71 replies to this topic

[BlackFlag]

I recall reading technical info on the PPC that I can't find a reference to anywhere. I think this goes back to MW2, either in game info, or game manual... but I'm not sure. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what I'm talking about, and can tell me if this is correct, cannon, etc.

How the PPC works (if I'm remembering correctly)-- a precursor laser heats the air into a plasma conduit, through which is sent a static discharge, like lightning. The PPC is primarily an electrical weapon, not a heat weapon. The flow of electricity would push some hot plasma into the target, but most of the damage would be electrical. The static discharge can overload the enemy mech's electrical systems, temporarily causing systems to malfunction, destroying weapons or systems if you're lucky, and if you're super lucky, destroying the mech in one hit. If you're unlucky, your systems get overloaded. Missing your target greatly increases the chance of a backfire, as the static charge has nowhere to go.

Given the nature of the weapon, effectiveness decreases as range increases. The weapon is also ineffective in a vacuum.



I checked http://www.sarna.net...rojector_Cannon, and they have a somewhat different description... but I'm 99% sure I read this somewhere, and I remember the weapon working this way in MW2.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Sidra]

Hmm if it is ineffective in a vacum, how do you have naval ppc's? >.<

[MechaDraco]

I have no clue once so ever, all I know is that I dont really recall there being anything about the PPC backfiring if it missed (I realize you said chance I'm just saying.) However I do know that it generates a Massive amount of heat, so the possibility of it simply overloading you with constant fire is very high. as for the rest of it, I have no idea, I just thought it was essentially a giant plasma laser cannon.

[Moldycrow]

Sidra, on 17 July 2012 - 04:47 PM, said:

Hmm if it is ineffective in a vacum, how do you have naval ppc's? >.<

Punched a hole through that theory like a PPC through rear torso armor.

[Absit invidia]

I think the sarna.net article is more cannon.

[Arctic Fox]

I know there's a popular (and utterly wrong) impression that PPCs are 'lightning guns', but I'm not sure where you got your description. In either case, Sarna's description is the correct one: PPCs, just as their name implies, cause damage by firing high velocity charged particles at the enemy. They are also most definitely effective in a vacuum, hence the widespread use of Naval PPCs on Star League-era WarShips.

Edited by Arctic Fox, 17 July 2012 - 04:54 PM.

[Ezrekiel]

Well, its name implies it projects particles, and protons or ions make sense there, like that article mentions. The electrical aspect would probably just be a side effect of the ionization, I think.

I also remember having read rules of the tabletop for fights in vacuum, and the PPC had no rule to make it ineffective there (dont remember everything but I'd remember if the PPC was affected because it has always been one of my favourite weapons)

[ManDaisy]

The ppc is not a lightning beam but a particle beam.

First phase: Store energy in an "not necessarily electrical energy" capacitator.

2nd phase: establish primary charged pathway to target, thru the firing of a low power laser, perhaps thru directing the nuclear decay of a solid state fuel type, ie controling the flow of radiation from a large block of radioactive material.

3rd phase: Discharge stored energy thru the pathway created thus creating the particle torrent which transfers stored energy to target or creating a chain nuclear reaction which will ignite the pathway causing it to release its energy.

Essentially in this regards the particle projection cannon is an explosion at the end of a chain.

Edited by ManDaisy, 17 July 2012 - 04:57 PM.

[The Packrat]

I don't recall ever seeing such a description for a PPC, but if you read it in-game in MW2, I know the games would often take wide liberties with BT canon, which may explain the discrepency.

[ScrapIron Prime]

The Sarna text comes straight from the Technical Manual, so it's quoting a canon source. The bit about the electrical side effects, however, comes only from the fluff of one tank in the 3050 readouts, but it has been used in prior MW games because it's just cool.

[Greyrook]

The name implies that it launches charged parti

BlackFlag, on 17 July 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

I recall reading technical info on the PPC that I can't find a reference to anywhere. I think this goes back to MW2, either in game info, or game manual... but I'm not sure. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what I'm talking about, and can tell me if this is correct, cannon, etc.

How the PPC works (if I'm remembering correctly)-- a precursor laser heats the air into a plasma conduit, through which is sent a static discharge, like lightning. The PPC is primarily an electrical weapon, not a heat weapon.

Maybe this description is just the process for exciting the particles and they're launched through a different method. Either way, if the damaging aspect of the PPC was electrical, it wouldn't be a particle cannon like it's namesake. But even in mechwarrior 2, it didn't act like a tesla coil or something, it launched a blue sphere (presumably a cloud of ions).

