The idea is to change how SG currently work i think currently SG role is way to much present as a solo role so to make it more friendly and in need of some help mechanically.
SG will be part of a Gun so basically we would make SG work in duo with a rifleman and will change SG balance around that idea:
1-rifleman that accept the job will get a kit(Gun Team kit) and SG would be able to get two belt(so that he can give one to the rifleman.)
2-change to belts currently belt are made for SG to carry it all by himself.
3-The kit would have the (Battle Buddy Kit, some stuff no idea right now on what could be cool but not OP…)
i would change the two different belts:
A-first one would carry 2 SG drum but would have one pistol emplacement and 2-3 emplacement for pistol mags.(this is so that this option suck a bit less.
B-second one would carry 4 SG drum.
SG would still get is 6 drum in total that mean that if rifleman don’t want the belt he could still carry it on is back.
what would the rifleman get in exchange for carrying the ammo and serving as a shield to SG?
1-i play SG a lot and i can tell you we have a lot of points we don’t use so SG can buy stuff for you.
2-Maybe SG and is mate could have some sort of synergy and gain a passive bonus when they are in proximity.
Imo this is just adding more battle buddies without a good reason. Spotters actually synergise very well with snipers, as they can use their binoculars to increase aim speed dramatically as well as mark targets for the sniper to shoot at, which is unique.
The ammo mule and bodyguard role is secondary.
I don’t think battle buddies should be a thing unless they can synergise in a similar way (not just “+10% damage if you’re within 5 tiles of each other, etc.”)
If a random PFC can do most of the job you’ve described, then I don’t think it’s worth the effort.
Regarding the belts, eh. The pistol belt has always been noobtrap since being able to carry more SG ammo is just far more versatile than having a niche gun designed specifically for T1s ambushing you when you’re relatively alone.
Yeah, spec battle buddies are cool because they have something to do. I dont know wether having 2 drums that you need to replace every few minutes is nescescarily something people will even do at all. So, I dont really see this working at all
i feel like SG could use a body guard in general. how many time you see SG’s die because they have nobody sticking to them like glue?
I want to also do that to increase teamwork in CM…(basically you carry SG ammo and you get something nice…
my ideas aren’t great but i will keep digging…
add a special ammo backpack that can hold SG drums, and remove the SG ammo belt or reduce it to two drums max, so you have to have an ammo guy with you or lug the backpack around
I don’t think nerfing the SG is the way to get people invested in buddying up. There needs to be a value add, but one that doesn’t swing balance too hard. And really, I don’t think it’s the SGs that need convincing – it’s the Marines that peel off SG pushes to top off ammo or grab an MRE or whatever.
So what if being in close proximity to the SG gave you access to some of the their enhanced battlefield perception … say their limited night vision? That directly incentivizes Riflemen to stay close to their SGs on pushes and keep them alive. The image of a gaggle of PFCs clinging to their SG as they creep into the hive feels on-brand. In-universe, it makes total sense for this to be implemented for human conflict, where killing the lights would actually serve as a force multiplier.
Obviously would require some tuning to get the balance right, like giving it a cooldown or a high energy cost. But I feel like there might be something there.
… that or make ACID vests purchasable and add an unga tank backpack/hackable man-portable Souto dispenser for the FTL or something. (Think of the whole dump-the-Gatorade-cooler-on-the-coach ritual at round end, except it’s like 20% hardcore painkillers. Heheheh.)
I find the job is too one-dimensional and honestly pretty boring once you’ve got more than a few hours on it. I could do an unlimited number of rounds as a comtech back to back, but I play SG once and I don’t want to touch it again for a week.
The SG is not supposed to be part of the first line of guns at the front. They are fire support and a leader. Thats why they have IFF, so they can stand bhind the first firing line. If you see a SG die alone, they are usually a goober and overextended.
I get why you want to find a reason to get more battle buddys, more team play is always nice after all. But this aint it chief. SG is plently fine already. There battle buddys are the squad.
@mesnomer Idea is honestly much better suited for the role then to just make a single PFC stick to the SG.
The high energy cost aoe NV buff, or maybe just a stupidly powerfull flood ligth as the shoulder lamp of SG armor. The SG is already a leading role, they are the go to aSL in general.
But if your dying to add more dedicated battle buddy roles, i suggest you look at the specs for that. They have more potential for fun side kick roles then the walking gun. And its not as hard as to come up with stuff from the ground up like the Vulture.
Thanks everyone that took the time to respond in a constructive manner.
i think i am just going to change the fallowing for SG right now:
1-remove SG drum from squad prep.
2-SG belt with be filled with 3 drum each instead of 2.
and in another PR i will add the ability for SG to buy battery for the smartgun
if i recall correctly from the armat systems manual, the smartgun is designed to be used in a fireteam of 2, as a gun support team along with another fireteam of 2 to form a squad of marines. The size of CM makes this impractical but how about this for a simple elegant solution:
Add a smartgunner’s assistant esque role like spotter, and have it get a hybrid armor/smartgun harness and some backup ammo/batteries, and a pamphlet to give smartgun skill (and maybe make the current rank higher so that a level one smartgunner assistant would be worse with the smartgunner?). So that the smartgunner who dies can pass the gun off to an assistant who will already have spare ammo and battery.
