev team on this, the ones who are not bias in any regard, and make fair decisions.
Graphics overhaul has been done to some extent with what Jetman did, where he implemented the multi-sampling option. This increases the clarity of objects the further you travel, whereas beforehand it would blur. I know this isn't exactly what you had in mind, but, as Dave said, anything else would not be doable. However, I would consider cleaning up the content of the game. What I mean by this is that there are many an item that are not being used at all (cloth items)..I guess this would be difficult to tell entirely, but I think players have a pretty good idea of some clothes that are just plain ugly and not in use. I think really outstanding new custom content while may not exactly bring NEW players, will keep the dedicated players happy. Can even generate revenue if they were made to be donation items.
Right now, the main issues dissuading people from playing here in particular, is the low level of competition. While stats ARE balanced, being an anti-lead server, even good players are just dying too fast, and as such are deciding to play other servers where they actually have ~200 HP which sounds insane, but, in reality is not too far-fetched when coupled with the anti-lead AND the ridiculously high hacking rate. That is an issue in itself, and it's prevelance is way more common than meets the eye. It's kind of a...I forget the colloquial term...but, more or less, if we ban all those hackers, we in turn kill a portion of the player base whom actively brings people to the competitive scene.
