Post created by: Holly
Over the course of many First Person Shooter (FPS) video games, the application of true physics on the game is typically avoided. When fight online, players don’t want to worry about how the wind resistance will affect the bullet of their guns while shooting away. However, the company behind an FPS game called Battlefield 1(BF1), attempted to add more realism to the game. Contrary to previous games in the Battlefield collection, bullet drop was made pertinent to the game experience. Bullet drop is the effects of wind resistance gravity on the bullets velocity as it travels through the air. Weapons that are short range still have bullet drop, yet doesn’t affect the bullet path in short range. The effects of bullet drop can be vastly seen in snipers. When sniping across a large map, one has to adjust their arm to account for the bullet drop. Many players refers to this as a lob shot, as you are aiming for the bullet to arch across the map and still damage the enemy player. The sniper I personally use while playing will be used as an example. The M1903 Sniper in BF1 is described as "An American bolt-action rifle firing a low drag projectile, excellent for very long ranges."(“M1903”). The equation for basic bullet trajectory given by Sciencing.com is x = v0x√2h ÷ g. v0x is the initial velocity, h is the height at which the bullet was fired, and g is gravity(Johnson). In BF1, the M1903 Sniper fires at 820 m/s. Let’s say you fired the M1903 on a hill ledge that was 200m high.
x = v0x√2h ÷ g
x = 820m/s√2(200m) ÷ 9.8m/s^2
x= 16400m^2/s ÷ 9.8m/s^2
x= 1673.47m
So without the effect of bullet drop the M1903 would travel 1673.47m from the hill ledge. However, let’s compare how bullet drop affects the M1903. The equation that incorporates bullet drop is given by x = v0xt − CρAv2 t2 ÷ 2m (Johnson) . the new components are C= drag coefficient of the bullet, p= air pressure, A= area of bullet, v=velocity, t= time, m=mass. The M1903 will be fired at the same 200m high hill ledge. *flight time of bullet was calculated using t = √2h ÷ g (Johnson), air pressure used is average/normal air pressure
x = v0xt − CρAv2 t2 x 2m
x = v0xt − CρAv2 t2 x 2m
x= (820m/s)(2.04s)- (.447)(1.2 kg/m^3)(.011m^2)(200^2m/s)(2.04^2s) x 2(.012 kg)
x= 1674.47 - (34581.55 x .024)
x=1674.47 -396.26
x= 1278.21m
With the factor of bullet drop the bullet actually could only travel 1278.21m. The farther the bullet travels the more the more bullet drop will affect the bullet. In BF1 they use a factor of 12m/s as the loss of velocity due to bullet drop. So in the game the M1903 from that same ledge would travel x= v0x - (v0x ÷ 12)
x= 1674.47 - (1674.47÷ 12)
x= 1674.47 - 139.54
x= 1534.93
The bullet drop in BF1 has a 20.08% error compared to real life. However, since most FPS video games don’t use bullet drop, BF1 is one of the most realistic FPS games out there.
Work Cited
Johnson, Lee. "How to Calculate a Bullet's Trajectory." Sciencing. 02 Mar. 2019. 13 Sept. 2019 <https://sciencing.com/calculate-bullet-trajectory-5185428.html>.
"M1903 Springfield." Battlefield Wiki. 13 Sept. 2019 <https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/M1903_Springfield>.
Nunneley, Stephany. "Battlefield 1: Here's how Bullet Drop and Critical Hits have changed sniping." VG247. 29 June 2016. VG247. 13 Sept. 2019 <https://www.vg247.com/2016/06/29/battlefield-1-heres-how-bullet-drop-and-critical-hits-have-changed-sniping/>.
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