I had a fair bit of fun with it. I've also been wanting this for some time.
You aren't wrong, there are a fair number of issues to be dealt with but overall I had a pretty enjoyable experience.

I didn't experience any issues with the M14 at range, but the AK series rifles definitely suffer. I didn't really use scopes very much but the times I did I had no issues.

>gibbering like an idiot
God damn, this. I've, on numerous occasions, been sneaking up the Gill map with my squad as myself and other squadmates' characters all yell shit like "come out charlie!" or "Man I hate VC" or some such nonsense. It is derpy and annoying.

Your complaints about the spawns are completely valid.

The helicopters are fun to fly when they are flyable. I had a few instances of this "stutter glitch" where the heli is made nearly unflyable due to the view and being very laggy. This most often results is serious issues determining your closing rate. It's like flying a helicopter without hydraulics while having a seizure.

But aside from that, I noticed a big difference between controlling the helicopters offline and online. Online the controls seem much more sensitive but I can't determine if it's just me feeling this way.

Overall I had a good time I really look forward to playing more of it. Especially if I can play with some good dudes. When a team actually commits to using teamwork in this game they wreck house.

FWIW the original Rising Storm is free for the next 40 hours or so.
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/rising-storm-game-of-the-year-edition

Full game is out. I really enjoy flying the helicopters and the larger maps are pretty enjoyable. The smaller maps are absolute shit. Way too god damn hectic.

Then again, i've been spoiled by Squad.

I picked it up. Been loving it.

Albeit a server admin was bitching because he napalmed strike like 15 of his own guys and someone punished him. I called him on being a whiny little girl and he replied with "Who was saying I was whining". Knowing full well what would happen I told him it was me, and to go ahead and ban me and prove my point. He did. Ban message is "whine about this" I laughed so damn hard.

Children in adult skin.

I did shoot down a heli with an RPG apparently right when 3 guys rushed me. Cause I got 5 kills total. Pilot and copilot (attack heli) and 3 corpses behind me. DAT BACKBLAST DOE

>>58995
The M14's best niche in the game is barrier penetration and long range pot shots, considering the M16 is a damn near ballistically perfect laser rifle, and I can put 3 rounds into a target in the same time it takes to recover from a standing M14 shot.

Downing Heli's with the RPG has gotten tougher since the game went gold - the flightpath gets erratic at distance

  No mention yet on how shotguns are absolutely fantastic. It will carry you through the more hectic situations at close range, and still do surprisingly well at range. The 00 buckshot seems to handle everything well, have not really felt any use for the other ammo types.