I noticed a recurring element in games with firearms that either submachine guns or assault rifles use 24 round magazines instead of the default 30. Fallout's assault rifles do it, which I'm assuming is a leftover from the old Fallouts (but of course the new ones won't include Desert Eagles or burst fire shotguns. Well, the Riot Shotgun in NV is close.), but then I remembered Perfect Dark Zero's SMGs only have 24 rounds except the P90-but-not-really, which has 40 rounds (as opposed to the 50 IRL). But tell me if I'm wrong, but I recall seeing rifles in some videos of the new Saints Row having 24 rounds. Is there a reason they just blatantly cut out 1/5 of the rounds? If it's for balancing reasons, is 6 less bullets really a game changer? Is 6 rounds supposed to equal one kill and now you can only get 4 kills instead of 5 with one reload? This is jarring when it does come up, which is generally rare but still a bit out of leftfield.

Maybe you can describe weird idiosyncrasies or otherwise annoying design decisions a game employs differently from its peers.

Things like this are puzzling and I have no clue why they do this particular thing. It just seems dumb.

It's stealth advertising for this certain tv show.

I also recall that Sten magazines in WW2 were unreliable unless downloaded to 28 rounds.

There's a variety of reasons. Also keep in mind that actual guns don't have a munitions counter, so it could also help someone keep a mental count if they're firing in bursts that aren't divisible by the clip.

There are many different magazine sizes. Often you can have different sizes for one gun. For the Thompson SMG there are at least 4 different magazine sizes (20,30,50,100) and there are many different sizes for the M-16.

Apart from problems like jamming, a bigger magazine also means more weitght and worse handling with the magazine getting in the way. Also - especially when it comes to rifles - in many cases people don't carry around multiple magazines, those tend to get very heavy (and expensive). Instead they use clips to replace the bullets in the one magazine they have.

I usually go for headshots mostly and short bursts otherwise, so I never pay much attention to magazine sizes.
Also in many games you can upgrade these anyways, so you have some variation already.



So ... in the end I go for balancing. They don't really give a second thought about realism.

I would have to think the 24 round magazine issue is mainly for balance issues...

... but...

... possibly also a lack of knowledge of the actual weapon systems.

Many games -- even some good ones -- have incorrect weapon design and completely fictionalized reload animations.

yes, to balance the game (which is not reality)

For most...

I assume strength of the coil needed to push the bullets up.

Also having used a M16-A2 and familiarity with the SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) those barrels will get hot from continuous use. Smaller magazines can ensure that the barrel won't get so hot you can't handle or it would start warping. (SAWs barrel can be swapped out...)

Since I mentioned the Fallout games, I'll add that it's hilarious that .223 FMJ (5.56mm) outclasses 7.62mm used in the FAL, at least according to the wiki stats, which barely outclasses the fictional 5mm used in the fake AK.

Which also reminds me that Deus Ex Human Revolution has both 10mm and .357, even though they would be roughly comparable in real life. And the original Deus Ex uses 7.62x51 in its assault rifle and .30-06 in the sniper, but one is clearly wimpier than the other.

So while I wouldn't quite blame 24 rounds on a lack of knowledge since every other game uses the standard 30 rounds, I wouldn't put them above it either. As for deliberate under capacity, I'm not going to assume every soldier is so pedantic as to only load 24. Maybe 28, maybe 26, hey there's an idea, just randomly assign a number every time you reload for "realism".

Yeah, apparently the spring in the mags was too weak to push the bullets correctly into the chamber, if the mag was fully loaded.

Therefore, the G.I.s were advised to only push 17-18 rounds in their 20 rounds magazines.

I've given up on tracking the numerous firearm inaccuracies in videogames. Just gotta buy into the reality of the game.