why is it called thloatere

i named it after this really funny picture of a floater who got stuck in a pipe in a green foggy level and its tentacles all went taut and it looked like a funny sea urchin meat blob but i lost the picture i think D:

Thloatere Gear Mod

Thloatere Gear Mod is another mod that focuses on re-statting the game's existing arsenal into a more interesting state. VanillaReloaded already does this, so Thloatere tries to do something a bit more dramatic just to see how it plays out.

This time, the mod brings all the primary weapons down to the level of the Assault Rifle while making all the special weapons a lot more powerful and generally making tools and melees slightly stronger to make the power dynamic between the prisoners and the Sleepers swing more wildly each mission.

Additionally, changes are made so that each weapon feels decently unique to fire with their own identities when stacked up against each other. The mod also adds a few weapons to explore how far GTFO's weapon design space can be explored while still feeling vanilla-esque.

General Weapon Design

Thloatere categorises most of the weapons into one of a few distinct categories, mostly based off the theming, reload time spreads, and ammopack mechanics in vanilla GTFO where special weapons have longer reload times and refill more ammo per use of ammopack.

In the Primary category, automatic weapons focus on staggering enemies and holding a position over time with high downtime between magazines, while burst-fire weapons focus on quickly eliminating single targets with long-range precision fire and quick reloads to keep killing. The Primary weapons were made weaker to induce moments of tension while the Special weapon needs to reload or is out of ammo.

In the Special category, most weapons fit into one of four roles: crowd control such as the assault rifles or machineguns, small target removal such as the Revolver or Precision Rifle, big target removal such as the Sniper Rifle or Burst Cannon, and the shotgun class which serves mostly as a high-power panic button that can be shot at anything with different drawbacks based on the weapon. Power is concentrated into the Special weapons, making management of their uptime and leveraging of their respective strengths high priority. Weapon changes are generally made according to this philosophy.

New Melees

Pickaxe

This one came from the DRG enthusiasts in one of the units I tested this mod with, who wanted to see what a new melee could look like. While the initial concept of having a pickaxe that instantly breaks doors was too far beyond my skills to make, I still decided to try my hand at making it. Since it's quite pointless to make a melee lighter than the Knife, I instead chose to see if we could get heavier than the Spear. This instantly kills a Charger. It's also really good at wrecking bigs, but so far we've found it's super impractical for actually fighting enemies, but maybe someone out there can make it work...

• Charge-up time: 2.5sec
• Damage: 5 ~ 37.4
• Precision multiplier: 0.5x ~ 1x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x ~ 2x
• Sprint speed multiplier: 0.7x
• Shove stamina cost: 0.05x ~ 0.75x
• Attack stamina cost: 0.05x ~ 0.1x
• Environmental damage multiplier: 5x ~ 150x

New Primary Weapons

High Capacity Pistol

Originated as a meme request by one of the units I tested this with to 'add a semi-auto drum mag pistol' and I tried to make it work. What the mod ends up with is a simultaneous alternative to the Pistol and HEL Autopistol, which performs poorly for dealing damage but is able to continuously stagger big groups if the prisoner can aim well, while allowing them finer control over their rounds than using the Autopistol.

• Semi-automatic
• Damage: 2.3
• Precision multiplier: 0.8667x
• Stagger multiplier: 2.15x
• Magazine size: 35
• Ammo reserves: 212
• Uncapped fire rate
• Reload time: 1.6s
• Damage falloff: 6.5 ~ 34

Tactical Shotgun

An attempt to make a non-gimmicky primary shotgun for enjoyers of the weapon class. It's pretty basic but at least gets to call slightly higher effective range and slightly slow fire rate its own. Actually, this is sort of an attempt to reintroduce the vanilla Slug Shotgun but without the complications of not being a pellet weapon.

• Fully automatic
• Damage: 25.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.8x
• Stagger multiplier: 2x
• Magazine size: 6
• Ammo reserves: 42
• Delay between shots: 0.85s
• Reload time: 3s
• Damage falloff: 10 ~ 70
• Somewhat tight spread, between the Shotgun and Choke Mod Shotgun

High Caliber Rifle

This started off as a meme weapon to see how a musket would work, but it turns out that it's really good for a multitude of purposes. It wrecks Chargers, it allows autogun users to get a shot off on a key target between reloads, and it's a backup big target killer in a pinch.

