Opinions Necessary: Cotten Balls

In the same vein as our interviews, we've decided to switch gears and get some opinions from some of our MAG Forum contributors on various issues in MAG. Here's a little taste of what Cotten-Balls is burning on:

How clan wars SHOULD be:While I like the idea of how they are implementing clan deploy, I would like to be able to specifically challenge another clan, I would say keep it to suppression and maybe sabo though.  For smaller clans, I think a clan alliance system should be implemented as well.
LMGs being able to take down APCs:
Ugh, the LMG lol I don't think the LMG should be able to take down an APC, now a MMG on the other hand should be able to do damage, as well as the shotgun, aside from those 2 guns, nothing else should be able to damage an APC other than grenades, the GL and RL of course.

2) Faction-Nuetral:
I do not like the idea of neutral maps, it's ok for suppression as it is not connected to the shadow war with contracts, however, I do have fun defending Valor's sabo.  I would rather they put sabo back the way it was though, it gave a stronger sense of loyalty to Raven for me, because I was defending MY turf and I'm very territorial haha.
3) Spawn Camping:
Being in a clan as good as STD, you generally outskill randoms and often times other clans.  It is a natural process of holding them back, there have been times where we have redlined the enemy for 20 or 30  minutes while defending, however this CAN and has backfired on us, because it can cause you to push up too far and not be able to get back in time to kill a ninja and take back the objective or remove a charge.  While attacking we have pushed the enemy back to their spawn and not allowed them to leave, especially useful for when I go to the other objective (in sabo) to take it so we can get to C.  As well in Domination it is useful to push them back behind the letter objectives, although with strafing runs...sometimes not such a good idea.  The point is to keep the enemy from advancing to the objective, so I would say it is a viable option.
4) what new skills you'd add to MAG:
Aside from what we have now? hrm...I can't really think of anything...
5) LAG switches:
Used by cheaters who should be burned at the stake! Muahahahaa
6) Your mag arch-rival and why:
DocEroc!!!  We've met several times in battle and have exchanged several kills, but half the time when I see him pop up on proxy chat, I can never find him, he is ever elusive.
7) The Shotgun Nerf:
Irritating to say the least, Zipper finally had shotguns doing the damage that they SHOULD be doing in 1.6, only to nerf it in the next patch.  The shotgun is next to useless now and is a waste of memory as is...they should be fixed or deleted to make room for something else.
8) 3C quitting out of games:
Cowards.  STD has gone against them and won, they had about 10 people to our 5, I remember cuz I counted the different names, as one of ours went to 3C, so I was looking for him specifically.  We beat them and in the end game stats there were only 4 or 5 of them.  The interesting part is the messages they send after you beat them though. Ciderbarrel could elaborate on that haha.
9) How you'd have marketed MAG:
MAG is an awesome game, that it was not advertised more is a complete disappointment.  I would have run ads for it with the frequency of say MW2 ads that I saw oh so frequently.  I would have put some clips of Olivia Darby and actual gameplay, especially parts with strafing runs and other bombers going by in the ad.  Internet is another viable option for advertisement and a very good one, although IMO not as good as an ad on prime time tv.
10) No Mics:
I remember when I first started, I didn't have a mic, I knew what I was missing so I got one and my experience GREATLY improved.  It is irritating playing with people who don't or won't use the mic especially if they are a leader.  It should be MANDATORY to have a mic if you are in a leadership position.  Without mics there can be little coordination and I'm all about planning and tactics...of course if you're playing with really good players and simply steam rolling the competition, they aren't too necessary, still it is nice to have enemy positions called out.  As far as blue dots are concerned, if they are down and bleeding out, I MIGHT not see them if they are in bushes, therefore letting me know you are near me and need help and if I can hear you I will certainly look for you to get you back on your feet.
11) How you'd separate level 1-10 guys from level 50-60s so new guys could learn the game w/o getting owned:
Hmm...well, there will always be a better player than you, is my philosophy on MAG.  You must accept it, learn from your experiences and grow from it, adapt and overcome, just like in the opening video.  I can't headshot worth a flip therefore, if I go head on with a better shooter, I'm likely to lose the battle, unless I started shooting first...then again same applies for everyone.  What I am good at, however, is sneaking behind enemy lines, it all comes down to finding a play style that you like and that suits you.  Sometimes, though, you will have to have a different play-style, but like the opening vid says "Improvise, adapt, overcome" it is what you must do in order to be successful in the game.
12) The lack of a training mode in MAG:
MAG has a training mode...not a very good one though.  Sure you get some of the basics down, but there should be a training mode for aspiring leaders.  I remember when I was SL for the first time, I had NO clue how to set frago or call in strikes, thankfully someone was willing to help me with that rather than try to VTK me because I didn't know what I was doing.  Not everyone is so kind, therefore, we do need an advanced training mode for leaders, sure they have tabs as you select the training mode that gives you all sorts of interesting tidbits, but it doesn't really go in depth.  I think people would do much better as leaders if the advanced training mode was mandatory for all leaders.