An increase in muni cost would be good, also maybe a slight reduction in area of effect for more lethality in the AOE. Therefore players cant spam them on singular support weapons constantly and also not force instant retreats and allow someone to move out of the way. However if someone stays in the area then the unit gets killed.
HMGs by itself can't pin 3 units coming from 3 different directions or spread out troops in its arc. The hmg42 is particular has a very slow transerve speed within its arc.
HMGs have been meta for every faction for atleast some period of time. USF has had 50 cal meta for a while and maxim meta use to be crazy op. OKW use to be Falls Doctrine every game bc it had the mg34 before it was nondoc and both OST and UKF need their mgs to stand up early game.
Also every faction minus UKF has early easy to access anti mg units/abilities.
MGs and the pin mechanic is one of 2 major counters to big blobs, the other being rocket arti. If mgs were bad you would just see big old doom blobs fighting eachother which is terrible for both gameplay and balance.
I use to love the stug back when it was a real cheap option to fight TDs. Double Stug working in tandem use to be excellent against allied TDs. I would like to keep that design in mind in making the stug good at fighting TDs/mediums.
Good question: why do conscripts only get one slot? Even Obers get 2. (Seriously I agree with you. Also I suggested 1 to kill double brens sections which I think are unbalanced)
They got a weapon slot removed back when the meta was UKF/SOV double vicker drop for cons spam in 2v2+. It turned cons into 6 man terminators with vet so they decided to tone it down by removing a weapon slot.