I have no malice towards the smart pistol other than it being one of the challenges for regenerating. I also rarely see anyone using it purely for killing bots. I would be somewhat impressed if someone ended the round with 1 - 2 pilot kills and over 50 bots. That at least shows that someone is focused on doing something very very well, lol. There will always be people arguing against a weapon that "self aims", but as @Lannik said most players tend to opt for something better in close quarters like a shottie, smg or carbine. In addition, anyone running with a smart pistol that is not amazing at parkour will never be able to come out alive in a mismatch scenario (1v2+).
We're all almost on the same page. We're not arguing whether or not the gun is any good when used by good players. I get that it's useless against groups or other guns. Of course. The majority of us are bitching that they threw this gun in an otherwise furiously paced game.....a gun that encourages lazy people or worse trolls, to sit on a rooftop, in a corner, and sucker punch people putting in good work. Yes, people do this in other games. But they have to actually have accuracy to make 3 consecutive headshots happen. Not the case with this Smart Pistol. So, I know it's a tool. But like with most things in this world.....weaker-minded folks find a way to muck it up
Another thing I'd like to point out - the Smart pistol only shines in Attrition matches in the first minutes before the Titans start coming out. Once the Titans are out and the creep waves start getting smashed under titan feet, you are probably better off switching to something else that suits you as you are going to be facing pilots more often than creeps.
I used the "Smarty-pants" Pistol ......for the first time yesterday in a match. I play a lot of Hard Point. I must say it does work well. Takes out several enemies at once. BUT, that was against minions and grunts and ONE, I repeat ONE Pilot that I caught from behind. Impressive but not practical in anything but close and cqb situations. Its part of the game. Its not OP in my opinion. As stated before, just must learn to move more and stay in constant motion. I am learning this the hard way!!!!!!! However, one side-arm I found to be devastating was the Wingman pistol. Went face to face with several Pilots and put 2 or 3 rounds in them and they went down like a sack of potatoes. Awesome power!!!!! I do not want to see this game get into "pi****g" matches about weapons or other aspects of the game play. Should I get mad because every time I encounter another Pilot, they kill ME far more times than I kill them? Or do I need to improve my overall game play and get better? You know the answer. The game is fine as it is.
So, time to add my two cents, which will really end up as more like a dollar and a half. The smart pistol, at least for me, was for the longest time a metaphorical shotgun. It was a gun I was constantly getting trolled with but could never use with any effectiveness. Shotguns have been this way forever. Only this year did I give them a real chance in Planetside 2. I finally got decent with them to a degree. I found them fun but highly situational (mainly due to the scale of PS2). In Titanfall, I find the shotgun is easy and fun to use and highly overpowered compared to the Planetside 2 shotties. I love it! Now, the smart pistol has taken the role of the gun I can't use and get trolled by. I have been forcing myself to use it more in combat and to get better with it. When used with the minion detector, it is the ultimate weapon for mowing down grunts in large numbers. I have been steadily getting better with it to the point where I am consistently in the top 3 at the end of a match for my massive attrition point rack-up. I still have difficulties using it against other pilots. The only time I really can is when I have a good jump on them, where I can target them before they realize I'm there. Even still, it's damn near impossible to get a pilot kill if you haven't locked them once they start shooting at you. 9 times out of 10, I'm the dead one, unless I'm using an amped pistol. Keep in mind that I am also using advanced targeting, which helps lock pilots up fast enough to get the kill but it still isn't enough. Now, I personally feel from both sides of the weapon, that it is in no way OP. It's not quite as noob friendly (at least to me) as most people think. It does several things (read: mow through grunts/assassinate unsuspecting pilots) very well and others (any kind of engagement where you are not surprising the enemy with instant death), it is outclassed by pretty much everything. It also considerably lessens your rodeo kill ability as you pretty much have to rely on the Re-45 autopistol to do substantial damage to titans quickly. It is a good gun, but it's not overpowered and with minimal effort, you can beat it. Break LoS with walls. Cloaking, while it won't prevent locks, will restart the lock if you cloak before the enemy fires. There are dozens of ways to outplay the smart pistol.
I agree with what's been said. it's good for the newbies but can't possibly be competitive against skilled players. even if someone did decide to just farm bots with it in attrition, it would still add a dimension to the game in which skilled players would have to defend their minions.
i admired those pro smart pistol player i encounter past few days, i try to chase one down several times, and they jump ,parkor like crazy tried shotgun, spray smg, c4, cant catch them. they just parkor ,clock ,drop c4, and im dead... if c4 fails they'll smart pistol me from back by jumping over my head from my front.... its scary i tell u.. like fighting with predator... lol... i say its right down with one play style, camper , or not its tactic, in real work, everyone is a camper, lol like is precious... so is winning... either get good against camper or smart pistol player in this case or suck it... hahahaa... i still suck with this gun... dang...
Well said coming from me a no so good player,but a lot of players saying that it is overpowered but it is short range and takes time to lock
Balancing the weapon is as simple as giving the targeted pilot a "pilot is locking" warning just like the Titans get. The standard version is somewhat acceptable.. but the amped version is completely ridiculous.