> The killing potential of a weapon in Halo 4 is determined by the maximum amount of potential kills the weapon can get with one clip of ammo or bar of energy (basically, kills per clip).
> The killing potential of a weapon is useful for calculating the amount of time it takes to kill 10 enemy Spartans.
>
> In the spreadsheet, the time to kill 10 Spartans is determined by the weapon’s maximum killing potential, time to reload (including dexterity) and time per kill (including head shots).
Very good stuff, very detailed. And you’re quite right about the range, it’s down to if a player can use it at it’s optimum range.
Personally, I’d like to see the maximum optimum range (what the longest range that you can still get consistent kills at) is.
Additionally, what the minimum optimum range (what the shortest range that you can still get consistent kills at without blowing yourself up) is. This second point is only really applicable to explosive weapons.
Finally, what the maximum splash kill radius is (how big the radius is on explosive weapons that will still kill a spartan).
If you compared the maximum optimum range, the minimum optimum range, the splash damage and the ten man kill time, I believe you’d have a much more accurate representation of a weapon.
Just because the Incineration Cannon takes time to reload, it doesn’t mean that it’s a poor weapon, it’s also got a much bigger splash than every other weapon and therefore allows for multi-kills with each shot, while most weapons can only manage one kill at a time.
Multikill-per-shot statistics:
Battle Rifle: 3 Kills
DMR: 1 Kill
Carbine: 1 Kill
Light Rifle: 2 Kills
-Light Rifle Zoomed: 1 Kill
-Light Rifle Unzoomed: 3 Kills
Assault Rifle: Automatic
Storm Rifle: Automatic
Supressor: Automatic
Magnum: 1 Kill
Plasma Pistol: 1 Kill
Bolt Shot: 1.5 Kills
-Bolt Shot: 1 Kill
-Bolt Shot Charged: 2 Kills
Shotgun: 2 Kills
Scattershot: 2 Kills
Sniper Rifle: 15 Kills
Beam Rifle: 15 Kills
Binary Rifle: 15 Kills
SAW: Automatic
Needler: Automatic
Concussion Rifle: Splash
Energy Sword: 2 Kills
Gravity Hammer: Splash
Fuel Rod: Splash
Rocket Launcher: Splash
Sticky Detonator: Splash
Railgun: Splash
Incineration Cannon: Multi-Splash
Spartan Laser: 15 Kills, Splash
UNSC Turret: Automatic
Covenant Turret: Automatic
Automatic Weapons are in a grey area for Multi-Kills, because you’ll only get one kill a bullet but letting off even a short burst can produce anywhere from 1-5 bullets, meaning it’s inconsistent.
Splash Weapons need extensive testing and a Spherical Circumference would need to be taken for each one’s explosive splash damage zone, followed by a test for how many Spartans would fit in that sphere.
The Boltshot, Shotgun and Scattershot are capable of killing up to two Spartans should they stand side-by-side.
The Battle Rifle and Light Rifle Unzoomed produce a 3-Bullet Burst, essentially allowing up to three kills a burst (And this is quite possible, I’ve had multiple Two-For-One kills in SWAT before so a Three-For-One isn’t impossible).
The Sniper Rifle, Beam Rifle, Binary Rifle and Spartan Laser are capable of killing an infinite amount of players in a straight line, this essentially means that it is possible to kill all 15 of the other players in the game with a single shot from any of these weapons.
Personally, if it was me I would categorize the weapons, then I wouldn’t try to compare weapons in different categories as they handle differently and all are just as valuable as each other, however, comparing weapons within those categories would work:
Non-Automatics (Burst Spread, Non-Penetrative)
— Energy Sword
— Bolt Shot Charged
— Shotgun
— Scattershot
— Plasma Pistol Charged
Semi-Automatics (Single-Burst Shot, Non-Penetrative)
— Bolt Shot Uncharged
— Magnum
— Plasma Pistol Uncharged
— Battle Rifle
— DMR
— Carbine
— Light Rifle Zoomed
— Light Rifle Unzoomed
Automatics (Burst Fire-Full Auto, Non-Penetrative)
— UNSC Turret
— Covenant Turret
— Needler
— SAW
— Assault Rifle
— Storm Rifle
— Supressor
Rifles (Single Shot, Penetrative)
— Spartan Laser
— Sniper Rifle
— Beam Rifle
— Binary Rifle
Splash (Single Shot, Splash Damage)
— Spartan Laser
— Incineration Cannon
— Railgun
— Sticky Detonator
— Rocket Launcher
— Fuel Rod
— Gravity Hammer
— Concussion Rifle