Manual Aim Improvements
A significant overhaul to ranged weapons in Fallout 76 aims to improve player accuracy outside of VATS. These changes include a smaller cone of fire, reduced recoil, and additional shots before peak recoil is reached. Movement now has less impact on accuracy, and crouching or aiming down sights further reduces the cone of fire.
Spin-up weapons like the Minigun and Gatling Laser feature reduced recoil after sustained firing. Camera movement during actions such as firing, reloading, and bolt-action animations has been minimized in First Person view. Medium and long scopes now offer multiple zoom levels, accessible by pressing the VATS button, starting at the lowest zoom level when aiming.
Weapon behavior varies by type, with mods influencing performance. Pistols maintain reasonable accuracy in all situations with minimal recoil. Revolvers serve as a bridge between pistols and single-shot rifles, offering long-range accuracy when stationary but higher recoil. Shotguns see improved spread while crouching or aiming, though they remain less accurate with higher recoil.
Submachine guns are easier to use while moving but lack the peak accuracy of other weapons. Semi-auto rifles provide solid long-range accuracy, benefiting from crouching and aiming, but are less effective on the move. Single-shot rifles offer the highest accuracy at long ranges, excelling when stationary but struggling with movement and slower cone recovery.
Ballistic heavy weapons have reasonable accuracy and controllable recoil during sustained fire, with spin-up variants performing better. Crouching and aiming improve recoil and cone of fire. The .50 Caliber Machine Gun maintains better accuracy while moving compared to other heavy autos, and the Light Machine Gun acts as a hybrid between heavy weapons and automatic rifles, offering precision at range but reduced mobility accuracy.
Laser weapons typically feature higher accuracy and lower recoil than ballistic counterparts, while plasma weapons fall in between, similar to the Alien Blaster and Disintegrator. Explosive launchers have high recoil but low rate of fire, resulting in less accuracy impact, though they remain inaccurate, especially while moving.
VATS Overhaul
The hit chance calculation in VATS has been rewritten for consistency and intuitiveness. Most weapons now have higher hit chances overall, though distant, smaller, or more difficult enemies may be harder to hit. The formula starts with a maximum 95% hit chance, reduced by factors like distance, target visibility, body part difficulty, weapon range, cone of fire, recoil, and fire rate.
Perks, weapon mods, and Perception can mitigate these penalties. Beyond half a weapon's range, hit chance decreases steadily to zero, while within that range, penalties are reduced, increasing hit chance at close range.
Additional VATS changes include the removal of targeting body parts on the opposite side of enemies, such as the Ultragenetic Shield Generator through the EN06 Guardian. Distance calculations for large enemies now start from the outer bounds rather than the center, improving hit chances for creatures like the Scorchbeast Queen. Perception now provides a larger benefit to hit chance, and recoil and cone of fire play a more prominent role in calculations.
Explosion Adjustments
Player weapon explosions have been adjusted to lose less damage towards the outer edges. The Fatman Experimental MIRV and Frag Grenade MIRV explosions now have a wider spread for MIRV projectiles. Fire Arrows no longer cause nearby targets to catch fire with their explosion, while Explosive Arrows deal increased damage.
Explosion force has been reduced for many explosions, resulting in less pushing of corpses and objects. Adjustments ensure impact force is more appropriate to the size and scale of each explosion, enhancing realism and gameplay balance.
