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 sucks, propose changes. 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.