I have played 7dtd for about 500 hours, my second most played game. i also have played many other shooter type games like gta4/5, tarkov, doom1/2, Doom 2 modded with PB and brutal mod, ravenfield, untured, cry of fear, fc5, ect. after all of my time playing these games along with my knowledge of real life firearms, I feel that 7dtd is lacking in the combat dept. with all of its other issues aside, I feel that this one can be solved relatively easily, as they have shown that they are capable of making a game with working combat, and implementing new models and animations. I feel that the biggest problem with the combat is its lack of satisfaction and feeling rather weak. i want to start off with the things that would be harder to fix to get them out of the way. the animations are really quick, hard to see, and kinda stiff. a semi-slow smoother or harder animation is more satisfying, like in Doom 2016 where doomguy slams the foregrip on the shotgun back and forward to rack it, or in FC5 where the deputy makes a butter smooth flick of the mag and easily inserts a new mag. a slower animation for reloading or cocking guns could balance them out and incentivize the player to swap to a new gun or melee, as well as be more careful about reloading. the models and textures of most guns looks messy and hard to decern. idk if the devs made their own models or received them or whatnot, so all i am going to say on this is that a simpler cleaner model with key details exposed would make it look better. as well as a contrast between shiny metal and rough gouges in the metal.
now the stuff that would be the easiest and could make the biggest impact, THE SOUND. the sound of the guns got better the newer they were, but are all still pretty underwhelming. the shotguns are the best and pretty much only need to be a bit louder and with more beef to them. for guns like the M9, which has the worst sound in the game, having a low quality "pew" makes it feel so weak and boring. the gun is supposed to be weak being an early game pistol, but at the least proper sounds make it seem more effective and engaging. a sound like this one provided (https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/9u3t5lBVvG/) with a crack from the supersonic break would make it have some substance to it. same pretty much goes to the rifles. if the devs have interest in this, i can record some sounds at a gun range from a M&P 2.0 ez, a RF-15, and some crappy shotgun that i have not seen the name of. possibly others if the range is busy. I am also sure a lot of gun youtubers or fans of the game would gladly help record sounds to implement. with sounds aside, a slight screen shake where the camera tilts slightly, increasing per the power of the gun could make them feel more powerful, along with a option to disable it if it causes motion sickness. allowing guns to fire faster per click of the mouse would make weaker guns more interactive, and a slower satisfying reload would balance out the gunplay and make reloading more tense and thoughtful. i have some other ideas if this becomes of interest and would love to see some of this, (mostly the sounds) put into the game. for reference look at Sgt Marks Brutal Doom 2 v21 mod. it has very balanced and satisfying gunplay.
