So what are your thoughts on this gun in its current state. Personally I find it a precision deathlaser suitable for mid-long and long range combat if you get accuracy upgrade. Basically it does what the scout rifle should do except it actually works, and works damn well. You need to be a little more patient with it (unlike running around with an actual rifle) but it's great for locking down large open areas and chokepoints and providing suppression fire for teammates (it actually works). Even a semi-decent player can get a lot of kills with this gun if they accept the almost complete lack of mobility and mostly defensive applications of it, since advancing with an HMG leaves you almost defenceless. Your move.
It truly is what the scout rifle should be (and that's why the scout rifle doesn't need to exist). On maps that were designed by someone with downs syndrome, it can seem overpowered because of it's ability to control chokepoints without much team effort. On maps with easy flanking, it takes a support team to enable the hmg to work well. If your team is working well together, then you deserve to dominate, whether using the hmg or something else.
Really all the support you need is obtained by staying close to 2-3 teammates. You just need some time to set up in a good spot and start spewing lead everywhere. On its own, the HMG isn't as great though. With enough cover, a gren can wipe you without trouble and if someone is in your face the damage output is probably too low to save you as you need to be prone to actually hit stuff with it -> your head is pretty much the only thing the enemy can hit, aside from the shoulders.
If you love it so much, why don't you marry it? Also it's shit for long range. Don't expect to hit anything from a distance of 100 meters or more. Scout 4 life.
The difference is teamwork. The HMG can hold a chokepoint as long as it has support. Individually, the HMG isn't consistently better than another Rifleman rifle proned. But the scout rifle is a loner's gun. Adding teammates doesn't make the total firepower better than the sum of its parts, unlike the HMG. If you're good at headshots, then you'll enjoy the scout rifle in Empires. But you'll also enjoy it in cod or some other run of the mill shooter. I'd you're playing empires, be a team player.
Seems like a 'Shit Happens' thread, where everyone on the forum takes a turn explaining why 'Shit Happens'. I'll take my turn now: The LMG is a noob gun. Its raison d'etre is to be an easy to grasp weapon for giving to new players. Its balance is that its efficiency/effectiveness cap is far below that of the rifleman's more mobile options.
People mad at HMG. Somebody plays too many shitty MOBAs and forgets what teamwork and support does. Although Pred is painfully right, mortar is retardedly effective against lone HMGs.
Mad at HMG? Why? For every nubleman that stays prone there is one less riflemen trying to get into my face and kill supporting people. Its a noob magnet, just like the scout rifle. You get hit by ar - oh shit. you get hit by hmg - lol drop some walls lets the faggot stay there for the next 5 minutes.
Well, time for a more serious reply. HMG is a very strong weapon, can be extremely deadly if you have good positioning but in a fast paced game like Empires, mobility is the most important thing. And HMG just doesn't fit. I could see the weapon used to great efficiency early game, before tanks start being used but after that I'd rather have AR riflemen in my squad with speed upgrade and stickies.
HMG is a defensive weapon. Empires is 90% offence. Ergo, HMG is only useful in occasional situations. It's a very situational weapon and thus not really worth it vs rifles which aren't situational.
HMG is most fun in rambo mode. If it were slightly buffed for that I don't give a shit how op it gets I would be fine with everyone running around with hmg's. Protip: Charge+stamina upgrade.
Proer tip: Dig in+Stamina increase+teammates. It works pretty well in mvalley, when you just can't be arsed to move around. Find yourself a good spot overlooking the battlefield and fire away. Unaware tank drivers like the sudden stickies when they stop nearby.
Regarding teamwork, i recently played a match of bootybay. Justgofly told someone to sit on the rep pad and fire UGLs, so after hesitating for a while i did just that. And lo and behold, exactly as i expected. I think it was hopfi that just walked right up and RPG'd my APC three times and nobody did shit. Then later i found him INSIDE the VF destroying it. What i fucking hate in those smaller matches is that usually i have to go and fuck their support up myself and then nobody bothers actually seizing the opportunity to just walk in and blow their shit up. Also, fix vehicle MGs. Regarding the HMG: Lasers.
