Machine Gun

The **Machine Gun** is the base form of Anti-Air. Alongside the Sniper, it is one of the two weapons which are available from the start, requiring no technology.

## Machine Gun

### Description

"Harassment, defence against mortars and missiles"

## Stats

### Reload time

1.5 seconds (7 second cooldown on overheat)

## Characteristics

### Cons

Low damage. Inaccurate. No damage against armour and doors.

### Special

Eagle Eye : +2 bullets per salvo (Damage : 54/108, Flaming 67.5/135

## **Overview**

The Machine Gun is a very light and compact Anti-Air emplacement, automatically firing a spray of 7 bullets whenever a destructible projectile is incoming.

Since it is available to build without requiring technology, the Machine Gun allows great versatility in its use; players can do rushes and scrap their tier one tech without worrying about the repercussions of not having valid Anti-Air.

They possess an incredibly low HP of just 30; however, due to their tiny footprint and cheap nature, they are easily spammable and work well in numbers.

While they deal lackluster damage against structure, dealing just 6 damage, each bullet from the Machine Gun is capable of intercepting a Swarm Missile, Mortar, or Rocket projectile in one hit. Heavier ordnance, such as Warheads or Howitzers, require more damage.

## **Strategies**

Machine guns are most often used as a basic form of anti-air. One or two are capable of dealing with early game harassment weapons — such as an EMP Rocket or small cluster of Incendiary Mortars. In large numbers (5 or more), they can consistently hold off larger Rocket or Missile barrages, Heavy Mortar volleys, or Howitzer attacks.

An exception to this is their effectiveness against High Seas weapons — since many projectiles from the DLC have high HP, Machine Gun bullets often don't do the job. Planes require 23 bullets to be destroyed, Deckguns 7, and Orbital Laser beacons >>x<<. Although Machine Guns can still work on longer-ranged maps, and/or in massive numbers, it's best to use more specialized defenses, such as Flak, Shotguns, or Energy Domes against the aforementioned weapons.

Machine gunners can be used similarly to Miniguns, to destroy exposed light weapons such as other Machine Guns and Snipers. This can be used to remove an opponent's anti-air from the field in a pinch, or defend against a pesky Sniper if the player doesn't have one of their own.

## **Counters**

Machine guns are highly vulnerable to a Sniper or a Shotgun. A 20mm Cannon is also highly effective at removing machine guns, due to its dispersed fire and enough damage to eviscerate protective measures, such as trenches or doors. Machine guns are among the few weapons affected by the Smoke Bomb, and will be unable to fire if obstructed by the smoke cloud, even manually.

Shotguns are exceptional at eradicating Machine Gun walls.

A constant stream of incoming projectiles will cause a Machine Gun to overheat, forcing it to stop and cool down before firing again; this can easily be achieved with Mortars in particular, due to their low reload and spammable nature.

## **Notes**

* The Machine Gun resembles the PM M1910, being belt-fed. Its large barrel likely means that the barrel is water-cooled.