• Reload after every shot
• Damage: 35.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.71x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x
• Ammo supply: 31
• Reload time: 1.3s
• Damage falloff: 10 ~ 50

New Special Weapons

Heavy Burst Rifle

After defining the auto/burst dichotomy, a burst counterpart of the Heavy Assault Rifle obviously seemed in order. It combines the slower long-range playstyle of the Burst Rifle with the 4-burst of the Carbine and the slow burst of the Double-Tap Rifle to represent the entire category as its own unique thing that stands up to the HAR.

• 4-round burst
• Damage: 4.875
• Precision multiplier: 0.55x
• Stagger multiplier: 0.38x
• Magazine size: 28
• Ammo reserves: 177
• Bursts per second: 2.564
• Reload time: 1.75s
• Damage falloff: 30 ~ 95

High Capacity SMG

The Heavy SMG provides a submachine gun in the Special category, albeit focusing on unusual attributes for a submachine gun. This introduces a more conventional high ammo focus SMG into the category.

• Fully automatic
• Damage: 2.78
• Precision multiplier: 0.6x
• Stagger multiplier: 1.5x
• Magazine size: 60
• Ammo reserves: 321
• Rounds per second: 17.4
• Reload time: 1.7s
• Damage falloff: 15 ~ 80
• Has minor projectile deviation while aimed in

Battle Rifle

An attempt to put a full-powered automatic rifle in a videogame, which can be somewhat uncommon compared to assault rifles. This should fill a role between the assault rifles and revolver-like weapons, outputting generally useful high-caliber firepower while requiring some care in using it.

• Fully automatic
• Damage: 14.7
• Precision multiplier: 0.45x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x
• Magazine size: 20
• Ammo reserves: 60
• Rounds per second: 5
• Reload time: 2.4s
• Damage falloff: 40 ~ 125

Accelerator Rifle

Killzone fans rejoice! The Accelerator Rifle is the vanilla Burst Cannon brought back as a more specialised weapon that demands the user flick a burst over crowds to annihilate them en masse, while also being able to provide ammo-hungry but time-efficient emergency removal of big enemies.

• 3-round burst
• Damage: 20.01
• Precision multiplier: 1x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x
• Magazine size: 12
• Ammo reserves: 37
• Bursts per second: 2.04
• Reload time: 2.2s
• Damage falloff: 25 ~ 95
• Charge-up time: 0.3s

Autocannon

A big and bulky weapon to stand with the machineguns. The Autocannon is an attempt to make a generalist weapon on par with the Heavy Assault Rifle. It's not particularly good at anything, nor is it particularly bad at anything.

• Fully automatic
• Damage: 23.5
• Precision multiplier: 1.07x
• Stagger multiplier: 1.5x
• Magazine size: 11
• Ammo reserves: 33
• Rounds per second: 2.94
• Reload time: 3.7s
• Damage falloff: 35 ~ 95

Combat Sniper

An in-between of shotguns and snipers, the Combat Sniper requires at least two shots to down big enemies but still softens them up for teammates to dump lead into and also has enough ammo to make rationed shooting of any target at long range occasionally worth it.

• Fully automatic
• Damage: 40.01
• Precision multiplier: 1.5x
• Stagger multiplier: 1.0x
• Magazine size: 5
• Ammo reserves: 21
• Rounds per second: 2.5
• Reload time: 3.1s
• Damage falloff: 50 ~ 135
• Inaccurate while hipfiring

Railgun

An attempt to cross the single shot style with the general utility of the vanilla HEL Rifle, only a bit more reined in to make sure it doesn't get too out of hand.

• Reload after every shot
• Damage: 37.01
• Precision multiplier: 1x
• Stagger multiplier: 30x
• Ammo supply: 28
• Reload time: 1.4s
• Damage falloff: 18 ~ 85
• Charge-up time: 0.7s
• Piercing: 1

Existing Melee Changes

Sledgehammer

The Sledgehammer continues to offer a well-rounded balance of heavy damage and stagger, so it's only received a very minor usability upgrade to keep pace with the rest of Thloatere's melees.

