Scattergun vs. Force-A-Nature

Which do you prefer?


  • Total voters
    79

Kamon

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Apr 6, 2009
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Hey everybody, it's that time again! Many of you guys know me as the demon Scout that roams the vents of Black Mesa with my little FaN Cannon, so lets make this a little interesting. This time, we're going to pit the Force-A-Nature up against the Scatter Gun. Lets run down some of the weapon specifics before we vote. After you post, go ahead and give us your opinion on which you prefer or think is better, and why.

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The Scattergun


Information

The Scattergun is the primary weapon for the Scout class. It is a short, double-barreled lever-action shotgun with a wide cone of fire and high damage falloff, and fires 10 pellets per shot. While deadly at close range, the scattergun becomes mediocre at medium range and near useless at a distance. Two shots at point blank is enough to down most classes. Other than a slightly increased damage and wider spread the scattergun is equal to the standard shotgun in all regards. If fired from a position touching a target, the attack is capable of causing Knockback.

Damage

* Base: 6 per pellet
* Max Ramp Up: 175% (10.5 damage per pellet)
* Max Fall Off: 50% (3 damage per pellet)
* Pellet Count: 10
* Point Blank: 85-105
* Medium Range: 10-40
* Long Range: 3-10
* Mini-Crit: 8 per pellet
* Critical Hit: 18 per pellet

Function Times

* Attack Interval: 0.64
* Reload Base: 0.76
* Additional Reload: 0.56

Ammo Info

* Loaded: 6
* Carried: 32

The Force-A-Nature

Information

The Force-A-Nature, also known as the FaN, is the unlockable primary weapon for the Scout class, replacing the Scattergun and is unlocked after obtaining 11 of the Scout achievements. It is a double-barrelled hunting shotgun with extremely short barrels, which were cut down to increase spread. It sacrifices the reload speed and capacity of the Scattergun for maximum blasting power. Any opponent hit by a shot from the Force-A-Nature in close range will fly backwards a considerable distance. The sheer power of the recoil also causes the Scout to fly backwards for an effective 'third-jump' on top of his regular double-jump ability. The Force-a-Nature, at first, appears to deal less less damage than the Scattergun, but in fact it deals more damage (0.9x damage per pellet times 1.2x amount of pellets is 1.08 times normal damage) spread over more pellets, to maximize the weapon's Knockback feature. The Force-a-Nature's firing rate is also considerably faster than the Scattergun, unloading both shells in approximately half a second. Reloading with one round loaded will throw away that round.

Damage

* Base: 5.4 per pellet
* Max Ramp Up: 175% (9.45 damage per pellet)
* Max Fall Off: 50% (2.7 damage per pellet)
* Pellet Count: 12
* Point Blank: ~92-113
* Medium Range: ~11-43
* Long Range: ~3-11
* Mini-Crit: 7.29 per pellet
* Critical Hit: 16.2 per pellet

Function Times

* Attack Interval: 0.33
* Reload Base: 1.64 (Slower Than Scattergun)
* Additional Reload: None. Reloading one shell takes as long as reloading 2.

Ammo Info

* Loaded: 2
* Carried: 32

And if anyone's going to CRY SOME MOAR over this being a possible repost, I'll just point out that I have no plans to revive any year-old threads, and that the Force-A-Nature has changed in effect through updates since its original release.
 
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if you play scatter vs FaN (2 good skilled scout players)

the scatter always wins on a free field

but in vents like mesa
the FaN always wins
 
Scattergun without a doubt. You can easily take down 3 to 5 guys in a one run through if you know how to dodge.

The FaN is mainly used for annoyance and triple jumping/force jumping.
 
I'll throw my own opinion in a different post now.

I use the Scatter Gun and Force-A-Nature in completely different situations, for a number of reasons.

When I'm on the offense and trying to take down as many enemies as I can in open combat, the Scattergun is easily my weapon of choice.

