It isn't COD in space, so would need a much bigger rework than your suggestion, allegedly.
And, if it had such, there would be complaints that it was just like every other 'done to death' FPS game...
I'm a pretty big fan of Odyssey's on-foot, but I can tell when a game has some clear issues.
You can tune or rework the combat balance without killing EDOs identity.
I'm not going to attack the gameplay of switching weapons in itself, but since I've spent the last week playing High GCZs there's several glaring issues about it.
- SRVs die in seconds to on-foot combatants. I haven't tested the Scorpion, but these vehicles feel like death traps without engineering to make them useable.
- Holding out a smaller weapon makes you run faster. Not a fan of this "counter-strike logic", it's annoying micromanagement.
- Hipfire recoil is too wild and unrealistic. It's absolutely crazy how bad it aims.
- Shields regenerate incredibly fast on enemies in Combat Zones. Granted I assume they're equipped with fast shield regen engineering, but this punishes the "switch weapon" gameplay aspect more than it rewards it or gives it meaning.
- Weapon balance just isn't fun and this is the real root of why Odyssey combat isn't liked. Plasma weapons and "Karma L-6" are too strong in close range, yet the plasma sniper in particular (like Manticore Executioner) feels absolutely awful to use due to the projectile speed.
I'm against making Odyssey into COD in space, but you know why everyone picks plasma pistol, plasma shotgun, L-6 and plasma sniper despite how it feels.
Most players just don't stick to thermal + kinetic firearms for the combat Dominator suit, because it feels bad.