Bubbus
commented
9 years ago Crosspost from FP:
HP actually performs worse than it should - it's down to a tiny obscure bug which has been around for at least 2 years. The HP code is missing a pair of brackets which badly affects the arithmetic;
https://github.com/Bubbus/XCF/commit/f9e58b1c45b9dbc514c088ae63ccc652667b37dc http://i.imgur.com/AI1DZll.png
This change gives penetration similar to APHE - slightly less because it's full of air instead of explosives. Maybe this is a good start for making HP better?
I'd love to see a refactoring of player damage. I actually like the way it is right now because a 7.62 bullet is very, very lethal if it hits a player in the right place. I personally love the high lethality because it makes tanks very dangerous. The problem is that it's very unpredictable. Your bullet could hit for 1000hp or just 10.
Maybe we can see some changes where bullets are less lethal but more consistent, maybe 3-4 hit kills on the 7.62mm, 1-2 hit kills on the 12.7mm... but if those are loaded with HP, then the players get absolutely shredded.
Just an idea: a new system where limbs have a defined thickness, and damage is calculated from energy expended within the limbs. Fast, over-penetrating bullets still do big damage, but less than a slow, heavy bullet that stops inside the target. Both bullets carry the same energy, but the last one transfers all of it to the target.
This was brought up on the FP thread a bit ago; I'd like to revisit it. Hollow point rounds need to be rethought, as they're currently just a novelty ammo type that doesn't see any serious usage. I think they can be modified to take advantage of the ductility mechanics.
Hollow point rounds are designed to maximize KE transfer instead of penetrating. For hardened armor (negative ductility) very little structural damage would be dealt to the armor, but most of the KE from the projectile would be transferred to the vehicle as a whole, pushing it around. For ductile armor (positive ductility) the armor would absorb most of the KE by "deforming" and taking significant structural damage, and very little KE would be transferred to the rest of the vehicle to push it. (Think crumple zones on cars absorbing the KE from an impact by deforming.)
@Bubbus brought up an interesting side-effect if this is implemented: you can effectively make an AP round that trades penetration for structural damage, by adjusting the size of the cavity.
Another possible mechanic is having the HP round fragment if it does manage to penetrate, a bit like a shotgun effect. The fragments would likely deal very little damage. Basically spalling, I doubt I'd implement this particular mechanic.
[Edit] There are concerns that this method may make ductile armor even less viable. Perhaps make it damage hardened armors more (though this conflicts with AP perhaps)?