I don't know if this has been mentioned before and I don't think I'll go through over 220 pages of ideas just one suggestion. So if it has been mentioned before, take this as support. So as a firearm owner, I find the mechanics of shooting too arcadey in video games in general.
First, is recoil. The gun goes simply up. That's not entirely true. A gun should actually recoil, not just go up. What I mean and suggest is, the recoil animation has an "impulse". The gun goes back into shooter, up and back down to the point of aim like real life. For full auto, the gun impulses back and up in a full auto staccato. In the end, it goes back to the point of aim. I don't know if I'm making sense, but this would provide not only realistic shooting, but interesting game mechanics. Different calibres, actions and firing mode will provide different experiences and tactics. A heavy gun like the Lynx can have a high fire rate but the recoil impulse will take time for a precise shot. Instantly balancing it against bolt rifles unless it's supported like with bipods which would impede movement. Choosing a 7.62x51mm weapon can give you power and accuracy in semiauto but firing full auto will make it hard to stay on target. It also tones down the ridiculous weapon sway. It can be a difficult thing to implement but would be great for a game to get this right for once.
Second is breathing. It annoys me how developers implement hold breath. I get it from a game balancing perspective, but who the hell actually holds their breath until they go blue and have an asthma attack. These soldiers should be more well trained than taking something so literal. It should be breath in and on the out cadence, hold breath for a few seconds. Then breathe in and out, hold for a few seconds. Repeat until desired. This provides a stable aiming for a few seconds (6 seconds is my rule of thumb) and not going blue. As per gameplay balance, this provides a timed accuracy bonus. The player has to make that shot in the allotted time or the breathing occurs losing point of aim. During breathing in this "hold breath" sequence, the crosshairs/iron sight ill go up and back down to original point of aim like a normal human breathing assuming a stable firing position.
Third is stance and weapon swaying. These are some of the worst trained soldiers. The kneeling position should have the support arm supported on the raised knee like every damn army manual in existence dictates. This provides a stable platform to shoot out to 300m and I know it does. Instead these guys go unsupported and sway like they have arthritis. Should this be as accurate as prone? Not really but if you implement it with the recoil system above, it could work wonders. Since grass can make line of sight difficult, an kneeling position is the best bet, but does not soak up as much recoil as prone. This means you can take accurate shots, but still not as effective as someone prone. Swaying is still there, but not as arthritic as it is now.
That's all I can think of now, but I remember more annoyances before. Basically, this would provide not only interesting gameplay aspects, but prove why certain weapons are used the way they are used and why they are used. Why go MXM when you can go ABR? Perhaps the recoil impulse is more severe with the ABR rendering it's second shot capability slower than the MXM and allowing the MXM to be more effective in CQC.
