FM4 Damage Tables
by Lord Plothos
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The four tables below correspond to the four types of weapons for which the
damage you can expect to do to the enemy varies according to your distance.
When outfitting your wanzers, it is often useful to be able to compare the
expected damages of varying combinations of guns and arms, so I used a
simple spreadsheet to generate these tables. They should help make shopping
and such a little easier. If, for instance, you have enough spare power to
equip either a +10 arm and weapon A or a +14 arm and weapon B, you can use
this guide to see which combination would be more effective.
All possible arm modifiers are listed for each weapon, and all weapons of
these four types are listed as well. This has resulted in some entries that
are not actually possible in the game (e.g. only the Durandal get the
Artduex MG, and only the UCS ever has a +18% arm available), so make sure
the combos you're looking at make sense. Weapons from weapon arms are
listed as a reference, and since the arm accuracy modifier for these
weapons cannot be changed, all entries but the relevant one have been
omitted.
There are two rows of numbers for each weapon listed. These represent the
expected damage for that weapon at the extreme ends of its range. That is,
the top row for all for tables represents expected damage at a range of 1.
The bottom for MGs is damage at a range of 4; for SGs at a range of 3, and
for RFs and BZs at a range of 8 (with the exception of the Ziege RF, which
has a maximum range of only 4).
Machine guns and shotguns each fire twice per firefight/gunbattle. The
tables here show expected damage of ONE firing. To compare MGs or SGs to
RFs or BZs, double the damage given. (There is one RF and one pair of BZ
arms that also fire twice in a firefight. They are marked below. Double
them as well.)
The damage for BZs represents the percentage chance to hit with the shell,
plus the full scatter damage. Thus, the BZ table does not reflect the fact
that under some low-accuracy conditions the scatter damage can miss. As a
result, the BZ damage is a bit inflated, especially at low accuracies, due
to poor arms or low base accuracy at maximum range. Example: the Rock Jack
BZ has a 39% base accuracy at a range of 8, and when equipped with a -30%
arm, this is reduced to about a 27%. The damage shown here reflects 27% of
the shell's 180 damage, or 49 plus the full scatter damage of 240 for a
total of 289. Your expected damage for this setup, however, is much lower,
because your scatter damage will rarely hit when your accuracy is this low.
There is simply no information on when scatter damage will hit or miss, so
there is no way to correct the data here. Just bear it in mind. Even with a
+30% arm, the Rock Jack will have only a 50% chance to hit with the shell at
8 squares (unless you get the level bonus, see below), so even with a +30%
arm, the damage on this table is a bit inflated, as scatter will miss here
as well. Worse, these perecentages reflect ideal weather and lighting condi-
tions (see below again). Things can only get worse on the battlefield. Sorry,
but there's just no way to be more precise here.
The damages here assume ideal conditions, and do not reflect modifiers for
inclement weather, nighttime, or obstructions to your line of fire. If you
can do so, it is often a good idea to pump accuracy well above what is needed
to guarantee a 99% in good conditions, because reductions for battlefield
conditions will be somewhat mittigated. These considerations are not
reflected on these tables, which are intended only as a relative reference
guide for easier wanzer outfitting.
Last but not least, the method for calculating these figures (this is all
material forthcoming in a planned update to my beginner's guide and game
mechanics faq):
In FM4, accuracy is dependent on several factors: 1) the base accuracy of
the weapon for the range in question; 2) the accuracy modifier of the arm
pulling the trigger (accuracy for a two-handed weapon is halved if the off-
hand is destroyed, but the accuracy modifier of that arm makes no difference);
3) your level relative to your target; 4) weather and lighting conditions; and
5) whether there's something blocking your line of sight, such as a copse of
trees. The numbers here reflect only the first two of these factors.
Accuracy in good conditions with no level difference works like this:
acc = (base acc of weapon) * (1 + modifier of the arm expressed as a decimal)
[round down]
Thus, an FV-24B MG at a range of 4 in good light and weather weilded with a
+30% arm by a pilot whose level is equal to her target's is NOT 58%+30%=88%,
but rather (58%)*(1.3)=75%. Total damage (prior to modification for the
pilot's weapon proficiency - this will increase damage by as much as 60%, but
does so across the board, and so will not affect the relative worth of the
weapons expressed by these tables unless you're comparing two weapons of
different types, one of which your pilot is more proficient in; thus it has
been left out; see my beginner's guide for detailed info on how this will
modify your damage) if all bullets hit is 300, so since the bullets will
hit 75% of the time, expected average damage over the long haul is
300(.75)=226. This is the number you'll find on the table below.
NOTE: THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THIS FAQ REFLECTED AN INCORRECT ASSUMPTION
REGARDING THE WAY WEAPON ACCURACY IS CALCULATED. THESE TABLES HAVE BEEN
CORRECTED. THE OLD TABLES ARE WRONG.
Note 2 (see my beginner's guide for more): accuracy will be increased an
additional 9% if your level is higher than that of your target. Thus, if the
FV-24B-firing pilot above is of a (sufficiently?) higher level, her accuracy
will be (58%)*(1.3)*(1.09)=82%, and her average damage will increase to
about 247. As this additional 9% is multiplying the accuracy by something
rather than simply adding to it, it will affect different arm/weapon com-
binations differently. Bear this in mind as well. In general, high accuracies
will be benefitted more; the rich get richer, as it were. I'm considering a
second set of tables for those who expect to be higher level, as this will
be more indicative of what they're going to see. Stay tuned!
Okay, on to the tables. Enjoy!
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* - The Ziege rifle has a maximum range of only 4, and can fire twice. This
table reflects the expected damage of only ONE shot, so double the number to
compare it against other rifles.
* - The Minotaur BZ can fire twice per firefight, unlike every other BZ. This
table reflects the expected damage of only ONE shot, so double the number to
compare it against other bazookas.
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only, and is intended solely for the assistance of the
Front Mission 4 player as he is playing Front Mission 4.
No part of this FAQ may be reproduced, used, or cited for
any reason, for profit or otherwise, without written
permission from the author.
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Contact Information: For advice, comments, or questions,
you may contact me at holopanien<at>juno.com. Info on
mistakes, gaps or other errors will be greatly
appreciated. Please please please let me know if you
find an error!!!
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