Talk:Ignis/@comment-60.242.87.160-20151021233543/@comment-50.135.157.64-20151022004002

^ The facts about real life flamethrowers have been completely warped by Hollywood films, and there are many false myths surrounding them: ◾ Flamethrowers do not actually throw flame - rather, they carry a liquid propellant (usually a fuel such as gasoline) that is stored in the tanks on the back. When it is fired, it is propelled down the pipe to the nozzle, where it is ignited (either manually by holding fire near the nozzle, or through a spark system), becoming burning fuel that coats anything and everything. ◾ Since the propellant is not actually fire, but burning fuel, it cannot be extinguished by jumping into water. In fact, it will continue to burn underwater meaning that if covered in it, you will die painfully regardless of attempts to extinguish the fire. Of course, there is a chance the flames on the burning fuel will set fire to the surroundings, but the risk is minimal in the face of the burning propellant. ◾ Shooting the fuel tanks of a flamethrower will NOT cause it to explode - rather the liquid fuel will leak out, meaning the flamethrower will just run out of fuel quickly. There are a few exceptions to this - using incendiary rounds WILL ignite the fuel as will setting fire to it manually, and there is a possibility that a spark could be caused by the rubbing of metal on the flamethrower, that could ignite the fuel too. ◾Real flamethrowers using liquid propellants have surprisingly long ranges, often dozens of meters or yards. For balancing reasons most videogames restrict such ranges. ◾ A flamethrower wielding soldier would not become a one man army, despite their overpowered nature in games, and was actually fairly vulnerable. ◾ Flamethrowers were very heavy and soldiers required an assistant to lift it onto their back. ◾ Futhermore, they would require an assistant at all times, to first turn the wheels on the tanks, letting fuel flow, and then to light the fuel at the end of the nozzle (unless it was a modern automatic version). ◾ Flamethrower wielding troopers, particularly in WWII, were not looked upon kindly by their enemies. The flamethrower was considered a barbaric weapon, despite all sides using them, so the soldier was often a prime target for snipers (and an easy one considering the flamethrower slowed them down). On top of this, many sides did not hold flamethrowing POWs, preferring to simply shoot them for their crimes.

◾ Finally, real life flamethrowers are not 'unlimited' and actually can only be used in very short bursts before having to be refilled or replaced. For example, the WWII American M2 Flamethrower only had fuel for 7 seconds of non-stop firing, meaning it was generally used against fortifications in very short bursts.

http://metrovideogame.wikia.com/wiki/Flamethrower