Panfried's *****in' Hut

So my apoligies if there's already another whining thread out there on stuff like this. I'm not going to talk about bugs/glitches as there is enough coverage on that kind of stuff. I'm complaining about the laziness of the content we currently have in the game. By the way this is purely from a small arms/infantry perspective, and an opinion.

First, we're going to talk about factions. Like how faction small arms have apparent differences and traits that give them some sort of inherent advantage in a given situation, right? To me the inherent traits feel so minute to really make much difference. What really matters more is not the faction you are, but the specific type of weapon in your hand. So what is the point of base traits affecting playstyle when you have so many variants and "crossover weapons", if you will, that by approaching a given faction in a given way that would negate their apparent given strength but you are in turn countered immediately because they used a situation gun instead of the base gun? Basically base traits mean nothing more than the color of the gun in your hand. This is why I laugh now when I see people talk about "BAWW *insert not-the-faction-that-you-play of choice here* OP PLS NERF when talking about infantry weapons. Not to mention everything that isnt a carbine, lmg, or assault rifle is literally the same across the board, with some exceptions and the slow trickle of empire specific weapons which are so niche that they tend to be more of a frustration than a boon. Welcome to blueguns/redguns/purpleguns(andsometimes greyguns). Pick a color and proceed to talk about how underpowered your faction is and how the other two are EZmodenoskillzerglords.
I used to feel that way when i started. I played NC exclusively and hated the other two factions with a passion, especially TR. And then one day I was so pissed I made a TR character just to prove a point about how easy it was to play them. And some things were easier, like controlling recoil. But my performance neither improved nor faltered. And I learned something that day.

I played Vanu once.

Cried in the shower for 3 days straight and the more I scrubbed, the more purple my skin got, the more I scrubbed, the more purple my skin got.

I'm all....better now though. That's what my doctor says.

Next, we're going to talk about design. The design is incredibly lazy even by a studio of their size's standards. Pretty much any gun that isnt an empire specific looks the freaking same. We already know that there's a borderlandsesque "gun parts" aspect where the devs pick a reciever, stock, barrel, trigger group, adjust some stat sliders, and POOF! A gun is born! But the problem even goes deeper than that. For example, here's NC's sweeper shotgun.
Now here is the NC default carbine, the Mercenary

Now, save for descriptors, wikis, and actually using the weapon, what conveys to the user that the sweeper is a shotgun, and the mercenary is a carbine? Their only major difference is the presence of a stock on the sweeper, and the barrel is a little fatter, if you look hard enough. Neither of those really define what weapon type they are. They even use the same magazine in their model!
Let's dig even deeper than that! For those of you who don't play NC, the sweeper is the faction's high capacity shotgun. Now what conveys to the user that the sweeper is a high capacity shotgun? Nothing really. No drum mags, or even large magazines or a long tube or anything to hint that particular weapon's role. This kind of stuff isn't rocket science. It's basic principles of design.

This design issue is also incredibly worse with VS weapons. Everything looks like purple hairdryers/squirtguns

*Throws a Pamphlet down* READ THIS DAMN THING AND SUPPORT IT.

Um...you don't use your username in a thread title when you are a nobody. There should be a meme for this.

If you know your way around guns, you can tell that the Sweeper is a shotgun, due to the feeding tube below the barrel. Here's a normal shotgun:

See how the feed tube goes about halfway under the barrell. Now here is the same model shotgun (albeit different finish) that has an extended tube:

See how it goes almost to the end of the barrel, just like the Sweeper. So if you look closely, you can tell that the Sweeper is high-capacity, but only if you know your way around guns and take the time to look closely.
Aside from that, definitely true. Guns do look very similar to each other.
And, I would love to have a drum mag visual for guns equipped with extended mags. That would be sweet.

EDIT:
whoa whoa whoa
After making the above reply, I realized:

Why in the name of Higby's Hair does a shotgun have both a magazine AND a feed tube? That makes zero sense...

There should be a meme for uppity folk who would rather chastise a user for not following an imaginary rule than debate the content of a thread.

I know my way around guns quite well and yes there is a portion of a feed tube sticking out. But yes, its also mag fed. So why the feed tube? Because it's recycled from the bruiser shotgun. also
Such a beast does exist for pump actions as a conversion kit, but that's probably not what the designers had intended as they simply recycled the barrel model

Will do.

It's not a rule, it's common sense. Unless your name carries some weight, it is useless in a thread title. Why do I even need to say that?

Yep, looks like you're right. That shotgun looks like the feed tube is not even used, but kept on since the foregrip is still needed for operation. In the case of the Sweeper, the feed tube does not support a moving foregrip, so it looks like just another case of lazy modelers...

So the bottom line is...

Where do I get on of those

(Both in game and irl, of course.)

I threw put my name in there because this thread covers multiple topics and I am the original poster, not to be self important if it's coming off that way. I may be a nobody, but it's my thread. If it genuinely bothers you that I'm not a Higby or a Wrel or a Zoran or whoever else and have the apparent audacity to squeeze my pointless screen name in a thread title, you may want to go elsewhere.

In game, ask the devs to recycle more gun parts for you lol.

And not to deviate from the original thread topic but IRL that's a Black Aces Tactical conversion kit that lets mossberg 500s take saiga 12 magazines. Legality depends on what state you live in.

Obama's *****in' Hut.

Thread derailed? THANKS, OBAMA.

On topic: Noooooo, devs. That sentance is the one sentance I DON'T want the devs to read (Which probably means they will...)

Off topic: I'm in Texas. It's probably legal.

First off its a damn game why t hell would you hate any other faction?! Sure game has some issues on how the weapons look and other ones that i wont mention but still...

Weapons (most of them) have to be similar for the sole reason of balance across the factions. Good luck getting lasher on any other faction then VS, AH from NC, fast fire MBT from TR. Faction specifics are there but the thing is the more of them there are bigger hell of the game is to balance.

Oh and i would rather have people from SOE look in to some bigger issues first then to oh i don't know fiddle with weapons look so some ******* could tell whats a carbine and whats a damn shotgun just from looking on some picture.

The truth lies in bold.

Grab your torch and pitchfork, there, buddy. Because out of the like 30 people who even care to read this thread you're the only one who's on a little crusade to correct some guy who did a thing you don't like on the Internet. You sure showed me. I retreat to my village in shame.