- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Give the assault rifle some actual damage and it would be a decent support weapon. Once you think about it, 60 rounds (which doesn't seem physically possible for the clip size) and poor accuracy seem to indicate that it would be a support-type weapon. Of course, Bungie has to go about it completely backwards and give it the weakest damage-per-round of all the weapons in the game. Then again, giving it heavy damage would make it uncontested in short range (except for maybe a shotgun).
Oh well, since the assault rifle doesn't work, Draerden's idea seems to fit almost perfectly. Chainguns are pretty common in fps's, but what else could you use (and keep balanced) for that situation?
-ok, here's a novel idea for balance for non-cycle time weapons. Have a support rifle like a modified AR (or whatever you want to throw in there), but have recoil so heavy you have to crouch, or at least stand still, to make it effective. That way, if you wanted to run and gun, you'd end up shooting all around the target if they kept moving. Having to stand still would make more sense for that type of weapon (of course, most people stand still when they shoot. . . running makes it nearly impossible to shoot straight), but the only drawback would be vulnerability to sniping. Perhaps that would make help keep it balanced though. After all, you've got at least one guy pinned down (or dead if he's a moron and decides to run straight into it) with rapid mid-high damage fire.
[Edited on 6/5/2004 10:15:31 PM]