MOU is still a good gun, not for damage, but for support.

[Boersgard]

Support weapons as designed by devs and gamers are usually crap. Why would I use a 'support' weapon, when I can just use a REAL weapon and do the same "support" but this time actually kill something? I've always hated how people view "support" weapons as if they're supposed to be peashooter garbage. CAS is a proper support weapon. OB's are proper support weapons. Mortars are proper support weapons.

Guns that you might as well be running up and knifing the xeno instead of shooting are not "support" weapons, they are CRAP weapons.

Luckily the mouse isn't a crap weapon, it just mediocre. It can still be an ACTUAL support weapon and not useless crap or just mediocre, if it gets a little help to fill a desperately needed weapon role for marines - longer range burst damage - but it's so clunky to use and easy to fuck up with, that nobody touches it.

I think if you just gave it IFF with fewer kits being available you'd solve 90% of the problem with this gun.

[mesnomer]

If the MOU does need something more in its corner, one thing I'd suggest is pairing this experimental shotgun with proprietary ammo that's equally experimental. Maybe it's a single handful of incendiary slug rounds (or a box of green fire incendiary slugs?). Maybe it's depleted uranium flechettes. Hell, maybe it's birdshot -- pouncing runners are basically living clays, when you think about it, and the MOU's kinda like a bird gun. Having a uniquely whitelisted ammo type in limited quantities could be a good way to tweak the MOU without making it abusive.

Or, hell, people have been asking for some form of OT shotgun shell. If those ever become an option, maybe the MOU's the only one that can chamber them?

I think if you just gave it IFF with fewer kits being available you'd solve 90% of the problem with this gun.

This is an interesting suggestion. I'm kinda torn on it. On one hand, it does make it more of a viable midline/backline weapon. You can pump out damage to follow-up on other marines or chain-slug to let other marines capitalize. I like the sound of that in theory, and it seems mechanically and flavorfully in-line with the Smartpistol's "Experimental Trooper" precedent.

On the other hand, true hand-held support using long range burst damage exists -- in the Sniper/Scout/SADAR (kinda) spec. And the Sniper's the only one with IFF for a reason: the ability to dole out burst damage at long ranges with impunity is a serious force multiplier when you look at it from the other side, and taking ammo scarcity out of the equation for that could get kinda swingy -- though the tradeoff of five-per-slot ammo storage does help that a bit.

And let's think about the overall server dynamic. With IFF, the MOU's going to become the go-to "safe" weapon grabbed by your usual L42a plinker. One who just wants to click xenos without getting yelled at for FF. Low availability is going to increase competition for that, though that does fit the image of an experimental weapon a lot more closely.

So yeah, definitely worth noodling on.

[Ms.Degrasse]

I am for attachments to behave like RL attachments where generic picatinny system can take anything you manage to screw there.

Then why not having a MOU with underbarrel shotgun? Or flamer?

Looks silly, ok. But would fill a niche.