Have the AK Rifles (AKM & AK-74) have Long Barrel Taken Off (Suggestion) [EDIT: All Weapons except AR-15 based Weapons]

This is based on Insurgency's AK modifications, where the AK rifles doesn't have the option to equip Heavy Barrel.

I don't know if AK rifles have heavy barrels on by default or that there is no option to equip heavy barrels, but this could be a balancing opprotunity for the AK rifles in INS:S. Both AK rifles have very little recoil, and with heavy barrel equiped, AK rifles are a bit too useful at close-to-middle range. To indicate that the Insurgent faction doesn't have much funding compared with the Security faction, there should be limitations on the Insurgent side that shows that they can't have everything that is a one-to-one counter with Security's equipment.

[EDIT: I've also noticed that there are other weapons where Heavy Barrel can be equiped: M249, SVD, M24, G3, FAL, MOSIN, etc. Based on @CHONMA-HO's comment, I believe that there should be weapons where most weapons should be fine by themselves without having heavy barrel as an option.

Heavy Barrel doesn't have much downside to equip, and paired with most weapons, it'll be a modification that people choose by default. Also, I believe that it makes sense that the AR-15 based rifles should be the only weapons in INS:S that Heavy Barrel is a modification option since AR-15 rifles are made to be highly modifiable easily. Either go with this, or base what weapons should get Heavy Barrel by Insurgency's weapons.]

[EDIT2: Thanks to @Jarple, I realized that the "Heavy Barrel" I'm referring to is the LONG Barrel. Changing the title for that, but really, the long barrel attachment is very similar with the effects of appling the Heavy Barrel back from Insurgency, so this suggestion still stands.]

last edited by BlueMouse

Should just increase AKM's recoil instead, it's the most stable rifle in the game besides L85

I personally think that heavy barrels should not be in this game. Heavy barrel is a modification that mostly serves to endure more sustained fire and since we are not going to deal with overheating we don't need it. Moreover most guns don't have detachable barrel so this modification is impossible without special equipment.

@ctbear1996 Maybe that'll balance the AKM a little more, idk for sure. The AKM wasn't really much of a problem back in INS with its very low recoil and no supply cost at all.

Maybe the first shot recoil should be higher and the rapid fire recoil remains somewhat stable.

@chonma-ho The AR-15 based rifles should be able to equip different barrels. That's why I'm thinking that the AK rifles shouldn't have the option to have heavy barrel at all.

Actually based off of your post, I'll change the title of this topic post to specifically cover more weapons since I can see that LMGs and sniper rifles also have the option to equip heavy barrel, but I believe that they don't need it.

@bluemouse Heavy barrel also should increase recoil instead, but it should give more damage boost since the velocity has been increased.

@ctbear1996 Yeah, like have the recoil increase x1.5/x2.0 more than before. Have the recoil significantly changed to balance the pros of equiping Heavy Barrel.

Downsides to attachments have always generally been balanced by weight and supply cost. The only thing that would go outside of it are the optics where the higher power ones tend to create tunnel vision and make for poor performance in close quarters.

Also, a heavy barrel would decrease recoil with all that added weight. Not increase it. You might as well suggest how a bipod or grip pod will increase recoil when deployed.

@BlueMouse It's called 'Longer Barrel', not a Heavy Barrel. You may be confused with Battlefield 3+.

@bluemouse said in Have the AK Rifles (AKM & AK-74) have Heavy Barrel Taken Off (Suggestion) [EDIT: All Weapons except AR-15 based Weapons]:

there should be limitations on the Insurgent side that shows that they can't have everything that is a one-to-one counter with Security's equipment.

Haven't you been for this one-to-one gear mirror? Who are you? What has happened to BlueMouse :O?

The recoil resulted from higher velocity will actually offset by the weight of longer barrel somehow, depends on guns. However for the gameplay purpose, since long barrel already increases muzzle velocity (damage), there should be a downside to make it balanced.

