UPDATED FOR COMPATIBILITY WITH MW5 1.0.227

What does this mod do?
This mod increases the velocities of Autocannons, PPCs, Gauss Rifles, and LRMs to more accurately represent real-world weapon velocities. A new base velocity was applied to each of these weapons, then modified according to weapon tier. There are two versions to choose from (autocannon velocities differ, but the rest of the velocities are the same between mods):

• 128mm: This version uses the 128mm Pak 44 muzzle velocity (950 m/s) as the base velocity for the AC/20, which is then scaled upwards for the other Autocannons.
• 203mm: This version uses the slower 203mm M110 Howitzer muzzle velocity (700 m/s) as the base velocity for the AC/20, which is then scaled upwards for the other Autocannons. 
  

128mm Autocannon Velocities

• AC/2: Base projectile velocity increased from 1200 m/s to 1500 m/s
• UAC/5: Base projectile velocity increased from 1200 m/s to 1500 m/s
• AC/5: Base projectile velocity increased from 950 m/s to 1300 m/s
• LBX AC/10: Base projectile velocity increased from 800 m/s to 1300 m/s
• LBX AC/10 SLD: Base projectile velocity increased from 800 m/s to 1300 m/s
• AC/10: Base projectile velocity increased from 600 m/s to 1100 m/s
• AC/20: Base projectile velocity increased from 400 m/s to 950 m/s
  

203mm Autocannon Velocities

• AC/2: Base projectile velocity increased from 1200 m/s to 1300 m/s
• UAC/5: Base projectile velocity increased from 1200 m/s to 1300 m/s
• AC/5: Base projectile velocity increased from 950 m/s to 1100 m/s
• LBX AC/10: Base projectile velocity increased from 800 m/s to 1100 m/s
• LBX AC/10 SLD: Base projectile velocity increased from 800 m/s to 1100 m/s
• AC/10: Base projectile velocity increased from 600 m/s to 950 m/s
• AC/20: Base projectile velocity increased from 400 m/s to 700 m/s
  

Gauss Rifles

• Base projectile velocity increased from 1750 m/s to 2500 m/s
  

Missiles

• LRMs: Base projectile velocity increased from 200 m/s to 250 m/s
  

PPCs

• Regular: Base projectile velocity increased from 1040 m/s to 2000 m/s
• ER: Base projectile velocity increased from 1646 m/s to 2500 m/s
  

Lightning PPCs (optional file)

• Regular: Base projectile velocity increased from 1040 m/s to 4000 m/s
• ER: Base projectile velocity increased from 1646 m/s to 4500 m
  

Why these velocities?
Battletech lore is very sparse regarding information on projectile velocities. I decided to keep the theme of the AC/20 being the slowest weapon and did some research to find existing weapons that would provide an indication of what their new velocity would be. After looking around a bit, I settled on using the muzzle velocity of the 11-ton WW2 German 12.8 cm Pak 44, which fired a 128mm 28 kg (62 pound) shell at a velocity of 950 m/s. This is inline with the lore caliber for both the Deathgiver AC/20 and the Luxor Devastator-20.

I reviewed modern tank cannons as well and after noting that the Rheinmetall Rh-120 can fire 120mm kinetic energy projectiles weighing 10 kg (22 pounds) at 1555 m/s and chemical energy projectiles weighing 22.7 kg (50 pounds) at 1410 m/s, I felt that 950 was an appropriate (if not low) baseline for the AC/20. Modern tank guns can reach projectile speeds around 2000 m/s, which matches the new velocity for a tier 5 AC/2.

LRMs were tricky. To the best of my knowledge there are no modern-day semi-guided missiles as small as the LRM, so after searching around a bit I took the velocity of the M8 rocket (270 m/s) and knocked a little off.

Modern Gauss Rifles can reach a projectile velocity of ~3000 m/s. Upping the base velocity for Gauss Rifles allows in-game tier 5 Gauss Rifles to just slightly exceed that speed.

PPCs have often been described as artificial lightning.  With this in mind, I upped the velocity on regular PPCs to 2000 m/s and upped the velocity for ERPPCs to match the new Gauss Rifle velocity.

I have never felt like SRM velocity was an issue. Their base velocity of 400 m/s seems to be in line with past and present-day rocket velocities, and given their short engagement range and cooldown I decided to leave their velocity as is.

Installation
The README file included in the mod describes how to install and activate this mod.

One word of caution - this mod might make for easier gameplay, as it will be easier to hit what you're aiming at with the increased projectile velocities. Then again, the AI might have an easier time hitting you. I haven't extensively tested this yet and may make further changes as I continue to test. Additionally, this mod won't work with other mods that change the attributes for autocannons, LRMs, Gauss Rifles, or PPCs.

Enjoy! Again, the above numbers, though backed by a bit of research, are still arbitrary. Please let me know if you have any feedback that might improve this mod!


Video Demonstration
TTB created a Youtube video reviewing this mod, which provides an idea of what you can expect with the new weapons velocities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFlQvrAH5HQ

In addition, Phillip Langenberg also created a video highlighting this mod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcbDgtg2SEk&feature=youtu.be


What are the other files?
Lightning PPCs drastically increases PPC velocity to better represent their in-lore description as "artificial lightning".

The other optional files have been removed, as I can't guarantee their compatibility with the current version of MW5. When I have time, I will work on redoing the Autocannon reduced damage version.


What's coming next?
I have several projects in the pipeline, but time has become a scarce commodity as I've begun studying for flight school. I will continue to work on other initiatives as time permits.

MagnusEffect is working on a weapons rebalance mod that will incorporate options for Realistic Weapon Velocities. Check it out here: https://www.nexusmods.com/mechwarrior5mercenaries/mods/53.