DPS Visualizer
DPS Visualizer is a program that will calculate damage done by weapons in Borderlands 2. It will produce charts and graphs showing all sorts of damage statistics. You can compare up to 4 weapons at a time, and quickly, visually, see the differences.
The program perform a large number of calculations, counting and timing every shot fired, every reload, every proc and every bit of elemental damage. It sorts and averages and totals all these numbers and shows the results in easy-to-understand charts and graphs.
It will makes thousands of calculations, recording hundreds of events(shots, procs, reloads, DoT, and pellet counts) and spit out simple graphs.
You will never look at two weapons the same way again. And DPS Visualizer lets you compare up to 4 - FOUR - weapons at once.
This ain't no stinking DPS calculator.
Latest Version
The latest version is in BETA. This pretty much means it will break at some point. And the numbers will certainly not be accurate yet.(More on this later.)
If you can deal with some imperfections, feel free to download it and give it a whirl. If you find a bug, let me know on the Gearbox Forum and I'll do what I can to fix it.
There are no warranties on this beta. If your toes fall off, don't blame me.
The latest version is 0.5.28.73 BETA. It can be downloaded here. Unzip it and run the setup.exe. It is a Windows application and requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 4. You probably already have this installed, but if not, you can find it here.
A sample database can be downloaded here so you can quickly play with the program without entering a lot of guns. This sample database contains 18 guns, just what I happened to have in my backpack.
Download the sample database, click on the Gun Database tab, click the Restore button, and browse to this file. WARNING: This will wipe out your current database!
Features
Compare up to 4 weapons at once.
Comparisons are shown using charts and graphs - no more numbers!
View damage per second averages for several time spans.
View damage done over the course of time spent firing.
View damage for enemies of all target types: Armor, Flesh and Shield.
Select either PT1 or TVHM results.
View key statistics, like shots fired, number of reloads, and number of procs.
Shows projectile damage and DoT damage done, as well as the total.
Automatically saves guns in a database for future use.
View raw data - every shot, proc, reload and DoT damage applied.
All of this is shown VISUALLY, using charts and graphs instead of numbers!
Add / Edit Gun
![]()
Load a gun card image so you can easily enter data. Zoom in and out using the slider.
Enter data quickly and easily:
Weapon Type, Element, and Manufacturer can be entered by typing minimum characters.
Type an "r" to jump right to Rocket Launcher. Typing an "s" will jump to Shock, and "sl" will jump to Slag.
Hit Enter or Tab to automatically move to the next field.
Once a gun is Saved it will be listed in the Compare List at the top of the screen. This will handle up to 4 weapons at once.
NOTE: Each gun must be unique. You will get an error if you try to enter another gun with if ALL stats identical. Just change one thing,and you will be able to enter the gun.
Clicking on a gun in the Compare List will let you choose the buttons on the side - Edit, Remove, or Duplicate.
Want to compare one weapon as if it came in all elements? Enter one gun, choose Duplicate, change the element and hit Save.
Clear the Compare List by selecting all guns and clicking Remove -this just clears the Compare List, and the guns will still be available in the database.
By default new guns are saved to the database for future use. The check box will avoid that if you just want to mess around. This setting is persistent - the program remembers your last choice.
Cool graphic huh? Kudos to AlexKidd for an awesome job there!
Gun Database
![]()
The Gun Database stores all guns for future use.
Double-click a gun and it will be added to the Compare List. Or click a gun then the Load button.
Clicking Edit will add all the stats to the Add / Edit Gun screen,where you can change any stat and save it.
Select one or more guns and then the Delete button to remove the gun(s) from the database PERMANENTLY.
NOTE: The Compare List is limited to 4 guns. The Load and Edit buttons will be disabled when the Compare List is full. You will get an error if you try to Load more guns than the Compare List can handle.
The Backup button will save a copy of the database. I suggest using this often - this is BETA software.
The Restore button will WIPE OUT the existing database and REPLACE IT with a backup file. Use with caution.
NOTE: Each gun must be unique. You will get an error if you try to enter another gun with if ALL stats identical. Just change one thing,and you will be able to enter the gun.
Damage Per Second
![]()
This tab shows 3 graphs listing the average DPS for all the weapons in the Compare List.
Each weapon's DPS is listed for all 3 target types - Armor, Flesh and Shield.
Buttons on the left let you choose to see PT1 results, or TVHM results.