• Charge time: 1.8 -> 1.75
• Charged attack stamina cost: 5% -> 2.5%
• Shove attack stamina cost: 5% -> 2.5%

Knife

The Knife is really fun to use, especially when chain-killing a sequence of Sleepers as a risky but satisfying move in the middle of a fight. This attribute has been enhanced.

• Charge time: 0.6 -> 0.5

Bat

VanillaReloaded's Bat damage change was a very nice change that fit sthe vision of Thloatere well, accentuating a unique strength to set it apart from the Sledgehammer and Knife. In addition, its stamina cost was removed to better compete with the super-fast Knife of Thloatere.

• Light attack damage: 3.0 -> 4.0
• Charged attack stamina cost: 2.5% -> 0%
• Shove stamina cost: 2.5% -> 0%

Spear

Another case where VanillaReloaded really knows how to accentuate a weapon's strengths. Just as in that mod, these changes also help this iteration of the Spear gain a defensive advantage over the Sleepers while also providing a skilled prisoner with a way to take on multiple big enemies at once and readily win.

• Light attack damage: 2.0 -> 2.5
• Charged attack stamina cost: 5% -> 2.5%
• Shove stamina cost: 5% -> 2.5%
• Max damage charge time: 1.8 -> 1.5
• Sprint speed multiplier: 0.75x -> 0.85x

Existing Main Weapon Changes

Assault Rifle

The Assault Rifle was the primary everyone in this unit ran with when we were still new to the game and the balancing of its weak power with the power of the strong special weapons we used at the time was the basis for Thloatere's power balance. Thus, the Assault Rifle is set as the baseline and receives very minimal changes.

• Stagger multiplier: 1.0 -> 1.25
• Damage falloff start: 10 -> 20

Burst Rifle

The Burst Rifle is heavily changed according to the general design philosophy of the mod to act as a baseline for burst-fire weapons.

• Damage per bullet: 2.71 -> 2.6
• Precision multiplier: 0.8667x -> 1x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 0.8x
• Magazine size: 30 -> 21
• Ammo reserves: 278 -> 251
• Reload time: 2.0s -> 1.5s
• Bursts per second: 4.5 -> 3
• Damage falloff start: 20 -> 25
• Damage falloff end: 85 -> 80

Submachine Gun

• Renamed: SMG -> Submachine Gun

The Submachine Gun has always traded off range for increased damaging power, and this stays the tradition in Thloatere with additional emphasis on an easy-to-use automatic weapon with very high ammo reserves as a pair for a weapon such as the Sniper Rifle.

• Damage: 1.98 -> 1.8
• Precision multiplier: 0.91x -> 0.75x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 1.5x
• Magazine size: 50 -> 40
• Damage falloff start: 6 -> 7
• Has very minor projectile deviation while aimed in

Carbine

The Carbine has received similar changes to the Burst Rifle, only calibrated against the Submachine Gun instead.

• Damage per bullet: 2.38 -> 1.9
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.96x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 0.8x
• Clip size: 48 -> 32
• Ammo reserves: 376 -> 320
• Reload time: 1.6s -> 1.4s
• Has very minor projectile deviation while aimed in

PDW

It was felt that the PDW could be differentiated more from the SMG by leaning into its role as a "personal defense weapon", so it now mainly focuses around quick and responsive high-DPS defense against all manners of threats while heavily losing out on uptime as a tradeoff. Its damage is already impressive enough.

• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 1.5x
• Magazine size: 32 -> 40
• Reload time: 1.4s -> 1.8s
• Damage falloff start: 5 -> 4
• Damage falloff end: 47 -> 35
• Weapon swap time set to 0.2
• Flashlight changed to short flashlight to put emphasis on using the thermal sight
• Has minor projectile deviation while aimed in

Bullpup Rifle

The Bullpup Rifle fits into the mod nicely as a long-range alternative to the PDW. To emphasise its range and controllability compared to the PDW, its reload time has been reduced again to act as a disadvantage.

• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 1.5x
• Reload time: 2.3s -> 2.4s

Machine Pistol

Really, the logical decision is to make the Machine Pistol escalate the SMG's design even further.

