Laser rifles are the amarr equivalent of the sniper rifle.

Kinda like the scrambler rifle is the amarr equivalent of the Assault rifle.

Noticing a pattern here?

Oh wait, you mean all of the weapons will have racial variants?

OH NO! CHOICES! I CAN'T CHOOSE!

I would like to see this experiment: 2 players both decent at shooting, 2 amarr STD medium suits, not fitted (because they have the same shield and armor), 1 with std AR and 1 with std MD, shoulder to shoulder, 10 meters distance, count 5 seconds, turn around and start the duel.
Of course the 2 players must be new characters, to be sure they are not advantaged by their skills.

Laser rifles are the amarr equivalent of the sniper rifle.

Kinda like the scrambler rifle is the amarr equivalent of the Assault rifle.

Noticing a pattern here?

Oh wait, you mean all of the weapons will have racial variants?

OH NO! CHOICES! I CAN'T CHOOSE!

Not exactly.

CCP has explicitly stated various things about the rifle lines (Scrambler, Plasma, Rail, Combat), and how they're supposed to compare to each other.. vaguely equating to each other, but with variants that copy the other guns (Tactical, Assault, Breach, and Burst).

Similar comments were made for pistols, and how there's a racial variant for each (Ion, Flaylock, Scrambler, etc.).

The same can't be said of the other weapons. There are clear "racial" connections with weapons like the SMG, Mass Driver, Sniper, and so on, but they can't be said to have direct equivalents.

It's possible the "Precision Rifle" of the Minmatar is made to be an alternate form of Sniper rifle, but the function of the Laser Rifle doesn't quite add up range-wise or otherwise to be the same as a Sniper rifle. The Shotgun and Mass Driver also don't have what I'd call any direct analogs.

I just don't understand CCP. Why is everything being nerfed so that a team with ARs aand 1 guy running AV, can kill anything in the Game? the only usable sidearm is the SMG now. the oly weapon good at killing infantry is the Ar. and why use a heavy suit with forgun when SL allows you to move faster, lock on, does similar damage and get close enough to use av nades?

a militia AR has the potential to kill a heavy in less than 3 seconds. that is utter bs

[quote=D legendary hero]
1) HMG's are getting a buff in 1.4 or perhaps you didn't see that. (-5% dispersion per level of operations) Which should increase their usefulness and prevalence on the battlefield. Sounds like CCP is trying to increase all the weapon's usability to me.

2) When did the SMG become the only usable sidearm? The scrambler pistol is still amazing (if you can aim). Heck even if you can't get headshots your still doing beastly damage. Plus the flaylock, even in its nerfed state is no slouch, it is a great back up weapon and finishes off people who are already in armor nicely.

3) By saying the only good weapon for infantry is AR you are showing your ignorance once again. Scrambler weapons and laser weapons are great and just require a bit of thought as to their use. The mass drivers is extremely viable and can easily take on suits in most situations, and the shotgun (with the help of the new hit detection mechanics) might even be up to snuff again. That sounds to me like quite a few choices for aggressive players even if you remain unconvinced about the shotgun.

4) The Forge is the swarm launcher's best friend. Together they can take down a vehicle regardless of tank type quickly. The forge will blast off the shielding and the swarms will take down the armor. This sounds like a match made in heaven not a one or the other kind of exclusion. Also, please don't forget that the swarms still can't kill infantry (in anything but the most extreme instances) while forges are great at holding down a point in the absence of a sniper.