Universal Autocannon

[Retry]

Since the Autocannon thread is still ongoing and merged with the other thread, I felt it would be a good time to introduce this.

One of my first "custom equipment" I designed.  It's basically an attempt to make a late (~mid 32nd century) improvement of the Autocannon, to consolidate the LB-X, Ultra, and Standard Autocannons into one platform.  Designed to be competitive with the likes of energy weapons and gauss rifles, but not so overbearingly that they become the next Medium Laser so to speak.

The first iteration of the UnivAC was basically a pretty strict "Take the best parts of each Autocannon branch and mash together the result".  Since then, after posting in my original Autocannon thread (which got merged somewhere in the void), I also applied those changes to this series of autocannon (No AC/2 heat, no minimum ranges, extra ammo).  The revised version is posted here.

The price is set to be rather... high, for such a new and advanced technology.  I'd expect the price to fall down a lot eventually though, near Standard AC prices by the 3170s for instance.
UNIVERSAL AUTOCANNONS (Revised)

The Universal Autocannons are long-term refinement and modernization project made to Autocannons that aimed to incorporate advances made on the general AC series as well as its offshoots (LB-X, Ultras) into one single versatile weapons platform, and were first deployed in the 3140s.

The rules for the Universal Autocannon are as follows:

-The Universal Autocannon can use all ammunition available to both the LB-X series and Standard Autocannon Series
-The Universal Autocannon can "double tap", firing twice and making two separate to-hit rolls. This doubles heat production.
-Double-Tapping is compatible with any ammunition type
-The LB-X special ammo behaves somewhat poorly with the additional barrel vibrations when doing double-tapping, negating its -1 to-hit bonus and also adding a -2 cluster table malus.

UnivACs costs 2.5x that of a standard autocannon in C-Bills and have the rating F/X-X-X-F since they're a very new technology.

The Clans also have Protomech versions of the UnivAC, though these have yet to hit mass production.  Their costs are based off of the prototype PAC, not the iPAC.

IS UnivACs:

Code: [Select]

UnivAC/2
6 tons
2 Crits
0 Heat
9/18/27 Range
60 Shots/ton

UnivAC/5
8 tons
4 Crits
1 Heat
7/14/21 Range
24 Shots/ton

UnivAC/10
11 tons
6 Crits
2 Heat
6/12/18 Range
12 Shots/ton

UnivAC/20
14 tons
10 Crits
6 Heat
4/8/12 Range
6 Shots/ton
Clan UnivACs:

Code: [Select]

UnivAC/2
5 tons
1 Crit
0 Heat
11/22/33 Range
60 Shots/ton

UnivAC/5
7 tons
3 Crits
1 Heat
9/18/27 Range
24 Shots/ton

UnivAC/10
10 tons
4 Crits
2 Heat
7/14/21 Range
12 Shots/ton

UnivAC/20
12 tons
8 Crits
6 Heat
4/8/12 Range
6 Shots/ton

UnivPAC/2
2.5 tons
2 Crits
0 Heat
7/14/20 Range
48 Shots/ton

UnivPAC/4
3.5 tons
3 Crits
1 Heat
5/10/15 Range
24 Shots/ton

UnivPAC/8
4.5 tons
4 Crits
2 Heat
3/7/10 Range
12 Shots/ton

[Sartris]

after 900 years it's good to see someone finally figured out how to load different types of ammo into a giant machine gun

[Daryk]

So... the LB-X cluster ammo penalties are only for the second shot, right?  ???

[Retry]

So... the LB-X cluster ammo penalties are only for the second shot, right?  ???

For both shots, if double-tapping.

[Daryk]

I don't know if I'd go for both penalties on the first shot... there's really no more "vibration" for that one than a single shot.  For the second one, sure...

[victor_shaw]

I'll be strait-up with you, I never fully got the auto-cannons in battletech.
There have been many descriptions of how they work but they all seem to contradict each other.
Being ex-air force, I understand what a auto-cannon is in the real world, basically a rapid-fire self loading cannon.
But some of the descriptions give the impression that BT auto-cannons are more inline with super large caliber machine guns,while others match the real world weapon.
So I have to ask, in the BTU which is it, a real world type system or a Fantasy MG.

[Daryk]

I think the only possible answer to that question is "yes"...  ^-^

[Retry]

I don't know if I'd go for both penalties on the first shot... there's really no more "vibration" for that one than a single shot.  For the second one, sure...