• Damage: 1.9 -> 1.5
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.8x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 1.25x
• Ammo reserves: 484 -> 500
• Damage falloff start: 7 -> 5
• Damage falloff end: 35 -> 30
• Has minor projectile deviation while aimed in

HEL Autopistol

The idea of a crowd staggerer primary is very cool, but the HEL Autopistol was too good at doing that and having damage output competitive with other weapons. Thloatere chooses to lean more in the former direction. Also, at some critical mass of firepower, it becomes increasingly harder for a person to tell different rates of fire apart properly without some seriously dramatic changes, so the HEL Autopistol now fires at the speed of the Machine Pistol to feel more distinct from the rest of the guns and feel more like a proper alternative to it.

• Damage: 1.9 -> 0.8
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.5x
• Stagger multiplier: 5x -> 5.5x
• Magazine size: 60 -> 70
• Ammo reserves: 520 -> 680
• Rounds per second: 17.24 -> 25
• Damage falloff start: 5 -> 4
• Damage falloff end: 55 -> 30
• Piercing: 2 -> 1
• Added a 0.2sec charge-up time
• Has minor projectile deviation while aimed in

Pistol

Put in the new environment, the Pistol keeps its own identity as a generalist leaning towards precision shots and staggering at the cost of fire rate, but is overall too strong. No particular stand-out stats here, just a general toning down to fit Thloatere.

• Damage: 4.64 -> 4.27
• Stagger multiplier: 1.5x -> 1.75x
• Magazine size: 15 -> 16
• Ammo reserves: 150 -> 137
• Rounds per second: 10 -> 7
• Reload time: 1.3s -> 1.5s

Burst Pistol

Same rationale as the Assault and Burst Rifles, but for the Pistol this time.

• Damage per bullet: 3.2 -> 4.97
• Precision multiplier: 0.8667x -> 0.66x
• Magazine size: 28 -> 14
• Ammo reserves: 255 -> 109
• Bursts per second: 5.56 -> 2.77
• Reload time: 1.25s -> 1.2s
• Damage falloff start: 10 -> 12
• Damage falloff end: 47 -> 55

Thermal Rifle

• Renamed: Rifle -> Thermal Rifle

The Rifle has always been this strange not-Pistol and needed more of its own identity. Thloatere also aims to give people more gameplay options and trying to give both weapon slots a short- and long-range thermal option was one such consideration. Crossing these two points, it felt right to make the Rifle into a long-range precision thermal weapon.

• Damage: 5.08 -> 5.1
• Precision multiplier: 0.8667x -> 1x
• Stagger multiplier: 1.75x -> 0.8x
• Ammo reserves: 121 -> 107
• Damage falloff start: 22 -> 30
• Damage falloff end: 80 -> 90
• Sight part changed to thermal scope; flashlight changed to short flashlight to put emphasis on using the thermal scope

DMR

In vanilla, the HEL Revolver is overtuned, in part because it has efficiency stats that probably should have been put on the DMR and vice-versa. So Thloatere mostly makes those swaps.

• Damage: 7.51 -> 7.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.87x -> 0.9x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 0.7x
• Magazine size: 12 -> 10
• Ammo reserves: 78 -> 75
• Damage falloff start: 50 -> 40
• Damage falloff end: 100 -> 90

Double-Tap Rifle

The Double-Tap Rifle in vanilla has a really fun and challenging gimmick, but feels a bit too restrictive on what it can do. By applying the usual assault vs burst stat spread to the DTR, its damage stat increases enough such that it gains the ability to put down Chargers in short order while keeping its Striker double-tap gimmick.

• Damage: 5.51 -> 8.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.9x -> 0.65x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 0.6x
• Magazine size: 14 -> 10
• Ammo reserves: 121 -> 96
• Bursts per second: 4 -> 2.5
• Reload time: 2.15s -> 2.0s
• Damage falloff start: 40 -> 50
• Damage falloff end: 90 -> 100

HEL Revolver

Swapping some stats with the DMR, but also giving the HEL Revolver a Shooter one-shot makes it compete with the DMR and DTR on more even grounds, while reducing its magazine size and reload time make it feel more unique to shoot compared to the DMR.

