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I spent a few rounds during the Open Beta using the USMC's SMAW weapon pretty much whenever possible. I've really enjoyed using it and think its a great addition to the mod, but really needs some tweak. Here is the feedback.



HEAA Have proved their worth against APCs, but I was unable to get a chance to use them against a T-90. I would imagine there isn't much in-game difference between this warhead and the RPG-7VR (Tandem warhead) in potency vs armour. These munitions proved ineffective against Firebases, which I suppose is reasonable considering the presence of HEDP rounds.

HEDP rounds pretty much suck. Having fired several into various points on the same firebase, the firebase appeared to be undamaged. A total of 3HEAA and two HEAA rounds at various points failed to visibly scratch the FB. It also failed to even force a Ural Logi truck to even smoke with a direct hit. I was gobsmacked.

Spotting Rifle is a great feature, but it is partially useless.
Its useful for, in fact, entirely necessary to get a round on target as the rounds have an unprecedented amount of drop and the optic lacks markings. The Spotting Rifle suffers from two critical flaws that made the SMAW the most inferior HAT weapon in the open Beta by quite a stretch, and is remeniscient to the 0.98 RPG-7VR in its impotency.

• Firstly, the spotting rounds do no render at worthwhile ranges and nor do their impacts. At least with the x4 - x6 optic mounted on the SMAW. Engaging anything out to or beyond 150m is simply a mystery and fired with a prayer. If these specific 9mm tracers could render clearly out to 500m to the naked x1 eye, and their impacts do the same, then SMAW gunners might have a fighting chance.
• Secondly, the time it takes to change from the spotting rifle to HEAA/HEDP rounds is cringeworthy. I'm worried we might not be able to change this, but if we can, it should be one of the weapons' top priorities for improvement.
  By the time I had spotted, prepped AT and aimed the weapon to fire a real round, armour and INF were already looking directly at me. If a vehicle then moves or continues to move, the data gained from firing spotting rounds quickly becomes redundant over the long weapon-change period.
  If there was anyway to couple a customised swap animation relationship (as you can see already when switching between UGLs and their attached rifles and visa versa) between the Spotting Rifle and HEDP/HEAA rounds, with a exclusively short weapon change time...

Overall, the SMAW needs a good fixing up for release.

1. Most pressing is the lacking spotting rifle which greatly hinders it in is primary role.
2. The HEDP rounds could be more DP. They need to be buffed against unarmoured vehicles and probably lightly armoured vehicles too, although the latter is untested. The HEDP rounds need to pose a greater threat, especially to deployables.
3. I am concerned that, considering the round drop is so drastic on the SMAW, is the gunner able to actually still see his target when tilting the weapon up to engage a target up to the 500m max engagement range? I haven't tested this, but it could be a real breaker.
4. Since Alt Rifleman do not carry binoculars (as I believe they actually should do to effectively fulfil MG, AT and AA assistant roles) and Std Rifleman at best carry no more than a x4 optic, they are incapable of observing the fall of spotting rounds, and are poor-suited to serve as effective spotters for AT troopers in general. Spotters, however, do not posses the necessary ammo bag to fullfil an assistant role.
5. I haven't checked to see if the USMC Alt HAT has 2xHEPD,1xHEAA vs the Std HAT's x2HEAA, x1HEDP, but It'd be a great addition if both 'separate' weapons were ammo-linked, allowing the gunner to fire all 3 of the same round, or to mix them accordingly.

...mongol...

HEDP is supposed to splash infantry, though it really should be killing unarmoured vehicles. Definitely not for killing FOBs though, you cant do that with any AT anymore.

Agree with just about everything stated!

I disagree with 40mm though. LATS can take down FOBS, so a HAT should be able to as well.

Conman51 wrote: LATS can take down FOBS.

no they cant, did you bother testing?

Yes I did. Dont jump to conclusions. Its was on fools road when me and a few guys without C4 found an enemy FOB and we used our LAT to take it down. It was one or two hits dont remember but it works for sure. We aimed them right at the middle, i think we hit the radio.

