[Suggestion] Engineers and Assault Rifles

This suggestion is simple, give Engineers access to weapons in the Assault Rifle category. Here is my defense... Assault Rifles do NOT out perform Carbines, no matter what people say. They may have better accuracy at medium range, but carbines are better for close range. Allowing Engineers to use them will make Assault Rifles designated as a support class weapon, but will in no way break the class balance. This change would be merely about preferences, and I can 100% guarantee that it will by no means make carbines the obsolete choice for Engineers.

It also does not make sense that these basic rifles are only supplied to a single class, of course then you may make the argument that they could be given to the Heavy Assault class as well, and frankly I feel there is no need, as LMGs typically outperform Assault Rifles(Partly due to the fact the class wielding them has an overshield).

The alternative idea of this being that Carbines be replaced in the Engineer arsenal with Assault Rifles, however people will of course complain about not having their favourite weapons... which logic dictates that obviously Assault Rifles do not outclass Carbines, hence why this suggestion is completely viable.

Please leave your feedback below, and I ask that if you have good reason as to why this would be "unfair" or "game-breaking" in any way, that you share it as well... in fact I challenge someone to prove me wrong about Carbines and Assault Rifles being on equal ground and a simple choice of preference.

I definetely don't want ARs to replace carbines, but giving access to them is fine in my book. IMHO, the only reason engies even got carbines to begin with was to do with the thematics of the class, tank crews usually don't get full sized weapons.

I agree with you and i have searched for a long time to try and find a good all around weapon for my light assault/engineer. However your statement that AR's dont outperform carbines is a bit jaded. Not sure what carbines you're talking about but no carbine comes close to AR's like the Tross, Reaper DMR, Corvus. On the flip side you have carbines like the pulsar c and ac-11x which are just as good as an AR in most situations. In the end though i agree we should have more options instead of less.

Not needed. Some guns are too similar, like the reaper dmr and the ac-x11.

Instead, give ar access to HAs. It would help curb the number of dingbats who play medic only for the ARs. More people playing medic for the support abilities would improve the game.

The problem is soe gave the medics pretty much the best guns in the game. The downside is you have to play a medic.

I'm not sure this is a defensible point.

Looking at KPH stats, it does look like Assault Rifles do kill more people in the same amount of time as a Carbine. Carbine KPH appears to be in the low 20's, while Assault Rifle KPH is probably somewhere in the mid 20's.

This would suggest that Assault Rifles do indeed outperform Carbines.

This is true, as demonstrated by the statistics (not sure about the Shield part, but at least LMGs have higher KPHs than Assault Rifles).

I've found that usually each assault rifle has a carbine alternative, the difference being carbines are better for close range. But the differences between them are usually negligible in combat where carbines can easily out perform assault rifles and visa versa... it's all situation-based, and therefore preference. I mean look at the Reaper DMR and AC-X11, basically the same, but AC-X11 is close ranged and Reaper DMR is medium, but they still cross over ranges... same goes for the T1 Cycler and Trac-5.

Besides, we desperately need more players to be support classes, which is why I feel Engineers could use these weapons, even a player focused on kills will do the duty of their class if it is convenient for them too, so more players using Combat Medic and Engineer is always a good thing... we need... and I cannot emphasis this enough, NEED less Heavy Assaults in the game.

That was the wrong design choice. Unique weapons only distract players from thier support duties. No one likes to see some idiot cm ignoring allies in need because he/she is too focused on shooting. It's irksome.

Stats like that are not always accurate, and don't take into account the two weapons facing off against each other... pit a carbine and an assault rifle against each other, at medium range, assault rifle will likely win, but it's not definite... at close range, carbine will likely win, but... it's not definite. The two weapons, as stated above, are quite similar except for their intended ranges... I emphasis intended because they do not always win at those ranges... a carbine could out perform an assault rifle at range, and an assault rifle could out perform a carbine close up.

The main argument I am making in this thread is that the differences are not huge between the two, and that adding them will not make all Engineers suddenly use assault rifles, as I said... it's preference. I'm sure lots of people would prefer their carbines any day of the week.

Players arent going to flock to medic and engineer because of their weapons. They go to those classes because they're cert machines. I find medic and engineer quite boring to be honest with you but when i do play the classes im always healing, reviving, repairing and dropping ammo...simply because its what gets me certs. Also, people play HA alot because the shield is basically an iWin button in any 1v1 scenario. The classes just really need an overhaul. Getting a tad of subject here i would like to see the medic class more like SWTOR where you shoot your allies to heal them. That dynamic alone would be a lot of fun in this game and would make me more apt to play a medic as opposed to what weapons they have.

Blame the dissimilarity of Carbines and ARs on SoE folding to player complaints. There used to be a difference, with Carbines being more varied but mainly sub-50m weapons and ARs being mainly 50m-plus. But then medics whined about how they couldn't beat LAs and Engies that got close and LAs and Engies complained that Medics were popping them before they could effectively return fire...

Whoda thunk that the original weapon designs were such that class roles have pros and cons including weapon access?

TR are actually weird in the way that they have no rifle counterpart to their carbines with the exception of the starter ones, S and B variants, and the Jag. Everything else is pretty much its own thing.

Because a lot of the TR rifles and carbines haven't changed much from their original design. Most of the new/revamped weapons are copy n' pasted weapons with minor stat tweaks.

I find this is primarily because the TR have the best medium range weapons, no problem with them having such weapons on the Engineer class though.

They absolutely do, I cannot tell you the sheer number of times I have used voice commands for a medic right next to a medic, and they ignore and keep shooting... or medics that walk over your body and do not revive.... they play for the assault rifles, but even these players will stop and do the job of their class once in a while if it doesn't stop them from trying to kill people.

And sadly the heavy shield is a win button, "pro" players hit it out of panic just so they can have a chance... the thing needs a nerf of a 0.2s-0.3s delay complimented with a small animation, making it tactical, and also making it a decision(Do you really NEED the shield for this fight? No? Then don't hit F). Players should be punished for lack of combat awareness, not shrug it off and keep moving forward.

Heavy Assault with TAR, Terminus and Carnage? Hell Yes. Hell Nao.

Honestly I think LA is what should receive Assault Rifles, especially in lieu of being able to do anything but be a C4 fairy and get on rooftops.

Which is tactically valuable, but not necessarily fun.

That wont prevent the notorious "C4 fairies", all that will do is add more medium range to the class, Light Assaults need less range as is, being able to get to places in a facility other classes can only dream of... or only achieve with an aircraft. Also carbines are a perfect fit for Light Assaults already, with their close range prowess, coupled with the mobility and ambush tactics of the class, there is no need for assault rifles.

Really? I find their weapons to actually be either long range or CQC, the Jag is the only medium range they really have IMO.

^

D'oh, Trac-5, not Jag.