• Damage: 8.01 -> 6.48
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.95x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 0.7x
• Magazine size: 8 -> 6
• Ammo reserves: 92 -> 67
• Uncapped fire rate (affected by charge-up time)
• Reload time: 2.3s -> 1.7s
• Damage falloff start: 10 -> 20
• Damage falloff end: 80 -> 65
• Added a 0.1sec charge-up time
• Improved the flashlight

Sawed-Off Shotgun

The Sawed-Off Shotgun is way too strong even in vanilla, so imagine how powerful it would be in Thloatere. Reducing the magazine size to 3 is an obvious change but it needs something more to stay relevant, and it looked like an ideal candidate for a PDW alternative in the realm of "instant self-defense".

• Damage: 30.4 -> 25.01
• Magazine size: 4 -> 3
• Ammo reserves: 41 -> 40
• Uncapped fire rate
• Reload time: 1.6s -> 1.4s
• Damage falloff start: 6 -> 4
• Weapon swap time set to 0.2
• Increased pellet dispersion

Slug Shotgun

The Slug Shotgun is another one of those weapons which is in a confusing spot; if you make it too good it boxes out the High Caliber Pistol and vice-versa. So instead it's been completely reworked to provide an anti-tank option if you hit your crits in the Primary slot to increase build variety, or just act as a long-range panic button.

• Damage: 21 -> 35.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 1.0x
• Magazine size: 6 -> 3
• Ammo reserves: 38 -> 24
• Delay between shots: 0.75s -> 0.2857s
• Damage falloff start: 6 -> 25
• Damage falloff end: 40 -> 80
• Weapon swap time set to 0.2

HEL Shotgun

I don't even know what to make of the vanilla HEL Shotgun, but as far as I can tell it's just meant to disintegrate everything within a short cone of the user and that it's far too strong. This version of the HEL Shotgun is less extreme, focusing mainly on sustained wide-area crowd stagger with a bit of damage and range as a bonus.

• Damage: 13.36 -> 18.1
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.65x
• Magazine size: 14 -> 9
• Ammo reserves: 83 -> 45
• Rounds per second: 3.8 -> 2.5
• Damage falloff start: 4 -> 8
• Added a 0.3sec charge-up time
• Piercing: 2 -> 1
• Now distributes its damage over 7 pellets (was 10)

Existing Special Weapon Changes

Heavy Assault Rifle

Much like the Primary weapons, the Heavy Assault Rifle is intended to be the bread-and-butter Special weapon. However, the HAR is too weak for Thloatere in the base game, so it's been heavily buffed to set a proper standard with a slightly slower rate of fire to not feel exactly like firing the basic Assault Rifle.

• Damage: 5.01 -> 6.1111
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.65x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 1.1x
• Ammo reserves: 119 -> 150
• Rounds per second: 10.526 -> 9
• Recoil dramatically decreased

Machinegun

Having two Machineguns always felt a bit silly, and restrictive on what could potentially be done with distinct weapon models and design spaces. The decision was made to roll the rough average effectiveness of both Machineguns into one weapon, then buff it accordingly. The Arbalest was used as a base here.

• Damage: 5.35 -> 7.51
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.6x
• Magazine size: 40 -> 48
• Ammo reserves: 144 -> 115
• Charge-up time: 0.4s -> 0.3s
• Has almost imperceptibly minor projectile deviation while aimed in

HEL Machinegun

• Renamed: Machinegun -> HEL Machinegun

There was popular demand among the units I played with for a HEL Machinegun and I agreed that it was unexplored design space that the Veruta very easily converted to. The HEL Machinegun is now a crowd suppressor that works over long, long periods of time but demands team support to be most effective.

• Damage: 3.51 -> 2.3
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.6x
• Stagger multiplier: 1.45x -> 5.5x
• Magazine size: 60 -> 125
• Ammo reserves: 200 -> 288
• Piercing: 0 -> 2
• Has almost imperceptibly minor projectile deviation while aimed in

Heavy SMG

• Slot changed: Primary -> Special

The Primary category was overloaded with automatic weapons, and a heavier counterpart to the submachine guns felt like obvious design space to explore that hadn't been hit yet, which also presents an opportunity to return the "high damage high recoil" fantasy of the vanilla HAR. To this end, the goal is to offer comically large damage for those who can master the recoil while keeping an ammo economy downside on standby to prevent it from outshining all the other guns with good play.

