Currently, MAC-10 bullet damage doesn't count toward leveling the Firebug perk. I think this should be changed, for a few reasons.
First and foremost, it promotes bad play. A firebug should be using the MAC-10 to pop heads for quicker kills, or to spray specimens for quicker kills. These tactics, however, give you less burn damage. You're actively encouraged to plug a single bullet into the gut and let them burn out, because you get more damage toward your perk for doing it. It will never be a perfect system, but I think perk leveling should encourage smart play as much as possible.
Second, off-classing. Firebug is currently by far the least practical perk to level while not actively playing it. The flamethrower is very heavy, and a very poor weapon in the hands of any non-firebug thanks to the perk itself getting a buff as opposed to the weapon. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I quite like the MAC-10 as a backup weapon. I have few problems with its high recoil at close range, and it's a decent all-round weapon. I'd find myself using it all the time if it weren't for the fact that it didn't level any perk when you use it.
Third, on a similar note, when it's not in the hands of a firebug it's the only weapon that doesn't contribute to any perk experience in any way. Even the MP7M has the needle launcher, which is perfectly usable in the hands of a non-medic.
On the subject of the MP7M, am I alone in thinking the weapon itself should be considered a Commando weapon? Perhaps not gaining the full bonuses from the perk, but at least contributing experience toward it. I'm actively discouraged from shooting the MP7M over a shotgun, bullpup or anything but the MAC-10, and I don't like that because I enjoy the weapon immensely.
First and foremost, it promotes bad play. A firebug should be using the MAC-10 to pop heads for quicker kills, or to spray specimens for quicker kills. These tactics, however, give you less burn damage. You're actively encouraged to plug a single bullet into the gut and let them burn out, because you get more damage toward your perk for doing it. It will never be a perfect system, but I think perk leveling should encourage smart play as much as possible.
Second, off-classing. Firebug is currently by far the least practical perk to level while not actively playing it. The flamethrower is very heavy, and a very poor weapon in the hands of any non-firebug thanks to the perk itself getting a buff as opposed to the weapon. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I quite like the MAC-10 as a backup weapon. I have few problems with its high recoil at close range, and it's a decent all-round weapon. I'd find myself using it all the time if it weren't for the fact that it didn't level any perk when you use it.
Third, on a similar note, when it's not in the hands of a firebug it's the only weapon that doesn't contribute to any perk experience in any way. Even the MP7M has the needle launcher, which is perfectly usable in the hands of a non-medic.
On the subject of the MP7M, am I alone in thinking the weapon itself should be considered a Commando weapon? Perhaps not gaining the full bonuses from the perk, but at least contributing experience toward it. I'm actively discouraged from shooting the MP7M over a shotgun, bullpup or anything but the MAC-10, and I don't like that because I enjoy the weapon immensely.
