I've created a sort of proposal for a modification to specifically the Ashura.
Suggestion: Smart/Tech Conversion: Sniper Rifle Ashura CSR
New ability for all V’s who have invested in their Technical ability: With a technical level of 15-ish or higher, An Ashura Sniper Rifle can be converted into a more conventional sniper rifle. The conversion will modify the following:
- Enable: Slot for sniper scopes, slot for suppressor
- Disables: Smart targeting via smart link.
- Amount of mod slots is carried over from the base Ashura that is used in the conversion.
- The weapon gets reclassified to a Tech Weapon, and named: Ashura CSR (Classification I choose more because of the Technical attribute to convert it, rather than to share the same characteristics with other tech weapons.)
Note: While the weapon is classified as a Tech weapon, it does not share the ability to charge it, neither does it have the ability to pierce light cover.
Motivation: From the start of playing this game, I felt that the Sniper Rifle department was missing a type of rifle that allowed a suppressor to perform long distance but stealthy kills. We have 3 base snipers: Ashura, Grad & Nekomata. For 2 types, namely the Neko and Grad it can be understood why these weapons don’t work for stealth. However the Ashura does achieve something very close to it, but appears extremely unreliable, and it depends heavily on the smart link technology.
So, when we discard the Grad and Nekomata as even a potential stealth sniper, we end up with the Ashura as basis where we can build on. Now, what makes the Ashura so typical, and different from the wall-piercing high-powered Snipers that are the Grad and the Neko: Smart Targeting. You can aim in the general direction of an enemy, and as long as you have a line of sight, it hits, by snapping off whatever limb or head you pointed the weapon towards. However as far as a true stealthed weapon it seems extremely unreliable. Also, the smart targeting only works together with a smart link and not everyone wants to use that. And not having a smart link makes the Ashura specifically useless because it does not come (or even can) with a scope, so zooming is terrible and this by itself already impedes it as a real sniper rifle.
So, why not allow a good technical V to convert the Ashura into a weapon that does not require the smart targeting, and gains the ability to become a good conventional-style sniper rifle with additional benefit of being more reliable in stealth situations.
The Ashura CSR could end up looking something like this (stylized from side view)
- Possible scopes to mount: Prospecta & Kanone Max (same as for Grad and Nekomata)
- Possible suppressors: XC-10 Cetus, XC-10 Strix (these seem best fitting)
Alternatively there could of course be made new types, but I do not think that is specifically needed.