History Main / EveryBulletIsATracer

See also: RuleOfPerception, BulletSparks and SlowLaser. SwordLines is a SisterTrope.

RealLife [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracer_ammunition tracers]] work by leaving a streak of burning chemicals behind the bullet to allow the shooter to "track" where his/her shots go. This effect is really [[RuleOfCool cool]] in reality, but is only deployed every ninth bullet; in fact, tracer rounds generate extra wear on the barrel[[note]]A gun barrel deteriorates due to friction and heat - it's designed to channel an explosion after all - and tracer rounds, due to the ''ignited chemicals'', cause more heat than a normal bullet, which wears the barrel out much faster as a result[[/note]]. They also tend to be somewhat less accurate, especially over long range. In a squad, one weapon may be loaded with this pattern of tracers to direct fire. Sometimes a couple tracers are added to the end of everyone's magazines to alert them to being almost out.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' have the Gauss cannons and Railguns -- every shot is a tracer. Even in some cases small arms are full-on tracers: a human soldier firing a squad automatic weapon at an enemy fighter for example.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarships'' is all tracers, which makes it much easier to correct your aim. In real life figuring out which guns caused which splash was really confusing, even if you could see the splashs.

* Although they're using airsoft guns, this trope is in play during the battles in ''Manga/TokureiSochiDantaiStellaJogakuinKoutoukaC3Bu''. Each team uses a different colored pellet as well, to help differentiate which team is doing the shooting at the time.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' has ''color-coded'' tracers for the basic auto rifle and chaingun, so you can tell whether the bullets flying around you can hurt you or not. Other ballistic weapons are either FrickinLaserBeams or weaponised GreenRocks, and so are slightly justified.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': the last three rounds of the assault rifle's magazine are tracers every time. If you had the [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo bandana]], it was sorta fun to slap it on for those three rounds, turning the gun into a [[FrickinLaserBeams frickin' laser]].

* ''{{VideoGame/Uncharted}}'' enacts this starting with the second game in the series. The actual damage is still calculated using HitScan however; the tracers are for figuring out where enemies are firing from.

Has nothing to do with firing bullets at ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''[='=]s Tracer.

See also: RuleOfPerception, BulletSparks and FrickinLaserBeams. SwordLines is a SisterTrope.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' and its ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' spinoffs are quite guilty of this trope. Not only are there frequent tracers, but some weapons like AA guns are seemingly loaded with nothing but them. Done differently in ''Modern Warfare 2'', where the usual yellow-ish tracers remain, but it also adds more obvious, red-colored tracers when a gun with the FMJ attachment is fired.

* Elite units in ''CommandAndConquerGenerals'' fire red-tinged bullets/rockets with every shot.

* Played straight with every projectile round in ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'', e.g. Isshin's "Glock" and musket-wielding soldiers. {{Justified|Trope}} due to the fact that it would be hard for the player to dodge incoming fire in a game that's already NintendoHard as it is.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' does this with nearly every bullet, be it fired from a shotgun or a gatling gun, to make it easier to tell where your shots are going in spite of the inaccurate aiming system.

* ''{{Franchise/Uncharted}}'' enacts this starting with the second game in the series. The actual damage is still calculated using HitScan however; the tracers are for figuring out where enemies are firing from.

RealLife [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracer_ammunition tracers]] work by leaving a streak of burning chemicals behind the bullet to allow the shooter to "track" where his/her shots go. This effect is really [[RuleOfCool cool]] in reality, but is only deployed every ninth bullet; in fact, tracer rounds generate extra wear on the barrel. They also tend to be somewhat less accurate, especially over long range. In a squad, one weapon may be loaded with this pattern of tracers to direct fire. Sometimes a couple tracers are added to the end of everyone's magazines to alert them to being almost out.

* ''VideoGame/EndWar'' is ''very'' guilty of this. The brightly colored designs could easily be mistaken for [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms lasers]] if it weren't for the [[AllThereInTheManual background information]].

Every Bullet Is A Tracer is the visual effect wherein every bullet fired from a weapon is a visible tracer round.

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger''; most weapons fire "charged up" bullets that literally ''glow'' in BulletTime, and the one time a recognisable RealLife gun appears, this effect is not used, and its use of "old-fashioned bullets" is specifically mentioned.

* Explicitly averted in ''TabletopGame/{{BattleTech}}'', where "tracer" ammunition for autocannons is its entire separate (optional) ammo ''type'' rather than the assumed default. Using it reduces nighttime penalties to hit, but also docks one point from the damage inflicted -- sufficiently large autocannons will barely notice, but for the AC/2 in particular this means cutting its already-unimpressive standard damage clean in half.

* ''VideoGame/DieHardTrilogy'' presents a subversion - The second game available is a shoot-'em-up, and the only time the bullets act like tracers is when you collect a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Tracer"]] power-up.

* Funnily [[InvertedTrope inverted]] when [[http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/02/03/us/politics/03skeet_image2/03skeet_image2-articleLarge.jpg the photo]] of [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama President Obama]] shooting a two barrelled shotgun [[http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/guns/2013/feb/2/miller-obamas-browning-shotgun/ got published,]] with comments like "fake", "Photoshop", "firing blank". Blank shotgun shells (or ordinary shells [[DontTryThisAtHome from which shot has been removed, but wad left inside]]) blow a big flame at the muzzle, unlike normal shells - if one doesn't see the flame, it wasn't a blank.

RealLife [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracer_ammunition tracers]] work by leaving a streak of burning chemicals behind the bullet to allow the shooter to "track" where his/her shots go. This effect is really [[RuleOfCool cool]] in reality, but is only deployed every nth bullet; in fact, tracer rounds generate extra wear on the barrel. They also tend to be somewhat less accurate, especially over long range. In a squad, one weapon may be loaded with this pattern of tracers to direct fire. Sometimes a couple tracers are added to the end of everyone's magazines to alert them to being almost out.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': the last three rounds of the assault rifle's magazine are tracers every time. If you had the Infinite Ammo bandannas, it was sorta fun to slap it on for those three rounds, turning the gun into a [[FrickinLaserBeams frickin' laser]].
** Generally averted in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', where only guns with very high ammo capacity (over 50 or so, meaning mostly limited to light machine guns like ''4'''s Mk. 46) fire one tracer every ten rounds.