what if the RL were to be reduced to the other value, but keep the GL up? That would be a compromise both ways. Less splash overall, yet, there would still be a weapon that can be used for poundage.
I'm not trying to make this elitist, and the old splash values weren't really at that level at all. Most noobs are going to miss the ground shot anyway, so, high damage or low, it doesn't matter anyway. The mediocre/good players that can already hit the ground shots just have it really, really easy. As Seymour said:
Sure you could argue that it's easier for new players to get used to the game, but on the same token it also makes it easier for more experienced players to rip apart new players (good accuracy + increased splash damage = poor, beatup Seymour). Heck, 'below-average accuracy + increased splash damage = poor, beatup Seymour'.
Look at a noob and a good player going in to the enemy base for example, the noob is not going to be able to hit much of anything in the first place, but with all the better players spamming left and right with splash, it just creates a clusterfuck in which the noob will die super fast, the good LO will survive a little, but also be quickly overcome. So the high level of splash isn't really helping the noobs out. It simply teaches them to throw as much splash around before they die as they can, perhaps they'll get the splash kill on someone that had 1/8 health left.
Also, like Seymour said, it felt really good with that level of splash. Not only did it decrease the spam at all levels of play and positions, but it gave a reason to actually be good (or get good) at aiming.
Take a look at Tribes, since it's most comparable to that and many people here have played it: That game was spamtastic. Low maneuverability and low acceleration + huge splash radii = throw as much as you can at the enemy and hope you win. Especially the nade launcher, that thing was quite quick on the ROF and had a ton of splash. I went back and played some T2 for a couple days (it was all I could bare) after having played FE:L and noticed just how much players relied on rapid firing nades. It just makes for a spammy game.
While ground pounding is fun (to some), useful, and a valid tactic, reduced splash doesn't really make it that much worse for those who fully rely on it or just do it for fun. They were going to hit those shots anyway. And honestly, I didn't see one noob say anything down the lines of "I cant do any damage to the bad guys, why?" It seems the only people who noticed the change were the ones that are hitting shots in the first place.
The reduced splash did, however, create a much better fluidity in gameplay, imo. It created a higher (but not excessively high) need to aim, thus increasing challenge while eliminating much of the clusterfuck that is often found.
EDIT: You can move this to suggestions if you wish.