Did YOU even bother testing?

Yeah I'm pretty sure I've seen LAT's take out firebases.. if it doesn't blow immediately it does eventually I think.

40mmrain wrote:HEDP is supposed to splash infantry, though it really should be killing unarmoured vehicles. Definitely not for killing FOBs though, you cant do that with any AT anymore.

To quote wikipedia, the worlds most accurate, consistent, infallible, perfect, god-given information site, that you should defiantly cite as a source in your collage/university papers:

The High Explosive, Dual Purpose (HEDP) rocket is effective against bunkers, masonry and concrete walls and light armor.

Heres a picture of a post-SMAW HEDP round bunker provided by wiki:



Thats part of it's dual purpose. To bust das bunkers.

40mmrain wrote:HEDP is supposed to splash infantry, though it really should be killing unarmoured vehicles. Definitely not for killing FOBs though, you cant do that with any AT anymore.

Despite the fact that he seems unable to go a single post without sarcasm, Mongol is correct. HEDP is sensor fuzed to discern between harder and softer targets to detonate at the right time for best effect on either of them. It's for bunkers (which the incorrectly named "FOBs" actually are, or rather they are reinforced fighting positions), "urban structures" and soft or lightly armored vehicles. The SMAW HEDP round in a single-use, disposable launcher (SMAW-D) is used by the US Army as the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition. So, yes, it most assuredly is for "killing 'FOBs.'"

"Splash" against infantry in the open? Never seen any source that has even an estimated casualty radius for the SMAW / B-300 HEDP round.

Eddie Baker wrote:Despite the fact that he seems unable to go a single post without sarcasm, Mongol is correct. HEDP is sensor fuzed to discern between harder and softer targets to detonate at the right time for best effect on either of them. It's for bunkers (which the incorrectly named "FOBs" actually are, or rather they are reinforced fighting positions), "urban structures" and soft or lightly armored vehicles. The SMAW HEDP round in a single-use, disposable launcher (SMAW-D) is used by the US Army as the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition. So, yes, it most assuredly is for "killing 'FOBs.'"

"Splash" against infantry in the open? Never seen any source that has even an estimated casualty radius for the SMAW / B-300 HEDP round.

Are either warheads viable anti-infantry weapons?
For example, in the case of armoured vehicles penetrator rounds are obviously very deadly, but HEAT or FRAG rounds would be the preferred choice.
Which one would you personally fire first at a group of Taliban in the open?
And is the SMAW actually employed this way against INF IRL? Or is its use against INF entirely reserved for structures and fortified positions?


...mongol...

I say the SMAW-D should even be used as a USMC LAT cause first from it's name it's a multiporpuse weapon and a proper HAT weapon should be against MBT at first then other things which the SMAW-D don't apply to this circumstance and the SMAW-D is fitted for the LAT role perfectly(taking out APC,light vehicles,fortification) and was made for this purpose at first and your'e points show that the HAT role ain't suited for it's settings and LAT's should defiantly take out FOB's

Not sure if its ingame or not, some maybe a dev or someone who used it can answer, does it come with the SMAW-NE? That could have a small splash on it to simulate killing someone inside a bunker. For some reason we had a few on our COP, not sure why, but anyway, not a suggestion, just a question.

Eddie Baker wrote:Despite the fact that he seems unable to go a single post without sarcasm, Mongol is correct. HEDP is sensor fuzed to discern between harder and softer targets to detonate at the right time for best effect on either of them. It's for bunkers (which the incorrectly named "FOBs" actually are, or rather they are reinforced fighting positions), "urban structures" and soft or lightly armored vehicles. The SMAW HEDP round in a single-use, disposable launcher (SMAW-D) is used by the US Army as the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition. So, yes, it most assuredly is for "killing 'FOBs.'"

"Splash" against infantry in the open? Never seen any source that has even an estimated casualty radius for the SMAW / B-300 HEDP round.

