FAMAS - Black Ops Multiplayer Weapon Guide

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• published: 17 Jul 2011
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Facebook: http://facebook.com/AhoyYT Twitter: http://twitter.com/xboxahoy In this episode we're covering the fourth assault rifle, the FAMAS. It's a fully automatic weapon, unlocked at level 17. The FAMAS, or Fusil d'Assault de la Manufature d'Armes de Saint-Etienne, is a French weapon currently employed as the service rifle of the french military. The FAMAS project began in 1967, and the first protoype was produced in 1971. Affectionately known as 'le Clairon' by the french soldiers who use it, literally meaning 'the bugle' - presumably for its appearance and report. The FAMAS has been employed by the French Armed Forces since 1979, and first saw service in the Chadian-Libyan conflict in 1983. Since then, the rifle has been revised to the G2 specification in 1994, closer meeting NATO requirements - and is an integral part of the modern french military's 'Felin' combat system. Interestingly, the model depicted in Black Ops, with the absent top carry handle and top rail mount, is this more recent F1 Felin variant - and its appearance is anachronistic, as it dates to the late 1990s with the introduction of the Felin program. Presumably, the weapon is supposed to be an earlier prototype, dating to the earliest days of the FAMAS project. The cartridge fired is the NATO standard 5.56 by 45mm round, as with most modern western assault rifles, and is the first French service rifle to fire a standard cartridge. In-game, magazine capacity is 30 rounds, and can be taken to 45 with extended mags. Technically the FAMAS is a low-damage assault rifle, on par with the AUG and Enfield in this respect - but in practical terms kills in the same number of shots as the higher-damage automatics, such as the commando and galil. While the FAMAS lacks the potential 2 headshot kill of those rifles, it will still kill in 3 rounds otherwise - and in addition, has a key advantage which makes it even more lethal. Rate of Fire is very high indeed, at 937.5 rounds per minute - meaning that up close you'll kill much quicker than the higher damage weapons. The ability to get so many rounds onto target so quickly is what makes the FAMAS so very well known to those familiar with Black Ops. With the faster fire rate comes reasonably high recoil, however - under fully automatic the FAMAS is quick to drift off target. Recoil is fairly predictable, and recovers faster than most other assault rifles, so with careful trigger control can be tamed. It's worth noting that the FAMAS was recently patched to decrease its effectiveness, adding slightly to the weapon's recoil, decreasing hipfire performance - and slowing the aim time of the weapon. Although the FAMAS used to take 250 milliseconds to aim down the sights, as with most other assault rifles, since the patch it will now take 300 milliseconds to aim instead. Reload is painless enough in most cases, fairly average for the assault rifle category at 2.5 seconds. Burst firing is essential, as otherwise your shots will be inaccurate - you need to fire just a few rounds at a time, as only these will stand a chance at hitting your mark. At a very long range, bursts of just two or three rounds will be most effective. Generally speaking, unless your target is at close range you'll do well to avoid automatic fire altogether - otherwise you'll simply miss your mark and be left with naught more than an empty magazine. The FAMAS is a fearsome weapon, long recognised as perhaps the best overall weapon in Black Ops. Despite receiving somewhat of a nerf in a recent patch, it remains a very competitive weapon, with an awesome rate of fire and a 3-hit kill out to a substantial range. Even with its recoil, the fire rate is such that a short accurate burst might still find a man sized target at a distance, and with tight trigger control the FAMAS is as deadly at long range as it is up close. This need for trigger control, and the moderately heavy recoil, is the FAMAS's key downfall. As recoil is random you can experience quite inconsistent results at a distance with the weapon, and under sustained automatic fire you'll find the weapon will drift off target quickly. In addition to the recoil, the high rate of fire also mandates frequent reloads - against multiple opponents you may find your immediate supply depleted before you've finished slaying. Post-patch, the FAMAS has been stymied further, with a slower aim time than any other assault rifle, and marginally worse hipfire performance. However, despite the attempts to reign in the goliath that was the FAMAS pre-patch, it remains amongst the most effective weapons in-game - and while the FAMAS now compares more closely to the other top-tier weapons, such as the Galil, G11 and AUG - it remains a very popular choice. If you're able to tame the devastating rate of fire - there's no doubt about it, this unmusical bugle - will sound your enemy's destruction.