Mechanics
I’ll make this one short. Basically, regular firearms can fire underwater, but their range is significantly decreased and at a certain depth, normal bullets cease to work. As a matter of fact, bullet drop would also be more pronounced in an underwater environment.
Weapon Suggestions
APS
A Russian assault rifle designed for amphibious operators. Fires a long, needle like bullet.
SPP-1M
A Soviet four-shot, derringer-like pistol using a similar cartridge as the APS.
Now this is where it gets interesting. This is a 12-gauge shotgun shell mounted on the end of a stick. Made to kill sharks, and it’s very effecting at what it’s designed to do. At a range of aboout one meter or so, it would shred almost anything it’s shot at, but at greater ranges the shot pattern is simply too much.
Speargun
A bow that shoots underwater.
In addition, grenades also need a special shockwave underwater, this is called the hydrostatic shockwave. This essentially sends a shock throught the water that is transferred to you, which would rip apart your organs and kill you instantly. Fun.
I’d assume that is something that happens in real life, too, as a projectile, even if made to be as ‘waterdynamic’ as possible will have to slow down, as the force that the water enacts on it will make it start slowing. And due to water being a liquid, and not a gas like air, the water’s effect would be more amplified. That’s my guess, anyways.
But I think the damage should drop off as it flies, and possibly have a slight drop, and at the end of the range it just sinks or something idk.
Well underwater, the current 3.0 ballistics actually make sense, and that is because like any object, there comes a point where the friction of the water completely stops the projectile. So having it magically fizz out as it does currently isn’t a bad idea.
With underwater combat though, this is what I think should be affected as others may have gone over:
ballistics are far worse, since you know, it’s water (reduced projectile speed, greater drop, etc)
damage drops off far faster
non-aquatic weaponry cannot be fired while the player is submerged, but can be fired at the surface with worse accuracy, reload time, etc. Melee is not affected, and explosive damage is buffed in water due to the aforementioned hydrostatic shockwave.
I think using weapons while swimming or driving should be handled the same as dual wielding, except you’re only holding one weapon, it’s simpler that way.
We don’t know how ballistics will work in 4.X, but if drag (bullets slowing down as they travel) is a factor, and if damage is related to the speed of a bullet on impact, then bullets should suffer from extreme drag while in water. Weapons made for underwater combat needn’t have different ballistics above or below water, just have low enough drag that even while in water, they would remain effective.
I disagree. There’s plenty of two-handed things you can carry/hold/shoot while underwater, it’s just that it’s somewhat harder to perform strokes. The fact that weapons not meant for shooting through water should be penalized for being used as such should be enough.
