maybe in the presence of penals sure... but a T2 build melts pretty quickly once the STG volks start popping out...
even LMG grens can kick T2 arse pretty hard as its simply outmatched by superior line infantry AND support teams
almost all factions get early weapon upgrades though... but yes the STG needs to be less of a no brainer upgrade
in the absence of penals conscripts are quite literally the only infantry you get... it was originally intended for the maxim to be the assault mg with the conscripts as utility.. but people dont like this hence the original idea has to be scrapped for a more valuable mainline
I have never heard any one from Relic wanting to design maxim as assault HMG.
This is probably an urban myth. On the contrary :
Weapon Teams
Focus on improving early game flow and balance.
Weapon teams should be support units rather than front line soldiers. The Maxim and MG42 had their weapon profiles adjusted slightly, resulting in some performance modifications. As a result of this change, the Maxim should suppression slightly faster than before. Their overall DPS remains relatively unchanged. The changes to weapon traverse make flanking a MG easier when using multiple squads.
Simply when OKW where released people noticed that they lucked the proper tools to deal with HMGs and abuse it.
Maxim HMG
We felt the Maxim HMG was overperforming in the early game due to its fast set-up.
We also made adjustments to its build time and cost so it takes longer to reach the field and so it doesnt replace mainline infantry.