I was just thinking...Isn't the current number-key setup for switching weapons a little overboard? How likely is it that someone will be carrying a handgun, a shotgun, an SMG, an automatic rifle, a grenade launcher, a semi-automatic rifle, and a bolt action rifle all at once? It occurs to me the controls could be simplified to something like:
1- knife/grenades
2- sidearm
3- primary weapon
4- grenade launcher
That way, when you're trying to switch around quickly, you don't have to stop and think which category your primary weapon falls under and then try to remember which key it is.
You could also simply create a hierarchy similar to what we have now, but make it always use the minimum number of keys required. In otherwords, if all you have is an M16 and some grenades, it would go:
1- knife/grenades
2- primary weapon (M16)
Then if you pick up extra weapons, it orders them based on that hierarchy. ie if you then pick up an MP5, it goes
1- knife/nades
2- MP5
3- M16
or, if you pickup 2 weapons of the same category (ie an M16 and a SIG) it could order them by size (2- SIG, 3- M16) to avoid the confusion of using one key for 2 different weapons.
This method could be easier for people who frequently switch between regular loadouts and those that go outside the secondary/primary=pistol/rifle conventions like a SMG/HK69 loadout where the SMG is a secondary to the HK69, or an SMG/Sniper rifle (not that I'm promoting such a loadout) where the SMG is a "sidearm" to the rifle. The downside to this method is, if you use a loadout with just your primary weapon all the time, then you switch to one with a sidearm, you could hit '2' in the heat of battle thinking you were going to your primary, but switch to your berretta instead.
My final idea is that the M203 should be accessed via the 'grenade launcher key' ie '4'. That way controls for switching ammo types, etc can stay consistent between the M203 and HK69, and if ladder sights or other funcions are added to the M203, you have both the fire mode key and the activate attachment key to work with.
1- knife/grenades
2- sidearm
3- primary weapon
4- grenade launcher
That way, when you're trying to switch around quickly, you don't have to stop and think which category your primary weapon falls under and then try to remember which key it is.
You could also simply create a hierarchy similar to what we have now, but make it always use the minimum number of keys required. In otherwords, if all you have is an M16 and some grenades, it would go:
1- knife/grenades
2- primary weapon (M16)
Then if you pick up extra weapons, it orders them based on that hierarchy. ie if you then pick up an MP5, it goes
1- knife/nades
2- MP5
3- M16
or, if you pickup 2 weapons of the same category (ie an M16 and a SIG) it could order them by size (2- SIG, 3- M16) to avoid the confusion of using one key for 2 different weapons.
This method could be easier for people who frequently switch between regular loadouts and those that go outside the secondary/primary=pistol/rifle conventions like a SMG/HK69 loadout where the SMG is a secondary to the HK69, or an SMG/Sniper rifle (not that I'm promoting such a loadout) where the SMG is a "sidearm" to the rifle. The downside to this method is, if you use a loadout with just your primary weapon all the time, then you switch to one with a sidearm, you could hit '2' in the heat of battle thinking you were going to your primary, but switch to your berretta instead.
My final idea is that the M203 should be accessed via the 'grenade launcher key' ie '4'. That way controls for switching ammo types, etc can stay consistent between the M203 and HK69, and if ladder sights or other funcions are added to the M203, you have both the fire mode key and the activate attachment key to work with.