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Old 08-30-2017, 06:21 AM   #12
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
Our group ruled via 'Rule of Logic' that Cyberlinks & SWCs CAN'T be used in conjunction with Smartlinks & still retain their combat bonus.
Let's test that.

Let's say I have a vehicle with a pair of MGs linked F and a Pair of MGs linked in a turret. I could fit a SWC to the turret pair. If I then smart link the turret to the front MGs, I can aim the turret MGs into all arcs other F and claim the SWC bonus. If I fire the F MGs separately I don't gain anything for the SWC. Nothing contentious there I hope.

Why when firing to the front arc should I suddenly loose the benefit of the SWC on the turret? As I am not aiming the F MGs why cannot the smart link simply do it's job and fire at the same target as my MGs? As all weapons fired from links gain all the targeting modifiers of the aimed weapon then they get the bonus.

I disagree with UACFH (in many regards). I don't see a reason for them not to work and so in my game they do (YMMV)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
187+ Smart links
I am not sure you need that many. You wouldn't link the left weapons with the right ones for a start as it is highly unlikely a target would be in both arcs. Remember that smartlinks can be linked to smartlinks.

A 130 space tank is an odd example.

With a rig with a turret and 2 sponsons on the cab and two turrets and 5 sponsons on the trailer (which is not much fewer than your example) I generally only smart link in the following combinations.

Tractor:
Turret linked to left sponson.
Ditto for right side.
2 Smart links total.

Trailer:
3 Smartlinks between 3 left sponsons so that any left sponson can pass its targeting information to any of the others.

Smartlink from front turret to front left sponson. So that turret can pass its targeting information to the sponson (the sponsons link can then pass that information to the other sponson).

Smartlink from back turret to back left sponson.

5 smartlinks total

Ditto for right side

+5 smartlinks

Smartlink from back turret to back sponson.

+1 smartlink

That's 11 total + 2 for the cab.

If you really wanted to you could smartlink the trailers uppermost turret to the other one for just one more link and control all your trailer guns with one gunner controlling the uppermost turret. You could smartlink the uppermost turret to the tractor turret and control every turret and sponson on the rig using only 15 smart links.

In practice for flexibility we usually man the top turrets separately and triple the targets we can engage each turn (there is no point putting 20 spaces worth of weapons onto one bike).

Needless to say that uppermost turret needs to be well protected as if it gets destroyed you can only fire each turret individually.

Last edited by swordtart; 08-30-2017 at 06:27 AM.
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