• Damage: 2.45 -> 4.765
• Precision multiplier: 0.8x -> 0.64x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 1.25x
• Magazine size: 33 -> 37
• Ammo reserves: 306 -> 185
• Reload time: 1.55s -> 1.9s
• Damage falloff start: 7 -> 9
• Recoil dramatically increased
• Has very minor projectile deviation while aimed in

Short Rifle

The Short Rifle has always been a puzzling item, in that I can see the vision behind a super fast firing semi-automatic weapon, but its current stats simply don't come together to make a cohesive weapon that feels good to shoot. I figured that making it a sort of beefed up Pistol would both be a good way to do the uncapped semi-auto concept and also allow for a short-range thermal option in Special.

• Damage: 4.81 -> 9.8
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.5816x
• Stagger multiplier: 0.5x -> 1.5x
• Magazine size: 30 -> 17
• Ammo reserves: 166 -> 100
• Reload time: 1.7s -> 1.6s
• Damage falloff start: 8 -> 12
• Damage falloff end: 58 -> 50
• Sight part changed to thermal sight; flashlight changed to short flashlight to put emphasis on using the thermal sight

Revolver

Revolvers in general are basically always a gunslinger's option, and while GTFO's take on it is already a fine weapon, it could still be pushed further into that archetype while then further changing the other small enemy clearing weapons to play differently. The Revolver has been made more reliable into maps containing Chargers.

• Damage: 14.21 -> 19.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 0.7647x
• Ammo reserves: 46 -> 44
• Reload time: 1.75s -> 1.7s
• Fire rate uncapped (recoil is noticeable)
• Damage falloff start: 12 -> 25
• Damage falloff end: 80 -> 90
• Flashlight improved

HEL Gun

The HEL Gun is another example of a gun with a strong baseline attribute and very strong stats combining to make something generally too powerful. By using the Precision Rifle as a baseline, it can then be scaled down to make a balanced take on a HEL mini-killer.

• Damage: 16.25 -> 15.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.8x -> 0.702x
• Ammo reserves: 40 -> 35
• Fire rate uncapped (keeps 0.2sec charge-up time)
• Damage falloff end: 90 -> 80
• Piercing: 3 -> 2
• Updated audiogroup to better reflect the weapon's power

Precision Rifle

To contrast the Revolver's fast bullet-slinging quick-reloading low magazine size nature with high upfront damage, the Precision Rifle is clumsy to use but offers a long-term strategic advantage over long periods of consistently hitting weakpoints thanks to its thermal scope and ammo reserves. Like the Revolver, this should be better into Chargers now.

• Damage: 13 -> 15.01
• Precision multiplier: 1.3x -> 1.3333x
• Magazine size: 10 -> 12
• Ammo reserves: 41 -> 42
• Reload time: 3.3s -> 3.0s
• Damage falloff start: 30 -> 50
• Damage falloff end: 70 -> 100
• Firemode changed: Semi -> Auto
• Updated audiogroup to better reflect the weapon's power
• Flashlight changed to short flashlight to put emphasis on using the thermal scope

Shotgun

The Shotgun is a pretty fine weapon already and just needs a slight adjustment upwards in power to match the general doctrine of Thloatere. Worth noting is the new headshot breakpoint that lets it 3-hit-kill Big Strikers, which is applied to all the 30 damage shotguns from this point forward to really sell their power.

• Damage: 30.1 -> 32.01
• Precision multiplier: 1x -> 1.17x
• Ammo reserves: 24 -> 26
• Reload time: 3s -> 2.8s
• Damage falloff start: 4 -> 7
• Damage falloff end: 40 -> 70
• Decreased pellet dispersion
• Now distributes its damage over 20 pellets (was 10)

Choke Mod Shotgun

The Choke Mod Shotgun, by comparison, sees little use due to being an awkward hybrid of the Shotgun and High Caliber Pistol that combines the wrong ups and downs, having neither the sustained punch of the HCP nor the spread pellet crowd control of the Shotgun. However, it still fires pellets, so it's not impossible to crowd control with it; rather Thloatere opens up players' abilities to target what they want by making its ammo expenditure a lot less stringent, and the new Big Striker breakpoint should be easier to hit with its concentrated spread.

