The popular viewpoint seems to be that the assault rifle, as a utility weapon, should be able to beat every niche weapon hands down, whether or NOT it's beating that niche weapon in the niche weapon's element.

Niche roles find themselves in often frustrating circumstances once they are in mid-range situations, which is almost all the time.

Essentially, the assault rifle role has an easier time adapting offensively, than the niche roles, and I believe this is a problem. If the AR becomes a sidearm, then everyone will always be able adapt offensively and beat everyone.
No more excuses. No more "your weapon is OP" this, "you coward" that. Everything will boil down to that particular player's style and skill, not what he is forced to find himself in.

Assaults can close range on snipers, and can increase range on CQCers, way too easily, depending on the skill and circumstances of the niche players.

And what tends to happen after that range adjustment? The niche player has next to no means of an *even* fight anymore.

We make the assault rifle a sidearm, as has been explored with the 'Black Eagle', and the niche players will at least have a better opportunity for an equal exchange when they are caught out of their element.

The same can be said for assault players, they can have a niche weapon on their main slot, and be somewhat prepared in case they are caught out of their element by a niche player.
They see heavies, and can swap to their shot guns, then back to their ARs. While others who are dedicated counter-snipers, can attempt to make the counter snipe, then switch back to their AR.

There is little opportunity for equal firing exchange currently, and I think that's what frustrating a lot of people... Hence why they start calling for weapon nerfs, or changes to the redline to prevent perceived "abuse".

People want an equal opportunity on the battlefield.
Making Assault Rifles a sidearm, allows the weapon to serve everyone equally, as it was meant to.

EDIT: Potentially OP builds can be avoided if AR cpu costs are kept as is.

Still disagree Jathniel.

All this suggestion does is make a sniper long + mid range and a Shotty/HMG guy mid + close range. It won't encourage people to branch out and use the specialization they "want to use" but can't because ARs are too powerful. It'll just add to the kill counts of CQC guys and Snipers. It takes fractions of seconds to switch weapons. Arguing that a HMG guy will be more helpless if he has to roll out his HMG after using his AR makes me laugh. I never seem to have trouble rolling out my scrambler when I use my Assault suit.

You can't use a SINGLE suit that almost nobody CHOOSES to use as the rubric for why this idea would absolutely work, no questions asked. You aren't asking for a Scout variation that can use an AR and another primary, either. You're asking for Assault and Heavy suits to be able to do it. You don't see how that is different and has massive potential to gum up every gear in the machinery of this game?

If you nerf full auto ARs and buff breach, burst and tactical ARs...then MAYBE. If you nuke the range on ARs (because they are blasters...or whatever excuse you want) you absolutely MUST shorten the range on HMGs, too. If HMGs can out range an AR...they obsolete them. In fact, ditto with SMGs too. Faster RoF and bigger clip but equal range and close damage? Obsolete AR. An Eq slot doesn't make up for doing candyass damage, either...

Still, lets just make every weapon able to to be put in a sidearm slot. Better yet, so people can specialize in two specialties, lets just add another weapons slot. That way everyone can use their specialty, an AR and a sidearm. Or two specialties (until someone complains that those two-specialty guys can't use an AR, too). Gimme a break. This whole idea smacks of "I wanna blow **** up with my Forge Gun but use an AR too."

I'm sticking with my original suggestion. Slowly tick down the range and damage of full auto ARs until they are more balanced.

In an attempt to "balance" ARs you forget a goddamn huge point, too. Not every suit has a sidearm slot. If you make every class but Logistics able to use what would amount to two "primary" strength weapons, you basically make every class except Logistics that much more powerful. Hey, maybe they could take off that pesky triage timer...then I can get 2500 WP with my Logi again...

Still disagree Jathniel.

All this suggestion does is make a sniper long + mid range and a Shotty/HMG guy mid + close range. It won't encourage people to branch out and use the specialization they "want to use" but can't because ARs are too powerful. It'll just add to the kill counts of CQC guys and Snipers. It takes fractions of seconds to switch weapons. Arguing that a HMG guy will be more helpless if he has to roll out his HMG after using his AR makes me laugh. I never seem to have trouble rolling out my scrambler when I use my Assault suit.

You can't use a SINGLE suit that almost nobody CHOOSES to use as the rubric for why this idea would absolutely work, no questions asked. You aren't asking for a Scout variation that can use an AR and another primary, either. You're asking for Assault and Heavy suits to be able to do it. You don't see how that is different and has massive potential to gum up every gear in the machinery of this game?

