Whispercrow
Seituoda Taskforce Command
Caldari State
102
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Posted - 2012.10.11 00:11:00 -
[1] - Quote
I know AR-lovers might get upset, but...
Reality doesn't matter here, as A) There are hundreds of variations of AR's and SMG's in the real world -and- B) This isn't the real world.
Having said that, game balance and the intended purpose for the weapons is what matters. The problem is that we don't know what the Devs are thinking... and they aren't talking about it!
If the Devs intend the SMG to be a 'crappy backup offspring of an AR that you only use because you have no other options', then they're doing it perfectly and there don't need to be any changes.
I, however, would like to believe that there is a sort of intended game-balance thinking that goes like this:
There are different 'families' of weapons and they can be seperated according to their effects and purpose.
There is the 'single-shot direct-burst-damage' family. It goes something along the lines of: Shotgun-->Pistol-->Sniper Rifle. There are some variations here as certain other halfbreed offspring make their way in (the single-shot AR that can be 'hacked' to fire super fast), but on the whole, its 'family motto' seems to be "I tear big chunks off you but require care to aim if you intend to deal any damage at all". It's unusual in that the two 'extreme' range ends (close and far) do more damage per hit, but require much greater reload time (and in the Sniper's cast, waiting for the aim to re-center).
Then there is the 'rapid-fire direct-continuous-damage' family. In theory, it should go something along the lines of: SMG-->AR-->HMG. The lethality should go in that order (SMG deadliest over time) but is restricted by range. At least, if this were in any way 'realistic'. But, of course, it's not, as the AR is more accurate at range. The 'family motto' seems to be "You will have about 2-3 seconds tops before all your health is gone if I'm aimed at you the whole time, but otherwise give you the chance to do some damage as I spray around you".
The first family is fairly easy to balance, because all the weapons are of the same class (Light) and usable by all suits.
The second family is more difficult to balance, because it goes along the lines of Sidearm-->Primary (Light)-->Heavy. Thus, not usable by all suits. And everyone will argue.
I, personally, would like to have a reason to equip both an AR and an SMG, aside from the crazy reasoning of "I'll put a Toxin in the Sidearm just in case I somehow survive long enough to run out of AR rounds and need a substitute." I'd prefer it to be "I have all my bases covered, and unless I meet a shotgun guy at point blank or a sniper at extreme, I should have it covered."
More importantly, I'd like to have a reason to spend points on SMG skills other than "Welp, I'm almost done maxing AR's!" |