Recent Posts

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Off Topic / Re: Aviation Pictures: A-Seven-th Thread--CorsAirin' Through Time and Airspace

« Last post by glitterboy2098 on Today at 03:38:23 »

i'd argue that the main reason they were interested in nuclear warhead AAM's at the time was the lack of reliable guidance systems for missiles. so long as you could set the timer and course right before firing, the big AOE on a nuclear blast would be likely to down a bomber, even if the missile itself didn't come anywhere close to hitting. as soon as they got guidance systems that could reliably track and hit targets, the use of nuclear warhead anti-aircraft missiles stopped in the west. (the soviets kept at it a little longer, but given how their electronics tech tended to lag behind america/NATO, it's not surprising they'd want to retain the option. they mostly focused on ground launched nuclear SAM's though)

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Fan Fiction / Re: Guided by the light of a (Red) Cameron Star

« Last post by Hotpoint on Today at 03:38:17 »

"While I doubt the prisoner is in a fit state to make a run for it, if he does may I suggest you instruct your men that while the word of Our Lord as passed down to us in the Bible frowns upon killing, and that they should therefore refrain from shooting him in the back if possible, the book is somewhat fuzzier when it comes to the subject of kneecaps"

I just WHEEZED. Oh dear god what a line.

What a line indeed! :D

Seriously... who knew the Inquisition even HAD a sense of humor!? ;D

Well, face it, you can't Torquemada anything!

The "fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps" line was pretty blatantly stolen, borrowed by me from Shepherd Book in Firefly (still my favourite TV show ever).

As for the Prefect of the Inquisition Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith having a sense of humour, well we've caught him on a good day in an upbeat mood.

Interestingly enough Joseph Ratzinger (the later Pope Benedict) headed the Inquisition for over twenty years and was supposed to have a much better sense of humour in private than people expected...

... though expectations might have been low because he wasn't just head of the Inquisition for two decades, he was also German. 

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Ground Combat / Re: The Value of an AC/2

« Last post by Frabby on Today at 03:26:51 »

Agree that this weapon has its uses.
On a strictly tactical level or in small engagements its tonnage to damage ratio is bad. And therefore it's a bad main weapon.
But on a larger scale I feel it is akin to a force multiplier because of that extra reach in all the scenarios where damage isn’t the critical point (lawndarting, crit seeking).
I would also add that long range also means superior to-hit rolls. An AC/2 has a short range (base 4) at 8 hexes where medium range weapons - including the ubiquitous medium laser, the feared AC/20 and the notoriously ammo-starved SRMs - are at (base 8) long range. This allows the AC/2 unit to either jump around like crazy for perfect range and best evasion with heat not being an issue, or at least be sure that those AC/2 ammo bins translate into actual damage on target at a much better ratio with a 4 point advantage on 2d6.

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Off Topic / Re: What Are We Listening To: This List Goes Up To Eleven!

« Last post by ColBosch on Today at 03:01:43 »

"Black No. 1" - Type O Negative

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Off Topic / Re: What Are We Listening To: This List Goes Up To Eleven!

« Last post by rebs on Today at 02:48:03 »

At some point on my radio channel both Enter sandman and Nothing else matters were in the highest rotation so they played every 30mins or so.
I got somewhat fed up with both of those tracks, and turned from enjoying them to absolutely loathing them 


Chris Hülsbeck (or Huelsbeck) - Hashtags

I hear you.  Nothing Else Matters was on 3 different stations at the same time a couple times during my teens and early 20's.

What makes up for it is something like Ozzy's Boneyard where out of nowhere you'll hear "Orion", or "Creeping Death", or Justice, like we were just saying.  I can jam out to Lepper Messiah anytime it's on.  Or The Thing That Should Not Be.



God Saved the Queen ~ The Exploited.  This song is not a cover of the Sex Pistols.  It's its own kind of Scottish hardcore punk thing.

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Aerospace Combat / Re: Coventional Fighter with Fusion - Why Fuel?

« Last post by Cannonshop on Today at 02:47:30 »

Reaction mass won't do much without energy from fuel. ;)

Right. And with a sufficiently abundant energy source you could turn a convenient fluid (like air) into reaction mass.

1st: yeah, engine, requires energy.  fusion will create Helium if you start with Hydrogen.  Point is, something has to come out the back to move the aircraft forward.

2nd; isn't that edging into magical tech like Bussard Ramjets though?  (admittedly, there have been people playing with ion engines...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnCmvxt2jn8

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General BattleTech Discussion / Re: Mercenaries Kickstarter Discussion 6: the 1st 3rd Star League conversation

« Last post by Lorcan Nagle on Today at 02:38:44 »

Just for once I don't think Brexit made any difference wrt VAT since I've seen EU backers making similar comments.

Yeah, there's been a change to how crowdfunders are viewed in the EU and you're taxed on them now.  I've got hit the same way for Nemesis Retaliation.

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MegaMek Games / Unit Limit?

« Last post by DamnKerensky on Today at 02:34:46 »

Are you limited to 256 units (or thereabouts) in MM?

Just finished a battle and claimed 10 units and ... none of them are visible in the hangar.
I got messages that they have been added, and I get the pop-up that I have unmaintained units if I try to advance the day, and I can do repairs and salvage on them in the repair bay, but I cannot see them in the hangar, even if I change the setting to "unmaintained units".

Any ideas?

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Off Topic / Re: Aviation Pictures: A-Seven-th Thread--CorsAirin' Through Time and Airspace

« Last post by chanman on Today at 02:33:39 »

The Genie was a product of the early 1950s, with development beginning in 1951 and the missile operational by 1956.  The original idea was to counter formations of Tu-4 Bulls (the reverse-engineered B-29s in Soviet service), and I'm sure bombers in tight formations were on their mind.  But, even if they weren't, with guided missile technology in its infancy and not ready for deployment yet, machine guns inadaquate to shoot down more advanced bombers, and the unguided "Mighty Mouse" rocket clusters not offering much chance of really taking down a bomber either, the idea of using waves of Genie missiles against incoming bombers seemed the most viable method of shooting them down at the time.

Sometimes, there are no real answers. I don't think the Genie concept was ever particularly workable as an operational concept and they never even bothered with a live test engagement. The only test detonation of a Genie was the publicity shot. I'd say that a gun interception with a swept-wing jet interceptor should have been viable*, albeit dangerous as hell since the Tu-4 swapped out the B-29's .50s for 23mm cannon one-for-one. It's the Tu-16 on a one-way trip or a Tu-95 that fighters would be hard-pressed to catch, but they'd be hard-pressed to get a Genie within launch parameters too. Not only does it have to be within 2.25 MOA dispersion, but the timing on the fuse would have to be within about half a second in order to not overshoot or undershoot the target (~900 m/s) assuming the target didn't react at all.

2.25 MOA isn't remotely practical with aircraft guns even now, let alone a giant folding fin rocket in the 50s. Nuclear security theatre maybe. I don't think a serious air defence system would be deploying AIM-4 Falcon missiles all the way into the 80s (Falcon/Genie was the weapons fit for both the Canadian CF-101 Voodoos and USAF F-106s in NORAD)

*

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Ground Combat / Re: The Value of an AC/2

« Last post by parable on Today at 02:32:21 »

An AC/2, or at least the Ultra variant, is there to taunt JadeHellbringer forever.