[Suggestion] T7 MCG

So, I've recently come back to Planetside 2 after a long break, disagreed with some of SOE's decisions but DBG seems to be on point, the game's a lot more enjoyable now even if there still is no long term 'active' goal. (let us storm the enemy warpgate when a faction captures everything, not just instantly flip the map pls)

So anyway, as I've recently started playing again I only just got to see the changes to the T7 MCG and I'm impressed, the thing is ******* awesome now but still has issues in terms of competitiveness, it can work a lot better now than it used to but it requires you to get the drop on people and to be able to spin up to 845RPM (BRRT is mandatory, this gun is pretty bad without it) which is just poor game balance when I can grab a T9 Carv or the Butcher and have pretty much the same effective firepower off the bat without any sort of spinup or delay.




So, I'm proposing that DBG try out the following changes to the MCG:



1) Remove the ADS/RMB mode and instead replace it with a spin up mode, ADS is a bit pointless on the MCG anyway since accuracy is the same on the move and in ADS with a lasersight, this mode would prevent you from jogging around at normal strafe speed and would reduce you to ADS speed while using it and would make some noise, spinning the barrel shouldn't be silent but it should allow you to skip the prep time whenever you begin to fire, firing at max RPM from the get go. This means that it allows for counterplay by alerting players when one is nearby and due to the slower movement speed on these players while spinning up, they're easier to headshot. Also, they could add this slowdown effect for a second or so after they stop firing/spinning to balance the weapon, as players would no longer be able to instantly sprint after spinning up meaning that players have to commit and, in the event of a frag nade, may not always be able to get away in time.

2) Beef up the ROF to about 950 - 999 RPM at max spinup (if I remember rightly, there's a bug with RPM in this game, can't go over 999/1000 rpm or game has issues), part of the issue with this weapon is it doesn't shoot fast enough to be a close range contender where shotguns, smgs and some carbines/ARs rule the day, for me this weapon should be the embodiment of the TR faction, large magazine (125 or 250 rounds, perfect so well done on that one) and the highest ROF available, this weapon should be the highest ROF gun in the game when fully wound up, perhaps to balance this you could also add a heat mechanic, firing at maximum ROF for more than say... 4 - 5s? would result in your weapon overheating and you need to let it cool down so the barrels don't burst, alternatively, you could just increase the spin up period, so the weapon starts at say, 750 RPM, spins up to 820RPM after 1s of firing or 1s of spinning up w/ RMB, 880 RPM after 1.7s of either mode, 2s for 950 RPM and 999/1000 RPM after 2.4 - 2.6s.

3) I'd say leave the damage as is for now or alternatively, test on PTR a few times because I reckon that nerfing the damage won't help the issue of the chaingun being beaten by smgs/shotguns in close combat even at max ROF but if the minigun just instagibs people when it starts firing with these changes, set the damage to 125 per shot up to 50m after which it drops to the usual 112, this should prevent the weapon from being OP, effective at close range and only really good at longer ranges if people stand in the open.

4) Add a louder audio crack when the T7 MCG is firing at you, this is more of a flavour thing but the description of this gun is that it inflicts terrific morale damage, the high volume of fire and the calibre of the rounds impacting nearby should make an audible crack, not quite to the level of the sniper rifles, but enough that I can scare some newbie players ;p.

I reckon that's all, there are other changes that could be made too such as reload time increases to compensate for the DPS, gives them more downtime but, other than that, I think this would make the MCG competitive. There are likely some issues with it so if this is implemented, test it on PTR first and see what needs tweaking.

And, before people start posting it as I have read through some other threads here, I'm proposing changes to the MCG because I always have mained TR (ps1 & ps2) and always will, if you're annoyed that the lasher or the jackhammer sucks, propose changes for your faction as I'm not "qualified" to do so. These empire specific weapons should be the embodiment of every single faction's abilities and strengths in a single weapon, they should be all-round weapons, that can work in almost any situation but will lose when even slightly out of their element.

And to DBG, thank you for these changes. I thought this game was doomed after SOE's bankruptcy and incompetence and I appreciate the changes you've made, this game is still a gem in the rough but as long as you lot keep working on it, this game may one day overtake Planetside 1.

A fully spun-up MCG (with BRRT) is somewhere around a 845/143 weapon - those have the lowest TTK of all automatics in the game, bar none. GD7F, TRV - the facemelters. And that's "mounted" on a HA platform! There is a reason why LMGs tend to have lower DPS than Carbines and ARs (hint: Overshield).

Also, when in ADS the COF does not expand, there is barely any reason *not to* pre-fire the MCG. The effective range ends somewhere around 20 meters, which - along with the spin-up and a lower than usual HS damage multiplier are necessary balancing factors. Otherwise the MCG would be OP as hell.

If you'd ask me, the weapon is in a good spot right now and fun to use to boot.

A fully spun up MCG takes about 0.8 - 0.9s (with BRRT) which, usually, ends up in your death if you don't pre-fire to warm up the weapon, which is a bit 'meh'. I'd rather have the ability to spin up (as suggested above) and no ADS as a balancing factor to warm up the weapon. I'm essentially just suggesting ways to tweak the MCG that make it more playable and less.. painful, right now, you're better off with an SMG, Carbine or a shotgun for CQB up to 20m.

It doesn't expand at all unless you jump or sprint, the MCG has identical COF whether you stand or crouch, even while firing it doesn't change.

