I been meaning to create this topic for a while now. Fuse boxes should not explode, period. What in them has an explosive potential? The mechanic of shooting a fuse box to create a small EMP is fantastic. It has proven useful in combat both from intentionally shooting it to the machines destroying it while I was running my low health character away. These explosions, for the most part, just shatter windows which does not make any sense at all. If it was a natural gas meter for the house, sure, that would explode I suppose. However, fuse boxes would not explode so I would like to see the explosion part of the fuse box removed.
If you agree with what I had to say and would like to see this change like this post. If you want to add to this discussion please comment below.
~ Vatruvius
I did not say that electrical mishaps cannot be spectacularly terrifying, just that a fuse box for a single home would not go to those extremes. Also, it makes an explosive noise like that of the fuel tanks in the game. This may just my lack of knowledge on the subject, but I would assume the sounds a massive electrical discharge makes would be very different than that of a natural gas explosion.
It ia game mechanic thingie, electric arcs happen and it is explosion. Super heated air, +2000c temps, etc stuff. But requires little bit morw juice in lines to happen. Like 25kV transfer line.
Maybe they could tone down the explosion part a little.
There’s a YouTube channel called Ahoy that dives drop into where gameplay mechanics originate from and I believe that this video answers your question.
Granted it’s not a fuse box but a red barrel. Shooting a red barrel IRL wouldn’t cause it to explode but we accept it in gaming today. Why?
Well he answers that question and searches for the origin of the exploding red barrel. The answer?
Well it comes from a combination of Hollywood and 80’s gaming.
I do not doubt it. I know shooting anything does not just make it explode unless the conditions are just right. That said, red barrels explode because they do have something within them that can explode even if it is exaggerated. A fuse box would make an amazing light display and probably some scary ass electrical arcs. Obviously shooting a fuse box probably won’t have the same effect, but it is at least exaggerated from what could happen in real life. A fuse box doesn’t have fuel or an accelerant or anything in it.
Mythbusters even tested shooting things to make them explode. I believe the test was a propane tank. They found that almost no bullet other than an incendiary round would cause a proper explosion. In short, it’s a game. Just go with it.
I know, I would just like to see a different effect at the very least. I understand that making an effect is difficult, time consuming, and costly but it should be different rather than the explosion effect that they already have.
And the boom in-game isn’t that big either as in above video.
Fuse box is closed space, at the event of short circuit, there will be very fast compression of air. Said air, under extreme pressure will shoot the fuse box’es door off, resulting in an audible bang.
Also, there is no need for “fuel” and fire to create an explosion. E.g shoot the compressed air tank. If you pierce the hull, air pressure inside is enough to cause the tank to blow up, causing an explosion without any fire whatsoever.
Fireworks (sparks/fire) is just byproduct of wire insulation and other materials caught fire under the extreme heat during short circuit.
From my line of work comes this video:
In that video, there are explosions inside PSUs during PSU failure. Albeit, it isn’t that big as in-game since PSUs are feed 230V @ 4A while the common house main breaker is from 60A to 200A.
If anything, shooting a fuse box and destroying it via short circuit doesn’t create an EMP which travels outwards of the wiring and remotely disables nearby machines. At most, you’d get EMP (surge) within the wiring itself, which travels through the house’s electrical grid and can fry anything connected to the electrical grid.
