Heavies aren't meant to be a heavy version of the assault.

Heavies are meant to defend a position - they exceed as a defensive role. Set up round a corner and anything coming around that corner is dead. On Manus Peak, I used a heavy to great effect defending point C, despite coming under heavy assault, with bombardment from a railgun installation, too. Most assaults were too cautious to come close, and those that did I ripped to shreds in seconds.

With crap for range and crap for accuracy it's supposed to be a mid to mainly close range weapon right?

In a game where any given map is at least 80-90% open field where any other weapon with better range and accuracy can simply shred you before they're even in your range?

Add in the fact that thanks to pitiful per shot damage you're expected to keep a lock on enemies who thanks to horrible movement mechanics can jerk back and forth bouncing off the walls ensuring that you can't even drop their shields as they drop grenades on you?

I always see people saying "Well you have to play defensively!" How exactly? Hide behind that one stack of crates over by the objective? Stick with other players where the slow moving guy that can't fire back yet totally isn't the easy target?

As I've played I haven't seen that many HMG users, I'd always figured it was people shying away from the extra investments needed to unlock heavy armors and weapons, but it's more because anyone that gets tricked into believing there's any actual balance in this game sadly goes back to using an assault rifle build and eats the lost SP isn't it?

Heavies were meant to stand toe and toe with tanks if we use your logic. Where the hell is that?

Please - stop telling a class how to play.

I didn't mention tanks...? I said installation. From halfway across the map. I got behind cover, and despite being in a pretty limited area, managed to defend C for a few minutes.

I'll tell a class how to play until people who play that class actually understand that the heavy is a defensive tool. Anyone looking at the slow speed can tell you that. Heavies just can't cross ground quickly enough to get between cover and can't run up quickly enough to apply DPS consistently.

Assaults and scouts are much better at assaulting positions than heavies. Heavies simply don't have the speed to assault. Got it yet? CCP has gone on record as saying this is the heavy's role, what it has been designed for.

With crap for range and crap for accuracy it's supposed to be a mid to mainly close range weapon right?

In a game where any given map is at least 80-90% open field where any other weapon with better range and accuracy can simply shred you before they're even in your range?

Add in the fact that thanks to pitiful per shot damage you're expected to keep a lock on enemies who thanks to horrible movement mechanics can jerk back and forth bouncing off the walls ensuring that you can't even drop their shields as they drop grenades on you?

I always see people saying "Well you have to play defensively!" How exactly? Hide behind that one stack of crates over by the objective? Stick with other players where the slow moving guy that can't fire back yet totally isn't the easy target?

As I've played I haven't seen that many HMG users, I'd always figured it was people shying away from the extra investments needed to unlock heavy armors and weapons, but it's more because anyone that gets tricked into believing there's any actual balance in this game sadly goes back to using an assault rifle build and eats the lost SP isn't it?

it has this really awkward half-range thing going on, where it's pretty awful in CQC due to the extremely tight bullet corridor and seemingly lower damage, but actually really good at mid range for some reason?

and because of the low turn speed, it's really hard to keep up with strafing scouts in close quarters. i get a lot more kills with my standard smg at that range than i get with my prototype HMG.

With crap for range and crap for accuracy it's supposed to be a mid to mainly close range weapon right?

In a game where any given map is at least 80-90% open field where any other weapon with better range and accuracy can simply shred you before they're even in your range?

Add in the fact that thanks to pitiful per shot damage you're expected to keep a lock on enemies who thanks to horrible movement mechanics can jerk back and forth bouncing off the walls ensuring that you can't even drop their shields as they drop grenades on you?

I always see people saying "Well you have to play defensively!" How exactly? Hide behind that one stack of crates over by the objective? Stick with other players where the slow moving guy that can't fire back yet totally isn't the easy target?

As I've played I haven't seen that many HMG users, I'd always figured it was people shying away from the extra investments needed to unlock heavy armors and weapons, but it's more because anyone that gets tricked into believing there's any actual balance in this game sadly goes back to using an assault rifle build and eats the lost SP isn't it?

I didn't mention tanks...? I said installation. From halfway across the map. I got behind cover, and despite being in a pretty limited area, managed to defend C for a few minutes.

I'll tell a class how to play until people who play that class actually understand that the heavy is a defensive tool. Anyone looking at the slow speed can tell you that. Heavies just can't cross ground quickly enough to get between cover and can't run up quickly enough to apply DPS consistently.

Assaults and scouts are much better at assaulting positions than heavies. Heavies simply don't have the speed to assault. Got it yet? CCP has gone on record as saying this is the heavy's role, what it has been designed for.

