Posted 06 February 2013 - 07:04 PM
I'd rather have a Mosin Nagant than an M16A1, and it's over 70 years old. I'd also gladly take a Garand, K31, Lee Enfield, or Browning M1919.<br /><br />But there are more modern weapons, like the Cheytac Intervention, that I'd take over something like a Mauser 98K.<br /><br />My point is that age isn't really relevant.<br /><br />Also, smaller rounds don't necessarily do less damage. In a lot of cases, a .556 will do more damage than something like a .308. The smaller round will move slow, hit the person's body, tumble, and fragment, creating an enormous exit wound, instead of completely penetrating with a smaller hole. So that's not an effective damage indicator. If you're ever going to worry about that, you should either do a relatively detailed physics representation, or keep it at an arbitrary number per gun (IMO).<br /><br />Probably where you're going to want to go with this is give decent weapons at the beginning (9mm handgun, 12g pump action shotgun) that are powerful, but limited. You don't want to necessarily handicap the power of the guns, but as you increase, you might come across something like an M4 platform which has easily accessible ammo (5.56), is versatile for close to medium/long range, and has a wide variety of sights. So,<br /><br />At level 1 you may have access to a pistol like a Walther PPK or Makarov that holds 7 or 8 rounds and doesn't necessarily do a lot of damage, as well a break action 12g shotgun that must be reloaded after every shot.<br /><br />Between levels 2 and 4 you have an opportunity to find better pistols that allow you to diversify. A .357 magnum with 6 shots or a Sig Sauer 9mm with 11 (or perhaps a silenced Ruger .22 that does very low damage but is accurate and quiet). You would also have the opportunity to find a long break action shotgun for hunting that you can use solid slugs out to a good distance with, or a sawn off double barrel that will do massive damage in close.<br /><br />At Between levels 5 and 9, start getting into hunting weapons, bolt action rifles, and maybe civilian semi automatic rifles. Military surplus, AR 15, things of this nature. Say a K31 which is deadly accurate but ammo is very hard to find... this would not be as attractive as a Remington R700 which is a modern sniper platform and has more accessible .308 ammo.<br /><br />Between levels 10 and 15, you may find semi automatic shotguns, pump action shotguns holding 8 rounds, standard assault rifles (AK 47, M16) and SWAT/police submachine guns (MP5). Things will start to get highly specialized. Do you want a revolver firing .44 magnum that can take down a bear or a suppressed beretta 9mm that will allow you to place rapid follow up shots quietly to multiple targets?<br /><br />Between level 16 and 20 you might find support weapons (M60), automatic shotguns, fully automatic handguns, specialty assault rifles (FAMAS, AUGA3) as well as fully specialized sub machine guns (Vector Kriss, P90). Long range .50 BMG sniper rifles, anti material weapons, shotguns with flechette rounds, grenade launchers, under barrel shotguns, things of this nature. Highly specialized things that require a lot of forethought to use since they are heavy, specialized, have rare ammo needs, etc. If I have a heavy character I could choose to use a support weapon with a lot of ammo, but that would restrict my ability to carry a shotgun or sniper rifle. Close in characters could choose a P90 with holographic sights, fully automatic shotgun, GLock 18 automatic with 80 round clip, MP7, things of that nature. A sniper could take a Barret .50 cal for long range or anti-vehicle missions, or a lighter weight suppressed rifle such as an SR 25.<br /><br />Also consider that as you level up, you may find more diversity in your options for weapons. In the early levels, you have whatever ammo comes with the guns. Around level 5, maybe I run into solid slugs and bird shot for the shotgun, where I can choose to load either of those up to suit my tactics.<br /><br />So, say I'm at level 12. I've got a Mosin Nagant rifle with surplus rounds and a scope ring attached with a 12 times magnified rifle scope. They're heavy grain (I think around 170 would be heavy) for maximum power at long distance, and full metal jacketed for penetration. I've also got a side arm of a semi-automatic pistol with a stock and scope attached because my main arm is focused on long range and I need something that can reliably cover short and medium distances.<br /><br />Now I go over to my friend's house. He's also level 12. He's also a sniper. The key difference here is that he's got a suppressed SR-25 with a 6X hunting scope. His side arm is a silenced Glock chambered in .40 caliber. Because the scope zooms less and the smaller round is suppressed, it's going to have a harder time reaching out. However, ammo will be easier to find. In game play, I might not be able to get super clean kills at as long a range. That means that my sniper kills are going to have to be closer up. Instead of dealing with a pistol platform with stock and short range scope as in my character, I have a silenced pistol that can be pulled out for close range enemies easier. However, if for whatever reason I have to change to my side arm, a suppressed 9mm isn't going to have the long range punch of my character at home. I'll have to choose a play style where I can move up closer to the enemies in order to dispatch them the same way.<br /><br /><br />Here we've seen two sniper classes where just the guns and customization alone makes a difference. This is without considering character customization, perks, equipment (grenades, binoculars, whatever you will), and personal preference. By the end of the game I could end up with an M4 with flaslight, masterkey shotgun, laser, and short range reflex sight because I spend a lot of time busting in and out of buildings. My buddy could end up with an M4 with a long barrel, bipod, and ACOG sight or hunting scope because he prefers marksman rifles. His buddy could end up with a "Patriot Pistol" M4 with the stock removed, short barrel, and 20 round clips so that he could essentially carry a rifle in a pistol package. All 3 would be the same weapon, but if I were to pick any one up, it would be handled differently than the other. One of these guys might graduated to a P90, one to an Uzi, and one to an M14 because their playstyle is different. If I'm at level 5 with grandpa's bolt action hunting rifle and a .357, I might really like it and decide I want to graduate to a military M40 and a Sig Sauer double action handgun chambered in .357. Or I might decide I need a little more punch and go to a .44 magnum. I might like the long range rifle but need something that can fire repeat shots at close range, so I might go to an M1 Garand and then finally to a PSG 1 military semi automatic sniper rifle when it becomes available at level 18.<br /><br /><br />Of course, that's just what I would do if I were in charge of your game. It's a question of implementation. Can you use these features without making it feel like a gimmick, and are they well balanced? Anyways, even if you don't use any ideas, I hope this got you thinking in a positive direction to find the answers you're looking for.
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) and then map them to weapons. Maybe the starting machine gun is a lot of fun for the first one or two areas, but then either you want a change and/or need a change because you want to add a new monster mechanic (e.g. zombies with riot shields). So, underslung grenade launcher OR armor piercing rounds OR whatever.
