milspec sux

[RUCKUS RELOADED]

i want to talk about this season's new battle pass exclusive framework, "milspec", because imo it's both incredibly ugly and uninspired
this is the worst seasonal framework/skin combo we've gotten so far and a lot of the problems with milspec don't just come down to taste; they are objective flaws in its design and how it's implemented on various weapons

i'll rattle off my personal opinions on the skin to start with. i just think it's incredibly lazy. we already have 3 military themed skins in the form of bootcamp, warmonger and predator. did we really need a 4th? i would even argue skins like megacorp, tools of destruction and even glyphid trophy hunter fall under the same umbrella. it just feels unoriginal that the seasonal skin, which is supposed to be a premier offering on the battlepass, uses the exact same theme we've used many times before

it isn't even a good military skin either. the texture and models for the skin look less like military tools of war and more like cheap fisher-price toys. the models are comprised of basic geometric shapes that look too simple to even function. there's nothing unique or interesting about the framework. add to that the milspec colour scheme is very bland - it has hardly no texture and even if it did it's just green and black, very dull - and it makes milspec's entire design feel like an afterthought.

rather than adding a unique twist to each gun whilst respecting its design origins, it feels more like trying to force each gun to adapt to its theme, gutting each weapon of its personality and aesthetic to make it match the forced, tired "military" theme. other frameworks simply don't do this. even with the more transformative ones like waster, rival tech, megacorp and builder's choice, you can tell what the original design was supposed to be. you can see how the weapon was adapted

next, i'd like to share some screenshots of the skin in action to detail elements which i think are flawed design.

(i captured a bunch of screenshots to prove my point but i didnt want to spam my friend activity with them so they're on imgur and they won't embed. just deal with it)

exhibit A: the gun strips design off of stock skins
https://i.imgur.com/yQMgPYl.jpg
the GRS has a large mounted brace on the side which is designed to support the carrying handle. it looks very sturdy and that makes sense, the GRS is no doubt extremely heavy

https://i.imgur.com/Z8qncJN.jpg
with the milspec version the brace is removed and now there's just the handle on its own. it looks flimsy, like it could just snap off at any moment. that's a major flaw for a gunner weapon design, you really don't want guns as powerful as his falling apart

https://i.imgur.com/Bfmqiki.jpg
the stock minigun has the ammo drum clearly visible on the underside at the back, as well as an intricate network of pipes and alloys to make up the gun's build. it looks like an intricately designed weapon made by an expert who wanted to balance performance and cooling.

https://i.imgur.com/SsYnUGS.jpg
the milspec version completely ruins all of that detail. ammo drum gone, spin-up motor gone, instead you just have a single flat plate and rough, angular edges. it looks like some crap out of roblox or something

https://i.imgur.com/8HpmUPY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CmF80La.jpg
these two images are the autocannon's stock and milspec designs respectively. notice how the autocannon's magazine doesn't change at all between the skins?
this isn't a problem specific to milspec but it's especially jarring with this framework given how strikingly angular and basic milspec already is. parts of weapons that are used in animations (such as reloading) are typically left unchanged so that they don't cause issues in said animations such as your dwarf's hands clipping into the model. this makes sense - GSG likely doesn't have the resources to re-animate each loading model for each framework and that's fine. but the problem there is that when you have a framework like milspec which changes the appearance of the gun so significantly (for the worse), it makes the parts which haven't changed stick out like a sore thumb

https://i.imgur.com/0LJ7gJ3.jpg
the EPC's design clearly suggests it's a prototype due to all the exposed wiring and delicate mechanical parts. it's in the name: experimental plasma charger. it's a straightforward but effective design

https://i.imgur.com/niD4xBD.jpg
now what the hell is this? why does it have a floating barrel like you'd find on a gun that fires bullets, not plasma? why are the two generators on the bottom obscured by metal bits? the giant chunky connector on the bottom and the cube-like design make this look like a beta model or something

https://i.imgur.com/yL7pQxf.jpg
just by looking at the LOK-1 you can tell it's a frankenstein's monster of a gun, crudely cobbled together from existing parts. the colour scheme is excellent and it lives up to its "home-made" feel, with the gun's own blurb describing it as an "abomination". the LOK-1 is probably my favourite looking gun in DRG, i rarely even bother giving it a custom framework

https://i.imgur.com/xr64YsV.jpg
the poor LOK-1 definitely got it worst. this design is straight up awful. all of that convoluted, yet considerate design is completely trashed and milspec's gaudy, flat panels are just slapped on top with no consideration for the stock framework's design. it looks like it came out of a mould. this looks terrible in every way

exhibit B: several milspec designs copy the megacorp framework
milspec looks hauntingly similar to many megacorp designs - a paid DLC, might i add - and not in a good way. ideas and parts are just used verbatim

https://i.imgur.com/GG9dKKw.jpg
here's GK2 megacorp, one of my personal favourites. you can see the gun has been rounded down compared to its stock iteration, but not in a way that disrespects the original's detailing. it still looks like a weapon that could conceivably exist. the giant bump stock and front-heavy design add to the cold, mass-produced feeling that you would expect from... well, a megacorp.

