First episode of 'Time To Kill', a series devoted to the inner workings and mechanics of Call of Duty's multiplayer. Episode one focuses on damage - a critical part of the game, and the factors that can influence the effectiveness of your weapons. At its core, Damage is a simple concept - you have a weapon, and a successful hit with said weapon will deliver damage to your opponent - and should you deal damage sufficient you'll be awarded a kill. The weapon damage mechanics in call of duty do have some trickier points, however - as there are multiple factors that can affect your weapon's performance - and either enhance your lethality, or blunt your weapon's power. For most weapons, the distance from your target is the major factor in determining how much damage you're able to deal with each shot. Generally, the closer you are to your foe the more damage your weapon will deal. Most weapons have two damage figures - a maximum and minimum amount that it is capable of inflicting. These two numbers are paired with two distances, defining the weapon's effective range. From a point blank range to the first distance figure, your weapon will deal its maximum damage. Between the near and far range figures, damage will scale linearly from your weapon's maximum to its minimum. And from this point outwards, you'll deal minimum damage out to any distance. A weapon's category is usually a fairly good indicator of its effective range - while every weapon has its own unique range, each category tends to have similar traits. Shotguns have the shortest range, followed by pistols and SMGs. These weapons deal most damage up close, but lose effectiveness rapidly at a distance. Once shotguns reach their maximum range, they'll deal no damage at all to an opponent further away. LMGs and assault rifles have moderate effective range, hence normally performing best at a middle distance. Note that some weapons don't have any damage drop-off whatsoever - sniper rifles,