Laser Weapons

[Adun_Toridas]

Ok. guys, i´ve noticed that in TFTD and such as other, terran units begin using normal rifles... Then. IF DEVELOPED LASER RIFLES LONG TIME AGO (UFO DEFENSE), SHOUD´NT THEM START WITH THOSE TOYS???? It´s the future... all in all.

[mikker]

we're basing it on UFO defence, not TFTD

[Qonfused]

its not the near future. just a few years away. but the laser weapons always bothered me though.

 

lets just imagine that the brilient scientist where holding back in order to save lives, but with the aliens the make i hapen.

[j'ordos]

Keep in mind, we're basing this on EU, not TFTD, so laser weapons still have to be developed as usual

There's no need for this thread here, although it can fit in the xcom2 general discussion

[[Blehm 98]]

j'ordos, this thread is based on ufo defense.. or should this thread just be AC'ed? It doesn't really have a use, and... oh wait, this is a suggestion tread isn't it.... oh well

[Adun_Toridas]

mmmm in TFTD there are no laser weapons... (and we should have them).

[Robo Dojo 58]

Laser weapons require a little container filled with the reactant gas, right? I think that would get crushed under the ocean, making the laser rather useless. On land, though, it would be useful.

[Inteck]

You can always edit the Obdata.dat to where the hand held weapons (but not the Craft Weapons or HWP Platforms) to require no ammo, thus simulating the old 1st games lasers. Then of course, all you have to do is put in a quick explanation of what is going on in the English.dat file.

[Adun_Toridas]

then, only submarines and tanks should have them.

[Inteck]

If it were not for the "arming error" bug with the Gauss HWP and Craft Gauss you could do the same with them, unfortunately no one has figured out how to correct the mistake(s) in the Geoscape.exe so you can't .

[Chris StarShade]

Arming error?

[dan2]

Arming error?

There's a bug related to poor transformation from the laser-tank in EU (that requires no ammunition) to Gauss Coelacanth in TFTD (that requires 50 shots). When you load it in your Triton, 50 shots are taken from storage, but when you unload it, no unused ammo is returned to storage (so you lose plenty of ammo this way)

[Chris StarShade]

Odd, I do not remember the Gauss/Coelacanth requiring ammunition.

[dan2]

Odd, I do not remember the Gauss/Coelacanth requiring ammunition.

50 shots, really cheap to make

 

http://www.xcomufo.com/usopaedia/pics/big/shot0013.png

[[NKF]]

The odd bit is that it uses the craft gauss cannon shells as ammo - still cheap (relatively speaking) and quick to build nonetheless, the best feature of all gauss weapons.

 

- NKF

[gh0st3000]

well, it is basically a craft gauss cannon welded to a tank

[dan2]

well, it is basically a craft gauss cannon welded to a tank

I'm not 100% sure of this, since there's no real connection between craft weapons used in geoscape and coelacanth weapons used in battlescape. It's a theory, but how do you prove it?

[gh0st3000]

i'm just assuming, because it uses the exact same ammo

[Sectopod]

Laser weapons do not work underwater it says in the X-Storyline...

 

Without Elerium-115 to power Plasma technology, and with the discovery that the Laser weapons cannot be adapted for undersea use, the first aquanauts are forced to rely on archaic and primitive harpoon weapons. Research into the weaponry used by the aliens is rapidly initiated.

 

Also if you look closer on the Barracuda, it uses Laser engines.

 

http://www.xcomufo.com/usopaedia/pics/big/shot0003.png

 

And Gauss is a development of Plasma tech.. meh it's one of Microproses excuses to say "your starting from scratch like it or lump it" :/

Edited December 18, 2005 by Chmmr

[T-1]

What are "laser engines"?

 

What next, turbine guns?

[Hobbes]

What are "laser engines"?

 

What next, turbine guns?

 

When the engine is running the light particles/waves are fired in one direction. This motion provokes an inverse force upon the engine (and the craft where it is mounted) propelling it on the opposite direction - Newton's laws of movement.

This is roughly how laser engines have been theorized for spacecraft. Another possibility is to use a laser to heat and compress fuel, which is then fired by an exhaust, leading to the same results.

[Exo2000]

Elerium-115 vaporises or goes inert with contact to water, and plasma will either simply be cooled rapidly by the water, or make a steam trail and inevitably become useless. OR it'll do what lava does when it contacts water - explode violently. Not such a clever idea to be using guns that explode point blank underwater, eh now?

 

In a fanfiction/microprose prelude to TFTD, Elerium was used up rapidly, and aquanauts were sent to try and get water from sunken UFOs. This is when they found out it goes inert on contact with H2O. There was none left, as we used it all up.

 

Lasers are heat and light, usually, water negates the heat and refracts the light, making them nigh on useless for subaqua conditions. Now, for overland, they might be useful, but there's so few missions it doesn't matter. The dart guns, whilst fairly wimpy sounding, are actually fairly powerful.

 

As far as I can tell, the Gauss Guns are baby Railguns, really. But that might just be me.

Edited December 25, 2005 by Exo2000

[Pherdnut]

The theory behind gauss weapons is a magnetically projected bullet, which with enough power, could far exceed the velocity of a ballistic bullet, making for some really nasty weapon potential. I don't think we can pack enough portable juice into a handheld firearm to make it worthwile yet, but I was reading on a research site about how the US military has been messing around with light tank killers with electromag propelled rounds.

 

I have no idea how plasma or antimatter would apply to such a weapon.

 

On topic, who's to say that they actually researched lasers in the first war? Maybe the commander in the backstory said, "Lasers? Screw that! I want what they're using. Pshh lasers. Silly scientists don't even realize why I keep transferring them on payday."