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Hello, this is Xbox Ahoy, and this... is Time To Kill.
In this first episode, we're taking an in-depth look at one of the core mechanics of any first
person shooter - damage.
At its core, Damage is a simple concept - you have a weapon, and a successful hit with said
weapon will deliver damage to your opponent - and should you deal damage sufficient you'll
be awarded a kill. The weapon damage mechanics in call of duty
do have some trickier points, however - as there are multiple factors that can affect
your weapon's performance - and either enhance your lethality, or blunt your weapon's power.
For most weapons, the distance from your target is the major factor in determining how much
damage you're able to deal with each shot. Generally, the closer you are to your foe
the more damage your weapon will deal. Most weapons have two damage figures - a maximum
and minimum amount that it is capable of inflicting. These two numbers are paired with two distances,
defining the weapon's effective range.
From a point blank range to the first distance figure, your weapon will deal its maximum
damage. Between the near and far range figures, damage
will scale linearly from your weapon's maximum to its minimum.
And from this point outwards, you'll deal minimum damage out to any distance.
A weapon's category is usually a fairly good indicator of its effective range - while every
weapon has its own unique range, each category tends to have similar traits.
Shotguns have the shortest range, followed by pistols and SMGs. These weapons deal most
damage up close, but lose effectiveness rapidly at a distance.
Once shotguns reach their maximum range, they'll deal no damage at all to an opponent further
away. LMGs and assault rifles have moderate effective
range, hence normally performing best at a middle distance.
Note that some weapons don't have any damage drop-off whatsoever - sniper rifles, for instance,
will deal the same damage at any distance - giving them a distinct advantage in their
intended long-ranged role. Prior to Modern Warfare 3, the LMG category
had similar attributes for the most part, retaining their high damage at even the longest
of ranges. Now, while still potent at range - they do
lose some punch at a distance.
Other than range, shooting through surfaces is another factor that can affect the damage
you inflict on your opponent. Bullets have the ability to pierce thin walls,
glass, fences and other materials - but in doing so will lose some of their effectiveness.
3 factors influence how much damage is lost: the material of the surface you are shooting,
the incident angle of your shot, and the type of weapon you're using - along with any proficiency,
perk or attachment that might affect penetration.
Multipliers will directly change the amount of damage you inflict - as the name suggests,
they increase damage in a straightforward mathematical way.
The most common multiplier you'll see is 1.4x - this is the normal value for headshots,
and the damage multiplier for stopping power for those games that had it.
The SMGs, and the SCAR-L boast a slightly elevated headshot multiplier, at 1.5x - the
FAD higher still, at 1.7x - and the Skorpion and MP9 are the highest of all, dealing double
damage when you strike an opponent in the head.
Shotguns are another interesting exception, with no damage added whatsoever for headshots
- making aiming for centre mass the most sensible option.
Sniper rifles have the most complex multipliers, with different sections of the body each having
their own multiplier, permitting different one-hit-kill areas per rifle.
Multipliers don't always increase damage inflicted - the armour granted by donning a juggernaut
suit will apply a 0.1x multiplier to incoming damage, effectively giving you the equivalent
of 1000 health instead of 100. Aerial killstreaks are similarly armoured
against bullet damage, with the explosive launchers proving much more effective against
them.
The reasoning behind the most common multiplier, 1.4x, is fairly simple - for the typical range
of shots-to-kill in Call of Duty, a 40% increase in damage equates to precisely one fewer shot
to kill. 20 damage for a 5 shot kill becomes 28 damage,
for a 4 shot kill. 25 damage for a 4 shot kill becomes 35 for
a 3 shot kill. This means, that in the vast majority of circumstances,
you require one fewer headshot to kill than you would need shots to the body.
Most of the available arsenal in Modern Warfare 3 comprise what are known as 'hitscan' weapons
- whether assault rifle, SMG, LMG, shotgun or sniper rifle.
Essentially, anything that fires a bullet. These weapons behave like laser beams behind-the-scenes:
they travel in a straight line, with zero drop - and arrive at their destination instantly,
with zero travel time. Not everything behaves this way, of course
- some weapons do perform differently. Some even obey the laws of physics, following
parabolic trajectories and taking time to reach their intended mark.
These are the projectile weapons, including the throwing knife, and also explosives and
grenades, at least until they explode. Projectile weapons tend to deal damage when
they directly strike an opponent - the throwing knife is an instant kill, for instance - and
grenade impacts will generally do 15 points of damage, with the exception of the underslung
grenade launcher, which will kill a hapless foe in one.
Explosives behave differently again, having an effective radius and a minimum and maximum
damage level. At the epicentre of the explosion the maximum
damage will be dealt - and this damage will drop linearly to the maximum blast radius,
at which point it reaches the minimum damage level for the explosive weapon.
Outside of this radius, no damage is inflicted whatsoever.
For lethal explosives, minimum damage tends to be insufficient to kill outright, meaning
that such weapons tend to have a smaller 'lethal radius', killing any unprotected enemies outright.
Stun and flash grenades deal explosive damage too, albeit with the added effect of blinding
an opponent on a successful hit - but the damage will seldom kill, as only 1 point of
damage is inflicted.
Damage's natural counterpart is player health - your health reflects how much damage you
can absorb before your opponent is able to kill you, and vice versa.
Normally, you will spawn with 100 points of health - hardcore modes reduce this to 30
instead. Certain other factors can alter this - for
instance, the ballistic vest pointstreak grants you an extra 30 points of health, for a total
of 130. Incoming damage will reduce your health, and
should you reach zero health or below, you'll suffer an untimely end - i.e. you'll be dead.
Survive, and your health will regenerate. Health regeneration requires a period of 5
seconds without any incoming damage - at this point, no matter how much damage you have
taken, you'll instantly return to 100 health. This recovery is marked with a sharp intake
of breath - this is your cue to return to the fight, without worrying about elevated
fragility. Note that in hardcore mode, your health will
not regenerate - making your 30 points of health much more valuable.
And so, that covers most aspects of damage in Modern Warfare 3 - surface penetration
is worth a whole episode in itself, so I may revisit that in more detail in a forthcoming
video. And thus concludes the pilot episode of Time
To Kill - this format gives me a little more flexibility in topic than previous series,
which should help to keep things varied. Expect to see topics such as recoil, attachment
effects, hipfire and mobility covered in detail, along with other aspects of Call of Duty's
gameplay. For those wondering about Behind The Lines
- yes, it will return: I'm starting to plan for the next episode, but the use of real-life
props means I need some time to procure some of the harder-to-find items I'll need.
In any case, thanks for watching - and until next time, farewell.