• Damage: 30.08 -> 32.01
• Precision multiplier: 1x -> 1.17x
• Magazine size: 4 -> 5
• Ammo reserves: 24 -> 26
• Reload time: 2.72s -> 2.2s
• Now distributes its damage over 20 pellets (was 8)

High Caliber Pistol

This is just a slug shotgun in disguise, so it gets the same treatment as the shotguns. Thloatere aims to make it a more sustained-damage counterpart to the Choke Mod Shotgun, at the upside/expense of firing slugs instead of a spread of shells.

• Damage: 30.1 -> 32.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.7413x -> 1.17x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 2x
• Magazine size: 6 -> 7
• Ammo reserves: 25 -> 28

Combat Shotgun

This gun is oppressively strong in vanilla but also just plain fun, so its out-of-place strengths have been reined in while its fun attributes have been further exaggerated. It's now a damage hose that can dump so much lead into a wave if needed, while also having respectable ammo economy for clearing out minis outside of that application.

• Damage: 15.06 -> 16.005
• Precision multiplier: 0.875x -> 1.17x
• Ammo reserves: 57 -> 48
• Reload time: 2.7s -> 3.1s
• Rounds per second: 4 -> 5.5
• Increased pellet dispersion
• Now distributes its damage over 10 pellets (was 9?)

Sniper Rifle

• Renamed: Sniper -> Sniper Rifle

The Sniper Rifle's damage profile was never the problem, rather it was just that 10C always either overshot or undershot its ammo count. This is yet another attempt to find the balance.

• Damage falloff end: 100 -> 150
• Magazine size: 2 -> 3
• Reload time: 3.5s -> 2.7s

HEL Rifle

I joined GTFO as a squad sniper, but got burned out on sniping eventually, but still needed to kill bigs, and then that's when I noticed there aren't really many alternative sniper rifle-type weapons in the game. So, rather than having the super-generalist HEL Rifle, Thloatere puts that impressive frame and weapon design to use as an alternative marksman weapon to the Sniper Rifle.

• Damage: 30.01 -> 40.01
• Precision multiplier: 0.73x -> 1.4x
• Magazine size: 5 -> 3
• Ammo reserves: 23 -> 20
• Delay between shots: 0.87 -> 0.8
• Charge-up time: 0.12s -> 0.3s
• Piercing: 6 -> 4
• Updated audiogroup to better reflect the weapon's power

Burst Cannon

The old Burst Cannon had a lot more of an identity as a REALLY unique take on a "big kill" weapon that I still want to praise this game's creativity for. With that in mind, the Burst Cannon has been reverted to a 5-burst and focus put on that identity (the mod's new weapons section is used instead to bring in a more focused big 3-burst weapon). The Thloatere take on the Burst Cannon gains a one-burst breakpoint on Big Strikers using the headshot while no longer being able to one-shot Strikers, to prevent it from treading common ground with the revolver-types.

• Damage: 22 -> 19.89
• Precision multiplier: 0.73x -> 1.3555x
• Ammo reserves: 46 -> 45
• Charge-up time: 0.7s -> 0.6s
• Overall now fires a burst every 1.2sec

HEL Scattergun

• Renamed: Scattergun -> HEL Scattergun

The Scattergun is one of those problematic weapons where it either needs to be good by just bulldozing things with up-front non-critical damage, or it's not good at all. This rework keeps the identity of the Scattergun as a brute force high spread damage bucket alive while allowing prisoners to use it in a wider variety of damage-bucket-related scenarios and maybe multikill a LOT of big enemies if the Complex aligns.

• Is now a 3-burst weapon
• Damage per shot: 153.6 -> 73.44
• Precision multiplier: 0.7333x -> 0.5x
• Magazine size: 2 -> 3
• Ammo reserves: 14 -> 33
• Reload time: 2.66s -> 3.1s
• Damage falloff start: 4 -> 30
• Damage falloff end: 30 -> 125
• Increased pellet dispersion
• Now has a 0.5s charge-up time
• Piercing: 0 -> 2
• Overall now fires a burst every 1.2sec
• Updated audiogroup to better reflect the weapon's power

Existing Tool Changes

Bio Tracker

No changes.