I view the Universal Autocannons as firing shells at a rapid rate as opposed to literally two shots.  So some sort of UnivAC/2 model firing at a, say, "normal" rate of 30 shells every turn (10 seconds), while double-tapping would have an overall rate of fire of 60 shells every turn.  It's going to take much less than 5 seconds for the vibration issue kick in, so most of the shells are going to be affected by it.

But the "vibration" issue is more of a balance measure.  Having a -1 to-hit bonus compared to normal ammunition and potentially 20 pellets with Cluster ammo and no drawbacks seemed a bit too much.

[Daryk]

Maybe apply one penalty to the first shot, and both to the second?  ???

[victor_shaw]

I view the Universal Autocannons as firing shells at a rapid rate as opposed to literally two shots.  So some sort of UnivAC/2 model firing at a, say, "normal" rate of 30 shells every turn (10 seconds), while double-tapping would have an overall rate of fire of 60 shells every turn.  It's going to take much less than 5 seconds for the vibration issue kick in, so most of the shells are going to be affected by it.

But the "vibration" issue is more of a balance measure.  Having a -1 to-hit bonus compared to normal ammunition and potentially 20 pellets with Cluster ammo and no drawbacks seemed a bit too much.

Would really depend on the recoil systems that are in place.
As for the Cluster ammo, I never could understand this one.
The main advantage to Cluster ammo in the real world is its ability to do major damage to a meat body at short range.
It's major disadvantage has always been it's shorter range.
The idea that it would have the ranges listed kind of boggles the mind.

[Daryk]

I always understood them to be bursting shells that didn't become "cluster" until they were practically on the target.  Not really shotguns...

[Sartris]

Hmm

Shotgun ammo: half range, +4 cluster hit

[victor_shaw]

Hmm

Shotgun ammo: half range, +4 cluster hit

Still misses the fact that most scatter type rounds are intended for uses on unarmored targets.
As their penetration leaves a lot to be desired.

[Sartris]

Yeah I don’t care about real guns

[Retry]

Maybe apply one penalty to the first shot, and both to the second?  ???

Hmm... That may make it somewhat more complex than I'd prefer.  A uniform penalty would be simpler to remember.

Still misses the fact that most scatter type rounds are intended for uses on unarmored targets.
As their penetration leaves a lot to be desired.

Battletech's Magic Ablative Armor at work, I wager.  You can armor a tank or a Mech to survive a hit from a literal Battleship laser or one of the lighter NACs, at the cost of also being able to die to hundreds of lowly machine guns and cluster munitions.

If BT used a Penetrative-based armor system I'd imagine the Cluster rounds would be useless, but everything would also be easily cored by a single Gauss Rifle slug flying at hypervelocity.

[victor_shaw]

Hmm... That may make it somewhat more complex than I'd prefer.  A uniform penalty would be simpler to remember.Battletech's Magic Ablative Armor at work, I wager.  You can armor a tank or a Mech to survive a hit from a literal Battleship laser or one of the lighter NACs, at the cost of also being able to die to hundreds of lowly machine guns and cluster munitions.

If BT used a Penetrative-based armor system I'd imagine the Cluster rounds would be useless, but everything would also be easily cored by a single Gauss Rifle slug flying at hypervelocity.

"Renegade tech" anyone.  8)
And before I get asked, Renegade tech was a fan made Battletech armor system that changed it from the check the circle game it is, to use the Renegade legions damage system.

Record sheet attached.

[Nightsong]

Always wanted to try RenegadeTech. As for the AC, I kinda dread a Rotary version...

[victor_shaw]

Always wanted to try RenegadeTech. As for the AC, I kinda dread a Rotary version...

I have given it a try with one of my groups back in the day.
The game proved to be more of a time-sink then anything else, damage allotment took twice as long or more.
The system was prone to luck kills, and it was hard to judge the survivability of units. A few laser hits that happened to hit the same armor location number could bore through and take out an otherwise fictional mech.
Weapon types and firing order became tactical, as the different template could be combined to strip 2x-3x the armor if you ordered them right (through windowing).
Without the shields systems of the original Renegade legions system, mechs where to vulnerable.

[Red Pins]

Meh.  Got my own AC house rules that I prefer.  TL;DR-metalstorm concept

[garhkal]

I like these universal AC's..  Especially the removal of min ranges..

[Retry]

Always wanted to try RenegadeTech. As for the AC, I kinda dread a Rotary version...

I don't think I'd ever make a "Rotary Universal RAC" precisely because it'd be ridiculously effective.  So the RAC probably survives as one of the few niche ACs to not be phased out by the UnivAC.