Ideas for stock weapons!!!

[anhphuong]

To keep irl type names, I'm going to be ditching certain in-game names (i.e. Laser/Assault Carbine/Plasma = Shotgun.) There are some weapon types that are, IMHO, missing, and some where I really miss the X-COM: UFO Defense characteristics.

Pistol: AP Snap: 20% (vs. 28%), AP Normal 33% (vs. 40%) for Laser/Plasma Pistol, 40% for Ballistic Pistol

Acc Snap: 45% (vs 45%) for Ballistic Pistol, 55% (vs. 45%) for Laser/Plasma Pistol, Acc Normal 80% for all (vs. 80%)

Rationale: There should be a significant difference in recoil between ballistic and energy pistols, and this is reflected in having a faster normal shot at the same accuracy for energy pistols (three per turn) and a more accurate snap shot at the same TU cost. I've also sped up the snap shot to better reflect the relatively tiny moments of inertia (MOIs) of handguns both in bringing sights to target and in recovering from the recoil of a fired shot.

Shotgun: AP Snap: 33% (vs. 28%), AP Normal 50% (vs 40%) for Ballistic, 40% for Laser/Plasma

Acc Snap: 38% (vs. 38%) for Ballistic, 45% (vs. 38%) for Laser/Plasma, Acc Normal 65% (vs. 70%), 70% for Laser/Plasma

Rationale: TU cost and accuracy relationships same recoil issues as for Pistols, but not as much of a change for normal shots. The reason for this is because normal shots are probably spaced more by muzzle flash than recoil, which isn't likely to be that much less for the energy shotguns. I was somewhat disappointed to see the same TU consumptions as for pistols because in reality, shotguns are much heavier and have higher MOIs and recoil. The biggest self-loading handgun round is the .50 Action Express (although I think there are some bigger revolver rounds, but regardless-) which is utterly dwarfed by the 12 gauge (19mm) shotgun shell. For smaller/less experienced shooters, the time to get sights on target when flushing birds can mean enough of a difference in the range to target that you're actually better off with a 20 gauge coming to your shoulder faster when the bird is close than with a heavy 12 gauge and weak arms that let the goose get further away.

In current vanilla Xenonauts, I ditch backup pistols in favour of shotguns because of this imbalance (although grenadiers and riot shields that need a free hand occasionally get pistols.) Speaking of which, I'd love it if my heavy weapons and rocket boys could switch to their pistols while holding their main weapon in their other hand, even if it can't be fired or reloaded.

Submachine Guns (SMG): AP Snap: 28%, AP Normal: 40%, AP Burst: 35% (3 rounds)

Acc Snap: 50%, Acc Normal: 75%, Acc Burst: 35% for Ballistic, 45% for Laser/Plasma

Rationale: In real life, the SMG is standard for both police and military work, which the M1928 Tommy Gun being used by gangsters and cops in the 1920s and 30s, and bunker stormers in the 40s (i.e. WWII.) When police in the US started remilitarizing, the H&K MP5 became the most popular and is seen in almost every press picture featuring a SWAT team (for military special forces, the diminutive MP5K is often used as a backup.)

Unfamiliar with SMG? Basically, it's a handheld machine gun that fires pistol rounds at fully automatic or in bursts, and is generally smaller than the assault rifle. It is the immediate predecessor of the assault rifle, invented by the Germans just in time for WWI to end. (Lucky Jerry also invented the assault rifle just in time for WWII to end ...poor bastards.) I deliberately gave it TU consumption characteristics to mimic the rifles of UFO Defense. Also, there are no recoil-related differences at snap and normal, only bursts (energy bursts are more accurate, a pattern I'm likely to continue.) I made the snap accuracy a bit better than the rifles to reflect lower recoil and MOI, but no Aimed because SMGs don't have much range (I don't think anyone ever puts a scope on an SMG, assuming holographic dot sights don't count.)

Carbine: AP Snap: 25%, AP Normal: 35%, AP Aimed 50%, AP Burst: 50% (3 rounds)

Acc Snap: 50% for Ballistic, 65% for Laser/Plasma, Acc Normal: 75%, Acc Aimed: 100%, Acc Burst: 35% for Ballistic, 45% for Laser/Plasma

Rationale: In real-life, tacticians saw a need for something with a bit more range than a pistol or SMG for vehicle crews in the event that they were reduced to infantry in the open, but which required less training and was both smaller and used smaller ammunition than a full-sized rifle. In WWII, they came up with the M1 Carbine, which was completely forgotten by both contemporary and historical thinkers by the 1990s when FN Herstal came up with the P90 and H&K developed their own PDW (MP7 or HK7 I think) along the exact same line of thought. In this idea, it is closer to being an assault rifle than an SMG (irl it is closer to being an SMG, and all of the rounds, including the .30 Carbine have pistols to fire them.) I cut down the TUs a bit, especially for burst fire, and leveled off the accuracy (i.e. more accurate snap/burst, less accurate aimed.)

Have you ever been suppressed and wished you had a 50% TU burst weapon or flashbang so you can suppress them back? I want that too, 

Assault Rifle: AP Snap: 28%, AP Normal: 40%, AP Aimed 55%, AP Burst: 60% (3 rounds)

Acc Snap: 45% for Ballistic, 60% for Laser/Plasma (vs. 45%), Acc Normal: 80%, Acc Aimed: 130%, Acc Burst: 40% for Ballistic, 50% for Laser/Plasma (vs. 45%)

Rationale: Basically the same rifles as we have now, but some accuracy bonus for energy rifles due to reduced recoil.

Sniper Rifle: AP Snap: 38%, AP Normal: 49%, AP Aimed 65%

Acc Snap: 60%, Acc Normal: 105% for Ballistic, 135% for Laser/Plasma (vs. 105%), Acc Aimed: 165% for Ballistic, 200% for Laser/Plasma (vs. 165%)

Rationale: The effect of recoil on a sniper shot is negligible, however, Laser and Plasma projectiles do not suffer from windage and drop, which is why they have improved accuracy at Normal and Aimed.

Heavy Weapons: The only beef I have is that the huge magazine for the Ballistic Machine Gun holds only enough ammunition for three bursts. It should be six bursts at the very least to keep it balanced with the Laser and Plasma equivalents, or 1x1 box fed like the Bren, BAR, or RPK. I'd also make a Normal and Aimed burst fire mode, the latter representing deployment of the bipod, which can only be used while crouched and behind cover.

Thoughts? Have the modders beat me to it?