Hey guys! This is the first in a series of suggestion posts discussing some changes I would like to see in the USA machine gun tree. The first thing I would like to change is the M1941 Johnson LMG.
The first image depicts the M1941 Johnson LMG’s rate of fire to be anywhere between 300-1000 RPM. I’m not certain exactly what creates this variability (different bolt weights? gas setting changes?), but secondary sources (including this video of Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons firing it on the range) depict it’s cyclic rate to be closer to 450-500 RPM. I propose the following:
Reduce the M1941 Johnson LMG’s Cyclic Rate from 900 (990) to 450 (500) Rounds Per Minute.
Move the M1941 Johnson LMG from BR IV to BR II
Move the M1941 Johnson LMG between the Vickers-Berthier and Bren Mk.I in the tech tree
Folder the Bren Mk.I and Bren Mk.II, maintaining the current research required to progress to later Machine Guns
There are two more suggestions on this topic on the way, so keep an eye out for them! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I’ve seen this too, in game it has the settings of full-auto/slow-auto/semi-auto, I have no idea if this is because the M1941 actually had slow-auto setting like the later BARs (it didn’t that’s the only thing I know to be fully true, only two positions on the selector lever) or if this was the game trying to represent the fluidity of the Johnsons modular rate of fire, because that’s what all the sources state it had (adjustable rate of fire, that is), but they do not explain how this modular rate of fire is achieved.
I would like someone to actually figure out mechanicly how this insane modularity in rate of fire is actually achieved, and how easy it is to modify (can it be done in the field, maybe even in combat?). I’m just a layman with a basic IT and History degree, I know next to nothing about actual gunsmithing or by extension engineering, just enough to make conversation (it’s a fascinating topic, but I am a outsider).
This is not to discredit your work here, in fact well done sir! My position just is “if true, then yes”, I just don’t know enough to figure out what is actually going on here.
I’m very much a fan of historical accuracy, so long as it isn’t affecting balance, fun or immersion. Since the documentation isn’t precise, I feel like using the Forgotten Weapons video as reference can help.
Oh yes, absolutely, it clearly shows that this example has lower RoF than in game, and that it only has two selector positions, full-auto and semi. I just want to know, how such a broad RoF (300 to 900 is a insane estimate) is achieved in its modularity, the current RoF could be just as historical as 450 for example, that’s the context I’d like to have actually decide.
If it comes back as being very easy to mod, so easy it can be done whilst in a fire-fight, then I think it could stay as is. If it’s easy to do but not in combat, I could see new versions of this gun being added to the game, current one looses slow-auto (standardising on current max RoF in game), and new version in BR 2 gets the RoF of the slow-auto as stadard.
The “every new gun must be unique” crowd will not be happy about this last option, but I’ll just welcome a actual US alternative to a BR 2 MG. I believe that it costs nothing to round out the tech tree with things already in the game, it’s just a good and logical way forward.