There are also buttons to let you chose the time span - select the first 10 seconds of the fight, on up to the maximum time limit.
NOTE: "Maximum" is a time limit, and calculates all the damage done by the weapon after firing all the (typical) ammo you can carry for that weapon. All the charts show above, for instance, show the average damage done by 108 shots, since one can carry only 108 Sniper rounds.
The results take many things into account - the rate of fire, the time it takes to reload, how often the weapon procs, how much elemental damage it does. It even calculates the damage done by Tediore weapons when reloaded.
NOTE: This is a good time to mention the Screenshot button, which will save an image just like the one above. The first time you click that you will be prompted for a directory for saving the screenshots.Every time after that the button will simply save the current screen and do one of those stupid Windows "ding" sounds to let you know it worked. That button is how I saved all these screenshots, and I figured that someone might find it useful so I left it in.
Damage Over Time
![]()
This chart shows the amount of damage done (on the left) in a certain number of seconds (along the bottom).
This will let you see how much damage will be done in a fight, and when your ammo will run out.
The Bolshy Pooshka in this example (the dotted line) has a high rate of fire, and will consume all 108 rounds in about 60 seconds or so.The Banbury Snider (the solid light purple line) will last longer, but still doesn't do as much damage as the Pooshka.
Note that some DoT damage may still be happening after all bullets have been fired.
Again, the buttons on the left let you choose the Game Stage (PT1 or TVHM), the target type, and the length of time to chart. In this screenshot the Time Limit is set to maximum, so it's showing the results from all the rounds you can normally carry.
Damage Over A Short Time
![]()
This is another view, just showing the first 10 seconds of the fight.This is a good chart to view when fighting weaker enemies that .
This view will often point out which weapons are better for the short fights.
And that is something that no stinking DPS calculator will let you know.
Gun Statistics
![]()
A simple chart showing how many shots were fired, how many reloads where needed, and how many procs occurred.
These numbers do not change for PT1/TVHM or when fighting against different enemies, so those options are disabled for this chart.
You can still choose a Time Limit though, and see how many shots you'll get off in 10 or 20 seconds.
Damage Statistics
![]()
This chart shows the damage done by the projectiles themselves, the elemental damage done, and the total.
This chart is showing the damage versus Shielded enemies.
Damage Statistics
![]()
Same chart, showing damage against Armored enemies.
Raw Data, Per Event
![]()
This is getting hardcore here.
The program records hundreds of events - every shot fired, every reload, every proc and every time DoT is applied. That's all recorded here, in this table.
Time is calculated to the 1/1000 of a second.Damage is calculated to20 decimal places. Everything is calculated and recorded and saved in these tables.
The results for each of the guns can be viewed by choosing the appropriate selection on the left.
You can dump all the tables to CSV files, if you like, and pull the data up in a spreadsheet to run your own numbers.
This ain't no stinking DPS calculator.
Gun Damage, Per Second
![]()
This chart shows the damage done up each whole second.
That is, the row listed as "10" shows all the damage done in the first 10.000 seconds of firing.
Sometimes it's easier to understand this way. And it makes chart updated faster.
Options
![]()
This tab shows the program Options.
For now, it just shows a few directory locations. It will contain more options as the program progresses.
You probably don't even have to worry about these directories, since the program will ask when necessary. But this will show you where things are stored, and allow you to change them if necessary.
Why The Results In This Program Are Wrong
Wait, what? This program is wrong?
Yes. Yes it is. For many reasons, and not all of them are my fault.
1. Gun Cards Lie
Currently this program relies on the statistics listed on Gun cards,and those stats are not always correct.
The Rate Of Fire listed is wrong. I've done tests showing that the true RoF - calculated to 1/30 of a second - are off by as much as 12%.(Slower, by the way)
The Reload Time is wrong. Tests have shown that reloads times are also wrong, by as much as 9% - in the other direction.
The elemental damage shown is wrong. Several people have tested and seen that the total DoT applied is at least 2.6% more than the card shows.
2. The Gun Cards Don't Show Everything
There are many stats not shown on gun cards. Just take a look at the Gear Calculator output and you'll find many more stats.
3. It Does Not Account For Criticals
This *seriously* hurts many weapons, especially Jakobs guns with their hidden critical bonuses.
This SUCKS. but I'm working on it.
4. It Does Not Account For Accuracy
This program assumes that all projectiles - and Tediore reloads - hit the target and deal full damage.
