8 replies to this topic

[Brenden]

I wondered for the longest time as to why Lasers, in game, were more powerful then Plasma when in reality Plasma (that I've heard) is vastly more powerful then a Laser.
So tell me, why haven't they implemented Plasma weaponry earlier on say, during the Succession Wars? Sure, they have 'Plasma' Rifles and Cannons... But they seem to focused on Heat generation to do any real damage toward things like Battlemechs or Tanks.

[ValdnadHartagga]

The Succession Wars were the reason they didn't have that tech during the Succession Wars

[MustrumRidcully]

What are Plasma weapons in reality?

Currently, we don't have any.

Plasma is ionized gas. Usually, plasma is very hot.
That means it generally makes a poor type of weapon, because how do you stop this gas from expanding? How do you move it? You can certainly use a charge to speed it up, but how well can you control its flight path?

You might be able to create plasma with a nuke (it's not the only way, but it's one way). I suppose that would be more powerufl than the typical Battletech lasers, but it seems comparing apples to oranges.

You might also be able to create plasma with a Laser, heating up the gas (or other target material) until it turns into the plasma state. But then you might have to wonder - couldn't I have just used that Laser to shoot at the enemy with it? Maybe if the plasma serves as energy storage - you can't build a Laser to create all that energy at once, but for beating your enemy, having it at your disposal quickly and not over time might be important. So you laser yourself some plasma over a period of time, and then shoot your plasma... But then, you'll still need to fix the problem of keeping that plasma together on its route to the target.

[Viper69]

Next people will want the dreaded bombast laser from mech4.

In all seriousness. I run a plasma cutter at work. It takes a lot of energy to maintain the plasma state stable without it going out of control. You need a shielding gas and an intense electrical charge. Im sure other ways of making plasma exist but the one I know would only work on short range.

[Stormwolf]

Viper69, on 11 February 2013 - 07:54 AM, said:

Next people will want the dreaded bombast laser from mech4.

Well, it is canon now, you can find it in TacOps.

[ValdnadHartagga]

Also, jump jets vent plasma from the reactor. Given how they can be used against certain Clanners, one could argue that plasma weapon technology existed in the SW era...

[Catamount]

This question doesn't make any sense, not as its stated, anyways (there may be an intended question that makes a lot of sense, but I don't understand the meaning here). OP, you seem to be asking why BT doesn't have powerful plasma weapons, as opposed to why the weapons that are in BT aren't in MWO.

A laser is a DET weapon, which means it's as "powerful" as the energy that goes into it (sans any reduction from scattering and the effects of the inverse square law, insofar as either might apply). A plasma weapon would likewise contain whatever energy input that went into it, except that that energy would be used to make the plasma hotter. I could envision a plasma weapon, possibly, as a self-contained burst of plasma like ball lightning, which maintains its own cohesion for a short time (though I'll be damned if I know how you could get plasma to behave that way under conditions that you could generate with a weapon), but while it might be possible to make functional, there's no reason why it would be more powerful, per unit of energy inputted, than a laser. They'd both be subject to their inefficiencies.

So there's no reason why BT should feature uber-powerful plasma weapons.

[Brenden]

Catamount, on 11 February 2013 - 11:06 AM, said:

This question doesn't make any sense, not as its stated, anyways (there may be an intended question that makes a lot of sense, but I don't understand the meaning here). OP, you seem to be asking why BT doesn't have powerful plasma weapons, as opposed to why the weapons that are in BT aren't in MWO.

A laser is a DET weapon, which means it's as "powerful" as the energy that goes into it (sans any reduction from scattering and the effects of the inverse square law, insofar as either might apply). A plasma weapon would likewise contain whatever energy input that went into it, except that that energy would be used to make the plasma hotter. I could envision a plasma weapon, possibly, as a self-contained burst of plasma like ball lightning, which maintains its own cohesion for a short time (though I'll be damned if I know how you could get plasma to behave that way under conditions that you could generate with a weapon), but while it might be possible to make functional, there's no reason why it would be more powerful, per unit of energy inputted, than a laser. They'd both be subject to their inefficiencies.

So there's no reason why BT should feature uber-powerful plasma weapons.

Mhmm.. Mhmm.. I was merely wondering.
The idea of Plasma weapons began sometime in the nineties, correct? The 50s and 60s had their laser years, so did the 80s if memory serves from all those old movies I saw. The idea of Plasma as a weapon might be viable if we look at what the Covenant, from the Halo series, did with their Plasma weapons: They contained it in a magnetic bottle. Sure, the farther the bottle is from it's source the weaker it will be until it collapses unto itself, but that range might just be enough for that sort. But then again, that's just so radical from what Battletech is that it will NEVER come to be. Aliens in Battletech probably don't exist on a level to even master plasma like that.

And if the game is in the future, why wouldn't they have Plasma based weaponry? Another question of mine is why not, and someone stated above 'the succession wars'. True, those wars were the main reason for the technological collapse of many of the great nations, but surely, during the age of the Star League, there could have been at least an attempt at making a Plasma like weapon? Who knows.

[Skylarr]

Brenden, on 11 February 2013 - 07:18 AM, said:

I wondered for the longest time as to why Lasers, in game, were more powerful then Plasma when in reality Plasma (that I've heard) is vastly more powerful then a Laser.
So tell me, why haven't they implemented Plasma weaponry earlier on say, during the Succession Wars? Sure, they have 'Plasma' Rifles and Cannons... But they seem to focused on Heat generation to do any real damage toward things like Battlemechs or Tanks.

The Plasma Rifle was developed by the Capellan Confederation. Based upon their man-portable version, the Confederation was able to create what is essentially a massive Flamer. Year Availability 3068

The Plasma Cannon is an energy weapon that affects its target primarily through the transfer of heat. Year Availability 3069

Quote

The Plasma PPC is an ancient weapon design, used extremely rarely, and seen in MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf and MechAssault: Phantom War.

CAPABILITIES The Plasma PPC is a more accurate, yet weaker, version of a PPC. This weapon also generates less heat and charges faster.

WEIGHT Approx the same as Gauss Rifle.

ORIGINS unknown, although it was discovered by Word of Blake, and used by the Lone Wolves.