However, when I'm running for the intel or trying to catch my opponents offguard and take out an enemy (particularly a medic) before their teammates even realize I've made a hit and run. The FAN jump also allows you to take different paths, blow enemies out of your way, and play a Scout that is just as aggressive, but more focused on tasks such as capturing points and intel than running straight into contact--which is usually better left to classes such as Soldiers and Pyro with medics handy.

The FAN is especially useful in, say, Black Mesa for a number of reasons.

1) You can get into the vent opening in C and L without being sucked into the fan, giving you an advantage over every class--Demos and Soldiers usually cannot do this.
2) You're possibly the best class to deal with single demos iron horsing. A quick 90 degree turn and a FAN jump onto the upper ledge where the Demo's sitting nice and comfy and a quick reload allows you to kill him in almost an instant, before he can deal with you.
3) The vents. Oh god, the vents. Don't even get me started on how many times I kill Heavy+Medic combos by ducking around corners to reload, discharging FAN shots into the fatty and his doctor (and by Heavy+Medic I mean Mental Buga and Masterpiece).

To me, it's like comparing the Flamethrower to the Backburner. In this case, it would be the comparison of the third jump to the airblast. It's extremely useful and, while the Backburner can typically deal more damage, the air blast (or third jump/knockback in this case) will help keep you alive.
 
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I used to be good with the FaN before they buffed it, but then I stopped using it because OP crying, and now I cant use it well anymore.

I prefer the Scattergun tho.
 
i'm pretty much scout all the time, and i was playing FaN pretty much constantly, but recently switched back to scatter gun purely for the ammo aspect and it has a better flow when fighting against multiple people.

My favorite aspect with FaN is that it pretty much stops someone dead in their tracks and you have a split second of control over them, but this only works on a 1v1 situation. The force jump is nice until you need to jump and gun someone and you're left wide open for people to blast your frail body to kingdom come.

I haven't officially decided which one is better, but i'm in the scattergun mind set right now.
 
FaN scouts are bad. Scattergun is better. FaN is just freaking annoying. And half the time i still own the FaN scouts on blackmesa with my scattergun and laugh.
 
I use both depending on map, situation, etc. I don't know why people complain and say fan scouts are bad. They have two shots to kill you with before needing to fall back. If you can't kill them before they get close enough to be in the deadly range of their gun, it is you that's bad.
 
FaN scouts are bad. Scattergun is better. FaN is just freaking annoying. And half the time i still own the FaN scouts on blackmesa with my scattergun and laugh.

your just bad.

FaN is a very situational gun. Scattergun is very stable in all situations. Kind of like the Ubercharge and the Kritzkreig. (Kritz is situational, uber is stable)
 
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Come on guys, don't you have some sort of better reasoning as to why you prefer the Scatter Gun? All these 'fan sux, real men use scatter gun' posts are disappointing me.
 
It really depends on the map. With a more open map, Scatter. But with a enclosed map, FaN
 
I'll throw my own opinion in a different post now.

I use the Scatter Gun and Force-A-Nature in completely different situations, for a number of reasons.

When I'm on the offense and trying to take down as many enemies as I can in open combat, the Scattergun is easily my weapon of choice.

However, when I'm running for the intel or trying to catch my opponents offguard and take out an enemy (particularly a medic) before their teammates even realize I've made a hit and run. The FAN jump also allows you to take different paths, blow enemies out of your way, and play a Scout that is just as aggressive, but more focused on tasks such as capturing points and intel than running straight into contact--which is usually better left to classes such as Soldiers and Pyro with medics handy.

The FAN is especially useful in, say, Black Mesa for a number of reasons.

