Firearms: Source Weapons Showcase: Beretta 92FS news

This weekend's update is on the Beretta 92FS. Clocking in at 3 credits and firing 15+1 rounds of 9mm, with an optional silencer, the Beretta makes a wonderful choice as a backup weapon. In testing, it's proven to be one of the most-used and well-liked pistols.

(Please see the Videos tab for our Beretta 92FS demonstration video)

The silencer can be attached and detached using the alt-fire key. You do not need stealth to obtain a silencer; we don't believe in tying weapons to abilities, as the divide between those concepts is what helps to separate Firearms from most other class-based shooters. Instead, attaching the silencer makes small changes to how the weapon handles, and anyone with the Stealth skill will have their kills "hidden" from enemy players if they execute such kills with the silencer attached. Thus, the Beretta 92FS makes a great infiltration weapon. If you're trying to sneak into an enemy base or flag area, you can do so without alerting the enemy team, as all your kills with it will be shrouded. The weapon is deathly quiet, too, and can only be heard from a foot or so away.

The video above shows a few seconds of a player using the 92FS to infiltrate an enemy-held parking garage on tc_asylum. The other players in the video are dev team members Shinobi, DysPatch and Airwolf, and testing crew member TheUltra4sshole.

What about using it without the silencer? With the silencer detached, the 92FS still stacks up very well against the other handguns. With a 15 round magazine it can fire much longer than the 1911, Desert Eagle and Anaconda, and it's cheap too, at only 3 credits. Despite firing the "weak" 9mm, we've given it a (relatively) hefty damage output and thus it competes quite nicely at short range and makes a suitable backup weapon no matter what the circumstances. I regularly use the 92FS in my own testing setups and find it well balanced versus my other favorite handgun, the Colt M1911A1.

And now for tester quotes! FAS Military advisor and OIF veteran TheUltra4sshole:

"I can't possibly say enough about the M9. I pick it with every load-out I can. It's worth every credit you pay, but you have to work for it. By itself, it's an OK-ish weapon, since it's only strength is it's mag capacity, but as a backup weapon it's absolutely perfect.

Since I'm one of those players that run around as much as possible in an effort to not get shot, I often don't hit crap with my primary weapon. Sure, with my primary I get a few good hits that might take my opponent down below 50 hp, but when my primary's dry, out comes the trusty M9...with the unsuppressed sound we have for it right now, it's immensely satisfying to pump out as many rounds as you can--as fast as you can--through it.

Seriously, I get a maniacal smile on my face every time I dump an entire mag of a FAMAS and get the timing of my clicks right to do the same with the M9...I don't even care if I win or lose, the other guy HAD to be thinking "That sounded awesome."

The M9 definitely is a fun multiplier for me. And that's what this mod is all about. Having fun."

Alpha tester Mirsky says:

"There's no finer experience than sneaking up behind a clueless sniper, whipping out the silenced M9 and planting two shots in his cranium. Sure, some people might consider using a knife but the phut phut noise and the blood splatter evict a more visceral response."

Psychopathic asylum inmate Naota says:

"You. Why? Why won't you speak to me? I pull the trigger, and you do naught but deceive, lie to the world. What sort of beast of slaughter are you that DOES NOT ROAR?! ...You pretend that you're one of those... deaf-mutes, don't you? That way you don't have to have any 'goddam stupid useless conversations' with anybody. If anybody wanted to tell you something they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to you. You would be nothing but a killer hidden amidst the rye. But that is where you're mistaken, that is where you erred.

Even if you bite off your own metal tongue, even if your pathetic stinging can be drowned out by a man's dying breath, ultimately you can only fail. You can't silence everything, least of all me. Would you deafen me with silence? Impossible, the screams will guide me onwards. Would you blot out the sun with your lightless skin of blackened steel? Better still, I would find my way home with the keenest of all inks. I would paint myself a crimson road to walk, and tread gleefuly upon the skulls of men piled high beneath my boots."

So, what can we look forward to for the next update? I think it's about time I made that news post about how badly the FAS Team kicked the testers' asses in the first ever scrimmage of a Firearms game on the Source engine. You know, that must have been a while ago, because we weren't nearly this far ahead in build numbering - and still no rematch notice. I guess they learned their lesson!

Like last time, here's the help-wanted section. :-) We still need modelers of any kind, texture artists, and animators - especially ones who can do character animation or character modeling. Mappers would be welcomed too. If you think you have anything you can contribute, don't hesitate to drop us a line.

Credits: The renders above were provided by Shinobi. The weapon was modeled by SiD, skinned by Stoke and animated by thisismyname09. Airwolf provided the screenshots and Hitman recorded the video.

What do you think of our update today? Do you have thoughts on our Beretta 92FS implementation? What do you think about our video? Please post a comment and share your thoughts!