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XCOMUFO & Xenocide

CTD - Heavy Cannon


Aosar

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Oh, one more thing: on the subject of the individual CTs for the ammo types - should I just leave out what I've written about them entirely, along with the default AP ammo?

Yes. And please try to come up with the ammo cts soon... :)

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You'd like me to work on that, too? I'd be more than happy to!

 

Oh yeah, in response to Blehm: aren't we looking at the Repeater and Heavy Cannons as two completely different weapons? I wasn't aware that they'd even use the same caliber. If that's the case, I'll get right on fixing it.

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Absolutely. Just to make sure ahead of time: the VAHC and the Repeater Cannon do indeed share calibers, right? Just don't want to go off in some completely wrong direction when the groundwork's right down in front of me.  ^_^

AFAIK they do, but they don't have to. Make it as you wish. as long as it sounds reasonable.

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well, i've always thought of the heavy cannon as a modified Repeater cannon that can shoot larger caliber rounds

No, they are two seperate weapons with a different developing background (at least that's how I would like to have it in Xenocide - X-Corps wouldn't rely on using two (different) weapons from the same supplier - think about what caould happen if they have an identical error and both don't work under certain circumstances, because the developers made the same mistake twice.)

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Difference noted. Nearly ready to post all four (!) CTs - just making a final adjustment for caliber type. One more minor impediment: Blehm's stated that the Repeater Cannon's incendiary shells differ from those I've dreamed up for the VAHC. Is this a problem? Edited by The Master Maniac
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Difference noted. Nearly ready to post all four (!) CTs - just making a final adjustment for caliber type. One more minor impediment: Blehm's stated that the Repeater Cannon's incendiary shells differ from those I've dreamed up for the VAHC. Is this a problem?

No. It's not a problem. But you'll have to bear in mind that your shells have to be able to burn at least three rounds on the mars surface.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...
I know it's been a while -- okay, who am I kidding, it's been WAY too long -- but believe it or not, time permitting, I've been looking at getting this CT out there. Uploading shortly.

You're kiddin me, right? Well, I would more than appreciate it :)

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Well, I'll submit it as soon as I find the floppy I copied it to, anyway. Part of the reason I've been gone so long is that my last computer got fragged (two down...) and I lost everything. Everything. <_ ah well. failing that it should be no problem to just get right back rewriting it.>
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Well, I'll submit it as soon as I find the floppy I copied it to, anyway. Part of the reason I've been gone so long is that my last computer got fragged (two down...) and I lost everything. Everything. <_ ah well. failing that it should be no problem to just get right back rewriting it.>

Wow. Sorry for that. Ugly.

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I'm not sure whether or not I should list the ammunition types in separate parts, so I just went ahead and lumped them together here. Sorry for the wait - judging by the amount of actual content, I can't be sure whether or not it was worth it...

 

 

FWHC-M9A1 "Heavy Cannon:" A product of the now-defunct "Future Warrior" program as envisioned by the US Army, the M9A1 Heavy Cannon was designed to provide the small, highly-mobile infantry platoons of tomorrow with a lightweight and reliable anti-tank platform, without all the excess bulk of more conventional solutions. By the demise of the Future Warrior project - an end brought about by the drastic cuts to military budgets as dictated by the Global Armed Forces Reduction Treaty - the system's fundamental design philosophy had changed substantially, in line with the rapidly-shifting identity and purpose of the modern soldier. In its later forms, the M9A1 prototype eventually assumed the role of a multi-purpose support weapon. Following the termination of the project, the incomplete specifications found themselves outsourced to the international market, and within months, practically every major country had adopted some variant.

