70 replies to this topic

[Spiralcrisis]

In past MW games the Gauss Rifle has this trail that I guess is supposed to be a magnetic after effect. It has always annoyed me because in the novel it is never mentioned. All they mention is the slug being seen as a silver blur. What does everyone think, trail or silver blur?

Edited by Spiralcrisis, 10 April 2012 - 07:22 PM.

[pursang]

I think the whole ring trail after-effect for gauss rifles arose from the limitations of the game engines at the time. They needed to be readily differentiated from other ballistics and the ring trails where the easiest way to achieve that. Hell, the gauss rifle rounds in MW2 where represented by large balls of silvery-steel and nothing else. In conclusion, I really wouldn't mind a combination of the two: A ring trail coupled with motion blur.

[Der Kommissar]

Neither one of these. A gauss rifle should be signaled by a plasma plume as the air around the muzzle is superheated.

http://youtu.be/VWS1dBrAAJU

The more you know.

Edited by Der Kommissar, 10 April 2012 - 07:13 PM.

[pursang]

Der Kommissar, on 10 April 2012 - 07:13 PM, said:

Neither one of these. A gauss rifle should be signaled by a plasma plume as the air around the muzzle is superheated.

http://youtu.be/VWS1dBrAAJU

The more you know.

I know it's a common falshood around here, but everyone should know that a gauss rifle is not a rail gun. They're similiar yes, but not at all the same.

[Der Kommissar]

Of course they're not the same thing. But although the firing mechanism is different (a series of magnets timed to accelerate a magnetic slug vs. a pair of rails turning a conductive slug into an electromagnet), the effect of a weaponized gauss rifle will be the same as a weaponized railgun: the air around the barrel will be superheated, and you may get a plasma plume. It's a matter of velocity, not the method of getting it there.

Edited by Der Kommissar, 10 April 2012 - 07:19 PM.

[Spiralcrisis]

I feel silly now because I never considered the air around the rifle after the shot is fired. I'm going to add an option to the poll.

[Monky]

I think it should resemble a 'blur' moving very quickly, with a vapor trail visible behind it as the air parts in front of it at super high velocity.

Ideally, the trail will last for a split second, and look like a blurry translucent line. This is a real life phenomena, similar to the vapor trail left by high speed aircraft, often used by snipers to calculate follow up shots.

[Spiralcrisis]

What always annoyed me though was the trail in past MW games with the green trail that I always guessed was from the magnets. It just always struck me as wrong.

[Evil Ash]

The rings scientifically have to be implemented, without the "trademark" ring visuals, the guass rifle is instead a rail gun, and rail guns aren't nearly as fun. (This reply is real world application, not canon)

[syngyne]

Battlezone got it right.

[The Cheese]

The game should have some way of identifying the mech that fired the slug, regardless of the visual used to do so.

Whatever is used will be accepted (if not liked) by the community. It's really not that big of a deal.

[Gun Bear]

I like the plume of plasma idea.

[UncleKulikov]

Contrails for balance, and only balance. I don't care if that would actually happen with actual gauss rifles mounted on actual mechs that are however tall, balance is the key here.

[Zakatak]

Der Kommissar, on 10 April 2012 - 07:13 PM, said:

Neither one of these. A gauss rifle should be signaled by a plasma plume as the air around the muzzle is superheated.

http://youtu.be/VWS1dBrAAJU

The more you know.

I thought it was the Aluminum III Oxide reacting with the air that made that plume, not the heating of the air itself.

[CCC Dober]

I'd vote for a barely visible projectile trail with lots of motion blur and here's why:

Average reaction time: 0.3 secs
Muzzle velocity: 3500 m/sec -> conservative guesstimation, current 120mm APFSDS shells have ~50% of that
ETA@800m: 0.23 secs

As you see, there's barely time to register that the slug has left the barrel and by the time you do it has already hit the target at typical BT/MW ranges. It's closer to lasers than other ballistic weapons. All you see of it are after effects at best, thanks to the high muzzle velocity.

Edited by CCC_Dober, 11 April 2012 - 05:17 AM.

[Trevnor]

I'd say just a motion blur, with a vapor trail or something to tell where it was shot from. However, this trail should not last all that long, 10 to 15 seconds at most.

[Render]

Something as powerful as a Gauss should have its own signature visuals.
The swirling rings were cool and let me know what I was up against.

Edited by Render, 11 April 2012 - 05:57 AM.

[The unnamed one]

I say all three options as each are a charicteristic of the weapon.
but keep it like this,

Lt Trevnor, on 11 April 2012 - 05:31 AM, said:

with a vapor trail or something to tell where it was shot from. However, this trail should not last all that long, 10 to 15 seconds at most.

Edited by The unnamed one, 11 April 2012 - 05:52 AM.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

You have no chance of seeing the slug as it's hypersonic, ie Mach 5 or greater, just as effective travel time is negligable. There should be a sonic boom and maybe a vapour trail as well as the plasma effects around the barrel.

[CCC Dober]

I have a suspicion that these swirls were pretty vogue in back in the days ...


P.S. Totally unrelated, click the spoiler if you dare

Spoiler

Edited by CCC_Dober, 11 April 2012 - 06:27 AM.