From the latest SITREP:
As we can see, the developers are considering ways to address the dominance of 9-man squads with select-fire rifles.
The following are my personal ideas and suggestions about BR5 SFRs:
1. Introduction
For me, WW2 atmosphere, immersion and vibe is paramount.
I believe that any kind of balance should be achieved within WW2 realities and aiming at maximum possible authenticity.
2. Not Standard Issue Rifles
If we consider all weapons produced during WW2, SFRs would amount to less that 1% (mostly problematic AVTs).
Bolt actions: ~55% (over 30 million)
SMGs: ~25% (over 13 million)
Semi-autos: ~15% (over 7 million)
MGs: ~4% (over 2 million)
SFRs: ~1% (approx. 550k)
The actual combat encounter chance in WW2 was near zero.
I find it bizarre that in Enlisted, every single GI or Volkssturm kid can have a never-used-in-WW2 T20 AutoGarand or a expensive and specialized FG-42.
In real life, SFRs were not widespread in WW2 at all. The only nation to field them in notable numbers was USSR in early WW2, and even they deemed SFRs unsatisfactory, cancelled their production by 1943 in favor of bolt actions and even re-converted the remaining AVTs into SVTs.
Germany developed FG-42, but as a very expensive and specialized paratrooper universal weapon, fielding it in limited numbers.
USA never had any never-used-in-WW2 T20 AutoGarands on the frontlines
Japan never had any origami prototype Autoheis.
Don’t forget that the only faction to have SFRs in early Enlisted was USSR with AVS and AVT in Moscow in Berlin, while Germany had their specialized paratrooper FG-42 in Berlin and Normandy.
Note that Germany didn’t have their mirror in Moscow and US didn’t have their mirror in Normandy, it was by design and never seen as anomaly.
Besides, neither US, nor Japan had any SFRs at all until relatively recently recieving their morros: never-used-in-WW2 T20 AutoGarand and origami prototype Autohei.
It was an afterthought, not the original game design.
In the alpha stages of Enlisted, only a special class of soldiers called Guards Soldier, or Automatic Rifleman, was allowed to use weapons such as AVT/AVS.
I believe removing the SFRs from Riflemen and giving access to them only to this re-introduced Automatic Rifleman class would make a lot of sense.
Either as new squads or soldiers of a new class which could be added to usual squads.
3. BR4 Oppression
Currently, the gap between BR4 and BR5 is arguably the largest one between any other neighboring BRs. Equipping BR4 equipment which is barely better than BR3, such as G-43 or SVT-40 will more often than not send such player to compete against 9-man squads equipped with full auto, one-shot kill potential, low recoil/spread weapons, and often 3 of such squads on repeat.
BR5 SFRs are a major component of BR4 being “empty” or “dead” BR.
I believe reducing the one-hit-kill power of SFRs would make BR5 more diverse, providing more variable gameplay with SMGs, MGs and other weapons, without sacrificing efficiency of the tryhard meta of 3*9 SFRs.
It would also make the gap between BR4 and BR5 a little less enormous.
4. Unrealistic Portrayal of WW2 SFRs
There are reasons why SFRs were a technological dead end in WW2.
Despite many attempts, it was impossible to design a battle rifle form factor which would handle automatic fire with rifle cartridge.
Such weapons were always very difficult to control due to the excessive cartridge power, inflicted damage on the barrel and locking mechanisms, and as such even when deployed such as AVT, automatic fire was only allowed to be used by soldiers in emergency close quarters situations.
In the early stages of Enlisted, SFRs such as AVS and AVT did indeed have rather strong recoil/spread patterns, reflecting the more realistic portrayal of such weapons, however with time they were artificially buffed significantly, to become these proto-M16 laserbeams that they are now.
IRL:
Enlisted 2020:
I believe significantly increasing the recoil/spread of SFRs would make them feel less fake and more realistic, depicting more how they behaved in real life, forcing them to trade automatic fire for accuracy, while semi-auto rifles would instead have better accuracy but no automatic fire.
5. Don’t Take My Toys Away
While I deeply care about WW2, I understand that some other players don’t. And maybe they want to keep their favorite toys, even if they can acknowledge that it’s overpowered, ahistorical, and oppressive.
It’s also possible that such players often don’t care about anachronisms, historical WW2 context or immersion, and just want to play an FPS game with bots using the best equipment available.
For such players I believe it could make sense to introduce BR6, where all the prototype SFRs such as never-used-in-WW2 T20 AutoGarands, origami prototype Autoheis, AVTs with never-used-in-WW2 20-round magazines would go, maybe even taking FG-42-2 with them or inventing yet another fake weapon like AutoGewehr 43 (wouldn’t be the first time, we already have fake PPSh (s), fake Hino Komuro rifle, fake Hori 2017 and Su-9 from 1946).
Such BR6 would have ±0 BR matchmaking rule, meaning it would never meet BR5.
It could also have free-for-all on all maps, meaning that people who just want to shoot thr best guns and don’t care about WW2 could do it as Japanese against Germans in Stalingrad, or whatever else it may be.
No nerfs, no limitations, pure 3927 one-hit-kill paradise of fun, for those who are into that.
Poll
Since the developers are considering how to change select-fire rifles, please (multiple) choose what would you prefer:
- Remove SFRs from Rifleman
- Add Guards/Automatic Rifleman class/squad with access to SFRs
- Reduce SFRs damage to not one-hit-kill
- Increase SFRs spread/recoil to make them effective in close quarters only
- Move SFRs to BR6 with ±0 MM and F4A
- No changes needed
All constructive feedback and ideas are welcome!
Cheers.
