: I actually loved the inaccuracy of the AR, because it was great for running
: and gunning. I could still hit something without worrying whether I was
: aiming directly at it. It may have been for this reason that I found
: automatic weapons in other FPS games so annoying.
Yeah, it's great on Kindergarten because you can just mow things down without worrying about aim. But try to avoid bumbling into a mass of purple and blue Fighters on Total Carnage with only an AR, because that's right about when you die a rather painful death. A bit like the knife (or was it a broadsword?) sending you straight into the pile of salt. ;)
Me personally, I prefer slower, more thought out gameplay, something equivalent to a ballet with guns. This is why I like Halo 1 so much; the fights aren't too visceral, and are more carefully orchestrated and fun. As a result, accuracy is more important than anything else. You need to be able to actually hit your enemies from mid-range. I carry this preference into Marathon; I prefer having accurate weapons than incredibly-powerful-yet-unable-to-hit-anything weapons. My favorite weapon combo for network games of Marathon Infinity are the SMG and SPNKr, and for good reason - they're both pinpoint accurate and incredibly deadly. With an AR, the crosshairs serve no real purpose accept to assist you with the grenades.
Basically, if you have an SMG, by the time a Shotgun-wielding player can get anywhere near you, they'll be lying in a smoldering heap. If, on the other hand, you have an AR, a Shotgun-wielding player might as well just wander on up to you and say "Do you mind if I blow you to kingdom come?"
Cheers,
Perseus
