In Deus Ex, accurate range and maximum range are attributes associated with weapons and projectiles fired by projectile weapons. The effect of range depends on whether the weapon is a hitscan (instant-hit) weapon or a projectile weapon.
Overview[]
There are two types of range:
- Accurate range
- Accurate range is the distance through which the weapon's shot (or the projectile fired by the weapon) is unaffected by gravity.
- Range modifications improve the accurate range of hitscan weapons, but have no any actual affect on projectile weapons.
- Maximum range
- Maximum range determines the maximum distance that can be hit by a hitscan weapon. Maximum range is not relevant to projectile weapons.
Hitscan weapons[]
Hitscan weapons register attacks instantly, without requiring a projectile to travel to the target. Hitscan weapons include the pistol, stealth pistol, all rifle skill weapons (except when the assault rifle is loaded with the 20mm HE grenade), and all melee-range low-tech skill weapons (not including the pepper gun and throwing knives).
- If the distance to the target is within the accurate range, the target is hit instantly when the weapon is fired. The destination of the shot fired by the weapon is affected only by the aim and accuracy of the weapon, and not by gravity.
- If the distance to the target is outside the accurate range but within the maximum range, the game simulates a gravitational height decay of the destination of the shot according to the following formula:
- Height Decay = 0.5 × ( ( Distance - Accurate Range) / (Max Range - Accurate Range) )^2
- If the distance to the target is beyond the maximum range, no hit is registered at the destination.
The accurate and maximum ranges of melee hitscan weapons are not displayed in the inventory interface, but they are defined in the game data. For these weapons, the maximum range can be considered as the reach of the weapon. For example, the Dragon's Tooth sword has a maximum range of 96 units (6 feet), while the sword has a maximum range of 64 units (4 feet). All melee hitscan weapons have the same value for both accurate and maximum range.
Projectile weapons[]
Projectile weapons launch projectiles (such as a rocket, crossbow dart, plasma bolt, fireball, or grenade) that must travel through the game environment in order to reach their target. The assault rifle acts as a projectile weapon when it is firing the 20mm HE grenade.
- For projectile weapons, the projectile fired by the weapon travels perfectly horizontally until it reaching the accurate range. Once it reaches the accurate range of the projectile, the effect of gravity is applied to the projectile's trajectory, causing it to drop progressively lower as it continues to travel.
- Unlike hitscan weapons, maximum range has no effect on projectiles, even though it is displayed in the inventory interface.
- The sole exception is that the game script provides for GEP gun rockets to lose their target lock if the target is outside of the maximum range (1500 feet). However, it is not possible to trigger target lock on targets of that distance. Therefore, this limitation never comes into play in any realistic situation.
Projectile weapons and the projectiles that they launch have separate stats, including separate values for accurate range. The in-game inventory interface displays the stats for the weapon, but it is actually the stats of the projectile that govern.
- For example, the assault rifle has an accurate range of 300 feet as a property of the weapon itself; this is the range that is displayed in the inventory interface. However, the 20mm HE grenade, which is a projectile, has its own accurate range of 25 feet (400 units). Thus, when firing a grenade, the governing accurate range is 25 feet rather than 300 feet.
- In most cases, however, the ranges set for the weapons are also the same as the ranges internally set for the corresponding projectiles.
Since range modifications only affect the accurate range of the weapon itself, but do not affect the accurate range of the projectile fired by the weapon, range modifications have no actual effect on projectile weapons.
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