Weapons

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Weapons are handheld tools used by one in Planetoid Pioneers to defend oneself from hostile Creatures or Automatons, and to injure, maim or kill them. In a physics-driven game like Planetoid Pioneers, each weapon, instead of dealing a numerical amount of damage, maims the structure of any animate or inanimate entity. This makes weapons useful for both harming creatures and destroying parts of structures.

### Overheating

Upon usage, weapons begin to heat up, which can be identified by the weapons visually turning redder with smoke being exhausted out of the weapon. Upon further usage, the weapon will progressively turn redder, and will eventually begin to flash with every use. At this point, if the weapon is used further, it will cease to operate, and a prompt for throwing the weapon will be displayed. A few seconds after the prompt, or after the weapon collides with a hard structure, it will explode. Note that the weapon will detonate regardless of whether it is thrown or not, and failing to throw the weapon will result in it detonating in the player's hands, almost certainly maiming or killing the said player. This feature limits the usage of any weapon.

## Weapon Types

### Bolt Action Rifle

The bolt action rifle is likely the first weapon the player will find. It is a firearm that shoots one projectile per shot and must reload after every shot. Its slow reload duration is balanced by its accuracy, as it can fire with extreme precision. The shots typically deviate from the crosshair only after the bullet has traveled a long distance. The shots are also mostly unaffected by gravity, and the weapon itself does not overheat unless it is used very rapidly for a long period of time. It requires 3KG of metal and 1KG of carbon to atomize.

### Machine Pistol

The machine pistol is a rapid-fire firearm that shoots in bursts of five bullets. Though not very accurate, this weapon excels at short range. To balance its high firepower, the machine pistol lacks accuracy and is rarely able to damage entities farther away from the crosshair. Moreover, the machine pistol overheats very quickly. Firing a few bursts one after the other will rapidly heat up the firearm. The shots are mostly unaffected by gravity. It requires 4KG of metal, 1KG of carbon, and 1KG of silicon to atomize.

### Saw

The saw is likely the first melee weapon the player will find. Though dangerous to use, since it requires close range to operate, its sheer strength is unparalleled by any early-game weapon. Due to its melee-only capabilities, the saw is best used with a second, close-range weapon, such as the shotgun. It requires 20KG of metal to atomize.

### Pistol

The pistol is a semi-automatic firearm, that shoots accurately and rapidly. It is a versatile weapon that not only has decent firepower and accuracy but also a small size so as to not weigh its wielder down, and also does not overheat quickly. Its shots are not significantly affected by gravity. It requires 4KG of metal to atomize.

### Nail Gun

The nail gun is a semi-automatic weapon that, instead of bullets, fires nail projectiles. These projectiles can pierce structures, but slow down upon doing so. These shots are also significantly affected by gravity. The nail gun itself can fire fairly quickly and overheats slowly.

### Shotgun

The shotgun is a semi-automatic firearm that shoots a cluster of projectiles per mouse click. These shots can spread up to approximately 30 degrees of separation from the crosshair. Due to its nature, it is the best used at close range. To balance out its high firepower, the shotgun overheats rapidly with each shot.

### Assault Rifle

The assault rifle is a rapid-fire and fully automatic firearm. It shoots with above-average accuracy and shoots rapidly enough to kill most creatures with ease. To balance its high firepower and accuracy, the assault rifle overheats fairly quickly. It requires 5KG of metal, 1KG of carbon, and 1KG of silicon to atomize.

### Flamethrower

The flamethrower is a weapon that expurges a stream of flame. This sets most flammable structures on fire and rapidly damages any creatures caught in the flame. The flames are not affected by gravity and fade away upon traveling far enough. To balance its strength, the flamethrower is heavy and fairly short-ranged.