Stop whining, I can play easily with a Heavy Machine Gun and I suck in this game, I just got out of the academy and I can get good scores with weapons that aren't AR's.

They created the weapons, they are going to change range, power etc to theur liking.

Heavies aren't meant to be a heavy version of the assault.

Heavies are meant to defend a position - they exceed as a defensive role. Set up round a corner and anything coming around that corner is dead. On Manus Peak, I used a heavy to great effect defending point C, despite coming under heavy assault, with bombardment from a railgun installation, too. Most assaults were too cautious to come close, and those that did I ripped to shreds in seconds.

Heavies are not defensive tools - that is the counter every idiot who fears OP infantry tanks spouts.

We are walls that move the battlefield or get picked off for being idiots standing out in the open. Any points to say heavies are only meant to be one thing is worthy of being called ignorant. CCP calls heavies JUGGERNAUGTS that stand toe to toe with tanks - so if we were to take CCP to there word they're already lying about what our class can do.

Heavies don't move fast - you're right - they need to move smart instead. For when they do reach the front lines safe they can move it forward. Or used to be able too - now a heavy trying anything but point defense is folly and proof CCP has no idea wtf they're doing.

And I'll remind you we are suppose to be able to create our own perfect solider. My ideal one would be a slow moving tank , ops, not going to happen, why even with all of CCP's brag of customization? It's ridiculous and posts like yours supports CCP's ignorance of there own creation.

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What did you find was best for cover/protection? I tend to find that assaults don't need to come close as they can easily outrange me.

"My ideal one would be a slow moving tank"

Unfortunately, should you be granted the role you want (i.e. slow, but hard to kill) you would be a one man team. Not great for balance, hey?

For example, back in closed beta, I remember heavies running around with AR's. That was literally the only thing on the field. This allowed them to "move the front line forward". So much so that the assault was completely replaced.

Heavies cannot stand toe to toe with tanks. From dust514.com, "The Heavy dropsuit is a second-generation solution designed to withstand concentrated small arms fire and protect the wearer from the concussive, thermal, and impact forces of low-grade explosives." As far as I know, (apart from TAR's) they do that role quite well.

Heavies ARE meant for point defense. Any other role for them would be OP, as they would be walking powerhouses. They're slow on foot, which means that they require assistance getting to the battlefield, but once they get into CQC they excel. Jumping from a dropship into CQC, or spawning at a drop uplink at an objective when its about to be overrun, are ideal solutions for a heavy.

Walking up to the front line then punching a hole through it is not. That's best suited for an assault.

I was a Heavy for severa build(till I start to skill HAV). I think that HMG is a weapon that is ahead of its time. It was meant to be successful in narrow corridors with we don't have yet in game. CCP prefer to implement environment with open area as you said rather than close building with doors, windows, tight rooms, long corridors - where HMG would be really deadly.
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One of really good tactics in previous builds was to use LAV to cut your range between the enemy and you to minimum, and prevent him from disengage.

"My ideal one would be a slow moving tank"

Unfortunately, should you be granted the role you want (i.e. slow, but hard to kill) you would be a one man team. Not great for balance, hey?

For example, back in closed beta, I remember heavies running around with AR's. That was literally the only thing on the field. This allowed them to "move the front line forward". So much so that the assault was completely replaced.

Heavies cannot stand toe to toe with tanks. From dust514.com, "The Heavy dropsuit is a second-generation solution designed to withstand concentrated small arms fire and protect the wearer from the concussive, thermal, and impact forces of low-grade explosives." As far as I know, (apart from TAR's) they do that role quite well.

Heavies ARE meant for point defense. Any other role for them would be OP, as they would be walking powerhouses. They're slow on foot, which means that they require assistance getting to the battlefield, but once they get into CQC they excel. Jumping from a dropship into CQC, or spawning at a drop uplink at an objective when its about to be overrun, are ideal solutions for a heavy.

Walking up to the front line then punching a hole through it is not. That's best suited for an assault.

The Tac-Ar actually outdamages the HMG. Here's the math (assuming there are no damage modifiers on either side):

HMG

20 damage x 2000 dpm/ 60 seconds= 667 damage per second

Tac-AR

72 damage x 750 dpm/60 seconds= 900 dps

Once again showing there's no reason to pick any other weapon except the Tac AR.

I used a building. I think it was Manus Peak, but I can't quite pinpoint where I was. Maybe it was a different map... Think I'm confusing myself here. There was a supply depot, with an L-shaped building covering it from B, and a small gap between that building and another facing A. I stayed on the side with the supply depot, hiding from grenades, AR's and the like. The only way you could see me (as an AR) would be to get into CQC, as in, within five meters.