What is the point of machine pistols?

[CryonicSuspension]

I thought that only harpoons and machine pistols could fire underwater, so I've I'm in Biome 2 soloing on Hard AI with bots.

I was trying to clear a mudraptor nest but there were three adult raptors were protecting the nest. I figured I'd try and take 2 of my 3 Security Officers, to see how they fair. One had a Masterworked Riot Shotgun, the other had the same plus a masterworked HMG ( heavy machine gun ). I made sure that they both had harpoons because I've noticed that they've never fired them once in the entire game ( even weirder, the third security officer has a rifle and has only fired the grenade launcher twice, never firing any bullets but that's another weird story ). I gave them both one machine pistol each, because we're underwater right and bots are not smart enough to dual wield?

So I'm swimming and they are following and I'm in the middle of lighting up flares and glowsticks, like a good scuba diver and I hear a growl, I panic, try to grab my coil rifle harpoon, which promptly stuffs it in the cargo scooter and by the time I try and retrieve it, the three mudraptors are insta-killed by one security officer pulling out a shotgun ( which stunlocks them ) and the other security officer Heavy Machine gunning them to death ( auto-aim for the win ). I was sitting there stunned like... wtf shotguns and HMG can fire underwater? All this time, I've been soloing Fractal Guardians with hit and runs with a harpoon and machine pistols at point blank range, and the fight looked like Tom Cruise in "Edge of Tomorrow". I could have just used a shotgun... machine pistols seemed pointless when I originally bought them but I'd been using them on the red feeder creatures in the alien ruins but then I stopped doing that when I realised that a plasma torch is way more efficient.

At this point I'm thinking that I should just sell the machine pistols?

Would the game be better with underwater specific weapons and (air) sub specific weapons?

[kingmagma111]

Machine pistols are 100% pointless. Functionally just a worse shotgun that uses smg ammo. I have no clue why they were added.
As for underwater weapons: there is a mod that adds water logging guns and certain guns that are immune, and some people like it. However, from my personal view on game logic and lore, it would make sense for every weapon in the game to be capable of firing underwater because it’s a water moon and any gun that doesn’t fire underwater is at an immediate disadvantage, thus becoming obsolete.

[FourGreenFields]

Comparing any other weapon to HMGs

Also, maths[docs.google.com]. They would have a niche (though mostly interchangeable with revolvers) if they were easier to get in masterwork quality.

[Chimz]

You can dual wield them. That's all they offer.

[kingmagma111]

Originally posted by Chimz:

You can dual wield them. That's all they offer.

Oh yeah I forgot about that.

[CryonicSuspension]

Originally posted by FourGreenFields:

Comparing any other weapon to HMGs :captainclown:

Also, maths[docs.google.com]. They would have a niche (though mostly interchangeable with revolvers) if they were easier to get in masterwork quality.

I'm comparing them to every other weapon in the game. By the time you get them, I already had Riot shotguns & SMGs. If everything fires underwater, then machine pistols are redundant and underpowered.

Try using your brain rocket scientist.

[CryonicSuspension]

I was exploring and found a rare alien that wrecked my sub and managed to kill all three medics of my 16 crew ( they used up all the meds that they were carrying ), even though I had 5 security officers with heavy machine guns and shotguns.

It took me too long to figure out what to do. It was a blood bath, a massacre. It was like something out of the movie "Alien" / "Aliens".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m92yvNscIAo

I was outside the sub, so I only got a couple of snapshots of what happened but I imagine there was a lot of friendly fire in the mayhem, because AI crew are pretty indiscriminate with their shots.

I had do a "retry" and solo the monster, and switch to machine pistols for the range and clip size + I needed my toolbelt and had not crafted a heavy machine gun for myself but with the HMG, you lose your toolbelt slot.

[CryonicSuspension]

The aliens singing sounded like the screams of dying children.