What it comes down to is if tank crews get pistols to defend themselves, then all crews with special/heavy weapons should have a side arm when out of ammo. I don't think the programing angle would be a problem. Rifle units in this game manage their assortment of guns, rifle grenades, and hand grenades in a very realistic way, so I find it hard to belive that making a moarter team draw a pistol to defend it's self is an insurmountable obstical. As far as this being 'undesirable' I just don't understand. Do you think that a machine gun crew that was out of ammo just sat there and watched the rest of the fight while their friends get mowed down around them? I'm not saying they should charge Berlin on their own. If a moarter crew with pistols walking at 1 kph will unbalance the game, then a tank crew walking at 2kph with pistols is doubly unbalancing. Obviously no-one is winning games with masses of tank/gun crews (which STILL make great scouts btw) so I don't see why this is an issue.
As for the sniper situation, sure he won't automaticly kill everything he shoots at, as well he shouldn't. (For the sake of arguement we will assume the spotter unit is armed like you describe, even though there is no such thing represented in the game) But in your version of this scene, he simply sits there untill they are on top of him, there are 2 of them, he is 1, he won't fire to save his soul, he is dead and no use to his army. Would you not atleast TRY to save your own hide? Is it not better to kill an enemy then die than simply to die? There is a fork in the road ahead, and a sign that points 2 directions reading 'Chance to Live' and 'Certian Death.' Which path do you pick?
I understand the argument, but there should atleast be a chance that a sniper would choose to risk giving away his spot when seeing a valueable target or when said spot is about to be over-run anyway. The beuaty of this game is the realism. Anything that sets such a hard and binding rule in the gameplay contrasts sharply with the amazing AI that all the other units seem to display.
-Maugan