Ballistics

[hot pier]

Hi after seeing the Bellum devblog and the graph showing ballistics I was interested in how Squads ballistics work. And the results were kinda inconsistent.
In the devblog video 5.56 is shown over 2 km range comparing a few games, and Squad's ballistics were all over the place even increasing velocity after 1200m. I tried making my own graph (using AI) and the results were much different. But I did find out there was a gravity multiplier for different guns with the same caliber and close muzzle velocity. This results in drastic bullet drops even though the caliber and speed is close creating inconsistent ballistics.

Question:
Are the graphs accurate (which one is/isn't)?
How do Squad ballistics actually work?
Are they gonna be more realistic with UE5

Note:
Black graph is from the Bellum devblog video on YouTube.
The white graph is mine (Using AI website)
And the code is for the white graph.

Also a question for the community.
Is there a mod that allows showing bullet trajectory and speed similar to mods for ARMA?

[split peak]

Squad uses a mix of hitscan and balistics, up to 20-25m all weapons are hitscan past that they use balistics.

They have a higher gravity multiplier because of gameplay. If they had 100% realistic balistics you would need to completely change every optic that has range markers.

Gameplay > Realism

Velocity doesnt increase at longer range, it slows down and projectiles last time ive checked have a 1.5km range then get deleted

[night hare]

Gameplay > Realism

[split peak]

Yes i said that already

[night hare]

Correct I just wanted to echo it for the people who can not read

[manic vigil]

The reason why gravity is higher is because otherwise the range markings in optics would be too small to read or overlap.

[hot pier]

Ok that makes sense.
Also when you said projectiles despawn after 1500m is it only for small arms (AR/LMG/SR)? Cuz I think you can hit way further than that with a high caliber like 30mm or tank rounds. Also in mods like SuperMod and SteelDevision I have hit vehicles (single playing) with snipers at 3000m. But snipers were .50 BMG and 14.5mm. But for the life of me I can't hit 1500m with the C14 Timberwolf at the training range (but that may be just error of my side)

[split peak]

I could be wrong but yeah small arms rounds get deleted past 1.5km

[hot pier]

That was mentioned before but can't that be fixed? Pre ICO squad I understand since there was no zoom. But now the devs can implement Tarkov style scopes (image)

[burnt cargo]

Gravity multiplier might be an easy way to implement ballistic coefficient.

[hot pier]

I don't think so actually. That makes no sense since you can see far further. I think the draw distance for infantry is 2 km. Which makes deleting a bullet after 1500m useless (even though you won't hit anything at that distance).

Now that makes total sense in PUBG. In that game the people render distance is 1 km so any bullet after 1 km gets deleted. But in PUBG there are no heavy calibers except .300 Magnum and .50 BMG.

But in Squad they have to render infantry cuz they render vehicles. So if you can see a tank and track it you won't be able to kill the mechanic with small arms that far away which makes no sense.

[split peak]

Renderimg infantry and having bullets get deleted at 1.5km are 2 different things.

You can barely see anyone that far with a sub 6x optic anyway

Feel free to download SDK and check for yourself

[hot pier]

Squad Wiki backs you up on that. And I have nothing against it. Just don't understand if it is realistic.

[hot pier]

They are not different at all. If you see it that means you can shoot it. Even impossible shot. I know that from personal experience.

Also what is SDK?

[burnt cargo]

May be of interest 2 projectiles fired with the same initial velocity and same bc but different calibers will have the exact same trajectory irl.

[split peak]

You do know that at that distance some stuff doesnt render, like walls so you technically cant shoot it

And again like i said

Last time i checked some projectiles were deleted at that long distance

[hot pier]

Yeah that is the whole idea. And increasing the gravity over time is cheaper than wind and drag simulation.

[hot pier]

Ok thank you for bringing that up. According to ChatGPT there is no limit of bullet render. They are calculated untill they hit something.

[split peak]

Because ChatGPT is never wrong

Wanna ask ChatGPT what type of balistics system Squad uses see if its correct

Ok let me correct myself, its not the distance that despawns the projectile but time, not sure how much time but if projectile doesnt collide with anything in that X it gets despawned

[hot pier]

That may be possible but it needs to be like 20/30 seconds

But definitely not distance limit

[sand leaf]

also they get destroyed by cull distance volume, like anything else passing that limit.

[hot pier]

What is cull distance volume

[fierce crypt]

"Loss of the muzzle velocity over time" sounds hilarious. Somebody really wanted to add some tacticool term in there

[sand leaf]

A volume (box) , much larger than but surrounding the map. It culls (kills) any objects that pass outside of it, ie; so the engine doesn't have to calc things into infinity. Pretty sure I got the name right.
Cull volumes are also used on a smaller scale (map size) to cull static objects in the map for performance, based on size and distance from the camera.
There's also a z-cull, which is a negative value elevation that culls objects and players that fall below the ground so they don't fall forever.