So I've played the game for a few hundred hours and some of the things I'll list here I've mentioned in the past but figured it would be good to consolidate it my thoughts into one thread. Some people may agree or disagree, which is fine, these are just my personal thoughts on the subject. Apologies if this ends up as a wall of text.
What I like:
Sight misalignment.
Goes without saying that is obviously more realistic and generally makes the gunplay feel more nuanced in my opinion, probably one of the best improvements from RO2 gunplay(which I thought was great).
Choosing style of free aim in ADS.
While I've played a lot(maybe around 900 hours) of RO2 I actually appreciate the fact I can use more conventional ADS as it allows me to have a consistent mouse sensitivity regardless of how much I turn.
Freeaim Hip fire.
While I don't use free aim in ADS I still like the fact that its used in hip fire allowing you to be as accurate(or as inaccurate) as your personal skill with the mechanic dictates. Glad this has been carried over from RO2.
What I like but need improvement:
Barrier penetration.
While this was in RO2 it's much more fleshed out and more important in RS2. However, there are still things in the game that block rounds that shouldn't be able to(trees on Hill 937 for instance).
Sight over bore(AKA why am I hitting my cover).
I actually really like this change from RO2/RS1, the fact your rounds actually generate from your barrel and not you sights. Not only is this more realistic but also curbs the problem of getting killed by enemy foreheads. However, it still feels a little wonky. Often times the weapons(including the barrel) looks to be over an object and will still deflect your rounds, there also isn't a good indicator to know if your barrel is actually obstructed or not(contrast that to the real world where you can often tell right away).
Damage model.
I like that the damage model tried to use energy imparted to the target to calculate damage. This gives the damage model a little more nuance that it didn't have in RO2/RS1. The problem is that as a result of the current calculation people(including myself) seem to take more damage than they "have a right" to take. There have even be several times where I've appeared to be hit by multiple rounds only to simply just bandage. I'm not entirely convinced this is just hit registration either.
Muzzle smoke.
I like the fact that smoke from firing a weapon is more prominent in the game compared to RO2/RS1(and actually is modeled more than virtually any other FPS I've seen). The problem I have with it is that it seems to be a little too exaggerated as it doesn't disperse quick enough. The gasses coming out of a barrel are expanding and escape very very fast, having them "linger" for a second in the game isn't that realistic. From a gameplay perspective having it virtually blind you(especially on maps with darker lighting, though granted that's currently just custom maps), even in semi-automatic, can be pretty frustrating. I like that it's modeled, I just feel there's too much of it.
Scopes.
I love the fact that RO2/RS1, and now RS2 take the time to use 3D scopes. Generally speaking I think the scopes in RS2 are modeled/rendered pretty well. My biggest problem with them is that the mouse sensitivity on them is way, way, too low for my taste. Having tested it, aim sensitivity with 3.5x-4x scopes in RS2 is literally almost half of what it is in RO2/RS1 for similar magnifications. Even looking around in the .ini files I never found any way to increase scope sensitivity(just default and iron sight sensitivities). The sensitivity is so low(with no way to change it) that it's the biggest deterrent from me wanting to play the Sniper/DMR role more often.
Bipods.
Deployable bipods are something I've always liked in more recent FPS and I loved them in RO2/RS1. However the problems I have with bipods in RS2 are that they're extremely buggy. There are many areas you cannot deploy a bipod that common sense would tell you that you should be able to(such as many sandbag locations or bunkers). Many areas you can deploy them also greatly limit your arc of movement for no apparent reason(such as guard railings on Hue City). While bipods are still useful in RS2 they honestly feel like they've been downgraded from RO2/RS1.
Suppression.
