Re: Marksmanship

	Howdy!

On Tue, 13 Jul 1999, Ground Zero Games wrote:

> Exactly. The short ranges in FMA are quite deliberate, to a) reflect a
lot
> of the things that have already been mentioned on this thread and b)
more
> importantly, to make the game WORK. "Realistically" long ranges (ie,
from
> ideal firing range data) are a pain when you are trying to balance a
game
> of skirmish fire-and-movement, so I kept them down to what seemed to
fit
> the game situation - fast-moving street fights with a lot of stress,
> confusion and the bad guys firing back at you. I think I remember
reading
> somewhere that most US Police shootouts happen at something like five
> metres range or less.

	Yup.  Most police snipers engage targets at 40m, rather than the
300+m that military snipers train for.	This is why in the last 5 years,
police snipers have been going to dedicated firing schools that meet
their
needs, rather than training with the military.

	I have personally known police in Metro-Dade and Valousia
Counties who have been involved in firefights.	Most less than 8 meters,
with LOTS of shots exchanged.  With fewer hits.  And these were good
shooters.  As earlier posted in this thread, manuevering targets who
fire
back make life difficult.  Also a big component is nerves and
adrenaline.

	Ken