 

By definition, the M9A1, repurposed and manufactured by the US military as the closest representation of the original schematics, is a man-portable recoilless rifle, able to engage both infantry and light vehicles with equal efficiency. In order to contain the harmonic destabilization caused by its large-caliber 40mm round, the system operates with an intentionally stunted initial muzzle velocity. To compensate for subsonic delivery, the HC's proprietary round is outfitted with an experimental tip-integrated propulsion unit. Shortly after discharge from the barrel, this "rocket" engine kicks in using a small quantity of fast-burning solid fuel. The burst of acceleration lasts but a half-second, but it's enough to help the fired projectile reach high-velocity speeds, thereby defeating the possibilities of premature drag or drop inherent in higher-caliber rounds. The wavy contrails of smoke left behind in the bullet's wake offer a distinctive, if unintentional, tracer element.

 

Though the method of delivery might be rather unconventional in nature, the ordnance accepted by the M9A1 is purely textbook. Feeding from oversized 6-round detachable box magazines, the system can accept three interchangable ammunition types. Its standard is 40mm Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot, a highly-powerful round capable of ablating light vehicle-grade plating. It also fragments after penetration, causing further damage. Also, the M9A1 can fire an effective limited-radius high-explosive round for largely anti-personnel purposes, or a napalm-derivative incendiary round that can douse an area in rapidly-spreading flame.

 

But despite the HC's impressive ordnance, its staggered rate of fire often relegates it to the role of close fire support. Since the system is fired "from the hip" with no real targeting assistance of any kind, accurate shot placement can be difficult. Also, as the name implies, the system is heavy, very heavy, cumbersome and simply difficult to use effectively given its awkward proportions. A carrying strap and optional "hip-clip" do little to help the user secure the weapon, but in the hands of one gifted enough to tame it, the HC is a dangerously effective tool.

 

M9A1 Ammo Types:

 

40mm Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot: Standard Heavy Cannon ammunition, the APDS round is a dual-purpose anti-armor/anti-personnel solution. Its depleted-uranium tip has a core density far greater than that of steel, allowing the high-velocity round to punch right through light- to medium-grade vehicle plating with relative ease. The tip is also segmented, designed to fragment directly after recieving the percussive shock caused by full penetration. The internal shrapnel effect can be devastating against organic and mechanical units alike, shredding both tissue and vital system components with equal effectiveness. The practical effect is the increased occurrance of fatal wounds among targets. Though still highly effective internally against naked tissue, the APDS round is less effective on the whole against soft, unarmored targets as the shot tends to typically pass neatly through them without shattering.

 

40mm High Explosive Anti Personnel: The HEAP round expands the Heavy Cannon's mission profile to increase its effectiveness against ground infantry - groups of ground infantry, in particular. The HEAP operates in much the same manner as the standard APDS, but each tip is now outfitted with a limited-radius impact-detonation explosive solution. Though devastating against soft targets, the concussive blast is perhaps less effective against armored adversaries. Still, the full-size 40mm variant is powerful enough to clear light obstacles and punch through thin walls. Collateral damage was obviously not a condition considered during the HEAP's development process. Care must be exercised in order to prevent unintended casualties.

 

40mm Limited Radius Incendiary: Further enhancing the Heavy Cannon's capacity to engage ground personnel, the LRI utilizes a napalm/white phosphorous-derivative chemical compound that ignites immediately upon exposure to oxygen. The chemical flame produced rapidly spreads over a small area within the immediate vicinity of the round's point of impact. Though quick to burn itself out - usually within mere seconds - the flame is sure to engulf any flammable objects nearby, which are likely to continue to burn for some time. The chemical solution also has a grim tendency to "stick" to organic material, meaning that any living being caught within the initial blast radius will become a walkng candle stick. The same goes for X-Corps personnel, too. While the LRI is disturbingly effective against organics, it's used more often as an indirect offensive option rather as a means of direct attack, creating "walls" that funnel in enemy forces, cut off lines of retreat, and confuse and demoralize. Also, flammable structures can be set aflame, driving occupants out into the open. As with any large-radius explosive ordnance, the LRI must be used with extreme caution.

 

 

As you're certain to notice, this latest iteration is a great deal more concise than the original. It's intentional. I believe the last version was perhaps too wordy for its own good, overly far-reaching with too little of the substance that a player would find useful. That's open to debate, of course, and I'm listening.