I generally like suppression mechanics in game and liked in RO2/RS1. There are things I like about RS2's suppression and things I don't really like. Suppression having a greater impact on your weapon sway is something I like, however the "sight bob" you get when rounds are hitting near you needs to be toned down. I don't mean the effect needs to be less dramatic but rounds need to be hitting closer to you for that to happen. Rounds landing a few feet away from you screwing with your aim in that manner is rather frustrating. Whether it realistic or not is hard to say as the whole concept of suppression is trying to emulate emotions felt in a firefight. However, I'm not really advocating for "less suppression" either as I also think the visual blur you get from suppression from small arms could be more pronounced. I also personally miss the color fade from RO2/RS1 while getting suppressed.
What I don't like:
"Flesh wounds" having almost no impact on a target.
While I generally like the way the damage model works one of the biggest issues I have with it is the idea that a wound that doesn't cause bleeding(which are many of them) simply looks like it "annoys" your target. At which point they simply swing around and shoot you as if they were just stung by a mosquito. This is something I wasn't a big fan of in RO2/RS1 however as less prominent with it's damage system. Personally I think getting shot needs to screw with your aim more than just "bobbing" your sight for a fraction of a second. Currently this is one of the biggest things that makes the game feel more "gamey" for the lack of a better term, and makes you feel like your just a walking ballistics gel dummy.
ADS speed while coming out of sprinting:
Simply put, I just think this needs to be a little bit slower. Save for maybe weapons with their stocks folded.
Weapon accuracy:
I've harped on this several times in the past already but I find the accuracy on most weapons to be a little less than it should be. I'm completely fine with the idea that you're not a super soldier and you can't just run around with pinpoint accuracy but one of the most frustrating things that happens in this game for me is when I do everything right(hold breath, prone, weapon rested, full stamina, properly zeroed, and my sight is right on a stationary target) you can still just "randomly" miss. Most obvious with the AK as it's the weapon that easily has the worst accuracy out of every rifle in the game. I'd like to see weapon accuracy be a little more reliable or at least allow weapon bracing to give more of a benefit than it currently does. Bracing a weapon on cover or even a wall doesn't really give you quite as much sway as you get in the game(even while standing).
Anyways, I may have missed something here or there but this is probably a pretty good overview of how I feel about the gunplay in RS2. Agree, disagree, your call.
What I like:
Sight misalignment.
Goes without saying that is obviously more realistic and generally makes the gunplay feel more nuanced in my opinion, probably one of the best improvements from RO2 gunplay(which I thought was great).
Choosing style of free aim in ADS.
While I've played a lot(maybe around 900 hours) of RO2 I actually appreciate the fact I can use more conventional ADS as it allows me to have a consistent mouse sensitivity regardless of how much I turn.
Freeaim Hip fire.
While I don't use free aim in ADS I still like the fact that its used in hip fire allowing you to be as accurate(or as inaccurate) as your personal skill with the mechanic dictates. Glad this has been carried over from RO2.
What I like but need improvement:
Barrier penetration.
While this was in RO2 it's much more fleshed out and more important in RS2. However, there are still things in the game that block rounds that shouldn't be able to(trees on Hill 937 for instance).
Sight over bore(AKA why am I hitting my cover).
I actually really like this change from RO2/RS1, the fact your rounds actually generate from your barrel and not you sights. Not only is this more realistic but also curbs the problem of getting killed by enemy foreheads. However, it still feels a little wonky. Often times the weapons(including the barrel) looks to be over an object and will still deflect your rounds, there also isn't a good indicator to know if your barrel is actually obstructed or not(contrast that to the real world where you can often tell right away).
Damage model.
I like that the damage model tried to use energy imparted to the target to calculate damage. This gives the damage model a little more nuance that it didn't have in RO2/RS1. The problem is that as a result of the current calculation people(including myself) seem to take more damage than they "have a right" to take. There have even be several times where I've appeared to be hit by multiple rounds only to simply just bandage. I'm not entirely convinced this is just hit registration either.
Muzzle smoke.
