User blog:Tommygun9504/Controversies In Combat Arms No.7 - Statistically Identical Weapons

I do think I remember somebody suggesting this. Whoever it was, please show me where your comment was, if you are a registered user.

Okay, so here's the first episode of the series since it became weekly. Now I can conserve GP, keep the series going for longer, and now I can get more sleep on weeknights.

So here we go yet again...

AK this, AK that. There's so many weapons like this. Weapons that have differences that are almost unnoticable. Weapons that make you wonder why you have to pay NX instead of GP for a gun that looks different from its brother.

There are three basic categories of weapons like this.

1) Cosmetic Variants: These weapons just look different from their brothers, like the AUG A1 and the its black version, the SCAR-L and the SCAR-L Trispear, and the G36E and the G36E Valkyrie. They may also herald some minor change, like a point off here, two points on there.

2) Modified Weapons: These weapons offer some new capability, most likely combined with traits from the above category. These include the M416 and the M416 CQB, the AUG A1 and AUG A3, and the R870 MCS and the R870 MCS MOD.

3) Other Family Members: These weapons are just weapons from the same family, which may or may not have the same/similar statistics. They don't usually include a new capability. They include the G36C and Raven's G36C, the P90TR and Viper's P90TR, and the M416 CQB and Baron's M416 CQB. Ultimate Upgrades are usually in this category.

So, why have so many similar weapons, instead of making each weapon really different? Simple. Being able to pick a weapon from your favourite family instead of just one weapon makes Combat Arms more flexible. Flexibility is seen a lot in CA, since you can modify your weapons with suppressors, sights, scopes, extended mags and fast-loaders, get good old Bubba to customize your weapons with upgrades so delicate they may fail, or turn your weapon into a killing machine. Well, a better one anyway. If that weren't enough, he can also upgrade your weapons to a MARK II status, making them even better. And THEN, you can forge them into different pieces of weaponry altogether. Me like.

I like the flexibility of all of this, because I have selected several weapons to add to my "Carry one at ALL TIMES" list. These include the WA2000, M14 with ACOG TA1, the unmodded AK-103, and the K3 SPW with any holosight. The only problem is that sometimes, the weapon you want is just out of reach. The weapon might be an NX weapon, which you can't afford for various reasons, or in a supply box, where you have more chance of getting a 1-day pistol than the weapon you want. (MYST-G, anyone?) Also, that weapon might be close to unobtainable, or completely unobtainable, or just might not exist altogether. That's the only thing that limits the flexibility of Combat Arms weapons. Come to think of it, your character is also extensively customizable, with a wide range of hats, helmets, bandanas, masks, face guards, glasses, camouflage, vests, backpacks and even other characters, with different looks and bonuses available for purchase.

Oorah, there's another episode. Seemed a little bit short... heh. Maybe next time we can touch on a larger topic. That's all up to you guys though. Opinions and suggestions in the comments, and I still need to hear from the guy who posted the suggestion, I can't find it.