You always want to pre-fire the MCG if you know enemies are ahead which is why I'd like to see it as an official feature, replace ADS with spin up to allow you to pre-fire without reducing your potential ammunition to kill opponents ahead, a higher ROF to compensate for the fact that you shouldn't be able to sprint/jog with MCG while spinning, it'd make the chaingun into a threatening heavy weapon that is competitive, as it stands right now, it's pretty lackluster, especially since it barely does any extra damage on headshots.

It's fun but it's far from competitive :/, T9 Carv w/ good aim > T7 MCG, every time.

But, at the end of the day, these are all propositions that I hope DBG looks into, testing them on PTS/PTR to see if they throw the balance out of whack, to make the weapon more like a chaingun, a unique high ROF, low dmg, high magazine weapon for the TR, right now, it doesn't stand out enough and loses to a lot of weapons in CQB.

You make a good case, but the MCG is not a duelling weapon. However, as long as the minigunner is not the primary target, he has the potential to mow down enemies, like it's nobody's business. Again, most players rounding a corner into a spun-up MCG will melt before they even realise what's going on.

You need to break a number of (healthy) habits to use the MCG effectively, but it does pay off. It has it's quirks, but that's what makes it interesting to use. I guess we just have a different perspective.

Fair. I can see that perspective but, honestly, I think almost all weapons that are automatic should be able to compete in some scenarios 1v1, there shouldn't be a situation where the weapon only works if you aren't being focused over other targets or where you have to pre-fire to win any engagement vs a player that can aim.

imho they should simply make BRRT built in to the weapon and let us choose between extended mag or laser sight,
its silly having a mandatory attachment.

Pretty much, BRRT is a bit pointless as a mod due to it being mandatory, I'd rather see Laser Sight, Extended Mag and Darklight Flashlight as the options followed by the changes, or at least some of them, from the post above. I think that would finally bring the MCG into the competitive space.

After that, I hope some VS & NC players manage to get their empire specific heavy weapons tweaked to work to the specific niche of that faction, I wouldn't mind seeing the Jackhammer as a sort of 'autocannon shotgun' rather than just a shotgun, capable of light AV, slow ROF and medium range, a proper hand-cannon rather than a shotgun. But, again, out of my element there.

Is there still that bug that allows it to be equipped along with something else at the same time?

But yeah, no reason to not use it, like extended mags on a Jackhammer.

i wish! i had a blast with that bug, it didn't last long but it was awesome while it did!

agreed i use extended mag on my jackhammer, it seems like a nobrainer
though extended mags isn't as crucial for jackhammer as BRRT is to MCG,
extended mags don't (massively) alter the TTK of the weapon

Definitely something to suggest changes for, personally I'd like to see all of the empire specific heavy weapons be the literal embodiment of that faction, something that always bothered me about the Jackhammer pretty much just being another shotgun, I mean I don't play NC so I can't really speak for its effectiveness but I think a shotgun - rifle hybrid would be neat, practically a 'railgun' autocannon, similar to how the GODSAW can now deal with vehicles in groups, that's what the Jackhammer should be capable of IMO, while also being able to fight in closer ranges as a shotgun.

God knows for VS, the lasher is already pretty unique I guess, just needs some utility tweaks for it to be a bit more viable outside of 20man groups spamming the thing.

I missed this...
Hopefully DBG implements one or more of the changes proposed here, that way I too may be able to enjoy a functional MCG ;(

Step 1: Move BRRT to Barrel Slot. Equip BRRT and Exmags at once.
Step 2: Change MCG model to its alpha model.
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit.

To be honest, this & a ROF increase to a max of say.. 950 - 980RPM would pretty much solve the issue of the MCG being outgunned by some pistols at close range.

Still, I think the replacement of ADS mode with a spin-up mode is pretty much required at this point, just to give players who use the MCG a level of control over their firepower outside of just wasting ammunition before they enter a room.

That would be cool. Personally I'm rather disappointed with the NC's Jackhammer being essentially just another shotgun. An autocannon would be cool, but I don't know if I'd like a shotgun-rifle hybrid. They wanted to do that with the Railjack, but fortunately is was shutdown pretty quickly due to tremendous player disapproval. Knowing how these devs. seem to operate, I doubt it would even be the "good" of both worlds.

Lasher is a weird one. I think it's OK enough as is.

Yeah, I suppose.

Still, there's all sorts of changes that could be made however and I do hope they are made, I personally think that all of the Empire Specific Heavy Weapons should be pretty much the 'standard' weapon for that class, playing to the faction's strengths and weaknesses while also providing a weapon you can use in a lot of situations without being so overpowered that it throws the rest of the guns out of whack.

Bumping this up to the first page again.

Pew pew..

Bumped to help this stand up loyal cat, also known as felix to get his point across.

Pushing this thread back to the first page.

Judging by the player stats with the MCG vs the other heavy weapons, I think the MCG is actually in an OK place. Sure, it might be cooler if you could pre spin-up and all that, but it's already strong enough, especially because the player stats don't reflect 100% the recent patch which buffed the MCG (and the Jackhammer, but in my opinion, the MCG got a bigger buff).

It's in an alright state but it's far from competitive. You can certainly play with it but there are much better options for almost any situation.

Taking an SMG-46 Armistice provides the same effective range with higher DPS & no spin-up.

I use the MCG intensively.

And honestly I do not see a reason why a sane HA should get this gun. The spin up makes TTK awfully long making it basically outgunned by anything above a scout rifle.

The only trait of the mcg is the extended mag because it makes one fire in automatic like forever. It's great for flanking but you rarely get kills. It just does a ridiculous damage compared to LMGs.