"Oh yes, let's expose our whole bodies instead of just the upper half!"
Here's a real crazy idea, set up the MG/tripod combo in a position where you're not exposed! Like behind a wall or in defilade. Duh.
BTW regarding recoil, if coded right, using the tripod would greatly reduce recoil and make use of the scope. So you have some tangible benefits.
I'm guessing that a number of you guys never fired an MG before let alone say an MG3. You can hit targets with the currently modelled MG from far away you are limited to what you can see and must use VERY short bursts.(I'm not saying that I don't agree about problems with the current MG modelling in RO) BTW firing an MG from a bipod is not the most accurate way to employ he weapon, that's why you need a tripod. The majority of bipod or tripod MG firing is done in very short bursts, 6-9 rounds, and a good gunner can pop off single or 2 round shots. The long bursts come in handly for stuff that pops up in shorter ranges. And if you watch Ww2 footage you will see most of the time the gunners are getting off very short bursts.. particulalrly in bad climate conditions (Extreme cold or heat) the Mg jams or suffers multiple stoppages which is why you see the gunner firing short bursts and having to recock the weapon constantly.
If you want bigger belts and stringing belts together then you should have an Assistant Gunner. These things are something that an individual gunner normally does not do. That's why you have the small ammo packs 50-75 rounds) in drums for the "single" gunner. BTW this is still the same issue that any gunner has today. And sure you could link together a bunch of rounds and rap them all over you like rambo but then with any serious movement they'll get kinked up and when you hit the ground they could get full of mud or snow and then cause the gun to jam. If you want realistic these factors have to be taken into consideration.
A good gunner using his head can function just fine within the current model by controlling his fire. The main thing that's misisng is that normally the gunners are lone wolfing it which is not something that's done in real life. The machinegun represents THE most important part of your squad or platoon. Operated correctly they are your biggest casualty producing system. The squad leaders and platoon leaders emplace MGs and tell them where they want them before they do anythng else.
If you are a rifleman swanning about looking for something to do you should tag onto your gunner and support him. Give him ammo but also cover him when he's in position and reloading. Then you will see an exponential rise in the effectiveness of MGs without changing a single line of code.
Think about it, even in games today, normally, when an enemy MG is firing it draws the attention of everyone. Either they are trying to knock it out to get the advance going or you are going somewhre else to try and avoid it.
Los
