Short-Range Long-Range Weapon: Difference between revisions

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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Common in [[Tabletop Games]], which typically operate in the 25-30mm scale (IE one inch = 5 feet or so). There are [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality|plenty of reasons for this]], of course - realistic weapon ranges would require either tables the size of tennis courts or miniatures the size of pinheads, armies that focus on close combat would be totally boned in most situations (like they are in real life), games would take forever to play, etc. - but that doesn't stop it from looking pretty silly at first glance. Examples include:
* Common in [[Tabletop Games]], which typically operate in the 25-30mm scale (IE one inch = 5 feet or so). There are [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality|plenty of reasons for this]], of course - realistic weapon ranges would require either tables the size of tennis courts or miniatures the size of pinheads, armies that focus on close combat would be totally boned in most situations (like they are in real life), games would take forever to play, etc. - but that doesn't stop it from looking pretty silly at first glance. Examples include:
** ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'', where a typical assault rifle has a maximum effective range of 120 feet (reduced to 60 feet when the soldier is on the move), and the longest-ranged conventional artillery in the game has a maximum effective range of only 1200 feet.
** ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', where a typical assault rifle has a maximum effective range of 120 feet (reduced to 60 feet when the soldier is on the move), and the longest-ranged conventional artillery in the game has a maximum effective range of only 1200 feet.
*** Of course, while that range of artillery is painfully short for real life purposes, it's tantamount to infinite as far as the tabletop is concerned. Unless you have a battlefield more then 10 feet long in any direction.
*** Of course, while that range of artillery is painfully short for real life purposes, it's tantamount to infinite as far as the tabletop is concerned. Unless you have a battlefield more then 10 feet long in any direction.
*** One White Dwarf article justified this - the units doppler out at long range.
*** One White Dwarf article justified this - the units doppler out at long range.
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*** There was an interesting and elaborate [[Fix Fic]] about this very problem. It tried to justify the problem by saying that armor manufacturing has progressed to the point that in order to compensate, warheads had to become so bulky that Autocannons were effectively more like short-ranged mortars, with larger ones barely capable of firing beyond 100 meters. Likewise, missiles were limited by fuel capacity. Artillery, at least, has kilometers-long range.
*** There was an interesting and elaborate [[Fix Fic]] about this very problem. It tried to justify the problem by saying that armor manufacturing has progressed to the point that in order to compensate, warheads had to become so bulky that Autocannons were effectively more like short-ranged mortars, with larger ones barely capable of firing beyond 100 meters. Likewise, missiles were limited by fuel capacity. Artillery, at least, has kilometers-long range.
*** Likewise, other fics paint it as an accuracy concern, based on poor quality fire control and recoil compensators. An [[AC 5]] has little enough recoil that it can consistently pot enemies at long range, but AC10s and AC20s have enough barrel jump that they can't aim that accurately. Though, really, this should be fixable simply by lowering the rate of fire enough to allow for the barrel to be relaid.
*** Likewise, other fics paint it as an accuracy concern, based on poor quality fire control and recoil compensators. An [[AC 5]] has little enough recoil that it can consistently pot enemies at long range, but AC10s and AC20s have enough barrel jump that they can't aim that accurately. Though, really, this should be fixable simply by lowering the rate of fire enough to allow for the barrel to be relaid.
**** One early version of the rules attributed the accuracy problem to jamming of the electronic sensors plus extensive use of smoke screens. By this rule, the battlefield's a continual pea-soup fog and a Mechwarrior '''can't''' see his target well enough to hit beyond a few tens of meters. This didn't explain why some weapons could target the enemy at twice the distance another weapon carried by the same 'Mech could.
**** One early version of the rules attributed the accuracy problem to jamming of the electronic sensors plus extensive use of smoke screens. By this rule, the battlefield's a continual pea-soup fog and a Mechwarrior '''can't''' see his target well enough to hit beyond a few tens of meters. This didn't explain why some weapons could target the enemy at twice the distance another weapon carried by the same 'Mech could.
*** It's worth noting that in ''Battle Space'', the ranges were drastically upgraded so that ranges were measured in thousands of kilometers. Too bad it didn't sell, because, along with being insidiously complex and requiring significantly more paperwork (with ''hundreds'' of hit boxes and critical hit locations ''per ship'', and weapons loadouts that were could fill an entire page) than the land-based game, space combat made the series' signature 'Mechs (and their [[Mechwarrior]] pilots, by extension) [[Point Defenseless]] turrets tethered to their ships at best, and helpless cargo at all other times.
*** It's worth noting that in ''Battle Space'', the ranges were drastically upgraded so that ranges were measured in thousands of kilometers. Too bad it didn't sell, because, along with being insidiously complex and requiring significantly more paperwork (with ''hundreds'' of hit boxes and critical hit locations ''per ship'', and weapons loadouts that were could fill an entire page) than the land-based game, space combat made the series' signature 'Mechs (and their [[Mechwarrior]] pilots, by extension) [[Point Defenseless]] turrets tethered to their ships at best, and helpless cargo at all other times.
* ''[[GURPS]]'' space combat takes place on a totally different scale than normal. Anything less than 20 miles (32 km) is classified as point blank (and combat bonuses reflect this by making it virtually impossible to miss).
* ''[[GURPS]]'' space combat takes place on a totally different scale than normal. Anything less than 20 miles (32 km) is classified as point blank (and combat bonuses reflect this by making it virtually impossible to miss).
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* ''Wasteland'' had its maximum range be about 30 to 40 metres. This was generally too far for any weapon, whether assault rifle or laser rifle.
* ''Wasteland'' had its maximum range be about 30 to 40 metres. This was generally too far for any weapon, whether assault rifle or laser rifle.
* Aya Brea in ''[[Parasite Eve]]'' was described as something of a sharpshooter. Yet her range, based on the size of the dome and her height, was generally measurable in feet, and not many of them.
* Aya Brea in ''[[Parasite Eve]]'' was described as something of a sharpshooter. Yet her range, based on the size of the dome and her height, was generally measurable in feet, and not many of them.
* Noel Vermilion is the only combatant in ''[[Blaz Blue]]'' to use guns. Their range is equal to the length of their muzzle blasts unless you use her Optic Barrel special, which still can't hit at full screen width.
* Noel Vermilion is the only combatant in ''[[BlazBlue]]'' to use guns. Their range is equal to the length of their muzzle blasts unless you use her Optic Barrel special, which still can't hit at full screen width.
* In the first ''[[Metroid]]'', as well as the remake, ''Metroid: Zero Mission'', your Power Beam has a very short range until you collect the Long Beam power-up, which removes the range cap. Thus, until you get the Long Beam, this trope is imposed upon the player by the game.
* In the first ''[[Metroid]]'', as well as the remake, ''Metroid: Zero Mission'', your Power Beam has a very short range until you collect the Long Beam power-up, which removes the range cap. Thus, until you get the Long Beam, this trope is imposed upon the player by the game.
* In ''[[Command & Conquer]]'', both Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, Rifle Infantry have such short range that splash damage from supporting infantry behind them will often damage the rifles in front. Particularly bad when one considers that a ''hand grenade'' can be tossed farther than these rifles can shoot. Also, ballistic artillery will only barely outrange a tank's cannon.
* In ''[[Command & Conquer]]'', both Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, Rifle Infantry have such short range that splash damage from supporting infantry behind them will often damage the rifles in front. Particularly bad when one considers that a ''hand grenade'' can be tossed farther than these rifles can shoot. Also, ballistic artillery will only barely outrange a tank's cannon.
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