Weapons are Balanced

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

The weapon balance is fine.  To prove my point, I will try to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each gun.

Desert Eagles
Once you learn how to use them, the DEagles are (IMO) one of the best weapons in the game.  They fire quickly and hit for a lot.  However, this is balanced by a short range and an unusual firing arc.

Autos
In general, autos are fairly equal.  The best one depends on your playing style.  Powerful autos fire slowly, and weak autos fire quickly.  Autos are very effective at close range, and lose nearly all effectivity when they fire at long range.

Shotgun
The shotgun balances a slow firing rate and short range with incredibly high damage and virtually infinite ammo.  Its recoil keeps you from moving very quickly while firing, so despite its high damage, it can be difficult to get kills with it.

Ruger
This rifle fires slowly, but kills in two shots and reloads pretty quickly.  Because of its small clip, accuracy is a must.  I've gotten single shot double kills with the ruger.  No one is going to convince me that it needs any changing.

M79
This is the most controversial of all weapons.  It's a one hit kill weapon, but unless the firer know what he's doing, he must be at a very close range to be accurate.  For this reason, it's easy to defend against the m79.  The shots are predictable and easy to dodge.  Also, the ruger and other long range weapons can defeat it easily.

Barret
Sure it's annoying to be killed by one of these, but its startup time makes it difficult to aim and easy to dodge.  Also, if the shot misses, the barreter is screwed.  The scope lets the sniper see much farther, but he is very vulnerable to attack in this state.  Autos bink the barret so much that the duel becomes a foregone conclusion.

Minimi
Big clip, fast attack.  The minimi is a deadly weapon as long as its ammo lasts, but it takes quite a while to reload.  During this time, the wielder is susceptable to attack.  Also, long range weapons have a slight advantage over the minimi.

Minigun
I'm surprised more people don't use this, because with a huge amount of ammo, a long range, and an extremely high rate of fire, this gun tears people apart.  All this is balanced by self-bink, though.  Because of the startup time, it's hard to fire in bursts, and prolonged fire decreases accuracy greatly.  Also, once the ammo is expended, you'd better have another weapon ready, because the minigun won't reload for a LONG time.

USSOCOM
A quick-firing pistol with a small clip and a short range.  It's a good backup, but primary guns easily defeat it.

Chainsaw
Basically a one hit kill.  What more could you ask for?  Oh right, range.  With a quick reload time and a near instant kill, the chainsaw is one of the most deadly weapons in the game.  Don't whine when you get shot at; it's a CHAINSAW, for crying out loud! Of course it's not going to stand up to guns!

Knife
A n00b weapon? Hardly.  The knife has a startup time, and is basically a short range version of the barret.  Also, once you fire it, you're weaponless.  It may be good for one kill, but after that (and sometimes before), it's fairly easy to take out a knifer.

LAW
If used correctly, this weapon can take out the most heavily armored opponant, even across the map.  This is balanced by the fact that its long reload time basically makes it a one shot deal.



Summary
High damage weapons are balanced by either having a short range or a long reload.
Low damage weapons are balanced by having a high rate of fire.

Every weapon is at an advantage in some situations and at a disadvantage in others.  For example, the m79 will defeat any auto, but the ruger will defeat the m79.  The shotgun will beat the ruger (at close range) but will be defeated by autos.  The barret is good for one kill, then the sniper is vulnerable.  The m79 kills in one hit, but it's easy to stay out of range, or to dodge when necessary.  The knife is good for one kill, but it has a short range and the act of firing leaves the bearer weaponless.  Once the minigun gets going, it will tear people apart, but once it gets going, it's harder to hit with it.

The weapons are balanced.  The question of balance occurs when new players (and many regular players) fail to recognize disadvantageous situations.  Of course you're going to die if you charge an m79 or shotgun.  Obviously you'll lose if you try to take on an auto with a binkable weapon.  That doesn't mean the weapons are unbalanced; it just means that you don't know how to make the best of your situation.  Experienced players take advantage of (or avoid) these mismatches, which is why they do much better.  Any weapon looks overpowered in the hands of an expert.  Any weapon looks weak in the hands of a novice.  You might be surprised at how often a new player will miss with the m79.  If he hits you one out of five times, the instakill will still be annoying.  But that doesn't mean the weapon is overpowered.

Again, the weapons are very well balanced.  Before you complain that a weapon is overpowered, try it out yourself.  Before you complain that a weapon is underpowered, look for people who constantly use that weapon.  Don't you think they have a reason for making it their primary?  Lastly, experiment with new tactics.  Learn how to avoid the instakill shots.  Learn how to avoid self-bink.  Learn which weapons are best against others.  But please, stop complaining that the weapons are unbalanced.

[Will]

Hmm I disagree in one thing , the minigun. In realistic its hard to use because of the recoil and its hard to shoot in bursts. In normal it has too low damage to  pose any real threat if you are using another auto , its only good against barret. The only thing you can do against he self bink is to crouch and hat way you can shoot in longer bursts

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

My post was about the balance of normal mode, since that's what I play and it seems like people complain about that balance.  I've actually heard that realistic weapons are better balanced than normal weapons (I guess mainly because instakill weapons lose much of their appeal), but I don't know if that's true.

[Twistkill]

After trying out all of the weapons over the 5 months I've been playing, I am convinced that they are all balanced. Possibly the exception of the M79, but I do see that long range weapons can take it out. Btw, the Minimi is an auto, you know... you could've typed a a description for all of the autos individually, but it's a good read none the less. They're all the best weapons in the right situation.

In fact, I'm gonna type out some decriptions for weapons best used in certain situations/secondary weapons...

Socom is a good back-up for long reloading weapons. You'll need time to reload, and the Socom is good for making sure you stay alive while you do so. Barrett, Minigun, and Minimi are long reloading weapons, so use the Socom to defend yourself.

Knife is good for weapons that reload quickly, because you won't need to worry about dying while reloading as much. AUG, MP5, Ruger, M79, Ak-74, and Spas-12 are good weapons for the knife to accompany. Personally, I use knife as my secondary for every weapon I use. I used to use Socom for everything, but now the knife is my favorite Secondary. <3 knife.

The chainsaw and Law can be mixed with anything, IMO, but the Law is good for large, open maps.

Close quarter maps. Maps that have little place to maneuver. Some examples of close quarter maps are Tropiccave, Ratcave, All of the Arena maps, and a few others. Best weapons to use in these maps are the MP5, Spas-12, and M79.

Mixed maps. These maps have maybe one or 2 open areas but have close-quarter areas in other places. Arena, HH, Krab, and Equinox are good examples. Weapons suited for these maps are the AUG, Ak-74, M79, Deagles, possibly Minigun, and sometimes Minimi.

Large maps. These maps are open, have lots of room to fire, and big areas for carnage. Some examples are Run, Shau, Outpost, Moonshine, and more. Best weapons in these situations are the Minimi, Ak-74, Barrett, and Ruger.

So, yeah, I agree with what you said. All the weapons are the best in their respective sutuation.

[5th_account]

That was a very crude way of judging each guns relative balance. It's not accurate enough to hold up to +- a few units here and there. The weapons aren't exactly separated by lightyears, so of course descriptions like "They fire quickly and hit for a lot.  However, this is balanced by a short range and an unusual firing arc" would seem like a logical balance. But that would still be true even if the speed was reduced 5%, damage and reload increased 8%, etc. The gun would however be completely changed.