Shooter games can feel much more realistic if they feature bullet drop mechanics.
Bullet drop is not some kind of internet slang; it means literally this. It’s when you shoot a gun and the bullet starts to drop after covering a certain distance instead of going infinitely straight like a laser beam. In other words, it’s made to behave similarly to how it would behave under real-life physics conditions.
Bullet Drop Meaning in Games
Things like this are often sacrificed in favor of gameplay. Games tend to simplify real-world elements in order to make the experience more enjoyable. That’s why guns rarely get damaged in video games and they usually don’t need any maintenance; we want to focus on the fun part, which is shooting. When it comes to games, bullets often instantly hit whatever you’re aiming at; no bullet drop, and no travel distance.
However, for some games, it makes sense to add a bullet drop for an increase in realism and immersion. This is true for all kinds of simulator games that exist for this exact purpose – to make everything feel closer to reality. Games that are not exactly simulators but are played on huge maps that cover several square miles may also benefit from implementing bullet drop mechanics.
How Bullet Drop Works?
Usually, if a game features a bullet drop system, it’s done with the help of a physics engine that takes care of things like this. Rather than programming the behavior of the bullet itself, developers focus on simulating physics to mimic real-world forces, including gravity.
Once you have that, you just need to define the bullet’s velocity and mass, and add optional parameters, such as weather conditions, and the engine will calculate the bullet’s trajectory and will do the rest.
Bullet Drop in Battlefield
Most of the Battlefield games implement realistic projectile physics, at least partially. Before Bad Company 2, only certain weapons had bullet drop mechanics, most notably tank cannons and grenade launchers. Bad Company 2 implemented bullet drop for all weapons. In certain cases, bullet drop was exaggerated, especially on recon weapons, to make long-distance shots more difficult.
Bullet Drop in Escape from Tarkov
Escape From Tarkov features a realistic simulation of gravity, allowing for a convincing bullet drop. The game takes place on rather big maps, where bullet drop can make a huge impact if you choose to engage the enemy in long-range combat.
Bullet Drop in Sniper Elite
Sniper Elite is one of the very few games that revolves around the idea of bullet drop. It plays a major role here, as most of the time you’ll be trying to snipe the enemies down from significant distances, which means the bullet drop and the time the bullet needs to reach its target will be very noticeable and must be accounted for.