Right now, as some said, it has lost it's effectiveness in counter sniping, as you can't charge the weapon quick enough to hit a poptart and I've found the "losing charge" mechanic to be quite annoying. The charge-up? I'm fine with it.
If PGI wants to desynchronize gauss and PPCs, I'd recommend this fix:
You still have to charge your Gauss Rifle, BUT, you CAN maintain your charge as long as you can. The big trade off is that the longer you keep the charge, the more heat you build up (yeah, new mechanic, but it doesn't need to be crazy heat build up)
So, you still have the chance to defend yourself against PPC snipers by keeping your Gauss charged until you see a target. The side effect is that you will have built up some heat.
Don't hold the charge for more than 1.5 seconds (like intended) and you don't build up heat. Longer than that, heat builds-up.
Would this be a good idea? I think it would be better than losing the charge and having to recharge it.
Edited by Sybreed, 24 September 2013 - 08:06 PM.