- Splash damage
Splash damage, also known as radius damage, is a term used in several types of
game s, most notably infirst-person shooter andreal-time strategy computer game s, to refer to damage taken by players or objects in the area surrounding a point of weapon impact. Splash damage is most commonly dealt byexplosive weapons such asgrenade s orrocket s, or magic damage from the casting of spells infantasy games.Splash damage weapons are effective against a group of enemies: dealing splash damage is easier than damaging all of them directly. They are also useful against moving targets at medium range — experienced players often fire at the ground near the opponent's feet, ensuring that the target is hurt even if the munition does not score a direct hit. Conversely, a player using splash-damage weapons up close may take damage from his or her own shots (depending on the game being played). Damage usually decreases based on distance from the point of impact, and splash damage attacks generally do less direct damage than direct attacks.
In
strategy game s, a melee splash damage attack means that units around the target will also be damaged; while a ranged splash damage attack implies the attack will deal damage over an area surrounding the point of impact. This will or will not damage allied units, depending on the game played. The term is also used in table-toprole-playing game s andwargame s.Splash damage is distinguished by
area of effect damage in that typically splash damage deals increased damage to the target at the center of impact and decreased damage (splash damage) to all players/units caught in the radius of the blast. In addition, in many RPGs and MMORPGs, spells dealing splash damage "must" be centered around a target, whereas area of effect spells may be used anywhere. These distinctions are not universal.
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