 

Another note - the "Mars" solution is, as I've determined, completely moot here. Remember, the HC is available from the start, well before the player even *knows* where the enemy's coming from. And let's not forget that the Heavy Cannon itself wasn't designed for space combat in the first place - it's a conventional weapons system.

 

But for the purposes of constructive elaboration, it should be known that lower/higher gravity considerations are largely irrelevant, in this case. Each round fired by the Heavy Cannon (feel free to change the name/designation - it's been a while since I've been here, mind) is driven by a limited propulsion system, a rocket engine if you will, guiding each shot straight to the target at high velocity.

Edited by The Master Maniac
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Very nice! I love it. Just very few ideas.

VAHC-M9A1 "Heavy Cannon"

X-Net://Pegasus.net/Weapons/Heavy Cannon

 

 

VAHC-M9A1 "Heavy Cannon:" A product of the now-defunct "Future Warrior" program as envisioned by the US Army, the M9A1 Heavy Cannon was designed to provide the small, highly-mobile infantry platoons of tomorrow with a lightweight and reliable anti-tank platform, without all the excess bulk of more conventional solutions. By the demise of the Future Warrior project - an end brought about by the drastic cuts to military budgets as dictated by the Global Armed Forces Reduction Treaty - the system's fundamental design philosophy had changed substantially, in line with the rapidly-shifting identity and purpose of the modern soldier. In its later forms, the M9A1 prototype eventually assumed the role of a multi-purpose support weapon. Following the termination of the project, the incomplete specifications found themselves outsourced to the international market, and within months, practically every major country had adopted some variant.

 

By definition, the M9A1, repurposed and manufactured by the US military as the closest representation of the original schematics, is a man-portable recoilless rifle, able to engage both infantry and light vehicles with equal efficiency. In order to contain the harmonic destabilization caused by its large-caliber 40mm round, the system operates with an intentionally stunted initial muzzle velocity. To compensate for subsonic delivery, the HC's proprietary round is outfitted with an experimental tip-integrated propulsion unit. Shortly after discharge from the barrel, this "rocket" engine kicks in using a small quantity of fast-burning solid fuel. The burst of acceleration lasts but a half-second, but it's enough to help the fired projectile reach high-velocity speeds?Is the "speeds" really necessary?, thereby defeating the possibilities of premature drag or drop inherent in higher-caliber rounds. The wavy contrails of smoke left behind in the bullet's wake offer a distinctive, if unintentional, tracer element.

 

Though the method of delivery might be rather unconventional in nature, the ordnance accepted by the M9A1 is purely textbook. Feeding from oversized 6-round detachable box magazines, the system can accept three interchangable ammunition types. Its standard is 40mm Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot, a highly-powerful round capable of ablating light vehicle-grade plating. It also fragments after penetration, causing further damage. Also, double "also" Try to reduce. Maybe: "Further damage is caused by fragmentation of the graded tip" the M9A1 can fire an effective limited-radius high-explosive round for largely anti-personnel purposes, or a napalm-derivative incendiary round that can douse an area in rapidly-spreading flame.

 

But despite the HC's impressive ordnance, its staggered rate of fire often relegates it to the role of close fire support. Since the system is fired "from the hip" with no real targeting assistance of any kind, accurate shot placement can be difficult. Also, as the name implies, the system is heavy, very heavy,? cumbersome and simply difficult to use effectively given its awkward proportions. A carrying strap and optional "hip-clip" do little to help the user secure the weapon, but in the hands of one gifted enough to tame it, the HC is a dangerously effective tool.

