Abit disappointed in the types of AR's chosen for the last update

I really wish the devs would add some more well known assault rifles to the game, and not all these obscure lesser used ones.

Similar bu much better known AR's such as the Steyr AUG A3 (bullpup) and SIG556 would've been much better choices IMHO.

But hope is not lost ofcourse, and I'm crossing my fingers that better known AR's and other weapons are added later, such as for example: Steyr AUG (BP AR), HK 416 (AR), FN P90 (PDW), AWP (Sniper rifle), PSG-1 (SA sniper rifle), SPAS-12 (SA shotgun) etc.

And if you wanna go ultra modern and awesome, introduce the HK433 to the game.

I think that the reason they were added could be because they're actually fairly popular in middle eastern armies and groups. The VHS 2 is a part of the Iraqi armoury, while the QBZ 03 is a Norico export that's becoming increasingly common in the hands of insurgents.

@Wolfram For the most part, the weapons in Sandstorm are actually used by insurgent and militia groups elsewhere in the world.

I just really wish they would feature more known weapons used by the western countries security forces, such as for example the SIG556, Steyr AUG, HK416, PSG-1, AWP, FN F2000, FN P90 etc...

Also some of the latest modern weapons would be nice, like the HK433:

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i don't think people in the middle east use p90s. not even terrorists

@Wolfram said in Abit disappointed in the types of AR's chosen for the last update:

I just really wish they would feature more known weapons used by the western countries security forces, such as for example the SIG556, Steyr AUG, HK416, PSG-1, AWP, FN F2000, FN P90 etc...

Just because something is "well known" by you, doesn't mean that reflects the reality in the middle-east. The QBZ-03 is a standard service rifle in China as well as being exported and commonly found in Syria and Iraq, it probably has more users in the world than half your list.

The SIG-556 is a civilian rifle designed and manufactured specifically for the US market. It is not used by any military in the world, and US export restrictions should make finding it in the middle east quite challenging. The SIG 550/551/552 would be far more likely.

The PSG-1 is extremely expensive and used by very few people. The rifle was largely a commercial failure for H&K.

The P-90 has seen some popularity with police and special tactics units as well as a PDW with rear-echelon units (which is what it was designed for). It has not, as far as I know, been deployed in any front-line military unit. It's had reliability issues in military service, and carrying spare mags for it is a large hassle.

The F2000 is an odd duck that looked like it was going to never leave the prototype phase, but gained some traction in the mid 2000s. Saudi Arabia actually bought some for guard units, so they might plausibly show up in a conflict in Sandstorm, though most users of the rifle are specialists teams that acquired a small number of rifles. I'm not sure it really fits with the theme of the game.

The HK416 and AWP are both very similar to rifles already in the game, I don't think they'd add much real variety other than minor cosmetic differences. These would be good rifles for modders to add.

I would really like to see an AUG in the game though. It's seen service by NATO countries in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has found its way into the hands of ISIS fighters, Hamas, and rebels in Syria. They could even make two different versions of it for Insurgents and Security, like they did with the MP-5. It fits with the game in almost every way.

Not sure why it matters wether insurgents regularly use the weapons or not. I don't believe this game ever intended to reflect reality like that. If so I have to say that I've rarely if ever seen the QBZ-03 or VHS-2 in the hands of middle eastern insurgents.

That said the weapons I mentioned were mainly meant for the Security forces, and since the west has had many special forces in the middle east there's a very good chance most of them have seen action there. I know the HK416, AUG, AWP, FN F2000 & FN P90 ALL have seen action there, much more than the QBZ-03 or VHS-2.

Only weapon I am not sure about is the PSG-1, but I'd imagine the KSK has had it with them to the middle east.

As for the SIG AR, I agree that the SIG-550 would be better, I actually remembered it as the 556.

Didn’t weapons leak out like 5 months ago where people found you can put 7x on the sks, an underbarrel shotgun along with a fully animated with sounds m26 mass? What the fuck happened to those

@Wolfram actually it matters quite a bit, since every weapon in the game so far has been seen in middle eastern conflicts in one way or the other.

Most of the weapons you mentioned are either too exotic or too impractical for actual use in combat. They're either overpriced, prototypes or just not seen in the conflict.

As for the ARs that have been added. The VHS 02 is actually used by the Iraqi army, while the QBZ 03 is a Norinco export and thus relatively easily accessible to insurgent groups. Both if these are actually far more likely to be seen in such conflicts than the weapons you mentioned, which, while they have more popularity, are for the most part rare and somewhat impractical.

