Continuing improvements/modification for next release. This time one more round for hand weapons.
First and foremost. There are multiple ridiculous damage modifiers like "1.1" and "0.9". The biggest problem with them is that they are
NOT VISIBLE to user during the game. The only way people can find out their exact values is by disassembling source or looking them up on the wiki (after someone disassembled it). Moreover, slight variation from 1.0 are not perceivable in the game at all due to heavy randomization. That should not be like that. Rules should be transparent to player.
Therefore, I am modifying them in this way.
- Removing most of the slight variation for all attack types those make no special sense. All "0.8", "0.9", "1.1", "1.2" becomes just "1.0".
- All creature gauss and sonic damage modifier are set to 1.0. These are basic damage types and all others should be benchmarked against them, not the other way around.
- Specially immunities and vulnerabilities are represented as 0.0, 0.5, 1.5, 2.0 values to make player life simple. This also should be explicitly reflected in creature/tank/armor description so player gets the clear understanding on that. Examples are: all alien soldiers and some terrorists are double vulnerable to fire, Tentaculat is 50% more vulnerable to HE, Lobsterman carapace halves AP/HE damage but is double vulnerable to drill, tank halves damage from fire/HE/gauss and completely immune to stun and smoke (obviously), etc.
Besides, reducing damage is essentially same as increasing armor value. So there is no much point in fiddling these damage modifier. Better do the same with armor value as it is clearly visible to user.
I subsequently adjusted some creature armors based on above damage modifiers changes. Specifically for top level Lobstermen. Some of them had 0.8 and 0.6 modifiers against both gauss/sonic damage. As I set them all to 1.0 their armor value should be increased to account for that and keep them about same tough.
Now when armors and damage modifiers are all aligned let's get back to hand weapons. I reduced their power. This is not specifically to make game more challenging but to match their power to creature armors more closely so that each weapon has its usage niche.
More powerful weapons are slower resulting in smaller rate of fire. They are also much more heavier to the level that weaklings cannot even carry heavy stuff anymore. However, they are much more damage effective against tougher opponents. That is why weaker weapon versions are still usable at early stages and may not necessarily need to be replaced outright with stronger versions. Pistols are very light and can be used as a sidearm on a belt for combatants carrying unconventional weapons (launchers, etc.). Pistols are also extremely fast: gauss pistol can do 4 automatic (4 * 3 = 12 bullets) and 5 snap shots a turn; sonic can do 3 snaps.
All gauss weapons can shoot automatic making them great choice in closed space combat. Later on this ability will be replaced by melee weapons.
See sample damage rate chart attached. It is drawn for average damage rate using snap and aimed shots only. Obviously, auto shots adds to gauss damage rate tremendously. Keep in mind, though, that it is good for very close combat only and for lower power weapons (pistol, rifle) it is still quite ineffective against tougher opponents beyond weapon power level.
Pistols are pretty much the weapon of choice against Aquatoids, less against Gillmen. Sonic version lasts a little longer against Gillmen.
Rifles are good up to Tasoths with sonic series being better, of course. Although, due to high Tasoths damage capacity, heavy firearms kill them noticeably faster.
Heavy weapons are good against toughest Lobstermen (sonic is better). Although, at this point it is faster to kill them with drills.
