You completely lost me. Are we talking about HMG42 or about general faction design, tech costs and AT options?
HMG42 is fine, Maxim is fine. Different unit, different roles. If you seriously lose Stuart or T70 to HMG42, you need to work on you skill.
Seriously, Smoke n Flank.
We always talking about general faction design, even if we actually talk about just 1 unit.
And I think there are big problems in USSR design, specially in AT section. USSR is only faction without stock AT weapons for infantry, cos PTRS is only docttrinal. USSR has real problems with dealing with early light vechile attack, specially since 222 got HP buff without increasing it's price.
And MG-42 in that situation, for me, is greatest sign of how Relic "care" about faction's design balance in game. While USSR has no real options against axis light vechiles and don't have real light vechiles itself, they getting all good AT tools to Axis, which would be good enough even without them.
I want to take out AP flame rounds from MG-42, because it is insulting me deeply. Even ****ing MG of germany can effectivly fight against vechiles and tanks, while USSR getting PTRS's with doctrines, DShKs with doctrines... No early AT at all!
Mines and grenades are good, but its way harder to use mines and grenades, than just give Panzerscheck to soldiers and push right button on vechile you need to be dead. Or put MG-42 in building and just press 1 button "AP flame" when you getting light vechiles in sight. That's you, axis defenders, who wants easy life and game, not allies. And seems, like you will fight for that easy life and game untill your death...
Just damn give more AT options for USSR, because without them they acting like they are "crippled". They are crippled already with their dependece of doctrines. There is no other faction, which so hardly depends on doctrine you play with.