No matter what, the arty-round is going to be going faster if you slap it into an EM motive system, meaning a very shallow ballistic arc and short time-on-target.
That is why I specified that the muzzle velocity was identical. If both rounds are leaving the barrel at identical speeds, and have identical aerodynamics, then their flight time would be the same. A Gauss round doesn't have to always be fired at hypersonic speed. Reduce the energy in the capacitors, adjust the timing as needed, and you can vary the muzzle velocity.
It isn't as easy as that, I'm afraid. The Heavy Lasers actually utilize some sort of plasma technology to get their oomph, which makes it particularly nasty in all sorts of ways.
That is for the original Heavy Lasers, this is for alternate weapons ideas. These don't get better range or accuracy boosts, they just fit into the same place as regular Inner Sphere lasers, get much hotter and do a bit more damage. Allows the Clans to make better use of lower-tech Inner Sphere Mechs for second-line and solahma units, so Warriors don't have to wait behind the lines. Inner Sphere techs just have to remove the old lasers and replace with the new ones, while Clan techs trouble-shoot the internals. This way you can put captured Inner Sphere technicians to work immediately, further reducing waste (better to use Inner Sphere techs as Technician caste, than as Laborer caste).
That is... odd and interesting....
It allows for larger space stations, but the structural limitations mean that as the stations get bigger they also get clumsier. It also means it is better to construct a single 2.5 MTon station, than trying to hook together twenty-five 100-kton jump stations.
this sounds pretty powerful and doesn't have much in terms of downsides which is a sacred cow in BT.
"Crazy" weapon idea. Also note that it was found, not manufactured. This is for when you want the players to debate whether to use the weapon, or keeping it unpowered so nobody notices it (such as the Steltek).
Edit:
MTL-#
Multi-torpedo Launcher, capable of firing either short or long range torpedoes. Essentially the torpedo variant of the MML.
Game Rules:
Fires short or long range torpedoes, with the same range and damage profiles as the SRM and LRM used for MML.
Design Rules:
Uses the same heat, tonnage, criticals, costs, and ammunition per ton as the original MML systems.
KF Field amplifier booster
At the same time as larger Dropships were being developed in an attempt to reduce the number of Docking Collars being needed, several designs were discovered to be too large and wound up needing more than their regular share of work from the KF core to be properly encompassed. As a result, one person had an idea of a KF add-on that enhanced the Dropship collars to handle the larger Dropships being deployed.
However as technology marched on, better Dropship designs allowed them to integrate the KF systems better into their structure, and this technology was no longer necessary.
Game effect:
On Docking Collars modified with this technology, you can ignore the effect of the
Large Dropship Disadvantage. Dropships modified with this technology lose that Disadvantage. In eras where this technology was lost, vessels with this upgrade count as having the
Difficult to Maintain Disadvantage.
Design rules:
Docking Collars with this upgrade mass an additional 1000 tons. Dropships with this upgrade have to allocate 1200 tons, to reflect that the equipment has to provide a better KF field without affecting the KF field of the mounting Jumpship or Warship. This upgrade does not affect the number of Docking Collars for purposes of KF core construction costs.
Dropship Launch Bay:
Designed to carry a Dropship or Dropshuttle internally and launch it within a few minutes of receiving the order (compared to other versions that treat a DS as cargo) the DLB is designed to include maintenance/repair equipment along with basic living quarters for the minimum crew for that DS. A DLB is designed to fit a certain tonnage and configuration of a DS, and only has half capacity when storing a DS of a different configuration (Aerodyne vs Spheroid).
Game Rules:
A DLB launching a DS only needs 1 minute for every 1000 tons the DS masses, FRU. To land a DS in a DLB, it takes 1 minute for every 500 tons the DS masses. If you attempt to use a DS of the wrong configuration for the selected DLB, the landing DS is treated as massing 2* higher for duration needed to launch or land, and space occupied. If a DS of the wrong configuration is stored in a DLB, all repair/maintenance rolls are made at a 1-pt penalty.