[ManDaisy]

if you use the explosion at the end of chain example both interpretations make sense. Mw2, the ball effect is just the light released by detonation - o - o - o - o - -->. The illusion that eh ball is moving is just the domino effect of energy release then disappation into the atmosphere. In reality the chain- explosion is traveling down a predefined path. In the beam example the whole pathway goes off at once instead of being a chain reaction.

Edited by ManDaisy, 17 July 2012 - 05:04 PM.

[Mavek]

not only is the ppc not really an electricity gun, if it was, a bolt of electricity generates ENORMOUS amounts of heat in and around anything it hits and flows through.

think of a light bulb...the only reason the filament inside doesnt immediately vaporize, is because the light bulb is a vacuum, so even when the filament reaches way beyond its normal point of bursting into flame, there is no oxygen for this reaction to occur.

also, ask anyone that has been hit by lightning and survived...most of the damage is cooked tissue along the path the electrons took while grounding themselves.

[ManDaisy]

Take the snubb nose ppc, it can easily be explained as detonating a cloud of nuclear material rather then a cloud of electricity.

[ArchRakshasa]

The Particle Projector Cannon (or PPC) is a unique energy weapon. PPCs fire a concentrated stream of protons or ions at a target, causing damage through both thermal and kinetic energy.^[3] As such, despite being an energy weapon, it produces recoil. The lethality of the weapon rivals that of a higher-caliber autocannon; just three shots from a PPC will vaporize two tons of standard military-grade armor.^[4] Targets hit by multiple, simultaneous PPCs can also suffer electrical side-effects, such as overloaded computer systems or targeting sensors.^[5] The ion beam also extends to much farther ranges than autocannon fire, though PPCs generate large amounts of waste heat.
PPCs are equipped with a Field Inhibitor to prevent feedback which could damage the firing unit's electronic systems.^[6] This inhibitor degrades the performance of the weapon at close ranges of less than 90 meters. Particularly daring warriors have been known to disengage the inhibitor and risk damage to their own machine when a target is at close range.

[Orin Slipsilver]

This thread makes me happy. So much energy expended to try and divine the way a PPC works. Thanks, guys. I love BT.

[MuffinTop]

I hope this thread stays the course with trusted references and doesn't turn into a Broscience thread. Even though its one of those repeated subjects some of the new forum members will hopefull get something out of this.

[ManDaisy]

Ion : an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons—see anion, cation.

Source: http://www.merriam-w...com/medical/ion

Its a nuclear material firing weapon.

My guess that is its a 2 stage process.

The innitial beam is an (negative stream of electrons)

The particle beam followed by the detonation reaction is a stream of cations... thus its a stream of cations, or protons if simplified.

Also Ion may also possess more neutrons. In fact there is a way of combining elements to mimic the properties of other elements in this way.

Edited by ManDaisy, 17 July 2012 - 05:21 PM.

[ScrapIron Prime]

ManDaisy, on 17 July 2012 - 05:14 PM, said:

Ion : an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons—see anion, cation.

Source: http://www.merriam-w...com/medical/ion

Its a nuclear material firing weapon.

And hey, if it quarks like a duck...

[CWSureshot]

BlackFlag, on 17 July 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

I recall reading technical info on the PPC that I can't find a reference to anywhere. I think this goes back to MW2, either in game info, or game manual... but I'm not sure. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what I'm talking about, and can tell me if this is correct, cannon, etc.

How the PPC works (if I'm remembering correctly)-- a precursor laser heats the air into a plasma conduit, through which is sent a static discharge, like lightning. The PPC is primarily an electrical weapon, not a heat weapon. The flow of electricity would push some hot plasma into the target, but most of the damage would be electrical. The static discharge can overload the enemy mech's electrical systems, temporarily causing systems to malfunction, destroying weapons or systems if you're lucky, and if you're super lucky, destroying the mech in one hit. If you're unlucky, your systems get overloaded. Missing your target greatly increases the chance of a backfire, as the static charge has nowhere to go.

Given the nature of the weapon, effectiveness decreases as range increases. The weapon is also ineffective in a vacuum.



I checked http://www.sarna.net...rojector_Cannon, and they have a somewhat different description... but I'm 99% sure I read this somewhere, and I remember the weapon working this way in MW2.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

in mw2 a ppc had no backfire damage if it were a miss shot.. The ppc generated a lot of heat when shot. PPC traveled in a sphere and imploded on impact.

ALmost every mechwarrior\battletech video game has had their own version of the weapon altho most share certain common features. In MPBT the PPC was just a quick teal\green beam. i could go on and on about the variations throughout the years. MWO ultimately is all that is going to matter in a sense that itll be the end all be all of MW\BTech games. So hopefully its done right.