I'm still swaying towards their previous shield mod efficency bonus, maybe 3 - 4% per level instead of 2? I mean there aren't too many options for them without making them too "OP". Rail rifle ROF increase would knock its dps up a fair amount, range increase would only cause more rail rifle QQ, and reload speed is worthless for that suit really.

How about adding more spool to the rail weapons and having the bonus decreasing said spool time?

What Caldari weapon locks? Inb4 the swarm launcher, then why does my calmmando not get a bonus to swarms? Because it isn't hybrid rail? Well why don't minmmandos get bonus to remote explosives and grenades if it's solely based on damage type? ****'s ********.

Charge make a .2 second charge a .18 charge. It's useless, and reducing recoil on rail rifles would break them and make them OP. There isn't anything that can really be done with rail tech that won't break the weapons. They just need to stop it with these weapon specific buffs to assaults.

That's why they gave us reload, because even though that's also pretty garbage nothing can be done nominally to rail weapons that won't make them OP. You reduce the kick and it will melt targets it has nearly twice the damage of the combat rifle with far more range. Its real disadvantage at the moment is that the kick + spool up makes hipfire luck based. If you reduce the kick it will become absurd and lead to a nerf in delta that was wasted time they could of spent on other things.

The stubbornness of using disproportionate suits and bonuses will just keep perpetuating the buff/ner cycles.

Well yeah just like the shotgun is better in CQC then the assault rifle or the mass driver has better AOE then a combat rifle.... but last I checked when a gun is too good it's based on how well it performs in various situations and not that it performs the best in all situations. There are better CQC guns over the rail rifle even if it had less kick, but how many of those weapons have the rail rifles range? Last I checked rifle wise, the sniper rifle which has no reticle at the hip and cerebral palsy when quick scoped. The laser rifle is pretty much the worst gun in CQC. You reduce the recoil and the rail rifle will be pretty amazing in CQC (right now the spread makes it luck based as to whether or not the AR or CR will kill you in close range assuming you both can keep the reticle on one another.) Then compound that with the fact that the Rail Rifle will be amazing in long range engagements and you have the making of an OP combination.

Like I said, the failure of CCP to recognize these facts or give in to absurd demands from the community is what keeps us constantly in nerf/buff cycles.

Honestly, the Cal assault should have the Calmando's bonus.

It is an assault suit.

As it stands, I can take a Calmando put on a sniper rifle with mods, and a swarm launcher, have a nanohive, and practically own a battlefield.
Go up high, snipe to my hearts content, easily tank any counter-snipers, AND shoot down any incoming dropships.

Point is, it doesnt need the damage bonus. Give that damage bonus to the Cal assault on the ground that need to try and counter snipe.

Look dude...even if all rail rifle shots connected, it doesn't have enough DPS for competitive play.

For Caldari I mean that they will recharge more per tick like the shield energizers, not that they will get higher e/hp like extenders. For Amarr the speed penalty reduction would probably be better as you say since this will counteract their major drawback. To me the assault bonuses should either play to the strengths of the suit or compensate its weaknesses. So the Caldari and Minmitar bonus would play to its strengths while the Gallente and Amarr Bonuses would counter act their weakness.