With a shotgun on the way a few ideas about how to balance said boom stick.

Here is my idea: Make no sights on the shotgun, instead add a special effect linked to the right mouse button. This can be, while not limited to:
Double fire
Full auto with cool down time
Breaching ammo (a 3x3 square of pellets that destroys one layer of blocks in front of you.)
Melee
Full metal jacket (Goes through one or two layers of blocks, but with a large amount of ammo required.)

Post your thoughts below.

I think it should just show a basic, down-the-beads sight-in. Simple, realistic, effective.

I do think iron sights may be useless with the shotgun, and the breaching ammo idea would be cool. Maybe it would take out 9 blocks, but only use 5 shots (or w/e your clip size will be). Very swat-ish, and promotes teamwork.

I like the idea of breaching pellets a lot. It'd make the shotgun usefull for more than just close-up encounters. You would be able to take out the wall of a bunker or castle or something so you and your teammates can charge in.

I think the should just be a spray-effect weapon with ironsights.

adjustable range for the shotgun would be cool to have as a server option for admins though.

(by "range" i mean the angle of spray, a narrow angle would mean a spray over a longer range (up to possibly 40 blocks/yards) or a wider angle which would mean a much shorter range)

i think there should still be iron sights, but an alternate type of ammo or something might be cool, but i'm not really sure if it'd be needed. but something anti-block would be pretty great, or even if the shotgun was anti-block by default

Iron sight on a shotgun are pretty useless. I mean its not like you're going to headshot anyone with that thing from a few hundred yards away.

A multiple block breaching shot or double fire mode might be nice.

The shotgun would be pretty powerful against blocks anyways. If it takes three pieces of shot to take out a block, walls would be pretty vulnerable. Even if Ben does make a system to make the pellets less damaging to blocks, normal fire would still work pretty well for breaching purposes.

double barreled fire would be alright, but i just do not like it when there are guns without the aim down the sights, when the games' other guns have that. i think aiming could have some benefits, maybe making it slightly more choked, or it is just for longer range firing. but the double barreled thing is probably the best idea, but it might be a little overpowered, i dont know

I thought the shotgun would be a sort of pump-action variant with about 6-7 shots in the mag. The breaching pellets would take up a secondary slot (or maybe the grenade slot) and would take up 9 breaching pellets each time you used the function.

I've always thought a downsight on any shotgun was kinda dumb if it is spread, really you're just limiting your field of view and turn speed on a close range weapon.

I am always a fan of new ways to destroy blocks. I like the idea of tactical destruction and teamwork more than the CoD one man army style. I think the shotgun being able to breach walls or have a second barrel is more useful than an ironsight in my opinion. It works well enough in games like combat arms, where few guns have sights. So, an ironsight to secondary fire trade sounds good to me.

I would like the shotgun with ironsights, but that's just how I am, other than that, I like the idea of it being useful for breaching.