: This is something I was seriously considering about a
: year ago -- actually had a client-side hitscan pistol
: written up -- but then decided against it due to the
: possibility of cheating.
: After playing yesterday I started thinking about it
: again. Anyone have any opinions, pro or otherwise?
I'm not sure a zero-ping mod would make any difference for most players. In my case I seldom use the pistols to make kills with in multiplayer. The few I do make are more luck than skill because aiming without a cross hair at someone who moves, jumps and dodges all the time is virtually impossible. So I don't think that a zeroping would help that much for the pistols.
The shotguns are a bit different as they are easier to hit with so they can benefit more from a zeroping mod. Although the new animations have made them harder to aim with they are still the closest to an instagib weapon we have. At least at reasonable range. But then again, without a crosshair to aim with it's very difficult in the heat of the game to say where exactly one should hit with them. If you can line up the shot when someone runs towards or from you in a straight line, then yes it is possible to really aim. But in those rare moments you don't really need a zeroping mod do you?
The AR is most effective in close quarters and then in combination with launching grenades and basicly just covering an as large area as possibly with grenades and bullets so again, a dead on aim is seldom achieved or neccessary imo.
The secondary fire of the fusion pistol is a great equalizer for high ping. Charge the pistol, release and watch as the "splash damage" kicks in.
For the alien weapon and the SM however, I think that a zeroping mod would make them more usefull for players with +300 ping. Myself, I can't hit sh** with them for the most of the time even with low ping 
The great equalizer, the SPNKR, is without a doubt the most used weapon in the MP games that I've been in. And the best to use when you got high ping. A few times I've seen people surviving direct hits with the rockets but that have been due to lag I think. Here I don't think that a zeroping would help that much.
BUT, even with all the above, why don't we give the zeroping a try? If the Capt'n have something ready let's try it! Even if I have doubts about that it will change the gameplay it is worth a try. And I don't think cheating will be a problem. We ain't a very competitive community from what I can tell. All the games I've been playing sofar here has given me a feeling of "it's just for fun, relax and enjoy the ride". I've never seen anyone getting upset when loosing or gloating when winning.
Uhm , quite a long post this one. I'll stop here 
/SilentMan
