Garrett Blacknova wrote:Different people have different assessments of what each range bracket is. Usually this will be, to some extent, colours by that player's preferred engagement range.
I'm a mostly CQC-centric player, using Shotguns and SMGs primarily. Here's my take on it. Weapon examples will be inlcluded based on a purely infantry-vs.-infantry scenario, so no Turrets or AV weapons will be used as examples. Thisis because vehicular combat ranges operate on a separate scale, at least in my mind, and the majority of range discussion is infantry-based.
Point-blank: Close enough for melee. Obviously, Nova Knives and melee attacks are only viable here, and also Shotguns and SMGs are highly-effective. <1m
CQC: This is where Shotguns and SMGs shine. It includes melee range and part of short range. ARs can still hurt a lot in the right hands here, but "proper" CQC weapons should win more often than not. <7m*
Short range: This is where you can still effectively use SMGs with ADS and burst fire. Generally I consider this 5 - 15mGÇá
Mid-range: This is where ARs and Mass Drivers generally win out against most other weapons. 10 - 60m
Long range: ARs and MDs can still hit targets, but take more effort to do so. Lasers and Snipers are coming into their own here 50 - 120m
Extreme range: basically, this is where you're not going to be hitting reliably unless your target is camping and oblivious, and even then, you should almost exclusively be using Sniper Rifles (Laser Rifles are also an effective option here in the right hands). >100m.
* This is quite variable depending on the weapon. For cheaper Shotguns, it's frequently more like a 3m maximum, and for some SMGs with enough SP investment it can be as high as 7m. <5m is generally my preferred point within the bracket.
GÇá I vary my opinion of this range bracket anywhere from 10 to 20m, depending on the weapon in question.
NOTE: You've probably noticed the ranges I listed all overlap. That was deliberate, because none of these values is set in stone. They fluctuate from encounter to encounter based on the number of opponents, their weapons (with class, tier and variant all having an effect) and their relative skill levels as compared with my own. Also, since all these ranges (and all the weapon ranges) are estimates done on the fly, I'm not entirely sure how accurate most of them are. Sorry about that, but it's the best I can do.