@Wolfram said in Abit disappointed in the types of AR's chosen for the last update:

I don't believe this game ever intended to reflect reality like that.

It did. Originally there was a planned story-driven campaign set in the Syrian civil war. So, to a point, there is a pretty specific location and time period the game is set in.

I have to say that I've rarely if ever seen the QBZ-03 or VHS-2 in the hands of middle eastern insurgents. I know the HK416, AUG, AWP, FN F2000 & FN P90 ALL have seen action there, much more than the QBZ-03 or VHS-2.

Are you speaking from personal experience, or second-hand? (To be clear: I have no first hand experience myself).

There aren't very many armies that use the P-90, of western forces that have deployed to Iraq or Syria only Australia, Belgium, and Canada operate the P-90 in any numbers, and only with small specialized units. Libya, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia have also bought some, so it could also theoretically be found in equally small numbers with Insurgent forces. The F2000 is even more uncommon.

The Iraqi Army has 50,000+ VHS-2s, which I assume is why it's a Security weapon, while China is exporting the QBZ-03 to pretty much anyone willing to pay - which easily includes ISIS. A 2017 CAR report found that nearly half all ISIS's weapons were Chinese in origin. The bulk of these were Type 56s and Norinco CQs, but the QBZ-03 is certainly present.

It seems a weird choice to add a third assault rifle with a 30-round mag of 5.56 and a rate of fire of 750. What new player will be able to tell the G36, M4A1, and QBZ-03 apart performance-wise?

last edited by Luri

@Luri QBZ-03 is an Insurgent weapon, so it should compliment, not compete with, with the M-4 and G-36.

@MAA_Bunny said in Abit disappointed in the types of AR's chosen for the last update:

@Luri QBZ-03 is an Insurgent weapon, so it should compliment, not compete with, with the M-4 and G-36.

Even though it's better than the M4 in every regard. Not like that matters anyway, since the Security VHS-2 is the best AR in the game by a landslide.

@MarksmanMax That's a different issue - which should certainly be addressed. I'm actually a bit surprised they didn't get tweaked after the CTE.

@MAA_Bunny said in Abit disappointed in the types of AR's chosen for the last update:

@MarksmanMax That's a different issue - which should certainly be addressed. I'm actually a bit surprised they didn't get tweaked after the CTE.

I'm not really surprised since it seems like a n00b weapon to me and NWI's just pandering to casuals at this point. Honestly, my faith in NWI is starting to die off.

@MAA_Bunny said in Abit disappointed in the types of AR's chosen for the last update:

It did. Originally there was a planned story-driven campaign set in the Syrian civil war. So, to a point, there is a pretty specific location and time period the game is set in.

Well since they didn't actually choose a specific TO then no such restriction is in place, which is good as that gives them the freedom to add a lot of different weaponry to the game.

Are you speaking from personal experience, or second-hand? (To be clear: I have no first hand experience myself).

I am speaking from personal as well as close second hand experience (family & friends who have been there). Their message is that you rarely see insurgents carry anything but Russian type small arms (AK variants), which seems to be confirmed by trying to search for other weapons used by insurgents. In general 90% of insurgent small arms are of Russian variation with different locations of manufacture, and then the occasional capture of coalition weaponry. Personally I've never heard of or seen insurgents with QBZ-03 or VHS-2's. Only Chinese weapons I've seen them with are AK variants.

There aren't very many armies that use the P-90, of western forces that have deployed to Iraq or Syria only Australia, Belgium, and Canada operate the P-90 in any numbers, and only with small specialized units. Libya, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia have also bought some, so it could also theoretically be found in equally small numbers with Insurgent forces. The F2000 is even more uncommon.

The Iraqi Army has 50,000+ VHS-2s, which I assume is why it's a Security weapon, while China is exporting the QBZ-03 to pretty much anyone willing to pay - which easily includes ISIS. A 2017 CAR report found that nearly half all ISIS's weapons were Chinese in origin. The bulk of these were Type 56s and Norinco CQs, but the QBZ-03 is certainly present.

I know both the FN P90 & F2000 have seen action in the middle east, and I'd wager a lot more than the QBZ-03.

VHS-2 has some relevance due to the Iraqis having those several thousand you speak of, but where are the more prominent coalition weapons is my question.

Personally, I quite liked the two rifles that were added in.
My bias for Croatia aside, the VHS-2 was very relevant to the setting they have.

I'm not against adding in more of these weapons you speak of though, but I do think we had a decent amount of the recognizable for them to drop these more unique ones this time.