31 replies to this topic

[Mark of Caine]

It's Transparasteel... no wait, wrong franchise. Drat.

[Black Rock Shooter]

The way I've always looked at it is that the windows house the cameras that then project the images onto the pilot's screens inside his armored cockpit.

[Nekomimi]

Perhaps the different names are different brands/company names?

[Otto Cannon]

I don't think it makes much difference what they are supposed to be made of, transparency+lasers=fail. You could come up with excuses why windows are see-through steel and somehow react at lightspeed to lasers, but they would always be just that- excuses rather than proper reasons. I think the best thing to do is simply pretend that the thought of transparent window armour being unrealistic never crossed your mind, and enjoy the fact that cockpit windows make some mechs look better.

[MiG]

Weird Beard, on 11 July 2012 - 04:08 PM, said:

Mech cockpits have always been drawn with windows. I never once thought they would be made of glass. Thanks Krubarax for confirming what they are actually made of. Where is ferroglass mentioned?

I figured the windows were the reason the cockpit was so fragile (max 9hp)

Quote

There are other types of armor on 'Mechs. Actuator armoring can be from a wide range of protective materials - ballistic or ablative fabrics to articulated plates of standard armor. Cockpit view screens use a large selection of transparent armors in combination, anything from ferroglass to alternating diamond and polymer sheets.

http://www.sarna.net...Mech_Technology

Last line under the Standard Armor heading.

Edited by mig, 11 July 2012 - 10:13 PM.

[Siegwald]

Otto Cannon, on 11 July 2012 - 09:58 PM, said:

I don't think it makes much difference what they are supposed to be made of, transparency+lasers=fail. (snip)

This is clearly wrong. I am working in an environment where we are using a lot of different laser for research purposes.
And there is a thing called "laser safety goggles". They are transparent.
Well, to be perfectly exact, they are kinda transparent. They come in different colors depending on the wavelength they protect against and they are in general pretty dark like sunglasses.

But the point is that for weapon lasers you would inevitably choose wavelengths in the lower part of the spectrum (energy-rich radiation, UV or near UV) as opposed to high wavelengths (low-energy radiation, IR or near IR). Just because IR lasers will heat your laser equipment much more for the same beam strength.

And the point to this technical digression is the fact that the lower the wavelength to be protected against, the higher the visible translucency of protective materials can be. If you build laser safety materials that protect you from wavelengths of up to, say 450 nm, you can make the material more or less crystal clear.

Some food for thought for the tech geeks out there.

[bakon]

I just stuck Linux in my Mech, solved all my problems with windows .

[Otto Cannon]

Siegwald, on 11 July 2012 - 11:32 PM, said:

This is clearly wrong. I am working in an environment where we are using a lot of different laser for research purposes.
And there is a thing called "laser safety goggles". They are transparent.
Well, to be perfectly exact, they are kinda transparent. They come in different colors depending on the wavelength they protect against and they are in general pretty dark like sunglasses.

But the point is that for weapon lasers you would inevitably choose wavelengths in the lower part of the spectrum (energy-rich radiation, UV or near UV) as opposed to high wavelengths (low-energy radiation, IR or near IR). Just because IR lasers will heat your laser equipment much more for the same beam strength.

And the point to this technical digression is the fact that the lower the wavelength to be protected against, the higher the visible translucency of protective materials can be. If you build laser safety materials that protect you from wavelengths of up to, say 450 nm, you can make the material more or less crystal clear.

Some food for thought for the tech geeks out there.

*Sigh* Yes, fair enough. If you're going to be that exact about it though, the visible part of the beams as used in the game would still dazzle you even if the more destructive wavelengths were blocked. My point was that you shouldn't bother analysing the game world too carefully because sooner or later you will hit fiction rather than science. Enjoy it as it is, because if it was too realistic there would be no mechs at all.

[Grim Grin]

Ramius Hazen, on 11 July 2012 - 03:02 PM, said:

Aye. They're transparent aluminum, laddie!

I also heard this.

RL Nice, on 11 July 2012 - 05:20 PM, said:

That would simply look too weird. And brittle.

What about that Raptor II miniature from the Firepower set of Mechwarrior: Age of Destruction set?

[Siegwald]

Otto Cannon, on 11 July 2012 - 11:41 PM, said:

*Sigh* Yes, fair enough.
(snip)
Enjoy it as it is, because if it was too realistic there would be no mechs at all.

Yes, we can agree on that.

No offense meant, buddy!

Cheers, Siegwald

[Thorgar Wulfson]

it lists in lore that early battlemechs all had transparent cockpits with polarizing material for various light degrees. Then later mechs had completely sealed cockpits with full holographic hud and displays too see out as if it was glass. However the tech for those got lost and as of 3025 the transparent cockpits became more prevalent again as the higher tech cockpits became harder to repair.

with the regaining of tech from the Grey Death data core and the salvage from the Clans the two types seem to be mixing.

[DerMaulwurf]

bakon, on 11 July 2012 - 11:40 PM, said:

I just stuck Linux in my Mech, solved all my problems with windows .

Good look finding the right drivers for that new PPC.