Author Topic: (Answered) Units flying upside-down in the atmosphere  (Read 1462 times)

Alfaryn

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This thread is a follow-up to (http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=55603.0), where (among others) questions regarding movement of fighters and aerodyne airspace units that is flying upside-down on a low altitude map (after a Half-roll Special Maneuver - see p. 84 TW) were discussed. Since those questions were answered, and several months have passed since that thread was active, I decided co create a new thread instead of reviving the previous one.

I would also like to apologise for putting questions regarding rules found in three different books (TW, TO, and SO) in one thread, but I felt, that they are so closely connected, that it would be easier to ask, and answer them in one place.

The first question is - can an aerospace unit flying upside-down (p. 78 TW) on a low altitude map:
1) perform air-to-air attacks (p. 241 TW),
2) perform air-to-ground attacks (p. 242 TW), and if so, which ones (strafing, striking, dive-bombing, altitude-bombing),
3) use TAG (p. 246 TW),
4) dump bombs (p. 247 TW),
5) use Recon Camera (p. 337 TO) to spot for indirect fire and/or look for hidden units,
6) use Satelite Imagers of any kind (do Satelite Imagers even have any gameplay effect if used by a unit moving at low-altitude map)?

Second question - can an aerospace unit flying upside-down (p. 78 TW) recover or lunch fighters/small craft (p. 86 TW)? If it can lunch them - do they begin their movement upside-down?

Third question - what happens to unit's cargo or units on board of an aerospace unit, that performs Half-roll Special Maneuver? Are they damaged in any way? Does this maneuver interfere with any actions performed by such units (like Combat Drops p. 22 SO)? Same could probably be asked about plenty of other Special Maneuvers (like Barrel Roll or Immelmann for example).

Fourth question - if an aerospace unit goes from low-altitude to high-altitude map, can it choose if it's left and right side arcs are flipped?

Fifth question - if an aerospace unit capable of Special Maneuvers goes from high-altitude to low-altitude map - can it choose to enter an appropriate low-altitude map upside-down (as if it had already performed a half-roll)? Are there any rules regarding an initial position and direction of a unit which came to a low-altitude map from a high-altitude map, or is it just "anywhere at altitude 10?
« Last Edit: 08 May 2017, 01:31:31 by Xotl »

Xotl

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Re: (Research) Units flying upside-down in the atmosphere
« Reply #1 on: 08 May 2017, 01:31:20 »
1.1) Yes
1.2) No
1.3) No
1.4) No
1.5) No
1.6) No

2) No.

3) Boarded units and cargo are assumed to be correctly contained/tied down/seated for normal flight conditions, so no effect for that or any other special maneuvers.  Yes, infantry areas may need cleaning afterwards, but this is not relevant in gameplay terms.
« Last Edit: 08 May 2017, 21:21:41 by Xotl »
3028-3057 Random Assignment Tables -
Also contains faction deployment & rarity info.

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=1219.0

Alfaryn

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Re: (Answered) Units flying upside-down in the atmosphere
« Reply #2 on: 08 May 2017, 13:55:25 »
Thanks.

I guess by the extension of logic, that seems to be behind your answers (no air to ground actions and no lunching fighters while flying upside down), combat drops should not be allowed while flying upside down, but possible as soon as the carrier rights itself by another half-roll (since being upside down does not affect the cargo)?

Is my reasoning correct?

If that is so, then it seems simple enough rules-wise, though thematically BT universe must have some damn good solution for para-drops to be able to go from flying belly up, to dropping paratroopers, vehicles etc. in span of 10 seconds. ;-)
« Last Edit: 08 May 2017, 15:36:40 by Alfaryn »

Xotl

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Re: (Answered) Units flying upside-down in the atmosphere
« Reply #3 on: 11 May 2017, 11:13:55 »
Yeah, that would be consistent.

As for the 10 second flip-to-drop ability, I assume they use the resulting centrifugal force to slingshot the droppers out the doors, for added efficiency.
3028-3057 Random Assignment Tables -
Also contains faction deployment & rarity info.

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=1219.0

Alfaryn

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Re: (Answered) Units flying upside-down in the atmosphere
« Reply #4 on: 12 May 2017, 16:26:14 »
So the most efficient drop happens, when bay door is ripped from the fuselage, tears off half of the wing, and the whole DropShip starts spinning around it's long axis? Sounds logical. Even if you don't have a parachute on, you probably have best chances of surviving if you get out as soon as possible. I know of at least two people who survived falls from altitudes well over a kilometer without a chute. Both of them were just lucky enough to fall into forests, get slowed down by branches, and finally hit soft ground. Probably none of that would help you if you remained inside a plane in such situation.

Seriously though since there are so many things, that aerospace units flying upside down can't do (discussed both in this thread, and the one I've mention in the first post here), and at the same time those things seem to fall into fairly few consistent categories, couldn't those limitations be mentioned in the rulebook(s), in not in every place that relevant attacks, manoveres etc. are discussed, then at least in the Rolling section on pp. 77-78?

 

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