Gunplay Mastery #1 - Depth to gunplay (an iceberg of info)

These gun topics will cover from simple to complex, unique to not and be given it's own compressive list depending on the gun and it's purpose along with the topic of guns being covered from a variety of subjects in it's design.

Gunplay must affect these given elements.

1. Change how you're interacting with the game as in dodging, getting hit, etc.

2. Must have an affect on the environment; breaking walls, hurting things, etc.

3. Each gun must be given it's own purpose, it's function.

4. Must add something new; it cannot just be the same as another weapon on this list. So no a car with a rocket launcher attached doesn't make it anything new. Some weapons break the rule such as having a switch role function like a buster cannon.

Gun classes

Each gun must have a different class as in role it plays.

1 - Shotgun; great for defensive combat and for getting into buildings. They're meant to keep people at a distance even though the real life counterpart of the shotgun is great a long range too.

2 - SMGs; great for dealing quick burst of damage and dipping; not great for encounters with multiple targets. The SMGs spray bullets meaning you have to get close.

3 - Snipers are good for ranged play, hitting targets from far away. A sniper has a limited sight line and in some games have it be more skillful for the gunplay.

4 - Rocket launchers have it where the rocket is slow, takes out a group of enemies and are good against vehicles.

Other games such as TF2 having it where you're given improved mobility with a rocket launcher.

5 - Pistols; all around good weapons and in games where things like the size of the weapon affecting mobility the pistol makes sense.

6 - Assault rifles; mid range weapons for dealing damage/ your death dealing needs where it's meant for more run and gun style gameplay (my favorite kind of weapon) only because it has encouraged more mobile play than sit in one spot style gameplay.

7 - Lasers; the few games that use them actually understand them; Halo 4 and Reach having it be on a cooldown but the problem being the said laser weapon not being that good because of it expect for the laser gun that charges up like a rail gun and is meant for suppression with heavy fire power in one go.

8 - Railguns; hold down and shoot; meant to be used for suppressing enemies and are great ambush tools or going on the aggressive and holding down the shot for the next one to come out.

9 - Flamethrowers; one of the most buggy weapons in games but sure enough gives a great deal with fire power, damage overtime; handling a hoard of enemies.

10 - Beam weapons; what is the difference between a laser gun and a beam weapon? Laser weapons are precise and you have to aim; beam weapons are a "I attach to my target and I don't have to aim"

11 - Grenade Launcher; fire out pills, hits target; explodes and useful for defensive play or going on the aggressive against a group of enemies.

12 - Sticky bomb launcher; in a game like TF2 the grenades are quick, can be denotated mid-air, etc. The said weaponry meant to be oppressive with area denial but in all reality have been great at being used to set up traps. An AOE tool that's effect as a "keep out" tool.

13 - Spider bombs; yes I'm bringing in Ratchet and Clank weapons into this; often times the spider bomb is an effect tool when you hide and are able to control it from a distance to let off some fire power, it's a stealth tool more than it is a direct combat tool but an explosive spider is quite effective.

14 - Constructor gun; yes I'm counting this one; a versatile one size, change to meet your needs kind of gun. A switch up of style, of play and approach to a match, honestly I wish FPS games used a concept like this because it has a lot of depth, though making it where too many guns could do this would lose it's charm/ effectiveness.

15 - Grenades; small ones, large ones; you name it, it probably exist. A grenade is useful for dealing with a cluster of enemies and other games able to take the concept to a better approach with it's insane effectiveness.

16 - Bow and arrow (yes I'm counting crossbows); these are silent tools; tools used that are more aiming based, have to aim for the kill if you want to win an encounter and require skillful play. Often times games get these weapons wrong and kill their depth and making it where you can hold it down forever.

Dark Souls had the right idea but the wrong stats and the wrong amount of stamina usage when it came to things like stats being used or even the number of shots you'd be making with a bow.

17 - Revolvers; manual reload, quick to the draw; meant to be a skillful weapon with the action you have to perform.

18 - Nail gun/ needle gun; weak, ineffective, a lot of shots fired off and projectile based along with having gravity affect it.

The Nail gun from quake and TF classic being an example of the worst gun and it's often a last resort tool.

19 - Splatoon Sniper (yes it's different); because of the design of the maps the range and power are given a "oh shit not useful up close" and an insane usefulness from a further distance with an easier to suppress feature.

20 - Heavy machine guns; slow, big, bulky, hard to hold, shoots fast and deals a lot of damage; meant to be used defensive and remove choke points.

21 - Flare guns; the flare guns are meant to light up areas, make it where your allies know where you are in a given area and to be used for dealing fire based damage to a given target.

22 - Buster cannon; these are charge weapons to simple shoot weapons, these are meant to be the "bang! Bang!" or going up to a higher level of charge for shooting at a target.

23 - Buster cannons in some games like cup head have very weak but many shots with having only a second form while Megaman has it where you're given a lot of shots coming out, weak, given a second form and a third form with the second form being slightly stronger and slower while the last shot being the slowest but dealing the most damage as in the tool is meant to make it so you deal a bunch of damage from a range with the weak shots and for getting in close, really lay down the damage; you switch from going to ranged offensive play to up close defensive tactics.

24 - Heal Snipers; this one is different than all the other crossbows, meant to be used from the furthest range possible, a projectile based sniper that makes it harder to hit your targets but insanely rewarding for healing your ally up to full from the furthest range possible instead of having to be up close to heal a target with your medi-beam.

Yes the Crossbow is supposed to be used for mid to close range but in all reality it rewards mid to far range which is where a medic will sit, the furthers distance away from a sniper.

What about Ana's Sniper? What about it? It's a hit scan healing weapon; it would've been better to be projectile based but whatever; it's fine for what purpose it serves and makes the class a great backline healer, these kind of healers are meant to be played from the furthest range possible and not meant to be in the fight along with better with a slower team that isn't bouncing around everywhere at the speed of sound.

25 - Turrets (yes turrets count); turrets from TF2 to Ratchet and Clank are meant to help create some distance between you and the enemy with the turrets often times having HP or in Ratchet and Clank's case a limited amount of time they can be out for with them being replaced by his flying murder drones and later MR. Zercon which ugh; with the dialogue from MR. Zercon now that I'm not a youngling anymore.

Turrets are a great tool for keeping the enemy at bay and in TF2's case they gave it to a class with weak choices at his disposal for usage.

26 - Heating up based weapons (just to make things simple); these kind of weapons are meant to be a heat up effect with having to wait, they're designed around dealing a quick burst of damage really quickly and usually projectile based only for you to fall back behind cover until they cool back down or in Halo's case when on cool down, smack an enemy or two in the face.

They're meant to be aggressive in the moment weapons with being used on easy to take out targets.

27 - Shock weapons; I define a shock weapon that anything that's meant to stun and or take out shields; so any shock elemental weapon from the Borderlands series or any kind of weapon that's meant to be used for bringing down a group of enemies as well. The shock weapon is meant to get you to group up enemies as well.

28 - Parry guns; this is meant to be talking about the sick ass idea from Bloodborne which I never played but seeing the limited parry system with the use of a gun being ingenuous without having it be OP and ruining the horror vibe with being given such a thing.

This list will be added onto at a later date.

Depending on the weapon and what you're using it for think about what purpose or function it will serve in the game in of itself.

The different game series and their weapons mentioned;

1 - borderlands

2 - Ratchet and Clank

3 - Overwatch

4 - TF2

5 - Megaman

6 - Quake

7 - TF classic

8 - Cuphead

9 - Halo

10 - Dark Souls

11 - Bloodborne