Should a head-shot always be a one-shot-kill?

[hermes]

In an RPG (or games defined by RPG mechanics), I am fine with enemies resisting hundreds of bullets to the head, the same way I am fine with enemies resisting hundreds of slices of a sword that is larger than them, or dozens of magic spells that look like nothing short of atomic bombs... In games where player accuracy is a thing, it should be computed and at least be bonus damage, but still determined by stats. That is the difference between games like Fallout 3 to Borderlands and The Division (and yes, I do consider the Division a shooter with strong RPG elements).

 

[SpiralLegacy]

Yes. And depending on the power of the weapon, the appropriate bonus damage should be applied. Headshots with long range sniper rifles with higher caliber bullets should obviously kill quicker than automatic weapons with lower caliber bullets.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

I'm not gonna be original here and say: depends. But generally, if we're talking about semi-realistic, human-like enemies then yes, head trauma should pretty much guarantee their immediate elimination. Personally, it's mostly because a mook taking bullet after bullet on the forehead just reeks "bullet sponge" to me, and that's what i very much would like to avoid in my shooters.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

People need to just respect what a game is. A lot of people complaining about this in The Division and I'm like "its an RPG..."

In RPGs, no. Should be bonus damage if your own ability to aim is a factor, but otherwise if its down to stats and HP, heads should not be one shot. Realism shooters, yes it should be. Though people complaining about realism, then being shot once ANYwhere should leave you heavily debilitated.

pretty much this. most of these games that people complain about are rpg's first, shooters or whatever else second, I remember the same complaints cropping up around alpha protocol..

what the fuck do you think happens when you level up your accuracy/gun skill? just treat guns like another fantasy weapon if that's the case.

Plus it would outright suck in an rpg to build up your stats crazy high to be hit by a pee shooter in the face and die when you're rocking god alpha demon tank mc tank heavy world breaking armor.

 

[Lindale FF]

That depends on what you are shooting. For any bullet-based gun, the answer is obvious. That will get through a skull with no problem. That said, real-world snipers never aim or the Hollywood-style head shots. Real-world snipers aim for....

1: Centre mass, the chest. Even at a mile away, a .50 calibre round impacts with the same kinetic force as a 9mm at point blank. Anther factor is the temporary wound cavity, which stretches the impact area. That is why the reverse side will always be larger than the impact side. A 7.62x39mm round is capable of inflicting a temporary wound cavity larger than the body itself. So, no matter how much everyone in Team Fortress 2 WILL complain about your body shots, that is where a sniper is supposed to aim.

2: Or a sniper will aim for the "fatal T," which is where the spinal cord meets the skull.

3: There is a factor called "cranial evacuation." This is an extension of the factor that causes temporary wound cavities. Basically, the skull acts much like a watermelon. If you shoot it with even a .45, the kinetic force will cause it to explode. But, instead of being some fleshy mass, the head is encased by a hard skull that cannot stretch or flex. So, that means the skull simply remains in that fractured state.

Needless to say, any of these will result in instant death.




Now for much less-powerful ammunition.

An arrowhead works best when it is wider than the shaft of the arrow. That will not only cause a temporary wound cavity, but it will also allow open air into the wound once the cavity collapses. For maximum effect, the best place to aim is the heart, but the lungs will also work if you don't mind waiting for your victim to suffocate from a collapsed lung, or drowning from blood filling into the lung. Aiming for the head is not a realistic option at all, but it could work, if you have a bow powerful enough to get through a skull.

Metal Gear 2 had that tranquillizer gun, which worked faster if you scored a head shot. That never added up for me. If you are shooting some sort of toxin, then shooting that at a solid bone would never do the trick. For a toxin to work correctly, it needs to be in the blood stream. But, you obviously do not want to hit an artery if you are simply looking to poison.


So, where you need to aim all depends on the ammunition, and what you plan to do.

 

[kilenem]

Technically COD's online component is a rpg but for the most part head shots kill.

 

[Drathnoxis]

People don't always die when they are shot in the head, it depends where the bullet hits. My grandpa has a .22 in his cheekbone that he's had since he was like 12.