Cut straight to it, Heavy Gunner. Yes it has a lot of cross-over with both Commando and SWAT, but if it's done correctly it could be, in my opinion, one of the stronger stand alone perks. (stronger meaning playing a very unique role in the team compared to Commando and SWAT) It's focus would obviously be on heavy weapons such as; M60E4, M240 Bravo, M249 SAW, RPK ect. but the main focus would be on heavier calibers, higher damage, larger magazines/ammo pools and lower fire rates. This raises the question of, with all of that, why would anyone play as commando or SWAT anymore, well because the Heavy Gunner perk would have some obvious but notable downsides. List of possible downsides; significantly impaired movement speed, no throwables, limited armor capacity, more expensive weapons/ammo compared to the 2 competitors, egregious reload times, no shove/bash ability. Also, could make recoil a real problem unless the player stabilizes (stabilizing would be added and would add to the complexity of the way the perk is played). Could add a barrel heat gauge and cooldown if firing is sustained for a certain duration. The explanation for no throwables/limited armor capacity could be a much larger ammo pool for all weapons. Something else that could be different is the relationship between weapons and ammo. Instead of having multiple weapons with separate ammo pools, the Heavy Gunner might be limited to one primary weapon with carrying weight applying to additional ammo instead of additional weapons.
Its role in the team would be quite obvious, similar to a sharpshooter, this perk would have to set itself up in the safest portion of the team where it can focus on it's strengths and avoid close contact with zeds as movement would be a critical downfall for this perk. The major role for this perk would be general suppression as the large caliber rounds would have much higher stumble, stun and general zed reaction stats compared to others. This would make this perk a bit of an opposite compared to firebug, where firebugs often make Commando, SWAT and sharpshooter jobs more difficult, this perk would assist those perks by making headshots a breeze. I think another factor that could be added is zed movement speed. The class could have a choice between rounds that are more lethal or more suppressive adding reduced zed movement speed into the equation. Its particular zed focus would be medium to large zeds as trash zeds would likely make for very poor dosh efficiency. Skill choices would focus on the trade off of more damage, more suppression, more ammo with more movement speed, less recoil, shorter reload times and longer sustained firing periods without barrel overheat. Let me know thoughts, critiques or additional ideas on the perk.
Its role in the team would be quite obvious, similar to a sharpshooter, this perk would have to set itself up in the safest portion of the team where it can focus on it's strengths and avoid close contact with zeds as movement would be a critical downfall for this perk. The major role for this perk would be general suppression as the large caliber rounds would have much higher stumble, stun and general zed reaction stats compared to others. This would make this perk a bit of an opposite compared to firebug, where firebugs often make Commando, SWAT and sharpshooter jobs more difficult, this perk would assist those perks by making headshots a breeze. I think another factor that could be added is zed movement speed. The class could have a choice between rounds that are more lethal or more suppressive adding reduced zed movement speed into the equation. Its particular zed focus would be medium to large zeds as trash zeds would likely make for very poor dosh efficiency. Skill choices would focus on the trade off of more damage, more suppression, more ammo with more movement speed, less recoil, shorter reload times and longer sustained firing periods without barrel overheat. Let me know thoughts, critiques or additional ideas on the perk.