I think we've yet to see how much actual roleplaying will be in the game, but that passage does suggest meaningful choices of some sort. As far as loot defining a character, I think here, they are just referring to a situation where two characters meet and know nothing about each other, so appearance is what there is to go on.

But yeah, I totally agree. I'm really hoping that loot ends up not being a major defining element. I like Borderlands, but Destiny should be about exploration, story, and interesting gameplay, not grinding and comparing damage stats.

When I hear the words 'You really are are going to be identified by the choices you make' and the 'choices you make' are essentially boiled down to 'Oh, that's the hunter with the crazy cloak and that amazing spaceship' - that is not a character to me, it's material envy. Anyone else could have acquired that loot through simple time and effort, there's nothing special or defining about it.

For comparison: "Oh, that's the guy who lead the first assault on the Cabal leadership on Mars"; That is character development, take away that character's shiny spaceship and guns and he is still known for his actions.

To be fair, they could link those two ideas. You could get special loot for participating in special events. Say you get a a crazy cloak or an amazing spaceship for being part of the first assault on the Cabal leadership on Mars, then you could instantly recognize that person's accomplishment just by looking at them. Kind of like the commemorative decals construction workers can get for their helmets for working on specific projects.

I do agree that it would be nice to see more than that for your character though. For example, I think it would be cool if they had various in-universe themed publications/broadcasts talking about the valiant actions of players* now and again.

*Or, at the very least, the actions of clans.

I find it far more likely that there will be one story that everybody participates in. Probably with you as the sidekick or "hired help" (much like major events in Warcraft et al, you're alongside a major character).

I seriously doubt you'll make major decisions that last throughout the campaign/story and, indeed, everyone's game, as that would be unfair and 99.9% of the userbase would be even less invested. This isn't EVE. :)

Does anyone else think you'll be able to customize your face? It seems like that masked guy in The Last City was talking to a player character without a helmet.

I also wonder if you'll be able to choose a voice for your character, because I love games that do this. The first Dragon Age did this particularly well.

I get what you're saying, but consider these two points:

1. You say you'd like to see a player's story, but consider how that would work. How would you choose to illustrate what a player has done to the other players they encounter? Would a block of text pop up summarizing their life story? How about a bullet list of missions completed or something? I am not sure how what you're getting at would work in an at-a-glance visual sense. The sort of thing you're talking about really only happens by word of mouth (which is fine, but it only works for friends-of-friends, or maybe a few particularly well-known players, YouTube celebrities and the like).

2. How a player sets up their character, what they carry and wear, is telling the player's story. From the sound of things so far, loot (or at least some of it) may be specific to certain missions, enemies, or events. The combination of what you've acquired, and which of those acquired items you choose to actively use, says things about where your character's been, what they've done, and how they (virtually, of course) live. Again, keep in mind the point is that someone you have JUST encountered could get an idea what sort of player you are simply by the look of your character.