General > Discussion

Weapon balancing/finetuning

<< < (5/5)

Surrealistik:

--- Quote ---The interesting side is whether weapons like the laser should lose damage over distance. I think a laser loses coherency at a very low rate. If that's true I would disagree with this idea.
--- End quote ---

It does due to air particulate, and other diffusers, but I doubt if it'd be relevant over the maximum distances encountered in a typical battlescape map. Even if it is, it's not going to diffuse entirely over such a span (unless attempting to move through something like a smoke screen) and as such the effects of diffusion should be reflected in damage decay, not arbitrary maximum ranges.

Starship_Yard:
In the ranges we are talking about lasers are unlikely to degrade much.  The US Air Force is currently testing a laser replacement for the AC-130 Spectre Gunship (the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft with all the miniguns and cannon firing out the side).  The current AC-130's usually operate around 5000 feet (3200m) which puts them within range of light anti-aircraft weapons and light missiles.  The new laser turret in the same aircraft would do the job from 30,000 feet well out of the range of most light to medium anti-aircraft systems.  And from 30,000 feet, the laser turret can precisely target a tire to disable a vehicle or the gas tank to blow it up.

Brett

SpaceWombat:

--- Quote from: Starship_Yard on February 21, 2008, 03:24:31 am ---In the ranges we are talking about lasers are unlikely to degrade much.  The US Air Force is currently testing a laser replacement for the AC-130 Spectre Gunship (the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft with all the miniguns and cannon firing out the side).  The current AC-130's usually operate around 5000 feet (3200m) which puts them within range of light anti-aircraft weapons and light missiles.  The new laser turret in the same aircraft would do the job from 30,000 feet well out of the range of most light to medium anti-aircraft systems.  And from 30,000 feet, the laser turret can precisely target a tire to disable a vehicle or the gas tank to blow it up.

--- End quote ---

That's nice for a big laser in a C-130. But as far as I understand laser tech the coherency of the beam is related to the qualities (i.e. in most cases size) of the components. Optical devices like a focussing lense or reflectors will be much smaller in a handgun. That would be a comparison between a 80MP professional airborne spycam with your mobile cam.

But breaking these numbers down to a laser rifle and -as you mentioned- much lower ranges you should still be right.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page