Modded only to add rangefinder for experiment!

Summary:

The 81mm mortar's kill/knockdown radius is approximately 20m in-game. The real-world M821 HE round has a documented effective casualty radius of 35m for personnel in the open. The blast visual effect is also undersized for a 4.14kg HE round. Real-world 81mm impact footage is attached for visual comparison alongside in-game test footage.

Test method:

Using a rangefinder, I measured my distance from the impact point and fired rounds, creeping inward in increments. Results for a standing soldier in the open with no cover:

- 34m from impact: No effect

- 32m from impact: No effect

- 28m from impact: No effect

- 24m from impact: Slight damage

- 20m from impact: First knockdown

This gives an effective kill radius of approximately 20m and a damage onset at roughly 24m. Both are significantly below the documented 35m effective casualty radius for the M821 HE round.

Expected behaviour:

The M821 HE round has a documented effective casualty radius of approximately 35m for exposed personnel, with dangerous fragmentation extending beyond 200m. A soldier standing 34m from an 81mm HE impact in the open should be killed or seriously wounded, not unaffected. The visual explosion should also be significantly larger - see attached real-world footage for comparison.

Impact on gameplay:

The mortar mechanics in Reforger are excellent - the ballistic model, tube-laying, and teamwork required are well implemented. But the payoff on impact does not justify a dedicated mortar squad calculating grids and adjusting fire - hence why they are rare. At 20m effective radius, direct small arms fire outperforms indirect fire support at the ranges where mortars should dominate.

Suggested changes:

1. Increase 81mm lethal radius to 30-35m to match M821 HE specifications

2. Damage onset should begin at 35m+, not 24m

3. Add wound/suppression effect out to 50m+

4. Scale up blast visual and audio to match real-world footage

5. Consider adding 120mm mortar system (e.g. M120/2S12 Sani) as a heavier fire support option with ~70m casualty radius - this would give platoon/company-level mortars (81mm) and battalion-level mortars (120mm) as distinct assets, adding real depth to the indirect fire role

Attachments:

- In-game test video: rangefinder test showing no effect at 34m, slight damage at 24m, knockdown at 20m - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt95ZajuXDo

- Real-world 81mm mortar impact footage for blast effect comparison (impressive) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8k6623fTo

References:

1. Wikipedia - M252 Mortar: "High explosive rounds fired by the M252 weigh 10 lb (4.5 kg) with 0.7 kg of explosive filler and can have an effective kill radius of 115 ft (35 m)" (citing Popular Mechanics)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M252_mortar

2. SOFREP - The 81mm Mortar: "The kill radius of the 10-pound (4.5-kg) HE round is approximately 35 meters"

https://sofrep.com/army/81mm-mortar-weapon/

3. NFC Ordnance Training - US M374A2 81mm HE Mortar: "Effective Casualty Radius: Approximately 35 meters for personnel in the open. Bursting Radius: Fragments may travel 200+ meters with decreasing lethality"

https://3dordnance.com/us-m374a2-81mm-he-mortar/

4. FAS Military Analysis - M821 Cartridge Specifications: Round weight 4.14kg, Composition B (RDX/TNT) filler

https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/land/m821.htm

5. USMC MCRP 3-15.2A Chapter 4 - 81mm Mortar M252 (official field manual)

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/usmc/mcrp/3-15-2a/ch4.pdf

Thanks for reading.