Weapons and Game Balancing.

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

I haven't got a formula as to how Short, long, scoped affect the accuracy and chance to hit over distances, but check this thread out. Short, Long and Scoped have no minimum penalties, scoped has a longer range than long so would have a greater chance to hit a target at the limit of 'long' range. Only OnlyLong has a minimum penalty, in as much as you cannot fire at anything within approximately 16.5m.

I'd definately go with more realistic weights for items, but I still prefer to have APs reflect rate of fire, with burst fire requiring the least APs and aimed single shots the most, using availability of ammo to maintain balance.

[Sirgalahadwizard]

What i've found is that the loss of accuracy for Short range seems fairly linear.

Long range is skewed, as if the loss of accuracy is logarithmic (losing range slowly until near the end of the range).

I'm guessing, if it's any clue from the FO2 scoped rifle, that Scoped range is like Long range except "pushed" out a little farther - with a penalty to hit at close range (like 4 tiles or something).

OnlyLong, it would seem is like Scoped except it's pushed out really far. This one would work well for sniper modes, since if you really take the time to snipe someone, you could hit them really far away.

I think Melee and Unarmed range only extends about 5 tiles and drops off regardless of range, and Throwing range is based off of Strength (but if the actual "Range" is shorter than 3x Strength, it overrides it).


I thought that FOT mostly used realistic weights? Except maybe for ammo (which is pretty light) and some drug stuff. (generally im assuming most rifles weigh 6-12lb, and most pistols weigh 2-7 lb, and the sky's the limit for heavy weapons).

Personally, im going to be balancing my mod for ammo too. And making weapons do more damage as well. In fact, I dont think you even really get an actual firearm until you go back to the bunker after the first mission (where you might be able to buy 2 handguns, at about $5-9 hundred each). The second mission you'd definatly be able to loot some.

The ammo will be kinda cheap, but it'll be rare for most weapons, and enemies probably wont even be carrying a full clip on them... so by the time you kill em', the ammo is mostly gone (no ending up with 3000 bullets magically by level 10 anymore).

Also, the ammo being used varies widely by calibre - .45, .357, some WW2 calibers, 9mm, some rifle calibres, etc. So it's easier to introduce powerful weapons earlier 'cause it's a pain to get ammo for em (kinda like the mauser problem in FO2, not much ammo). You wont find much 7.92mm kurtz ammo for instance, though the first assault rifle you get (mp-44) uses it.

You end up starting with these crappy dart-guns. They're the post-apoc version of bows and arrows (it's a rifle that shoots CO2 crossbow bolts) - kinda like the speargun but with a clip. They have moderate range, but they're slow and do substandard damage. Looks like they were made by deranged engineering students (im modelling them myself, already have designs).

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

There's no penalty for long and scoped at close range, my testing wasn't 100% accurate as my targets weren't 1WU wide, nor did I get the character in the exactly the same place each time but otherwise I'd say the only difference between OnlyLong and Scoped is the minimum cutoff for OnlyLong. I'd say the loss of accuracy for 'short' range being more linear is because the range is short, and the fall off is less/more drastic. Kind of like the accuracy bonus doesn't really effect close ranges as the maximum is 95%.

From various gun sites I've been looking at the weights don't always seem that accurate especially for some of the larger guns, though I suppose it depends if the weights in FOT are for a loaded or unloaded weapon.

Are you able to make the sprites as well? Sounds good, any chance you could design a couple more homemade weapons like a blunderbuss and a shotgun modified into a pistol?

[Max-Violence]

From various gun sites I've been looking at the weights don't always seem that accurate especially for some of the larger guns, though I suppose it depends if the weights in FOT are for a loaded or unloaded weapon.

The weight listed for the weapon is as if it's loaded with ammo. Compare the weight for a Browning M2 fully loaded with normal .50 cal ammo and one loaded with the .50 cal DU ammo and you tell me

Of course, the listed weight goes down as you fire the weapon.

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

Funny I've never noticed that before. So the weight in the editor is unloaded.

Cheers

[Sirgalahadwizard]

The weight for weapons is unloaded. It's practically the same idea in Fo1/2... except that you can't stow loaded weapons (except via bugs) in FOT (so it normally isn't noticed).

I noticed the same thing for larger weapons as well - particularly the really big ones. The M2 browning supposedly weighs a helluva lot more than the FOT one (it weighs 40lb in FOT, and I think it's alot more massive in real life than ingame).

I'm finding that im really good at making Ammunition sprites. Weapons however, that's another story (since they're more complex). I'm using a basic object modeller called Bryce 4, which can't transpose skins the same way as other modellers.

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

You can store loaded weapons if you equip them first and don't have the strength requirement to use them or if they're broken, I wouldn't really call those bugs you never know with FOT that might of been intentional .

Are you talking about making the sprites in spray or in the images in the modeller? We are always on the lookout for someone who can make new sprites other than JJ or OTB.

Otherwise I was going to say what we really need is someone to make a new set of inventory sprites. All the new weapons and items sprites that people have been doing are great until you start mixing them. Since people have a different idea of how big to make the sprite (i.e. to really fill the hand slot or to leave some room) and are using different quality images not allways in a similar perspective to the original sprites I was hoping one of you 3D artists out there could be coaxed into making a new catalogue of items etc that would either fit more in with the official sprites or replace them entirely (i.e. for a partial conversion). But I guess that's just me wanting the impossible again.

PS The ammo sprites you've made are they loose ammo or
magazines?

The lightest weight I've seen for an M2 is 60lbs and the heaviest version complete with tripod is 120lbs approx. Which begs the question how are you meant to fire an M2 from a standing position? Even for SMs or someone in PA it's not an easy weapon to use unsupported. It's a pity they didn't add an animation showing the M2 on a tripod, limiting firing to the crouch position. But then it's a pity they didn't do this or that etc etc