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CTD - Heavy Plasma Rifle


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Guest Azrael
As an alternative for subject "D", leave it in the realms of sci-fi...

I think tzuchan would prefer to leave the text as it is, and so do I, the text is already good and I see no need to get into this topic. As tzuchan said, leave it in the realms of science fiction.

It is tzuchan's decition to change his text, though I don't see a good reason to do that.

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Hey Kick-a-nade! :D

You're quite right about the effects of the plasma weapons belonging to the PWS CT. I'll work it in, along with the xenium effect.

I think we need more current input from the tzu-man. It is, as you say, his text and up to him.

Edited by Kikanaide
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Guest Azrael
Hey Kick-a-nade! :D

You're quite right about the effects of the plasma weapons belonging to the PWS CT. I'll work it in, along with the xenium effect.

I think we need more current input from the tzu-man. It is, as you say, his text and up to him.

Oh, missed that most early post. Ok then, but for the record (and I do recall somebody asking for my opinion, somewhere), I disagree with this change in the plasma weapons. It's simply unecessary.

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Aye, captain, all opinions are welcome, and certainly yours. I've PM'd tzuchan, so he should let me or us know where he is.

 

I disagree with it being unnecessary, but that's just me. I can't speak for a general consensus, and I really don't like "overriding" people just 'cause I'm the guy who wrote/is writing it. I really like the gravity property, because it (to me) helps solve the second problem with plasma weapons...but then, again, that's just me.

 

Waiting for tzuchan...in the meantime, all other opinions on this issue are more than welcome.

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[HEAVY PLASMA RIFLE]

X-Net://Pegasus.net/Alien/Weapons/[Heavy Plasma Rifle]

 

The [heavy plasma rifle] is one of the most powerful weapons in the Aliens’ arsenal. Combining accuracy and firepower in a surprisingly light-weight shell, this weapon is a favored choice by the Aliens - for good reason.

 

The weapon's fearful appearance daunts even the bravest of troopers, particularly those who have seen what it is capable of. The huge barrel caliber, prominent magneto-dynamic prongs, and intimidating overall size only hint at its destructive power. And beneath the deadly-looking exterior lies circuitry so advanced that its basic mechanics are not yet understood.

 

The plasma generation chamber is a work of art. After the two fluids contained within separate compartments of the ammunition clip are pumped into the chamber, the resulting mixture is magnetically levitated into the center. An applied electromagnetic pulse produces a tremendous explosion that transforms the raw ammunition into plasma. The chamber harnesses a small fraction of the resulting energy to safely contain the plasma using electromagnetic fields assisted by a little-understood gravitic property of Xenium. The plasma is then accelerated out of the barrel using electromagnetic fields. This process can be completed with sufficient speed to allow three-shot bursts.

 

Four magneto-dynamic prongs are used to collimate, control, and further accelerate the plasma. By the time the plasma leaves the barrel, it has a velocity comparable to most projectile weapons. It is the opinion of several X-corps engineers that a fifth prong should have been added for increased accuracy, as the current four are barely able to contain the beam. However, initial investigations into this change have resulted in catastrophic failures, ranging from simple inoperability to total plasma destabilization. It becomes quite apparent that the circuitry surrounding the prongs is not yet fully understood.

 

The weapon is large enough to require two grip-gloves, and it is so bulky that it cannot be fired from the shoulder like traditional weapons. Instead, it is fired from the hip. Because hip-fired weapons generally are significantly less accurate than their shoulder-fired counterparts, we were at a loss at how to explain the accuracy Alien soldiers demonstrated with this weapon on the field. Indeed, initial firing tests showed that the [heavy plasma rifle] had consistently higher accuracy than comparable human weaponry. Investigation into this phenomenon showed that the distal third of the plasma funnel is lined with impulse-adjusting superconducting electromagnets linked to complex circuitry that has no observable input. The circuitry is comprised of a conducting variant of Alien Composites, formed without a substrate. This component appears to adjust the direction of the fired plasma more precisely than simple point-and-fire methods. Test subjects have been heard to refer to the [heavy plasma rifle] as a '"smart weapon that knows where to shoot," and if it were not so unbelievable of an idea, that would appear to be precisely what is occurring. Though clearly impossible, it acts very much as if it is reading the wielder's mind. What is certain is that this weapon does not require or benefit from the normal augmentations to heavy weaponry such as HUD-integrated laser targeting. Though the complex circuitry of the heavy plasma rifle has been successfully replicated, we do not fully understand its operation and have been unable to integrate it into other weapons.

 

The clip for the [heavy plasma rifle] itself is similar to those of other plasma-based weaponry, but analysis of its contents will require separate research. The clip appears to contain two different solutions, and preliminary analysis suggests the presence of Xenium in one compartment.

 

"Lou, the physics lead, has been holed up in his corner muttering to himself ever since our soldiers first reported that the Aliens were using plasma weapons...something about plasma weapons being theoretically impossible. I guess no one ever told the Aliens that. We just bring him food, ignore the muttering, and concentrate on doing our job. Now that we've built the thing, I wonder why he gets paid more than I do..."

 

Frank Smith - Lead Engineer

 

*bump* I made no changes, this is just the most recent version. All consistency issues have (to my knowledge) been resolved. I hereby pass the wand to the proofreaders, unless anyone sees anything that needs to be added.

Edited by Kikanaide
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There's only one thing I can see, and even then, it's a mere quibble.

 

It is the opinion of several X-corps engineers that a fifth prong should have been added for increased accuracy, as the current four are barely able to contain the beam. However...
Because the four existing magnetodynamic prongs are barely able to barely contain the beam, several X-Corps engineers theorized that the addition of a fifth prong would increase the accuracy of the weapon.  However...

The main thing that bothers me in the original sentence is the "should", which implies "they know better than the original designers". Though it's a nitpick, it more properly should be "could" or "can" to reflect their ambiguous and incomplete understanding of the technology, imho. Though I couldn't resist playing with the sentence a bit, by and large, the text looks very polished. I doubt there'll be much to tweak in proofreading. :)

Edited by Astyanax
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The main thing that bothers me in the original sentence is the "should", which implies "they know better than the original designers".

:) You haven't worked with that many scientists/engineers, have you? Seriously, I don't think I would notice if it changed or see a difference, so I'm not that attached to it. But I've worked with people who, even though they didn't understand vast parts of design, would pick on one particular part that they mostly understood and make suggestions about it. Often (read, almost always), the suggestions were stupid because without understanding how the other parts worked they couldn't possibly know all the tradeoffs that were made during the design of the part they are picking on. I don't know if they think it makes them look intelligent or what...people just do it. So you are correct, it seems to imply that. I suppose, subconsciously, that's why I wrote it that way - they think they know better, but it doesn't work at all. Hence it's their opinion, which is proved incorrect...

 

Ack, but all this talking about that paragraph made me reread it and see "Initial investigations (prepositional phrase) has resulted in ..." Blarg, that gets edited now.

Though I couldn't resist playing with the sentence a bit, by and large, the text looks very polished. I doubt there'll be much to tweak in proofreading. smile.gif
Thanks for the compliment...though in truth a large part of it reflects back on your help, and that of others. It was fun. Edited by Kikanaide
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Hm... maybe "several engineers are of the opinion"?

 

No biggie. I'm glad all this discussion did uncover something that needed fixing, though. :P

 

Thanks for the compliment...though in truth a large part of it reflects back on your help, and that of others. It was fun.

Fun for everyone, I imagine. :D

Edited by Astyanax
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