VPP Weapon rebalance

Updated to 2. 0. 4

Hi everyone. In this mod I aim to shift the balance toward arcade-style gameplay realism. My goal is to make all weapons in the Zone serve their intended roles and remain relevant throughout the entire game.

Core idea of the balance

Damage now depends more on the type of ammunition. For example, the AKS-74 has similar base damage to the AK-74. At close range it is more convenient, but as distance increases it starts to lose damage efficiency, making it weaker at medium and long ranges compared to a rifle with a longer barrel.

My goal was not maximum realism, but rather a form of conditional or gameplay realism.

Why do I see balance this way? I don’t want the player to be killed by a few bullets while wearing an exoskeleton, not do I want the player to one-shot everything. Therefore, NPC damage has been increased — Skif now takes about 40–50% more damage, meaning good physical protection is still essential.

I have not yet changed the stats of expansive rounds — more testing is needed.

Below is a more detailed explanation:

• []Pistols – Base damage is slightly higher than 5. 56 / 5. 45 rifles, but armor penetration is lower. Pistols are very effective against unarmored targets and moderately effective against armored ones. You can still kill a Monolith soldier in an exoskeleton with a pistol, but a rifle will do it far more efficiently.[/]

  []SMGs – Base damage is similar to pistols. Compared to rifles, SMGs have a distinct role: compact weapons for close to medium range. They clearly outperform pistols in rate of fire and DPS. Armor penetration is slightly better than pistols but worse than rifles.

  []Shotguns – Extremely powerful at close range. Ideal against mutants and lightly armored targets. Against medium and heavily armored enemies, slugs are required. Shotguns remain effective throughout the entire game if the right ammo is used at the right time. Buckshot armor penetration is now lower, while armor-piercing slugs are no less effective than 7. 62 rifle rounds, and at close range can be even more effective.

  [*]Assault Rifles – One of the most common weapon types in the Zone. I found it unclear why GSC made such large damage differences between weapons using 5. 56 and 5. 45. For example, all 5. 56×45 rifles in the game deal only slightly more damage than 5. 45×39, while 5. 45 has slightly