Rather than buff everything, why not just nerf the AR? I'd think balancing every weapon against each other again would be much harder, more time consuming, and more prone to FotM solutions compared to reducing the AR's effectiveness.

EDIT: I should also throw out there that whenever they do decide to nerf something, it's accompanied by data and graphs, not feels.

Rather than buff everything, why not just nerf the AR? I'd think balancing every weapon against each other again would be much harder, more time consuming, and more prone to FotM solutions compared to reducing the AR's effectiveness.

EDIT: I should also throw out there that whenever they do decide to nerf something, it's accompanied by data and graphs, not feels.

no. Balance requires buffs and nerfs together. Buffing everything continuously is as destructive as nerfing everything continuously. I'm wary of anything that starts with "identify the complaining group."

the idea is that if for example everything but the AR was buffed, AR noobs couldnt complain tat they were nerfed because they are still just as effective, but now there are other guns that are just as effective in their areas of expertise.

So you're saying that everything but the ARs (and its variants) should get a 10% or 15% increase to damage?

I really like that idea, but I doubt it would really happen and the Scrubstick users would cry just as much as if they had been nerfed.

the idea is that if for example everything but the AR was buffed, AR noobs couldnt complain tat they were nerfed because they are still just as effective, but now there are other guns that are just as effective in their areas of expertise.

I find that with equal levels of skill the guns are balanced. We need to move our focuses from the nerf/buff mode to what we need in game that would improve gameplay not just which gun hits hardest (there will always be BFGs).

We need to focus on diversity to preserve an interesting game. Currently, the AR is killing diversity. It's being used to kill nearly as often as 11 of the available 14 weapons in the game combined. This is a huge problem that needs fixed.

We are currently playing AR 514, not Dust 514.

good points

Now, as for the OP:
It's not a one or the other kind of thing. Both buffs and nerfs should be employed when balancing. Weapons or suits that are just flat-out too effective outside their niches need to be nerfed to bring them back down to where they're meant to be, while something that's not doing its job effectively needs to be enough buffed to fulfill its role. In addition, it is possible for a weapon to be too good even in its own intended role. The flaylock was intended to be devastating at close range, and it was, but it wasn't meant to instantly obliterate anything that wandered into its range. Buffing say, another weapon or armor plates would have created more problems than just weakening the flaylock. Not that Armor Plates don't still need a buff regardless.

Both buffing an OP weapon's natural counters and flat out nerfing an OP weapon can be overdone. Personally, I think it's better to overshoot a nerf than overshoot a buff. The former breaks one weapon. The latter breaks anything that weapon is used against.

but thats the thing careful analysis of the situation proves that the flaylocks were never really OP, but scout suits, and armor tankers were UP. in which case they needed a buff. scouts still instant drop to anything... in fact scouts benefited from using the flaylock.

armor takes additional damage from explosives and is slowed down too much by tanking it. therefore a skilled flaylocker could finish them with ease IN CLOSE RANGE.

shotguns and flaylocks both had hit detection issues, but proto shotguns were more effective than proto flaylocks in CQC.

ARs can;t complain about losing to flaylocks in CQC because the AR is not a CQC weapon therefore, using the aforementioed method stated in the OP. buffs would be given to armor and scout suits. and the problem would be solved.
if the flaylock still out performed other guns its disadvantages would need an increase

remember the advantages of the weapon are very important when it comes to a weapons purpose. so when nerfing the disadvantages need to be nerfed never the advantage (unless of course upper threshold is reached.)

Rather than buff everything, why not just nerf the AR? I'd think balancing every weapon against each other again would be much harder, more time consuming, and more prone to FotM solutions compared to reducing the AR's effectiveness.

EDIT: I should also throw out there that whenever they do decide to nerf something, it's accompanied by data and graphs, not feels.

We need to focus on diversity to preserve an interesting game. Currently, the AR is killing diversity. It's being used to kill nearly as often as 11 of the available 14 weapons in the game combined. This is a huge problem that needs fixed.

We are currently playing AR 514, not Dust 514.

Any FPS out there is the same "I die all the time to this gun therefore its OP"

Seriously just shut up asking for nerfs on everything unless it is clearly broken, I run AR and SCR, and I get ganked by HMG/shotguns/whatever on a regular basis, its not jus the gun, its the persons abilty with it, ppl think the AR is OP becuase so many use it but then it is included in 2 of the starter fits (good idea CCP - NOT!) They nerfed the Duvolle TACAR's mag which kinda made sense I guess but the full auto only has iron sights and is a meduim range gun, there are other weapons that dominate them close up and at longer range too