Lots of good ideas out there! I'm loving it! My favorites, in no particular order, are...
— White phosphorous (a C4-like throwable) for Firebug.
— Gilboa Double Barrel AR-15 for Commando.
— Gasoline for Firebug, except instead of just being able to pour some out and light it up with a match, I think any fire- or energy-based weapon should be able to light it. Also, the alt fire mode should allow a player to drop/throw the canister so that traps can be made, similar to Left 4 Dead.
Here are some new ones to consider...
Weapon: Dual LMG Paintball Guns
Perk: Gunslinger
Function: Moderately heavy, no penetration, short range (no iron sights; left mouse button fires the left gun and right mouse button fires the right), no reloading (200 rounds in each gun - that's it), low upgradability, and poor damage, this gun's poor stats are offset by a high rate of fire and low recoil, cheap purchase cost and cheap ammo, high stumble rate, the ability to blind zeds with colorful splats when shot in the face (ie, same effect as Firebug's fire causes panic), and forcing stalkers to be visible for a short time.
Reasoning: Admittedly, this is half "gag gun," but I'd like to see the Gunslinger have some limited crowd control, if only to give himself or his teammates a chance to run or reload by slowing down, rather than killing, a mob.
Bonus: I love the idea of new audio fx when the zeds get shot in the face, including:
— Sirens gagging an temporarily unable to shout due to taking a shot down the throat
— Scrakes going from beefed up baddie to a muffled, "owie ow ow ow!" through his mask
— Bloats saying either, "MMM! om nom nom... more!" or "ew, vegetables!" (paintball "paint" is colored vegetable oil)
I also love the idea of the model being a paintball gun that is poorly camouflaged with cardboard, duct tape, and a Sharpie-scrawled "HRG BMG 3000 or whatever" as though the HRG devs have given up trying and grabbed whatever was in little Timmy's room and presented it as an engineering masterpiece.
Skin options galore.
Silly? The whole idea is, but let's face it—this is the apocalypse and beggars can't be choosers. Use what's available.
Weapon: dual two-shot derringers chambered in uranium-enriched 45 Colt & 410 shot.
Perk: Gunslinger
Function: Higher damage + poison DOT but shorter range and higher kick than the base .38s. If the player shoots the ground, the rounds explode into a small, poisonous mushroom cloud area-effect for DOT and limited crowd control while retaining the, "oh god I have to reload AGAIN" feel. With no iron sights, alt fire switches between 45 Colt and 410 shotgun ammo. At only a pound each, they're very lightweight and an inexpensive Tier 2 gun, but the ammo is expensive and limited. The explosion and area effect are limited when compared to what the demo and medic/firebug specialists can do.
Reasoning: Increases the Gunslinger's versatility by giving him more chances with mobs.
Bonus: Fresh, unique animation because both guns could be cracked open with one hand while reloaded with the other, potentially making it a very fast reload for those with the reload perk activated. You still have to aim strategically, but not necessarily at the head, broadening the Gunslinger's horizons. Skin options galore, and already fits in with the steampunk vibe.
Weapon: Sharpened Boomerang
Perk: Survivalist or pick-up only weapon
Function: Lightweight (1 or 2 lbs), cheap, limited supply (a player can only carry 1-5 of them), and have poor upgradability and penetration. Primary fire uses it as a melee weapon while the iron sights button will throw it. Either way it has the damage to behead low level zeds. Thrown 'rangs can dismember low level zeds and return to you (or will return to you if it hits nothing in its range). However, it will fly in a random direction and embed in the nearest inanimate object if it clangs off of metal. But like the crossbow bolt and Eviscerator blade, you can pick it back up. With no iron sights, the player will have to use skill and practice to use, just like the real thing. You might have to pick it up later, but there's the potential of killing a zed around a corner.
Reasoning: It fits the versatility that the Survivalist is known for. It could be a nice low-tier weapon to start with and good to keep in the back pocket should you run out of ammo when you're the last man standing. Unique all around, it will provide a new challenge for a seasoned player. And as a weapon by itself, rather than a piece of ammo, teammates can pick up your boomerangs and use them (assuming they are not at their weight limit) and sell each stack for 50 Dosh, potentially paying for itself in team play.
Weapon: VooDoo Dolls
Perk: Survivalist
Function: Put a zed plushie in one hand and needles in the other and stabby stab stab! Works like a melee weapon but at range. The primary mouse button will create a relatively swift prick, which, in conjunction with WADS, might swipe across multiple zeds. Aiming while shooting from the hip will determine where/if you hit your intended target. The iron sights button will do the same but result in a longer stab+twist motion and more damage. A cheap Tier 2 weapon, the dolls start out weaker than many intro weapons. The player actually purchases 3 dolls (a clot doll, a bloat doll, and a quarterpounder doll, which work primarily on low, medium, and high-tiered zeds, respectively), so 3 dolls + needles = 4 pounds. Each upgrade, while noticeably effective, adds a pound of weight to each doll, for a total of 13 pounds if fully upgraded. While the Bloat doll, for example, is effective against mid-tier zeds, it is less effective against low- and high-tier zeds, so cycle between each doll with the alt-fire button. No ammo is needed, making the Survivalist as economically friendly as the Berzerker... at first, but upgrades will be necessary to make the dolls the most powerful Survivalist weapon, and there is no Boss Doll, so the Survivalist would be wise to swap out during the Boss round, adding intriguing economic strategy. The Dark Arts are funny like that, but what did you expect when you unleash hell?
