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Wait for the next release. I want usable mugs damn it!

55 (71.4%)

We can use the current one. I like the big trees and slightly smarter dorfs.

17 (22.1%)

I'll take .34.11 thanks. I want to know I'll get to kill things for sure.

5 (6.5%)

Total Members Voted: 77

[Splint]

No injuries. And before you ask Asea, your last one was fine too. I think.

[Cynm]

About the weaponry, One way I can think of to balance the disk launchers is to make them absurdly heavy. A dwarf with a disk launcher and carrying serrated disks probably couldn't move very quickly at all, so you should/would have to make sure that they were positioned beforehand. The same thing could apply to native railguns. Also about railguns, magnetite bars would be less than effective, as the propulsion for a railguns comes from a chain of electromagnet that activate in sequence, copper wires would be far more effective.

I think I'm getting carried away.

[Splint]

About the weaponry, One way I can think of to balance the disk launchers is to make them absurdly heavy. A dwarf with a disk launcher and carrying serrated disks probably couldn't move very quickly at all, so you should/would have to make sure that they were positioned beforehand.

Oh god when I tested them it was clear just how nightmarishly heavy a full load of ammo was. The weapon itself is fairly light, but the ammo would indeed require the soldier to be in position beforehand to get the  most out of him and his weapon; they reloaded slowly as well, also due to the weight the dorf was lugging around (hence why the Civil Defense Corps' kit was so stripped down: They could shoot faster because they weren't as encumbered, even though it was at the expense of protection.) They did move considerably faster with bone discs, but they were only able to hurt something not wearing any clothing/armor whatsoever beyond a bruise at most.

For example, a bone disc will gut a badger, but utterly fail to hurt a lightly armored goblin barring a lucky hit that may cause a skin tear or nasty bruise.

I never got a chance to fort mode test the railgun, but I imagine the ammo will probably be pretty heavy for them too.

The same thing could apply to native railguns. Also about railguns, magnetite bars would be less than effective, as the propulsion for a railguns comes from a chain of electromagnet that activate in sequence, copper wires would be far more effective.

I think I'm getting carried away.

You're thinking of a coilgun. Those use a series of magnets down the barrel whereas for us we're using two parallel conductive rails and have a considerably slower rate of fire. The weapons Ballpoint and Parasol have are more likely misnamed coilguns though and more in line to what you're thinking of. I thought of magnetite rails because they're already magnetized, plus didn't you get why magnetite was chosen besides that? Railguns use magnetism? Magnetite? Geddit?

.... I know, I'm not funny...

[Lt_Alfred]

I think the railgun ammo being heavy may be a problem, soldiers in real life carry ammo mags, said mags contain 30 bullets each but don't weigh all that much but in DF, 30 bullets made of iron would weigh about as much as a tire.
I suggest creating a new metal, copy paste the iron RAWs and then adjust the weight to make it a little more like adamantine, the metal should only be used to make railgun ammo, of course we also have to make sure overseers use the metal to make ultralight disc launchers or railguns but at least for our soldiers, carrying ammo won't be like carrying a tires on their backs.
the disc launcher's should be more normally without using the new metal, because (to me) the disc launchers are like modern day grenade launchers
If this whole thing sounds stupid then forgive me.

[Cynm]

I did some research on railguns, the main problem I see with our railguns is that there is no recoil. A railgun capable of the damage described would likely send dwarf skidding backwards.

Coil guns are also called Gauss guns, and I agree that the transdimensional companies are more likely to have Gauss guns than true railguns. Comparing a native railgun and a company railgun would be like comparing an assault rifle to a cannon. Which I think was the point in the first place.

Also, a heavier round would have more impact, with a corresponding increase in recoil.

All in all, heavy ammo for railguns sounds good.

Edit: I tend to get carried away when it comes to science in fiction, feel mostly free to ignore me.

[Lt_Alfred]

I didn't know railguns were supposed to be cannons, I though they're rifles.

[Cynm]

The navy is looking into using railguns on ships. Those will be able to fire two kilogram projectiles over 370 kilometers at about 2.5 kilometers per second. So yeah, cannons.


