It has an optimal range of 40m, and the effective range is 65-70m.

Optimal Range - 40m
Effective Range - 65m

[P6] Conclusions


There are a number of conclusions to be drawn from this. The first is that on paper, the AR does not have notably superior DPS. A large number of weapons exceed it.


The next thing to note is that compared to most weapons, the AR is quite good at applying its damage. Not the de facto best, but it does it very well. This is caused by a combination of range and dispersion/recoil.


The third thing is that it doesnGÇÖt have a major disadvantage. This is in keeping with its status as a GÇÿjack of all tradesGÇÖ weapon.


Looking at the other statistics, only damage application is really that much better than other weapon systems. The raw damage isnGÇÖt exceptional, contrary to popular belief. ItGÇÖs the ARGÇÖs ability to apply that damage that makes it such an effective weapon.



Many think that the AR should be nerfed. I do not support this, at least not in the way that most expect. A raw DPS nerf here is not the way to go - instead, look at the damage application, as thatGÇÖs the area that the AR actually does better than other weapons at.
That includes range, dispersion, and recoil. In particular, I would highlight the recoil as something to be looked at. It doesnGÇÖt apply until halfway through the clip - this isnGÇÖt a good recoil mechanic, as this allows the DPS to be applied constantly throughout the clip.


If the AR is to be brought into line as a versatile weapon that doesnGÇÖt excel, then what it actually excels at should be looked at - in this case, itGÇÖs low recoil. The reason I highlight recoil as a potential solution is partially because excessive dispersion is a terrible mechanic - There is no real reason that you should miss if your aim is perfectly on target. The other reason I see recoil as a better solution is because itGÇÖs something that the weapon is lacking significantly in at the moment - simply tapping the trigger every odd second to completely negate the effects of recoil is not a good recoil mechanic.


TL;DR:
The one area the AR excels in is damage application. If the weapon is to be nerfed, then that is the area which should be looked at. It should also be noted that the ASCR is very similar to the AR.

This is of course true for the scrambler rifle, and that goes further to mitigate the on paper high DPS. All of the statistics there are paper DPS - In a real combat situation, none of the weapons will achieve that, as they will miss.

The ranges were sourced from here - I define effective range as the range where the damage dropoff curve levels out at a low damage, typically around 30%. That's because it's not really effective past that point.


I have no argument with you thought process, however, the one thing which I think needs to be done to All weapons, except the breaches, is that they should have their 10% Bonus that they got in 1.1 rolled back.

CCP probably Bump damage as to compensate somewhat for the fact that HD was shot to hell, but with decent HD, we should roll this back, because the TTK of prior was very desirable for fun, somewhat drawn-out firefights.