I like the fact that smoke from firing a weapon is more prominent in the game compared to RO2/RS1(and actually is modeled more than virtually any other FPS I've seen). The problem I have with it is that it seems to be a little too exaggerated as it doesn't disperse quick enough. The gasses coming out of a barrel are expanding and escape very very fast, having them "linger" for a second in the game isn't that realistic. From a gameplay perspective having it virtually blind you(especially on maps with darker lighting, though granted that's currently just custom maps), even in semi-automatic, can be pretty frustrating. I like that it's modeled, I just feel there's too much of it.
Scopes.
I love the fact that RO2/RS1, and now RS2 take the time to use 3D scopes. Generally speaking I think the scopes in RS2 are modeled/rendered pretty well. My biggest problem with them is that the mouse sensitivity on them is way, way, too low for my taste. Having tested it, aim sensitivity with 3.5x-4x scopes in RS2 is literally almost half of what it is in RO2/RS1 for similar magnifications. Even looking around in the .ini files I never found any way to increase scope sensitivity(just default and iron sight sensitivities). The sensitivity is so low(with no way to change it) that it's the biggest deterrent from me wanting to play the Sniper/DMR role more often.
Bipods.
Deployable bipods are something I've always liked in more recent FPS and I loved them in RO2/RS1. However the problems I have with bipods in RS2 are that they're extremely buggy. There are many areas you cannot deploy a bipod that common sense would tell you that you should be able to(such as many sandbag locations or bunkers). Many areas you can deploy them also greatly limit your arc of movement for no apparent reason(such as guard railings on Hue City). While bipods are still useful in RS2 they honestly feel like they've been downgraded from RO2/RS1.
Suppression.
I generally like suppression mechanics in game and liked in RO2/RS1. There are things I like about RS2's suppression and things I don't really like. Suppression having a greater impact on your weapon sway is something I like, however the "sight bob" you get when rounds are hitting near you needs to be toned down. I don't mean the effect needs to be less dramatic but rounds need to be hitting closer to you for that to happen. Rounds landing a few feet away from you screwing with your aim in that manner is rather frustrating. Whether it realistic or not is hard to say as the whole concept of suppression is trying to emulate emotions felt in a firefight. However, I'm not really advocating for "less suppression" either as I also think the visual blur you get from suppression from small arms could be more pronounced. I also personally miss the color fade from RO2/RS1 while getting suppressed.
What I don't like:
"Flesh wounds" having almost no impact on a target.
While I generally like the way the damage model works one of the biggest issues I have with it is the idea that a wound that doesn't cause bleeding(which are many of them) simply looks like it "annoys" your target. At which point they simply swing around and shoot you as if they were just stung by a mosquito. This is something I wasn't a big fan of in RO2/RS1 however as less prominent with it's damage system. Personally I think getting shot needs to screw with your aim more than just "bobbing" your sight for a fraction of a second. Currently this is one of the biggest things that makes the game feel more "gamey" for the lack of a better term, and makes you feel like your just a walking ballistics gel dummy.
ADS speed while coming out of sprinting:
Simply put, I just think this needs to be a little bit slower. Save for maybe weapons with their stocks folded.
Weapon accuracy:
I've harped on this several times in the past already but I find the accuracy on most weapons to be a little less than it should be. I'm completely fine with the idea that you're not a super soldier and you can't just run around with pinpoint accuracy but one of the most frustrating things that happens in this game for me is when I do everything right(hold breath, prone, weapon rested, full stamina, properly zeroed, and my sight is right on a stationary target) you can still just "randomly" miss. Most obvious with the AK as it's the weapon that easily has the worst accuracy out of every rifle in the game. I'd like to see weapon accuracy be a little more reliable or at least allow weapon bracing to give more of a benefit than it currently does. Bracing a weapon on cover or even a wall doesn't really give you quite as much sway as you get in the game(even while standing).
Anyways, I may have missed something here or there but this is probably a pretty good overview of how I feel about the gunplay in RS2. Agree, disagree, your call.