Reasoning: In a crazy Covid world, who doesn't have someone they want to symbolically stab, twist, and bop right now?! Get it out of your system. This weapon is unique. I'd love to see a zed's head pop off or body split in half at a distance for seemingly no reason, even if I wasn't the Survivalist in the party. Just... all of a sudden it falls apart. Using an "invisible" melee weapon at range will provide a new challenge. It is unique without reinventing the wheel.
Bonus: New "weapon" models and stabbing animations will refresh the game for veteran players. Increased sales of zed plushies. Each upgrade can result in more detailed dolls, giving players another reason to want to use it and upgrade it. Skin options galore. Buy Stalker doll skin if you don't like the Clot, etc.
Weapon: Caltrops
Perk: Sharpshooter
Function: Like Demo's C4 but the area effect is larger, slows zeds, and causes low DOT; similar to the Hemogoblin but AOE.
Reasoning: I love sniper classes in other games, but I just don't like the Sharpshooter in KF2. I feel like they're only good when you're a part of an organized, well-oiled team (and I suspect that most players' experiences, like mine, don't involve organized, well-oiled teams). Sharpshooters need more than just different BANG! "Cover me while I reload," options, especially when you're playing solo and nobody is there to cover you. Adding another high-powered, low fire rate, scoped option won't make me like the Sharpshooter class any more. I usually just buy the crossbow and upgrade it and the Winchester until the boss. Otherwise it is a lot of tedius shoot, run, shoot, run. Let's give them something else, such as this chance to actually hold their ground and be efficient in early rounds, with or without teammates.
Bonus: None. Caltrops are kinda lame, but they'd still make the Sharpshooter better.
Weapon: Blow Gun
Perk: Sharpshooter
Function: So on the surface it looks like a quieter BANG! "Cover me while I reload" option, because of its lack of magazine and slow reload rate, but here's the twist: unlike other Sharpshooter weapons, the darts that you pop out of the Blow Gun do very little damage and suffer from a subpar range! Typical Sharpshooter penetration? Forget about it! A high-powered scope? Nope! Not even iron sights. This is a shoot-from-the-hip stick.
And here's the second twist: this lightweight bamboo wannabe can alt-fire through different types of poison effects that are applied to the darts. Most of the usual effects are present: panic/fire, heal friends/poison zeds, and slow/freeze. The effects are short-lived and weak at first, mostly affecting low-tier zeds, but become more potent the more you invest in your chemicals. Plus, now the player has a new poison! The Rage/Rioter effect. Fully upgraded, Rage/Rioter darts will turn even the biggest zeds into faster and stronger versions of themselves that are so enraged that they will attempt to destroy the nearest moving thing(s) for a few seconds. After they've thinned the herd for you, revert back to your normal Sharpshooter self and pluck that zed's head from its shoulders.
The downsides? Chemicals that affect zeds are expensive and difficult to find in the field. Darts are ineffective against armor, bosses, and obliterated by sonic attacks, so aim for quiet, soft places. In fact, it is best to avoid using it against the Siren alltogether, since other zeds don't mind her scream. And just wait until you have the perfect Rage/Rioter shot on a Fleshpound, only to accidentally empower the Stalker that was right in front of you. Or you do hit that Fleshpound, only to realize that your teammate is the next closest victim.
But wait, there's more!
Sticks are great, but sticks with stones are even better. Since you don't have a precious scope anyway, you might as well lash a rock onto your blow gun and use your iron sights button to swing your stick around. Confuse and stun those zeds with an unexpected melee wallop!
Reasoning: Who needs a rapid-firing weapon to deal with low-tier mobs when you can wololo a neighborhood Bloat for a few seconds?
Bonus: Add exotic wood skins without having to displace a native tribe. Or if you prefer a first-world appeal to your blow gun skin, maybe make a skin to make it look like a long cardboard toilet paper tube. A refreshingly low-tech take for the game.
Weapon: AA Battery-Powered Laser
Perk: Sharpshooter
Function: Primary fire does no damage but lases the target for other players. Constant use drains battery power, but buffs any teammate(s) who is/are targeting the same zed with increased accuracy, lower recoil, smart guidance (if they are firing a projectile that might have a smart version of itself), and all of your sharpshooter perks, where applicable.
Secondary fire fires... well... have you seen the Pickle Rick episode? It's like that. A powerful laser beam that easily penetrates multiple targets during a one-second burst. Armor is just butter to this thing, but you're swapping out batteries faster than you can count bodies. And since all of the Energizer Bunny factories are a thing of the past, finding AA batteries with enough charge left in them is a difficult task. But its size and weight makes it a good alternative to the 500 magnum.
Reasoning: It is the perfect team-building exercise. Random strangers will act much more like a well-oiled teammates when protecting each other grants them instant perks. I'd be more motivated to grind out some Sharpshooter levels, knowing that every perk I unlock will potentially make all of my teammates stronger. A battery or two might not be enough to take down a large zed, but knowing that I have a laser that can take out several medium or lower zeds with one calculated swipe increases survivability. And what's not fun about pretending to be Solenya?
Bonus: I'll stop complaining about the Sharpshooter.
Just kidding. The Sharpshooter perk is annoying. So the AA Battery-Powered Laser is my #1 choice, followed by the VooDoo Doll (just too unique and dark to pass up).
I won't vote for yet another grenade launcher, SMG, or assault rifle. I'm pretty sure the "scoped bolt action rifle" will just be a re-skinned railgun, the M202 will just be a re-skinned HRG Scorcher, the Tech Vector will be a re-skinned Kriss, the M60 just a re-skinned Stoner, etc. The slight stat tweaks aren't enough to excite me or change the way the game feels.
Something that I have yet to figure out is what would be a good Tier 2 semi- to full-auto Demo gun that doesn't involve blowing yourself up or being ineffective at short range. Any ideas?