 

M9A1 Ammo Types:

 

40mm Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot: Standard Heavy Cannon ammunition, the APDS round is a dual-purpose anti-armor/anti-personnel solution. Its depleted-uranium tip has a core density far greater than that of steel, allowing the high-velocity round to punch right through light- to medium-grade vehicle plating with relative ease. The tip is also segmented, designed to fragment directly after recieving the percussive shock caused by full penetration. The internal shrapnel effect can be devastating against organic and mechanical units alike, shredding both tissue and vital system components with equal effectiveness. The practical effect is the increased occurrance of fatal wounds among targets. Though still highly effective internally against naked tissue, the APDS round is less effective on the whole against soft, unarmored targets as the shot tends to typically pass neatly through them without shattering.

 

40mm High Explosive Anti Personnel: The HEAP round expands the Heavy Cannon's mission profile to increase its effectiveness against ground infantry - groups of ground infantry, in particular. The HEAP operates in much the same manner as the standard APDS, but each tip is now outfitted with a limited-radius impact-detonation explosive solution. Though devastating against soft targets, the concussive blast is perhaps less effective against armored adversaries. Still, the full-size 40mm variant is powerful enough to clear light obstacles and punch through thin walls. Collateral damage was obviously not a condition considered during the HEAP's development process. Care must be exercised in order to prevent unintended casualties.

 

40mm Limited Radius Incendiary: Further enhancing the Heavy Cannon's capacity to engage ground personnel, the LRI utilizes a napalm/white phosphorous-derivative chemical compound that ignites immediately upon exposure to oxygen. The chemical flame produced rapidly spreads over a small area within the immediate vicinity of the round's point of impact. Though quick to burn itself out - usually within mere seconds - the flame is sure to engulf any flammable objects nearby, which are likely to continue to burn for some time. The chemical solution also has a grim tendency to "stick" to organic material, meaning that any living being caught within the initial blast radius will become a walkng candle stick. The same goes for X-Corps personnel, too. While the LRI is disturbingly effective against organics, it's used more often as an indirect offensive option rather as a means of direct attack, creating "walls" that funnel in enemy forces, cut off lines of retreat, and confuse and demoralize. Also, flammable structures can be set aflame, driving occupants out into the open. As with any large-radius explosive ordnance, the LRI must be used with extreme caution.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a few points to bring up concerning the Incendiary round:

 

40mm Limited Radius Incendiary: Further enhancing the Heavy Cannon's capacity to engage ground personnel, the LRI utilizes a napalm/white phosphorous-derivative chemical compound that ignites immediately upon exposure to oxygen.

This could be a problem if the weapon is allowed on Mars as the lack of sufficient oxygen wouldn't let the compound ignite. Well, it probably would, though it may take a while and the flames produced wouldn't amount to much. The same goes for carbon dioxide. Even though Mars' atmosphere consists mainly of this gas, the amount is very small. Perhaps some sort of oxygenated compound packed within the shell would help the compound to ignite?

 

The chemical flame produced rapidly spreads over a small area within the immediate vicinity of the round's point of impact.

I assume that we mean is that the compound is dispersed over an area and then ignites, correct?

 

Though quick to burn itself out - usually within mere seconds - the flame is sure to engulf any flammable objects nearby, which are likely to continue to burn for some time.

I would cut out the "usually within mere seconds" piece. It seems like an obvious statement to me, though then again my major is chemistry. Up to you guys.

 

The chemical solution also has a grim tendency to "stick" to organic material, meaning that any living being caught within the initial blast radius will become a walking candle stick. The same goes for X-Corps personnel, too. While the LRI is disturbingly effective against organics, it's used more often as an indirect offensive option rather as a means of direct attack, creating "walls" that which funnel in enemy forces, cut off lines of retreat, and confuse and demoralize. Also, flammable structures can be set aflame, driving flushing occupants out into the open. As with any large-radius explosive ordnance, the LRI must be used with extreme caution.

That's all I have for now (besides Mad's proposed revisions). :)

 

- Zombie

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Sorry for the wait, everyone. I appreciate the insight. I know I can't argue chemistry with someone who majors in the subject! Actually, any suggestions regarding the matter would be great.

Well, maybe have a look at the auto cannon thread. i think we had this discussion before and decided to use MnO3 as adjuvant. But please check. :)

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