If you nerf full auto ARs and buff breach, burst and tactical ARs...then MAYBE. If you nuke the range on ARs (because they are blasters...or whatever excuse you want) you absolutely MUST shorten the range on HMGs, too. If HMGs can out range an AR...they obsolete them. In fact, ditto with SMGs too. Faster RoF and bigger clip but equal range and close damage? Obsolete AR. An Eq slot doesn't make up for doing candyass damage, either...

Still, lets just make every weapon able to to be put in a sidearm slot. Better yet, so people can specialize in two specialties, lets just add another weapons slot. That way everyone can use their specialty, an AR and a sidearm. Or two specialties (until someone complains that those two-specialty guys can't use an AR, too). Gimme a break. This whole idea smacks of "I wanna blow **** up with my Forge Gun but use an AR too."

I'm sticking with my original suggestion. Slowly tick down the range and damage of full auto ARs until they are more balanced.

In an attempt to "balance" ARs you forget a goddamn huge point, too. Not every suit has a sidearm slot. If you make every class but Logistics able to use what would amount to two "primary" strength weapons, you basically make every class except Logistics that much more powerful. Hey, maybe they could take off that pesky triage timer...then I can get 2500 WP with my Logi again...

We cold even take it further and just keep adding weapon slots. That way everyone would be able to carry every weapon for every situation and no one would have to ever be out of their element!

I was starting to consider this idea to be viable for a while, but you brought up some very obvious points that I hadn't considered. I think some tweaks or additions to the selection of sidearms could satisfy the requests of the players who support this.

The popular viewpoint seems to be that the assault rifle, as a utility weapon, should be able to beat every niche weapon hands down, whether or NOT it's beating that niche weapon in the niche weapon's element.

Niche roles find themselves in often frustrating circumstances once they are in mid-range situations, which is almost all the time.

Essentially, the assault rifle role has an easier time adapting offensively, than the niche roles, and I believe this is a problem. If the AR becomes a sidearm, then everyone will always be able adapt offensively and beat everyone.
No more excuses. No more "your weapon is OP" this, "you coward" that. Everything will boil down to that particular player's style and skill, not what he is forced to find himself in.

Assaults can close range on snipers, and can increase range on CQCers, way too easily, depending on the skill and circumstances of the niche players.

And what tends to happen after that range adjustment? The niche player has next to no means of an *even* fight anymore.

We make the assault rifle a sidearm, as has been explored with the 'Black Eagle', and the niche players will at least have a better opportunity for an equal exchange when they are caught out of their element.

The same can be said for assault players, they can have a niche weapon on their main slot, and be somewhat prepared in case they are caught out of their element by a niche player.
They see heavies, and can swap to their shot guns, then back to their ARs. While others who are dedicated counter-snipers, can attempt to make the counter snipe, then switch back to their AR.

There is little opportunity for equal firing exchange currently, and I think that's what's frustrating a lot of people... Hence why they start calling for weapon nerfs, or changes to the redline to prevent perceived "abuse".

People want an equal opportunity on the battlefield.
Making Assault Rifles a sidearm, allows the weapon to serve everyone equally, as it was meant to.

EDIT: Potentially OP builds can be avoided if AR cpu costs are kept as is.


SECOND EDIT: After some discussion, and input. It would appear there is a growing consensus for this. In particular, side-arm carbine variants of current ARs.
ARs that function like the current ones, that suffer a clip cost, of about 50% capacity.

Full-auto assault rifles only? Then bump up the damage a pinch for the Burst and Tac? (pinch being 5-7 damage)

People don't like using the burst as much, because it doesn't apply the same attack pressure as easily, even though it has their precious scope and a higher RoF. (this is what makes it a balanced weapon requiring skill, just like the Tac AR used to be). It has range, and suffers closer in, as it should.

Bursts have MORE range, and you will decimate everyone, even heavies if you're truly accurate.

The full auto ARs are the ones getting spammed. Rare to see truly sharp and excellent players using Bursts like Gorewrecks or Alloteks...

Let everyone use the full-auto ARs, that way everyone will be able to fight if they find themselves in that circumstance warranting it, and leave the Bursts and Tacs as primaries for assaults that want to stand out as assault specialists (those are the ones that will keep their scopes.)