C-Foam Launcher

From VanillaReloaded: "The C-Foam Launcher is incredibly difficult to balance. Perma-foaming doors and ladder-foam can trivialize some of the hardest content in the game, but without such environmental advantages it struggles to find value. We believe that the only way to address its power would be to change how it interacts with doors and ladders in a major way." I agree with this and also lack the skill to implement such changes.

Mine Deployer

No changes.

Burst Sentry

The Burst Sentry is already pretty good, but it notably doesn't benefit from Bio Tracker Symbiosis, which is a missed opportunity to introduce more teamplay into the game. By allowing it this benefit, it better fits Thloatere's power level in a better way than just increasing all its stats.

• Symbiosis wind-up speed multiplier: 1x -> 0.9x
• Symbiosis rotation speed multiplier: 1x -> 1.1x
• Symbiosis ammo consumption multiplier: 1x -> 0.9x
• Symbiosis burst speed multiplier: 1x -> 2x

HEL Auto Sentry

The HEL Auto Sentry currently consumes a lot of ammo for relatively little output without incredibly high maintenance, but it is also really funny to see it firing at maximum RPM for prolonged periods of time. Thloatere addresses both sides by usually making it a slow-firing stagger machine that will barely help damage the enemies, only to massively ramp up in fire rate with appropriately reduced ammo consumption once Bio Tracker marked enemies enter the area.

• Damage: 0.8 -> 0.67
• Ammo reserves: 750 -> 1312
• Rounds per second: 12.5 -> 10
• Stagger multiplier: 6.4x -> 10x
• Symbiosis damage multiplier: 1x -> 0.69x
• Symbiosis stagger damage multiplier: 1x -> 2x
• Symbiosis wind-up speed multiplier: 1x -> 0.15x
• Symbiosis rotation speed multiplier: 1x -> 2x
• Symbiosis ammo consumption multiplier: 1x -> 0.569x
• Symbiosis rate of fire multiplier: 1x -> 1.5x

Sniper Sentry

The Sniper Sentry has high damage potential but just doesn't really get to fire all that often due to how sluggish it is, and even when it does, it tends to not have that much impact. This general improvement to the turret's stats should alleviate this.

• Ammo reserves: 32 -> 34
• Delay between shots: 2.6s -> 2.8s
• Wind-up speed: 2.8s -> 2.0s
• Symbiosis damage multiplier: 1x -> 1.14x
• Symbiosis wind-up speed multiplier: 0.5x -> 0.68x
• Symbiosis rotation speed multiplier: 1x -> 1.5x
• Symbiosis ammo consumption multiplier: 0.7x -> 0.625x
• Symbiosis rate of fire multiplier: 1x -> 0.68x

Shotgun Sentry

The Shotgun Sentry has so many things going on. Its short range prevents it from swiftly responding to threats, its high fire rate makes it tend to dump shots into freshly-created corpses, and it doesn't attack ideal elevations for its pellet spread pattern. This is basically a complete performance overhaul of the device to hopefully make it the lord of corners.

• Damage: 15.5 -> 16.08
• Precision multiplier: 1x -> 0.7x
• Stagger multiplier: 1x -> 2x
• Ammo reserves: 66 -> 86
• Delay between shots: 0.75s -> 0.65s
• Wind-up speed: 0.5s -> 0.3s
• Detection angle: 40 deg. -> 50 deg.
• Detection range: 10m -> 8m
• Symbiosis rotation speed multiplier: 1x -> 1.65x
• Symbiosis ammo consumption multiplier: 0.5x -> 0.8x
• Symbiosis rate of fire multiplier: 1x -> 0.65x
• Now shoots at enemy bodies instead of heads

Acknowledgements

A massive thanks to tru0067, for helping define the direction the mod should go in and settle the initial balancing pass for me to work off of. Thanks to MacCad for holding the HEL Revolver's flashlight in place. Thanks also to Rayalot72 and D4RKEVA for teaching me how the game is played at levels far beyond my comprehension. And finally, thank you to the units I've been diving with over the years and using as test subjects for these changes <3