4 replies to this topic

[Delenda Est]

This might seem like a silly question, but is there any lore-wise way to convert the engines of battletech to more standard BHP- values?

[GreyNovember]

As far as I'm aware, "300 Rated" is about as telling as an "Autocannon 5".

Doesn't really mean anything apart from "This has this value in the game environment".

You'd probably have better luck comparing combustion engines though. I'd imagine a fusion reactor does not scale well with that measure.

[Roadkill]

Battletech engines wouldn't be rated in bhp anyway, they'd be rated in joules.

[pbiggz]

no there isn't. Also battletech engines are fusion engines, not internal combustion engines. They generate electricity, and no small amount of it either. They do not generate mechanical power via a rotor.

Also, the rating number is part of an equation that gives you a mech's top speed in hexes, or KPH if you use a slightly different formula.


(engine rating/mech tonnage)*16.2 gives you the KPH top speed.

So the rating number has little to do with reality, its all about meshing into the Battletech build system in a controllable way.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Delenda Est, on 17 March 2016 - 10:32 AM, said:

This might seem like a silly question, but is there any lore-wise way to convert the engines of battletech to more standard BHP- values?

Well... we know that engine rating= walking speed/10.6 kph*tonnage.

Knowing that you could calculate the minimum power that engine would have to output to move the mech. But... that would assume your mech is 100% efficient in converting the energy from the engine into movement which it won't be.

So... ultimately... not without a lot more information about the battlemechs.