1) You can get into the vent opening in C and L without being sucked into the fan, giving you an advantage over every class--Demos and Soldiers usually cannot do this.
2) You're possibly the best class to deal with single demos iron horsing. A quick 90 degree turn and a FAN jump onto the upper ledge where the Demo's sitting nice and comfy and a quick reload allows you to kill him in almost an instant, before he can deal with you.
3) The vents. Oh god, the vents. Don't even get me started on how many times I kill Heavy+Medic combos by ducking around corners to reload, discharging FAN shots into the fatty and his doctor (and by Heavy+Medic I mean Mental Buga and Masterpiece).

To me, it's like comparing the Flamethrower to the Backburner. In this case, it would be the comparison of the third jump to the airblast. It's extremely useful and, while the Backburner can typically deal more damage, the air blast (or third jump/knockback in this case) will help keep you alive.

Moral of the story: Only make topics that you really care about so that you can comment on your own thread. :P

Scattergun for the win forever. the FaN is ridiculous for those who know how to use it and incredibly frustrating for those who are on the receiving end of those two dreaded, hated, despised, game-ruining shots.
scout update ftl, sandman is awful (nothing worse than getting bonked..) FaN is frustrating because people abuse it to a certain degree that no weapon should be abused to.
 
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Come on guys, don't you have some sort of better reasoning as to why you prefer the Scatter Gun? All these 'fan sux, real men use scatter gun' posts are disappointing me.

Knocking someone and yourself further away from each other isn't the best idea if you do max damage by being up close. Also 2 shots vs 6.
 
Scattergun, I would rather be able to kill any class before having to reload instead of a select four classes.
 
Scatter-gun for multiple enemies, and 2 meatshots kills most classes (except for heavy). It also has more maneuverability (jumping and shooting, no kickback like FaN). An all round, general purpose weapon.

FaN is extremely good in 1 vs 1. I use that if they have a lot of Pyros, or "weaker" [< 175 hp classes].

But in general for me, Scattergun
 
FAN all the way.

Don't complain because I keep killing you with it. If you really think the Scattergun is better, go for it and try to kill me with it.

I can't tell you how many times I've gone into an empty 2Fort server just playing around, some other guy joins and tries to show me up and try to demonstrate that the Scattergun is much better, then after I've killed him for the eighth time he switches the FAN and still can't kill me.

And the "loss of movement" in the air is no longer a major problem with the FAN. You don't just hang there, you fly away from your opponent at a very flat trajectory, and you have a lot of control over where you want to go.

Also, considering the overall rate of fire with the Scattergun is about the same as the FAN, it's really not a problem fighting in large group battles. You're supposed to be dodging when you're reloading, not just waiting for the reload to finish. The longer reload really isn't a problem when it can instantly two-shot most classes anyway.

The only real problem with the FAN used to be that you could not interrupt its reload animation, which gave it a huge disadvantage in fights against a Scattergun Scout who tended to be much more versatile in when he chose to fire. Now even that's gone, thanks to the auto-reload feature.

Either you want sustained fire or you want focus fire with knockback and better movement capabilities. It's no a longer a matter of whether something is good in a 1 vs. 1 or in group battles, because both guns excel in both.
 
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I can't tell you how many times I've gone into an empty 2Fort server just playing around, some other guy joins and tries to show me up and try to demonstrate that the Scattergun is much better, then after I've killed him for the eighth time he switches the FAN and still can't kill me.

Who said the guy trying to show that the Scattergun is better was even good?

a Scout is one of the classes who die very fast if played by an "not so skilled" player.

Also FaN does indeed win in a 1v1 battle. Except if the other Scout is crazy and has drinked just one Bonk! too much and jumps all over the place. Then no one really wins.

But still, it's awesome that you destroy some people with the FaN. It's kinda like the AWP in CS. It destroys, people may whine about it, but it still destroys in the hands of the pros.

Okay, now this post is getting out of hands, so I better stop.

Also, I really gotta make some Blackmesa experiments. I will try and play with both guns and see which I destroy more with. But cant do that before friday. So this weekend, BLACKMESA SCOUT GUN TEST TIME
 

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