On a completely unrelated note, scientists are also looking into using railguns to induce nuclear fusion.

[Lt_Alfred]

WAIT A SECOND!!! you mean that the soldiers will be carrying cannons as weapons? I can see how it may be a good weapon for one or two members of a squad to carry them to be more like a modern day fire team but a whole squad of cannon wielding dwarves? (by the way, what civ will we be playing?) that's just overkill.
I suggest creating another weapon, something lighter and more rifle-like, call it the UristMcRifle 4 (acronym UMC4)

[Cynm]

I think the idea is that, with the multitude of new and powerful enemies, the dwarves have adapted the tech of ballpoint and parasol to better combat the new enemies. Dwarven railguns have more raw power, but are less accurate and much much heavier.

[Splint]

I think the idea is that, with the multitude of new and powerful enemies, the dwarves have adapted the tech of ballpoint and parasol to better combat the new enemies. Dwarven railguns have more raw power, but are less accurate and much much heavier.

Exactly. Even in the arena they were very slow firing compared to a crossbow. What the native dwarves lack in means of cheaply producing rapid fire weapons, they've decided to make the most of it and up how strong they were to compensate. And yes, the iron slugs would be very heavy. How well would you be able to move around with a bag iron railroad spikes and what is essentially a steel cannon? I wanted them to have at least a stunning effect when fired, but itemsyndrome seems to be a fickle mistress. Besides, we can always scavange weapons off of Ballpoint raiders and buy faster firing but weaker ones from Parasol.

I think the railgun ammo being heavy may be a problem, soldiers in real life carry ammo mags, said mags contain 30 bullets each but don't weigh all that much but in DF, 30 bullets made of iron would weigh about as much as a tire.
I suggest creating a new metal, copy paste the iron RAWs and then adjust the weight to make it a little more like adamantine, the metal should only be used to make railgun ammo, of course we also have to make sure overseers use the metal to make ultralight disc launchers or railguns but at least for our soldiers, carrying ammo won't be like carrying a tires on their backs.
the disc launcher's should be more normally without using the new metal, because (to me) the disc launchers are like modern day grenade launchers
If this whole thing sounds stupid then forgive me.

The weapons themselves tend to be rather light, but you can't take a shield with either of them and the ammo is a nightmare to carry, especially the discs because they're actually carrying slightly downsized large serrated disc trap components. I'd say it's a fair balance and would make us want to keep them out of harm's way until they're decent enough shots to reliably fuck people up.

I didn't know railguns were supposed to be cannons, I thought they're rifles.

Railguns for most within the setting is basically any given man-portable magnetic accelerator weapon, with larger weapons typically having "heavy" or "cannon" in their names. They come in varying sizes and strengths and ROFs. Most commonly they are in fact rifle-sized weapons. Ballpoint and Parasol have others that are smaller and thus weaker but tend to shoot faster whereas what we'd be using are rifle shaped cannons, yes. They're complex to produce and the ammo is heavy for a bit of balance, but god help you if a decent marksdwarf gets a bead on you. A crossbow or mug may break your bones at worst without a headshot, but a railgun slug will break your bones and throw you a few tiles (possibly causing more harm,) at best and outright gib your ass at worst.

[Lt_Alfred]

I get it now, the civ is dwarven therefore their troops use the heavier railguns for maximum effect but I myself would probably use the Parasol/Ballpoint produced ones because as you say they're more like actual rifles, one question though will we have to scavenge these lighter ammo for the Parasol/Ballpoint guns or will we be able to make it ourselves?
Also, can you upload the mod? I would love to get my hands on it because right now all I know about it is what I've heard from you.

[Aseaheru]

Tobad we never got pulse weapons to work. Stone INC is mostly dwarven.

[Splint]

I'm sure we could get them to work. And perhaps purchasing a schematic or something for a workshop to produce the weaker but faster shooting ones and ammo for them would be possible, but that would be more of a matter of preference.

The mod is nowhere near done and the railguns right now are too easy to produce based on what Talvieno told me. I'm a bit scared to try it as it is, mostly because it has scythods.

And they are not your friends.

[Aseaheru]

Did we not have problems with pulse ammo?

[Splint]

Oh right...