https://i.imgur.com/nT8LaD9.jpg
remember that old meme "we have X at home"? that's how i feel about milspec. if it's not just making guns look bland and soulless, it's just patently copying megacorp designs. the lack of detailing and the comically large charging handle make this look like a NERF gun or something, it's ridiculous

https://i.imgur.com/vCha58M.jpg
megacorp warthog has a similarly enlarged stock - in fact it's the only skin where the stock forms a complete loop back to the gun. it looks heavy and dependable, like you could drop it down a cliffside and it'd still be good to go afterwards.

https://i.imgur.com/w3NrT1v.jpg
milspec warthog not only copies the full stock design but once again guts the original's design of any details or intricacies, leaving only solid plates of metal. and like the autocannon, the several parts of the gun which don't conform to the milspec framework just look awkward and out of place

https://i.imgur.com/X9oYJEz.jpg
megacorp shard gives the 3 torches around the ommoran chunk a more square feeling to them. i personally don't like it, but it does at least fit the megacorp theme

https://i.imgur.com/pbJYoHr.jpg
and here, you can see that they've been essentially copied from the megacorp framework onto the milspec framework. it's not even something you have to try to see, it's so obvious and frankly feels lazy
this is ignoring the giant chunky plating at the back, which just seems like it makes the weapon more awkward to handle. the attempt to implement the "floating barrel" motif onto the shard's lens also looks really ugly


a lot of the game's cosmetics aren't personally for me, but at the same time i can still see why someone would appreciate and use them. or at the very least, i can appreciate the effort that must've been put in to add a richly detailed framework for every single gun. i cannot say the same for milspec.
i ordinarily wouldn't complain about this type of stuff because i am just so beyond caring about weapon skins in video games but it's extra disappointing seeing that we got such a lame new framework in what is already the weakest update to the game in a long time, especially since the switch to a seasonal motif

[mello]

i like to run milspec paint job on neon band frameworks with the cosmetic restriction mod. guns are green overall, but the neon glows orange, p neat imo

[🍈Little Goblin🍈]

nah.. i like it
no clown awards for you

[Burger McFries]

I like it because it makes some of the guns look like lasguns and lasguns are cool

[Lord Of War]

I like your writing style, miner!

[Siphonophorous Shenaniganry]

What if I want to be ugly? To assert dominance...

[76561198034964829]

Next time we ask some women to design it.

[Derpykat5]

Subjective opinion is subjective.

[Qua2ar]

Originally posted by Derpykat5:

Subjective opinion is subjective.

Yes, but his opinion is worth more than yours so.....

[Derpykat5]

Originally posted by Qua2ar:

Originally posted by Derpykat5:

Subjective opinion is subjective.

Yes, but his opinion is worth more than yours so.....

Is it though? Is it really?

[RUCKUS RELOADED]

Originally posted by Derpykat5:

Is it though? Is it really?

Yes.

[CEPHY]

God forbid people may enjoy something.

[Siphonophorous Shenaniganry]

Ok, I actually took the time and read this. And I have to disagree.

It is more of the same, yes. But I think it's also sufficiently different.

Just because the default look of a gun reflects that it's a prototype, improvised weapon, or a "standard" piece of arsenal, doesn't mean every single weapon framework has to reflect this. There is a corporate look, a military one, junkyard, high-tech, alien-looking one etc. What I want from a framework is exactly that, a theme that overrides the base theme of a gun.

Conversely were you unhappy with the rusty-jagged spiky framework of the autocannon when it came out? I mean it is a standard piece of military equipment lore-wise. No good soldier would let it rust and repair it with whatever comes under his hands...

A prototype or an improvisation don't stay that way forever. Once it proves it works it's taken and made into a template. A template that design-wise reflects a particular manufacturer.

Also certain things get copied from other manufacturers/carried over from previous versions... I mean you can instantly recognise a tank because certain basic features proved to be effective/easy to manufacture or repurpose.

Basic shapes can be used to hide things. Milspec in my eyes does truly look like someone took a very limited range of parts (not withstanding the inner workings of each gun) and used them on all weapons.

Also certain parts of a machine or a tool don't always look like what they are capable of.

Is it the best one so far? Nah, it does suffers from not being unique like some other. But even a bare bones utilitarian cheapish look is a nice addition to the options people have for crafting their unique look.

Now I want an occult/demonic look. I need it.

[Muscles]

I quite like the Milspec frameworks on some guns. I think it's good that it alters the designs, as I dislike some of the Stock designs (Like minigun and EPC)

[Vandal Savant]

"Poor man's megacorp" is what first came to mind for me too. But I do like it on the Zhukovs though, because it pronounces the barrel stub more than the megacorp skin while still giving the same well-balanced aesthetic.

[Frisky]

I'm kinda the opposite personally, I see them as a better megacorp given that i personally dislike almost every single megacorp framework (except the boomstick because it looks hilarious)

millspec feels like a megacorp with more to look at instead of just being a weighty looking block over the base weapon, and I don't really find myself viewing any of them are ugly, except maybe the minigun for it's lack of an ammo drum but aside from that I think they're all pretty good