probally escluded missile and similar all weapon in erernal ceusade will be hit scan so plasma will be fast
I know it isn't up to the art department, but I think plasma shots should travel through targets, I mean a superheated ball of death traveling that fast would surely blast through soft targets. Or is there something in the lore which says that plasma shots decompose on impact?
No, it was a rifle-sized plasma gun being used by an Imperial Fist Scout. He was firing at a target several hundred meters away. They can definitely punch through targets. Many patterns of plasma weapons have multiple firing modes, such as the high-powered bolts that explode on impact or the standard armor-piercing (probably the most used and safest mode). A plasma gun pierces through the armor of a Leman Russ battle tank in the quote below (yes, the rear armor, but still the incredibly tough armor of a Leman Russ), which means it shouldn't have any trouble going through lightly armored infantry. "Leonid screamed himself hoarse at the traitors within, skidding to a halt less than ten metres from the rear of the tank and raising Corde's plasma gun. He squeezed the trigger twice in quick succession, sending bolts of white-hot plasma energy towards the tank. The shots impacted squarely on the thin rear armour and punched through it easily, instantaneously igniting the tank's fuel and ammo. The tank exploded in a red fireball, the turret buckling from the pressure of internal detonations." - Storm of Iron, Pg. 135
So what we've seen is that their 'rounds' can travel instantly, pierce tank armour and easily fire straight through hordes of enemies.. Somehow I don't think this is the kind of plasma gun that will make it into the final version.
Yes, but unfortunately adding physics for every weapon is going to cost in lag. Sort of stuck with hit scan in some cases.
Plasma is superheated gas though, that evaporates a moment after leaving the barrel, so the faster it flies, the longer the range. Leaving physics aside, I doubt it'll overlap with rocket launcher, so probably a generic glowing bolt/pulse is what will happen.
