Explosive Pistol Research

Pistol: Decl Chain and Explosive Pistol

Status as of 2026-09-25, read from Retail installation (read-only only). All data resides in gameresources.resources (Container MAIN, always mounted); deviations are noted below. Verifiable via: python tools/verify_weapon_mod.py. Status: structurally valid, unconfirmed in-game.

Chain of the Player Pistol

weapon/player/sp/handgun           inherit handgun_nomesh; Model pistole61.md6, magazineEnt, casing
weapon/player/sp/handgun_nomesh    inherit base_nomesh (no inventoryClass = Standard class)
                                   initialAmmoDecl = ammo/player/sp/handgun
                                   BURSTMODE_SINGLE, burstInterval 85, dualwieldable, maxCount 2
                                   upgrades: magazine_size, silencer, elephantrounds, elephantrounds_silencer
ammo/player/sp/handgun             inherit base_ammo (clipSize 30 as default)
                                   clipSize 10, maxCount 80, lowAmmoInClip 3, 20 ammoCountMeshes
                                   projectileDecl = projectile/player/pistol
projectile/player/pistol           inherit projectile/player/default  -> Hitscan (no hitscan=false)
                                   damageDecl bullet_pistol, impactEffectTable handgun, tracers 2
damage/firearm/bullet_pistol       inherit bullet_standard; 20/20, DAMAGETYPE_HANDGUN,
                                   declGoreBehavior standard/pistol

Upgrades (applyTo = weapon/player/sp/handgun) swap the projectile via modifiersData.item[].data.valueDecl: silencer -> pistol_silenced, elephantrounds -> pistol_elephant (Damage bullet_pistol_elephant 30, Gore standard/magnum; newer version in patch_2), elephantrounds_silencer -> pistol_elephantrounds_silenced. All three inherit (directly or via pistol_elephant) from projectile/player/pistol. magazine_size: AMT_AMMO_CLIP_SIZE, valueInt = 20, priority 4, without opType; located in gameresources and patch_3 (there additionally DMT_UPGRADE_ANIM). All four Retail magazine upgrades set exactly double the base magazine (10/20, 30/60, 20/40, 45/90) - whether "set" or "add" is intended, the data does not specify.

Decl entries in IDCL carry 0 dependencies; references are resolved at runtime by name. generated/buildgame/common.mapresources (highest copy in patch_4) loads the entire chain with the Always bit.

What Explodes

Every Retail projectile with splashDamageDecl is an Entity projectile (hitscan = false + notHitscanInfo.entityDef); a hitscan with area damage does not exist. Candidates: Grenades, dieselgun, ubergun, dkw_*, Combat Pistol.

Combat Pistol (ammo/player/sp/kampfpistol, 6 shots):

• projectile/player/kampf_pistol - Grenade, parabolic trajectory, bounces off surfaces, ignites after 2.5s or upon contact with enemies (explodeOnActorsAfterTime 200).
• Launcher upgrade weapons/kampf/launcher -> projectile/player/kampf_pistol_rocket: gravityFactor 0, speed 70, Entity projectile_ent/kampf_grenade_rocket (idProjectile_Grenade, explodeOnImpactAfterTime 75 ms, fuse 3s), splashDamageDecl damage/player/kampf_grenade: 250 damage, Radius 2 (inner 1), selfDamageScale 0.25, Gore standard/grenade + radial. Direct hit damage/player/kampf_grenade/minorimpact.

The Mod (mods/tnc_waffe_explosivpistole)

Asset	Change	Location
projectile:projectile/player/pistol	inherit default -> kampf_pistol_rocket	408/448 B
ammo:ammo/player/sp/handgun	edit.clipSize 10 -> 30	465/512 B
upgrade:weapons/handgun/magazine_size	patch_3-Retail without indentation, valueInt 20 -> 30	439/448 B (gameresources), 439/512 B (patch_3)

Why use inherit instead of projectileDecl for the ammunition: The upgrades replace the projectile, but all replacement projectiles inherit from projectile/player/pistol. This causes basic, silencer, and elephant ammunition to explode, while the pistol retains its bullet sound, spread, and its hit damage (bullet_pistol instead of minorimpact); additionally, it gains the area damage of the combat pistol rocket.

Why the upgrade is a file: Installation.read reads the first copy (gameresources) and apply writes the result to every copy. A set would have taken DMT_UPGRADE_ANIM from the patch_3 copy. The indented patch_3 version packs to 467 bytes; the space in gameresources is 448 bytes—thus a rebuild of 702 MB. Without indentation (token-identical, as confirmed by the reviewer): 439 bytes.

Retail examples: The hatchet (weapon/player/sp/hatchet, also standard class) fires an entity projectile (axe_throw, hitscan = false). A magazine larger than ammoCountMeshes.num is common (smg 45/1, battlerifle 30/3).

Open (only to be clarified in-game)

• Whether the standard weapon class starts the rocket entity exactly like idKampfpistol (the hatchet example supports this).
• Whether the spawned entity takes damage from projectile/player/pistol or from its own projectileDecl (kampf_pistol_rocket) — it should explode in both cases.
• Setting or adding AMT_AMMO_CLIP_SIZE: with magazine upgrade 30 or 60.
• The rocket does not ignite on impact under ~5 m (75 ms at speed 70), but bounces off and ignites later — self-damage 25 %.
• aiEventDecl base/misc/grenade: Enemies react to every shot as if it were a grenade; the silencer no longer makes the pistol silent.