Template talk:Class weapons table scout primary
Attribute Consistency
Although I am posting this discussion on the Scout (specifically Scout's primary) class weapon table, the problem I want to discuss here is prevalent in all of the Class weapon tables across all weapon slots. Namely, the weapon attributes listed here are incredibly inconsistent with each other. This usually wouldn't be a problem if these templates were merely copying the attributes already found on the weapon description, since Valve is also quite inconsistent when it comes describing weapons. However, these tables don't just do that; they also take the liberty to describe hidden attributes not listed in the normal weapon description (such as the Buffalo Steak's hidden damage vulnerability) while also providing additional explanation to some of the more complex attributes (the table describing demoman's shields is a good example of this). Since we are already taking the liberty to deviate from the Valve's description of these weapons, we might as well put in the effort to make them consistent and standardized like all things on the wiki, but that is not the case.
Firstly, the attributes themselves are incredibly inconsistent. Taking a look at the Scout's weapons; we already have at least 4 different ways of describing a buff or a nerf to the weapon's damage: x% less/more damage, Deals x% less/more damage, x% less/more damage against players and my favourite: x% more/less damage per pellet. And this is just for the Scout. Other classes have even more ways of describing the same attribute: -/+x% damage done (taken from the Family Business) or x% damage bonus/penalty (taken from the Panic Attack). Not to mention that each of these 6 listed examples have their own variant, depending on whether the author felt like including or omitting a plus or a minus in front of the damage percentage. Meaning that we have 12 different ways of describing just the damage of a weapon.
Secondly, the placement of attributes in relation to each other is also without any order or form, with only the basic layout of having pros on top and cons at the bottom being respected. For example, the Shortstop places the change to the weapon's firing speed over the change to its damage. But the Ambassador does it in reverse, placing the damage penalty over the firing speed penalty. I'd say that this is quite important, since the attribute at the top is probably going to be perceived as more important or impactful then the one below it.
Overall, these are just some examples out of the hundreds available that I've deemed worth highlighting. Obviously, it's not possible to standardize every single weapon attribute, since many of them are exclusively unique to only a single or a few weapons (such as the demoman's shields). But some of the more prevalent attributes that are shared among many weapons: damage bonus/penalty, faster/slower firing speed, faster/slower reload time, larger/smaller clip size etc should be standardized in their description and placement Lolimsogreat21 (talk) 23:52, 9 January 2025 (UTC)Lolimsogreat21
- I'm sorta neutral on this. There are certainly things that could get tweaked but I don't really thing there needs to be a big overhaul or anything. There are so many edge cases that trying to make everything fully consistent would be really challenging. Most of the variance comes from the way valve described them on the items so there's bound to be a lot of inconsistency. Mediarch
♥ Talk ♥ My Edits 15:58, 10 January 2025 (UTC)