Mortars... How could I forget mortars?!
Combine a good mortar with a good field gun and artillery will be covered!
Almost, yep.
The only real benefits rockets have over mortars is their ability to launch in massive salvos (to flatten something in a hurry), a longer range (although more range == larger rocket, so that's debatable), and less time between firing and impact (usually, but not always). None of these benefits outweigh mortar's higher accuracy and greater flexibility (since propellant and shell are generally separate components in a mortar it is easier to swap warhead type on the fly).
Well, I'd actually compare dumbfire rockets (the most iconic example being the many variants of the Katyusha) with field guns. In that comparison, tube artillery provides a higher sustained firing rate, less supply issues, and higher accuracy. Rocket artillery, on the other hand, is easier to set up (take a truck, add rockets), can saturate an area quickly, and has a higher initial firing rate - which is quite important since most casualties of an artillery bombardment happen during the first few shots when most people aren't in cover.
Propellant and shell are separate components? Yes. Being able to vary the amount of propellant used for each shot is an important part of aiming a mortar, this is why propellant for mortars is generally bagged in thin tubes or pressed into horseshoe shaped disks. This way the propellant may be wrapped around a rod extending from the bottom of the shell to make a single unit for firing (this rod holds the primer for firing the shell).
For a large-calibre mortar (and large-calibre field-gun), separate projectiles and bagged propellants are definitely the way to go. Infantry-portable mortars still profit from the ability to add more charge, but since they should be easy and fast to use, usually have a configuration already including some propellant.
BTW: This game is really cool, to bad my 'net access is so erratic...
Join nonetheless! It's fun, and you seem very knowledgeable.
Funfact, this is more or less how the US developed Gatling guns. After banging their heads on the question of how to get a higher rate of fire one engineer hauled a civil-war era blackpowder Gatling gun out of storage, shoved a motor where the crank handle went, and off they went.
Yup. On the other hand, that's pretty much overengineering for us - the gigantic RoF of Gatling guns are useful whenever you have only a short amount of time to engage (think planes or helicopters). We need a suppression weapon.
By the way, Aseaheru, what do you currently need from us? Votes?
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Topic: Design Engineers of The Republic (Weapon Design Game)-GAME DEAD (Read 63094 times)