Actually when you see all perks you'll get, you won't be that frustrated with the system. Also reloading won't be a problem later. Not only that, but remember that pistols ain't useless really, especially when you want to capture an alien instead of killing it.
Yes, I'm aware of the perks that e.g. grant an ability to fire twice with your two actions (or even twice with one action at reduced accuracy) etc., but my problem is with the underlying rules, the design of the action system. If I'm given two action points, I'd really like them to be of the same value, so to speak. That is, I wish I could use them interchangeably to move or fire or what have you. It ought to be 1 AP to fire whether you've moved or not. As it is in the game (disregarding perks), firing after moving will effectively cost 1 AP, but just standing still and firing costs 2 AP. I don't like that system, that's all.
I think they designed the system this way, i.e. so that firing ends your soldier's turn (usually), because they didn't want to have soldiers firing and then retreating to a safer location - which would have been possible with a freer action system. This, I suppose, was to up the tension and simplify the game mechanics even further.
Again you want to make "superstars of wrestling" at the game start. Instead of making jacks of all trades you need to chose. Medkit, scope, arc or grenade. The choice is really simple, put a medkit on at least two soldiers, arc on at least one, scopes on the rest. Why no grenades? Because they suck till later when you get alien grenades. And also later some of your soldiers (supports) will be able to carry 2 items!
Again, I'm objecting to the design of this system, which is gamey, IMO. I could very well accept the restriction of one carried extra item type (grenade, medkit or arc), but not that having one extra item removes my ability to mount scopes on weapons or wear an extra layer of armor under the main armor vest. This just reeks of heavy streamlining to me.
I'm not wanting to have supersoldiers from the get go, you see, I'm just wanting to have some common sense in their equipping. I think it's more than a bit silly that your soldiers can only carry one grenade each - and with a perk, two (Whoa! Now don't break your back, buddy!). And smoke grenades? Sorry, they are a special ability (perk) only.
Grenades already destroy vital resources if you use them, that ought to be enough to restrain their use, not some silly one grenade restriction. To clarify, I would have no problem with my soldiers being restricted in their skills (due to inexperience in alien warfare etc.), but to be so very restricted and limited in their equipment and inventory is a big negative to me.
Yes it's a lottery, but you can always recruit more soldiers. A hint: ditch those with low will and replace with high will if possible as early as you can. High will prevents soldiers from panicking and later will prove even more useful.
And assuming you're playing it on normal like I do, you really don't need many soldiers at all so go for quality.
But if I could see their class right from the beginning this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but you only get the class once the soldier levels up the first time. So, you have to take a rookie to the field, make him get a kill or two, bring him back alive
and then hope the lottery goes your way. If not, repeat and rinse and hope you get better luck next time (hoping for a certain class, you've got 25% chance to get it, hope you're lucky). Why this system? I cannot understand. What harm or extra difficulty would there have been to let the player choose the class? I sure can't see one. In fact it would have been a great reward for getting a rookie though his baptism of fire, to now get to choose his class and first perk.
In my last game I decided to get a rookie on a mission with some veterans. The missions are becoming pretty dangerous (game itself rating them Very Difficult), so the risk for them is quite great. Having lost two rookies in previous missions (not on the same one), I was pretty glad when I got him back home with a kill under his belt. Now the lottery… and I get a sniper. Great, I already have two experienced ones and really, really don't want a third. OK, thanks for your efforts former rookie, you can pack your bags, g'bye. Really frustrating. Any other class would have been OK (even a heavy, although I already have two experienced ones of those too). Needless hassle, IMO.
And another wall of text.