Regarding the start equipment issue:
Gyson, I agree with you that it would be nice to be able to pick your starting equipment. However, I do not think that it is such a big deal if it is not in. I think that a new player (who has never played D:OS before and has an average experience with RPGs) will not as a rule completely customize their character but rather just pick up a provided preset. (As a side note I think I remember that in Neverwinter Nights you were explicitly warned against customizing your character as a new player because so "the game could become much harder" or something like this). So, a deep customization is probably interesting to hardcore RPG players or for people who already have a certain experience with D:OS - and in that case they will probably know how hard/easy it is to find a suitable equipment during the game.
So, in summary: It is a nice-to-have feature but certainly nothing game-breaking if it is not in.