@jarple said in Have the AK Rifles (AKM & AK-74) have Heavy Barrel Taken Off (Suggestion) [EDIT: All Weapons except AR-15 based Weapons]:

@BlueMouse It's called 'Longer Barrel', not a Heavy Barrel. You may be confused with Battlefield 3+.

What? 🤣 I think @BlueMouse was confused with the original insurgency standalone game, if you've ever played that. And I didn't know Battlefield 3+ had such a thing though.

@io543 yeah you mean the game simply called 'Insurgency'? I've played it, it's lit af. I don't know what the barrel upgrade was called in Insurgency but in this game I was just saying it's called a long barrel and not a heavy barrel as it says in the title.

The way BF3 did it was that the Heavy Barrel actually increased aimed fired but reduced hip fire accuracy because of the added weight.

From BF3 wiki:
"A Heavy Barrel and Match Rounds give much greater accuracy for aimed fire, but reduce accuracy when firing from the hip. The combo increases range and reduces bullet drop, but does not alter the damage."

(Match rounds / Heavy Barrel are apart of the same upgrade, the 'match rounds'it was just a hidden thing)

@abekrie Maybe with the added weight of a heavy barrel, hip fire is less accurate?

A heavy barrel and a long barrel are two completely different things with completely different effects on a weapon's handling.

IIRC the accessory currently in Sandstorm is a long barrel. A longer barrel will have no perceptible influence on recoil and will increase muzzle velocity.

You can't easily swap in a new barrel on an AR-15 pattern rifle, but you can swap upper receiver groups with different barrel lengths. SOCOM does this with the Mk.18. The SCAR series of weapons allows fairly easy swapping of barrels, and comes standard in a number of different barrel lengths. The G-36 also has several stock barrel length options (and a heavy barrel option), though they can't be changed in the field as easily as the SCAR.

@jarple Okay, a lot of things to comment on.

Yeah I made the error of calling the LONG barrel "heavy barrel", but just to be fair, the long barrel modification doesn't change the visual model of the gun model (yet?) and that the effects of the modifications remind me a lot on how heavy barrel modifies the rifles back in INS. The barrel modification from INS is called "Heavy Barrel".

For my "reputation" of being a supporter of one-to-one equipment between both factions, I'm really not honestly. The most recent post I remember that you commented on, with adding the FAL rifle into Insurgent faction's Marksman class, I suggested that also because that it makes sense that a battle rifle would be in a hands of a Marksman. I don't know if NWI took away the FAL rifle for balancing purposes or that they want to do something radically different for the Insurgent faction, but whatever happens, I'm fine with it. Insurgent's Marksman class seem to focus more with slow, tactical sniping compared with Security's Marksman class with their access to the M16A4 and the M14 EBR.

Also, I've mentioned, "Not like the Insurgent faction is underpowered with their Marksman class. The Mosin rifle gets to have the stripper clip modification and the SVD is the strongest Semi-Auto-only rifle in the game, but to combat against Security's M14 EBR, the FAL is needed to balance the asymmetric weaponry between factions." I've made no post suggesting that the Security faction should also get the ability to load their M24s with stripper clips or that they should get a direct one-to-one counter with the SVD (Western Heavy Semi-Auto Rifle with 10 rounds). I did suggest during BETA1 forums I wanted to see the L1A1 rifle again, but that rifle has 20 rounds, so not a direct mirror counter. There are more blantant asymmetric equipment (and cosmetics with no camo in the Insurgent's side) between the Security and Insurgent factions, but for most of them, I'm fine with that. I'm not holding BlueMouse's or whatever account hostage. It's still me. I am still the one who originally suggested that the ammo count from the HUD should be taken off back from BETA1 forums. I'm open with having exceptions or being persuaded by a better arguement.

@ctbear1996 said in Have the AK Rifles (AKM & AK-74) have Long Barrel Taken Off (Suggestion) [EDIT: All Weapons except AR-15 based Weapons]:

Should just increase AKM's recoil instead, it's the most stable rifle in the game besides L85

AKM? Thats a weird way to spell AK74.