[Brian61]

PS

Originally Posted by Cross

It’s a classic case of German over-engineering

Excuse me but your bias is showing.

Originally Posted by Cross

The maximum range of the Vickers is well documented at 4,500 yards. The longest range I’ve seen for the MG34/42 (from a primary source) is 3,800 yards.

If you are going to say 'well documented' and 'primary source' then provide references. There is a difference between maximum range that a bullet may travel and what is considered the maximum effective range for combat purposes. With an automatic weapon the maximum effective range is dependent on accuracy and rate of fire as well as the range of the round itself. Maximum effective range is probabilistic in nature and downrange shot pattern is indeed a factor.

Originally Posted by Cross

I’m not saying the Vickers should have a longer range than the German guns. Personally, I don’t think SP should model indirect MG fire, except as Z–fire. I would think that anything over 2000m is indirect for these weapons.

While I don't have the references at hand, there are numerous accounts of machine guns being used in the indirect fire role during WWII. I believe the UK, at least, provided training to machine gun crews for the indirect fire role. As to how effective they were, it seems to have been mostly suppressive in nature rather than a significant source of casualties.

Originally Posted by Cross

Currently, the MG34 and MG42 HMGs get these bonuses:

Accuracy bonus of +5
Double HE Kill and
Ammunition loadout bonus of x2
Range bonus of extra 33%
Faster move speed of 5 (other HMGs move 4)

Which do you think they should get and why?
Cross

All of them. The weapon stats in the OOBs are the product of over 12 years of hashing and rehashing by every grognard and gearhead who has shown a passing interest. They are as near to being 'correct' as they are going to get given the limitations of the underlying game engine and the nature of the abstractions used in the game model.

Furthermore, note that the ammunition loads and movement speeds are unit issues, not weapon issues. As there have been, I believe, some changes in the units over the past few years, it may be that some errors have crept in there inadvertently.

Frankly, in my opinion, it is about ten years too late to be refactoring weapon stats. Even if in the doubtful case that you are right and everyone else for the past decade and a half has been wrong, to begin making fundamental large scale changes now would threaten to invalidate the assumptions made by designers of many earlier scenarios and campaigns. If you want to see where that leads, take a look at SPWAW today.

Brian

PS: If you, or anyone else, is firmly convinced of a need for a refactoring of weapon stats and/or sweeping changes to unit data, then why not create a mod consisting of a new OOB set?