A new way to class WBLs

[SilentGuy]

No, I mean putting a 4" barrel onto just any old WBL. For all intents and purposes, the various classes of WBLs and the various types that you mentioned (sniper, "artillery", "bazookas" [no vehicles, though], etc.) are pretty much the same, but in different sizes. Functionality-wise, any of them can IMO be used for anything, and the technologies are far more related to each other than they are related to soakers. Besides, if you're only using the 4" barrel at close range, you don't need the extra power. If you get that power by sacrificing mobility, you will be at a disadvantage, especially at that range.

Bombardment can't really occur in water wars, since you don't have a target as such. A water balloon cannot destroy a defensive structure, and the range, aiming features, and splash damage aren't good enough to be used as scare tactics.

WBLs are also useless as bazookas in that there aren't really any vehicles in water wars. In real wars, you might use rocket launchers occasionally to take out an enemy vehicle--but it's pointless here.

I've already mentioned how these aren't the best weapons for sniping. Poor range and accuracy on smaller battlefields and overall ineffectiveness will in effect cripple somebody who's trying to get kills only by sniping.

Of course I wouldn't use a WBL as a main weapon. I would rather put on an incredibly short, 1.5 foot * 4 inch barrel and use that when necessary. Basically the only time I would pull it out in that situation is if the enemy were to duck behind some cover or was sniping (close-range) from behind a bush or something. But then again, you might as well throw the water balloon by hand...

Back to square one!

[DX]

Bombardment can't really occur in water wars, since you don't have a target as such. A water balloon cannot destroy a defensive structure, and the range, aiming features, and splash damage aren't good enough to be used as scare tactics.

In night battles, WBLs are pretty darn good for scare tactics. Not because the chance of hitting is any higher, but simply because you can't see where it is coming from. However, in broad daylight, a launcher won't intimidate an experienced enemy.

You can bombard, but more like a mortar. If an enemy has taken shelter in some kind of fortification, steeply angling the shot and reducing the pressure will put your water balloons right where you want them. Bombarding a structure via leveling the launcher won't do any damage, but it is quite a distraction to the defenders, and that could be useful.

If an enemy used a launcher as a primary weapon here, I could have a field day. The Lone Wolf variety of the Distraction Ambush is deadly effective against snipers, even better than counter-sniping. One of the Fluid Era concepts is that specialized tactics can be used to wipe out specialized roles. Specialized roles are way outdated by Fluid Era standards, and therefore are highly vulnerable to new counters. Sniping in the Fluid Era is in brief periods, so by the time the enemy adjusts, the sniper has taken some other role. In fact, most roles are done for brief intervals, or more commpnly, are used in combos. This flexibility is invaluable and a main source of power for a modern team.