More Revolver Animations!

[Willy Pete]

I love wheelguns, but the one in TLD feels like a semi-auto in some regards. The hammer/cylinder don't move when dry firing (I forget if they do when shooting, but I don't think they do) and the thing apparently ejects rounds automatically! When popping the cylinder open to reload the fired chambers are empty. That is silly beyond belief and quite honestly breaks my immersion a whole lot more than it should.

The fix really is simple and could be done in one of two ways.

1. Fired chambers don't automatically empty, just add a small clinking sound effect and perhaps a delay when the firearm goes down off the screen. This would be indicative of removing the empty shells manually. When the firearm comes back onto the screen, the chambers are empty.

2. Fired chambers don't automatically empty, take a page from Alien Isolation's wheelgun. For those unaware, no matter if you've fired all six rounds or just one the main character hits the ejector rod and empties the cylinder when reloading. All unfired rounds are retained and you then reload the empty cylinder. This second one would, in some ways, punish players who only fire off a single shot and then reload but at the same time it's accurate! It's not all that easy to eject a single round, doubly so if it's freezing cold outside. Therefore, you have to choose either to take a long reload after every round or just reload when you're empty.

This second one could also lead to some fun Dirty Harry-esque moments where you're faced with an angry wolf and the following scene plays out:

Player faced with snarling wolf: "I know what you're thinking. 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I kind of lost track myself. But being that this is a .44 Magnum (probably, it doesn't actually say in game but I'm assuming here), the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, pup?"

Wolf: *Bork Bork* and charges.

Player faced with charging wolf: *Click* "FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU..!"

 

In reality, it's only a minor complaint but it's a complaint that's near and dear to my heart.

[ajb1978]

1 hour ago, Willy Pete said:

and the thing apparently ejects rounds automatically! When popping the cylinder open to reload the fired chambers are empty. 

This only applies if you holster the revolver prior to reloading.  When the weapon is holstered, the character removes all empty casings off camera.

If you reload immediately after firing, you can see the cylinder is still full.  The character lowers it off screen and removes the spent casing off camera, then raises it to reveal the now-empty chamber.  The character then loads another round.

[AlexandraRussia]

You know a revolver is difficult.I first could not understand how to use it. But I think I found a way to shoot it.At first I habitually shot directly. And then I realized that you need the barrel of the gun lowered a little below and then aims. Summary of a few wolves , the fur of the wolves will soon :).And on account of the animation is certainly interesting. But do you think that the survivors will be similar to the arrow from the movie the dark tower ?.Well, a master of revolvers .

[ManicManiac]

@ajb1978 is spot on with his observation.  That's how it read the animations we see as well.

All in all, it seems fine to me.

I'm sure if the Hinterland team finds ways to improve on it, then they likely will.  After all, they did also just revamp the rifle; and that's been in the game for years now. 

[ajb1978]

On 6/13/2019 at 12:09 AM, AlexandraRussia said:

You know a revolver is difficult.I first could not understand how to use it. But I think I found a way to shoot it.At first I habitually shot directly. And then I realized that you need the barrel of the gun lowered a little below and then aims. Summary of a few wolves , the fur of the wolves will soon :).And on account of the animation is certainly interesting. But do you think that the survivors will be similar to the arrow from the movie the dark tower ?.Well, a master of revolvers .

The revolver does aim directly at the center of the screen, even when you fire from the hip. The issue is that your view does not stay steady.  It wobbles around ever so slightly, less when you're rested, more when you're tired or exhausted.  The same way your aim kind of wavers a bit when you zoom in, your aim also wavers when you fire from the hip.  It's just not as obvious unless you're looking down the iron sights.  But if you put a piece of tape on your screen to have something to measure by, you can see that even standing perfectly still, your point of view moves around slightly.

At point blank range, it's negligible.  At distances of greater than about 5 meters, it can cause you to miss even if you're aiming at the wolf dead-on.

[Willy Pete]

@ajb1978 Fair enough, didn't thoroughly check it, I guess. Still, animating the cylinder spinning and hammer dropping when empty would be a nice touch.

[ajb1978]

1 hour ago, Willy Pete said:

@ajb1978 Fair enough, didn't thoroughly check it, I guess. Still, animating the cylinder spinning and hammer dropping when empty would be a nice touch.

Agreed--it's a double-action revolver when loaded, but behaves like single-action when empty.  But considering the amount of times I fire it when empty (which is precisely one time, about 30 seconds ago, testing this), I can overlook it lol