when i design weapon packs i design for groups of range, 15 tu, 30 tu and 90tu respectively as low, medium and long+ range.
these numbers are based purely on common map design i've seen, esp with deathmatch servers like elektrk's quake tdm or other tdm servers. maps that have tight corridors will usually have corners where the distance between you and an enemy will be like 10-15 torque units, and middle range combat like where you're fighting on bridges or in flat areas between buildings, is usually like 30-40 tu, while all long range combat will take place above 70 or 80.
ive experimented with 100% accurate guns before that use distance damage falloff, and they all suck, purely because hitting a moving target is pretty difficult in blockland. The collision box moves ahead of whats seen by the client prediction, so you might shoot someone's arm and it will miss because their collision box has mvoed a whole foot to the left or something. because of that limitation, ive found that inaccurate help by distributing the damage over a wider cone, ensuring that you are guaranteed to hit your target a certain number of times, and your skill in the battle is determined by your positioning rather than your aim. bushido's quake pack really evades this limitation well by introducing the missile launcher and railgun as the main meta weapons, both of which are splash weapons. since hitting your target with a perfectly accurate shot can either be really difficult or painfully easy, its better to reward players for hitting in the approximate area rather than that exact vector. not only that but the splash radius allows for rocket jumping, which makes for the perfect positioning/flanking weapon. it really serves so many purposes that it becomes almost essential
snipers are for people who want to reap the benefits of good aiming, while submachine guns and shotuns are for people who want to reap the benefits of positioning. this dichotomy is key for designing a diverse and balanced weapon pack.