It assumes that the enemy is a big, non-moving wall of flesh (or shields or armor).
This is BULLSH1T!
And this is my number 1 reason for wanting to write this program. I have some ideas that will consider accuracy, and criticals, and target distance.
But it's some complicated programming mixed with a complicated interface.
It will come later.
6. We Don't Know Everything About This Game
Borderlands 2 is quite complex, and we just don't know every little detail.
But we are learning, thanks to people like Duncanfogg and Bahroo3 and many, many others who spend time poking BL2 and figuring stuff out.
As we learn, this program will get better and more accurate.
Program Changelog
Version 0.5.28.73 beta - Jan 5, 2012
Initial Release
Calculations Changelog
Version 0.5.28.73 beta - Jan 5, 2012
Everything is calculated using the stats from the Gun Card. We know that RoF, Reload, and DoT are all wrong. But more testing is required to determine rules for calculating this accurately for every gun.
Tediore reloads do 1 round's worth of damage, since the gun is always empty when a reload occurs. This is not accurate for all weapons, but more testing is required to determine rules for calculating this.
Damages are adjusted for PT1/TVHM using the modifiers in Bahroo3'sthread. For quick reference, these are:
![]()
Damage is calculated using the stats from the Gun Card. The current Game Stage setting is checked, and the target type. The calculated damage is then adjusted by multiplying it by the appropriate number on the above chart. This adjusted damage is what is shown on the charts.
Note that I deal with Explosive a little bit different than the wayBahroo3 currently describes in his thread.
There's probably some other things that I am forgetting. Ask and I will explain what I am doing in the program.
If I am doing something wrong, let me know.
If I am not doing something I should, let me know.
I would like to make this as accurate as possible.
Credits
Many thanks to AlexKidd for the awesome graphic!
Many thanks to many folks in the Borderlands community who have dug into this game to figure out the nuts and bolts and math.
This program would not be possible without the thread by Bahroo3, Breakdown of Game Mechanics. Kudos. That's a fine piece of work.
This program, and all of the things I've learned about this game,would not be possible with the teaching by s620ex1, duncanfogg, instant karma, and a slew of others who researched BL1 and helped me research BL1 and put up with my wall-of-text posts back in the day.
There's many others I haven't mentioned, just because I'm too tired. Sorry.
DPS Visualizer is a program that will calculate damage done by weapons in Borderlands 2. It will produce charts and graphs showing all sorts of damage statistics. You can compare up to 4 weapons at a time, and quickly, visually, see the differences.
The program perform a large number of calculations, counting and timing every shot fired, every reload, every proc and every bit of elemental damage. It sorts and averages and totals all these numbers and shows the results in easy-to-understand charts and graphs.
It will makes thousands of calculations, recording hundreds of events(shots, procs, reloads, DoT, and pellet counts) and spit out simple graphs.
You will never look at two weapons the same way again. And DPS Visualizer lets you compare up to 4 - FOUR - weapons at once.
This ain't no stinking DPS calculator.
Latest Version
The latest version is in BETA. This pretty much means it will break at some point. And the numbers will certainly not be accurate yet.(More on this later.)
If you can deal with some imperfections, feel free to download it and give it a whirl. If you find a bug, let me know on the Gearbox Forum and I'll do what I can to fix it.
There are no warranties on this beta. If your toes fall off, don't blame me.
The latest version is 0.5.28.73 BETA. It can be downloaded here. Unzip it and run the setup.exe. It is a Windows application and requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 4. You probably already have this installed, but if not, you can find it here.
A sample database can be downloaded here so you can quickly play with the program without entering a lot of guns. This sample database contains 18 guns, just what I happened to have in my backpack.
Download the sample database, click on the Gun Database tab, click the Restore button, and browse to this file. WARNING: This will wipe out your current database!
Features
Compare up to 4 weapons at once.
Comparisons are shown using charts and graphs - no more numbers!
View damage per second averages for several time spans.
View damage done over the course of time spent firing.
View damage for enemies of all target types: Armor, Flesh and Shield.
Select either PT1 or TVHM results.
View key statistics, like shots fired, number of reloads, and number of procs.
Shows projectile damage and DoT damage done, as well as the total.
Automatically saves guns in a database for future use.
View raw data - every shot, proc, reload and DoT damage applied.
All of this is shown VISUALLY, using charts and graphs instead of numbers!
Add / Edit Gun
Load a gun card image so you can easily enter data. Zoom in and out using the slider.