A Bay can only be in one of the following states each turn:
Damaged or Destroyed - cannot be used to recover or launch DS, or transfer them internally
Empty - Can be used to receive a DS (either by landing if this DLB is the external connection, or from another internal DLB if the DS being received will fit)
Transferring out - A DLB is sending the DS inside it to another DLB, or the DLB is launching a DS into space
Receiving - a DLB is receiving a DS from another DLB (this is also used when recovering a landing DS)
Storing - A DLB has a DS inside it, and that DS is not going anywhere (commonly used when performing maintenance)
Since a DS can only be transferred to an empty DLB, this means that even if you have a series of 1-kton DS that you want to launch, they can only be launched every other turn. For example, using DS #1 through 8, and DLB A through H (where DS #1 starts in DLB A, #2 in DLB B, aso):
Turn X: DS #1 launches from DLB_A
Turn X+1: DS #2 is moved from DLB_B into empty DLB_A
Turn X+2: DS #2 launches from DLB_A, DS #3 is moved from DLB_C into empty DLB_B
Turn X+3: DS #3 is moved from DLB_B into empty DLB_A, DS #4 is moved into empty DLB_C
Turn X+4: DS #3 launches from DLB_A, DS #4 is moved from DLB_C into DLB_B, DS #5 moves from DLB_E to DLB_D
etc
Design Rules:
As the vessels are carried internally, they do not affect to the KF core price (compared to a Docking Collar).
Select the configuration (aerodyne or Spheroid) and the max mass that is planned to be carried. The DLB requires additional equipment massing 50% of the capacity. So a DLB that is to launch a 5000 ton Dropshuttle would need 5000 tons of mass to handle the Dropshuttle, plus an additional 2500 tons for the launch/recovery/servicing equipment, for a total mass of 7500 tons. If ARTS (or similar technology that is proportional to the mass of the bay) is added, the mass is based on the total bay mass, not just the additional equipment. So if the 7500-ton bay was modified to have ARTS capability, the final mass would be 9375 tons (7500 * 1.25).
Similarly, if an aerodyne Dropship or Dropshuttle wanted to land in that bay, technically you could only land an aerodyne that massed up to 2500 tons in that bay. Landing would take 10 minutes, and launching would take 5 minutes (the Aerodyne is treated as massing 5000 tons since it is the wrong configuration for the DLB).
Each DLB either requires its own Door, or connected to another DLB that has door access. In order for a DS to pass from one DLB to another, the destination DLB must be empty and the DS being moved must be able to fit into that other bay. So a 2000 ton Aerodyne DS can be moved into a DLB that is designed for Aerodynes and has 2500 ton capacity, but not one that is designed for Aerodynes and has 1500 tons, or into a DLB designed Spheroid DS and has 3900 ton capacity. A common trick is to arrange all the DLB into two columns, splitting Aerodyne into one and Spheroid into the other. Each of those columns are then arranged in order of decreasing tonnage capacity. From there, Split the columns into smaller columns, assigning a door to each column.
HPG pulse Receiver Chamber
Normally seen on planets at the local HPG station and designed to receive HPG pulses that are high-EMP effects, this is the effort of compacting such a structure down enough to fit into a Warship. With this, if the HPG pulse arrives inside the Chamber, then it cannot be detected by other vessels. The primary use of this chamber was to coordinate squadrons of stealth ships, where one squadron would accelerate, and while accelerating would send their position, acceleration, and sensor data to the second squadron. After the first squadron ceased acceleration, the second squadron would accelerate, sending their position, acceleration, and sensor data back to the first squadron. In this manner, the two squadrons were able to keep in contact even while conducting operations on the far sides of a star system.
A similar system was used in Castle Brian setups, where a stealth squadron would arrive in-system, and if their mission called for it could transmit to the Castle Brian's Receiver Chamber their current position and situation (the stealth squadrons were provided with up-to-date maps of Castle Brian locations, and could easily calculate the destination coordinates when in the same star system). If the Castle Brian had an HPG it could then respond to the stealth squadron, making sure not to give the stealth squadron's position away. There were often HPGs in Castle Brians set up where they would automatically respond to the stealth squadrons, without notifying the Castle Brian CO that the HPG pulse was for a local stealth squadron vs merely passing on a secret message.
There was a proposal to equip special command CASPAR drones with this system to allow the squadrons to be controlled/guided via near-real-time analysis from planetary SDS centers, but it was not implemented before the Amaris Coup.
Game Rules:
If the HPG pulse is declared to be arriving within the mounting unit's working HPG receiver chamber, then no other unit will detect the pulse. Detection of the mounting ship's engines, sensors, and weapons are covered under existing rules. Vessel cannot be accelerating when it receives the pulse, otherwise the pulse does not arrive in the correct location, and can be detected as normal, plus will affect the receiving ship as though 'hit' twice by an HPG Pulse (since the Pulse is occurring inside the ship, and not protected by the receiver chamber)
Design Rules:
Can be mounted on Dropships, Warships, Space Stations, Mobile Structures, Buildings, Castle Brian, and other similar large structures. Masses ten thousand tons.