I meant to refer to its in game purpose.

AT weapons no longer do much to fobs. I shot numerous LAT at fobs in the beta. C4 is nearly irrelevant if you can spawn with an AT kit and snipe fobs with it rather than approaching them. The HAT is different because special rounds, and limited number per side, and such, but I know that LAT is worthless on FOBs for good reason. The HEDP probably should be blowing away fobs. I also fail to see the relevance of the HEDP warhead if it CANT splash infantry, and cant destroy fobs when the HEAT warhead would do everything the same. SO what i'm saying is why would the devs implement the HEDP in the first place if it cant kill infantry or structures, and kills vehicles less effectively. Strictly in game.

40mmrain wrote:I meant to refer to its in game purpose.

AT weapons no longer do much to fobs. I shot numerous LAT at fobs in the beta. C4 is nearly irrelevant if you can spawn with an AT kit and snipe fobs with it rather than approaching them. The HAT is different because special rounds, and limited number per side, and such, but I know that LAT is worthless on FOBs for good reason. The HEDP probably should be blowing away fobs. I also fail to see the relevance of the HEDP warhead if it CANT splash infantry, and cant destroy fobs when the HEAT warhead would do everything the same. SO what i'm saying is why would the devs implement the HEDP in the first place if it cant kill infantry or structures, and kills vehicles less effectively. Strictly in game.

Agree with you on that... I tried already writing in the suggestion forum that maybe the SMAW-D should be maybe batter in the hands of the LAT and that LATs should defiantly be able to take down structures or they will become half pointless to even be using them but it seems like the dev's ain't planing to approve my thread cause I am waiting already a week until it will finally go online...

Two more or less political, but certainly off-topic posts removed.

[R-MOD]Spec wrote:Two more or less political, but certainly off-topic posts removed.

What are you talking about?

EDIT: I AM A "Lance Corporal" AT LAST!!! XD

Really great to see the Smaw in PR1.0! Great suprise!
Im also hoping this means that Infantry won't be able to carry around a HAT with guided Missiles. That all factions will have a proper rocketlauncher that requires skill and experience to operate. Goodbye to all the Point and click Hats camping in hills on Kashan

I had a squad on Saaremaa and I ordered one of my guys to take the hat. Later that round we encountered a tank and my AT guy took him out with two shots, both shots hit his side. Two shots on Close range? A RPG7V with tandem one-shots tanks in the side? Either balance it and make the SMAW super effective agains INF, lightly armored veicles and enplacements. Or make the SMAW Just as effective as the RPG-7V

The spotting rifle is a awesome feature! But it's just to slow to deploy and it takes a lot of time to switch between the rockets and rifle!

IMHO, the priority thing that has to be corrected in SMAW is its scope. It is pretty much useless on medium-far distances due to lack of markings.

DavviZ wrote:Later that round we encountered a tank and my AT guy took him out with two shots, both shots hit his side. Two shots on Close range? A RPG7V with tandem one-shots tanks in the side? Either balance it and make the SMAW super effective agains INF, lightly armored veicles and enplacements. Or make the SMAW Just as effective as the RPG-7V

A SMAW is not a tankdestroyer. The SMAWs AT rounds are like are a middle thing between HAT and LAT in PR. As I can tell from your experience, it worked in the direction it should. Therefore the HEDP rounds are very effective vs. Infantry and other soft targets.

You basically choose the SMAW for environments with more light amoured vehicles.
The SRAW is still a better choice against heavy amoured vehicles such as tanks.

[R-DEV]K4on wrote:A SMAW is not a tankdestroyer. The SMAWs AT rounds are like are a middle thing between HAT and LAT in PR. As I can tell from your experience, it worked in the direction it should. Therefore the HEDP rounds are very effective vs. Infantry and other soft targets.

You basically choose the SMAW for environments with more light amoured vehicles.
The SRAW is still a better choice against heavy amoured vehicles such as tanks.

So the USMC pretty much has an inferior HAT.

You're forgetting it's an alternate .