Enter data quickly and easily:
Weapon Type, Element, and Manufacturer can be entered by typing minimum characters.
Type an "r" to jump right to Rocket Launcher. Typing an "s" will jump to Shock, and "sl" will jump to Slag.
Hit Enter or Tab to automatically move to the next field.
Once a gun is Saved it will be listed in the Compare List at the top of the screen. This will handle up to 4 weapons at once.
NOTE: Each gun must be unique. You will get an error if you try to enter another gun with if ALL stats identical. Just change one thing,and you will be able to enter the gun.
Clicking on a gun in the Compare List will let you choose the buttons on the side - Edit, Remove, or Duplicate.
Want to compare one weapon as if it came in all elements? Enter one gun, choose Duplicate, change the element and hit Save.
Clear the Compare List by selecting all guns and clicking Remove -this just clears the Compare List, and the guns will still be available in the database.
By default new guns are saved to the database for future use. The check box will avoid that if you just want to mess around. This setting is persistent - the program remembers your last choice.
Cool graphic huh? Kudos to AlexKidd for an awesome job there!
Gun Database
The Gun Database stores all guns for future use.
Double-click a gun and it will be added to the Compare List. Or click a gun then the Load button.
Clicking Edit will add all the stats to the Add / Edit Gun screen,where you can change any stat and save it.
Select one or more guns and then the Delete button to remove the gun(s) from the database PERMANENTLY.
NOTE: The Compare List is limited to 4 guns. The Load and Edit buttons will be disabled when the Compare List is full. You will get an error if you try to Load more guns than the Compare List can handle.
The Backup button will save a copy of the database. I suggest using this often - this is BETA software.
The Restore button will WIPE OUT the existing database and REPLACE IT with a backup file. Use with caution.
NOTE: Each gun must be unique. You will get an error if you try to enter another gun with if ALL stats identical. Just change one thing,and you will be able to enter the gun.
Damage Per Second
This tab shows 3 graphs listing the average DPS for all the weapons in the Compare List.
Each weapon's DPS is listed for all 3 target types - Armor, Flesh and Shield.
Buttons on the left let you choose to see PT1 results, or TVHM results.
There are also buttons to let you chose the time span - select the first 10 seconds of the fight, on up to the maximum time limit.
NOTE: "Maximum" is a time limit, and calculates all the damage done by the weapon after firing all the (typical) ammo you can carry for that weapon. All the charts show above, for instance, show the average damage done by 108 shots, since one can carry only 108 Sniper rounds.
The results take many things into account - the rate of fire, the time it takes to reload, how often the weapon procs, how much elemental damage it does. It even calculates the damage done by Tediore weapons when reloaded.
NOTE: This is a good time to mention the Screenshot button, which will save an image just like the one above. The first time you click that you will be prompted for a directory for saving the screenshots.Every time after that the button will simply save the current screen and do one of those stupid Windows "ding" sounds to let you know it worked. That button is how I saved all these screenshots, and I figured that someone might find it useful so I left it in.
Damage Over Time
This chart shows the amount of damage done (on the left) in a certain number of seconds (along the bottom).
This will let you see how much damage will be done in a fight, and when your ammo will run out.
The Bolshy Pooshka in this example (the dotted line) has a high rate of fire, and will consume all 108 rounds in about 60 seconds or so.The Banbury Snider (the solid light purple line) will last longer, but still doesn't do as much damage as the Pooshka.
Note that some DoT damage may still be happening after all bullets have been fired.
Again, the buttons on the left let you choose the Game Stage (PT1 or TVHM), the target type, and the length of time to chart. In this screenshot the Time Limit is set to maximum, so it's showing the results from all the rounds you can normally carry.
Damage Over A Short Time
This is another view, just showing the first 10 seconds of the fight.This is a good chart to view when fighting weaker enemies that .
This view will often point out which weapons are better for the short fights.
And that is something that no stinking DPS calculator will let you know.
Gun Statistics
A simple chart showing how many shots were fired, how many reloads where needed, and how many procs occurred.
These numbers do not change for PT1/TVHM or when fighting against different enemies, so those options are disabled for this chart.
You can still choose a Time Limit though, and see how many shots you'll get off in 10 or 20 seconds.
Damage Statistics
This chart shows the damage done by the projectiles themselves, the elemental damage done, and the total.
This chart is showing the damage versus Shielded enemies.
Damage Statistics
Same chart, showing damage against Armored enemies.
Raw Data, Per Event
This is getting hardcore here.
The program records hundreds of events - every shot fired, every reload, every proc and every time DoT is applied. That's all recorded here, in this table.
Time is calculated to the 1/1000 of a second.Damage is calculated to20 decimal places. Everything is calculated and recorded and saved in these tables.
The results for each of the guns can be viewed by choosing the appropriate selection on the left.
You can dump all the tables to CSV files, if you like, and pull the data up in a spreadsheet to run your own numbers.
This ain't no stinking DPS calculator.
Gun Damage, Per Second
This chart shows the damage done up each whole second.
That is, the row listed as "10" shows all the damage done in the first 10.000 seconds of firing.
Sometimes it's easier to understand this way. And it makes chart updated faster.
Options
This tab shows the program Options.
For now, it just shows a few directory locations. It will contain more options as the program progresses.
You probably don't even have to worry about these directories, since the program will ask when necessary. But this will show you where things are stored, and allow you to change them if necessary.
Why The Results In This Program Are Wrong
Wait, what? This program is wrong?
Yes. Yes it is. For many reasons, and not all of them are my fault.
1. Gun Cards Lie
Currently this program relies on the statistics listed on Gun cards,and those stats are not always correct.
The Rate Of Fire listed is wrong. I've done tests showing that the true RoF - calculated to 1/30 of a second - are off by as much as 12%.(Slower, by the way)
The Reload Time is wrong. Tests have shown that reloads times are also wrong, by as much as 9% - in the other direction.
The elemental damage shown is wrong. Several people have tested and seen that the total DoT applied is at least 2.6% more than the card shows.
2. The Gun Cards Don't Show Everything
There are many stats not shown on gun cards. Just take a look at the Gear Calculator output and you'll find many more stats.
3. It Does Not Account For Criticals
This *seriously* hurts many weapons, especially Jakobs guns with their hidden critical bonuses.
This SUCKS. but I'm working on it.
4. It Does Not Account For Accuracy
This program assumes that all projectiles - and Tediore reloads - hit the target and deal full damage.
It assumes that the enemy is a big, non-moving wall of flesh (or shields or armor).
This is BULLSH1T!
And this is my number 1 reason for wanting to write this program. I have some ideas that will consider accuracy, and criticals, and target distance.
But it's some complicated programming mixed with a complicated interface.
It will come later.
6. We Don't Know Everything About This Game
Borderlands 2 is quite complex, and we just don't know every little detail.
But we are learning, thanks to people like Duncanfogg and Bahroo3 and many, many others who spend time poking BL2 and figuring stuff out.
As we learn, this program will get better and more accurate.
Program Changelog
Version 0.5.28.73 beta - Jan 5, 2012
Initial Release
Calculations Changelog
Version 0.5.28.73 beta - Jan 5, 2012
Everything is calculated using the stats from the Gun Card. We know that RoF, Reload, and DoT are all wrong. But more testing is required to determine rules for calculating this accurately for every gun.
Tediore reloads do 1 round's worth of damage, since the gun is always empty when a reload occurs. This is not accurate for all weapons, but more testing is required to determine rules for calculating this.
Damages are adjusted for PT1/TVHM using the modifiers in Bahroo3'sthread. For quick reference, these are:
Damage is calculated using the stats from the Gun Card. The current Game Stage setting is checked, and the target type. The calculated damage is then adjusted by multiplying it by the appropriate number on the above chart. This adjusted damage is what is shown on the charts.
Note that I deal with Explosive a little bit different than the wayBahroo3 currently describes in his thread.
There's probably some other things that I am forgetting. Ask and I will explain what I am doing in the program.
If I am doing something wrong, let me know.
If I am not doing something I should, let me know.
I would like to make this as accurate as possible.
Credits
Many thanks to AlexKidd for the awesome graphic!
Many thanks to many folks in the Borderlands community who have dug into this game to figure out the nuts and bolts and math.
This program would not be possible without the thread by Bahroo3, Breakdown of Game Mechanics. Kudos. That's a fine piece of work.
This program, and all of the things I've learned about this game,would not be possible with the teaching by s620ex1, duncanfogg, instant karma, and a slew of others who researched BL1 and helped me research BL1 and put up with my wall-of-text posts back in the day.
There's many others I haven't mentioned, just because I'm too tired. Sorry.