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Old 08-29-2017, 04:53 AM   #1
Racer
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London, UK
Default Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

My larger vehicle designs have frequently been criticized for Smartlinking both Top ( or Under ) Turrets & then also Smartlinking both of them to identical weapons F , B or in Sponson Turrets .

Most common comment is : " In my book , turrets shouldn't be able to be Smartlinked together ... " and then present zero argument on exactly why they shouldn't be able to ?

After heated debate on & offline over the weekend
T-Rex & his elderly Father - Ex-RAF & flew in 70+ different Aircraft from the 1930's to 1990's eras - forwarded me these links for the B-29 :

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.pop...g-masterpiece/

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/sploid....1746148228/amp

So the B-29 & it's later derivatives the B-50 & cancelled
B-54 could have multiple turrets controlled by a single Gunner in 1944 !

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-54

[ Link to photos of B-54s and it's forward facing chin Turrets : https://www.dc3dakotahunter.com/blog...oming-jet-age/ ]

I can't see any problems with 'modern' Car Wars vehicles having electronics capable of performing the same function 123 years later ... ?

This was apparently confirmed in ADQ&A in a digital copy Pyramid a while back , but can't find the section/article in an online search ? Any help with confirming this would be appreciated :-)

Where do others stand on this matter ?
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Last edited by Racer; 08-29-2017 at 05:18 AM.
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Old 08-29-2017, 07:21 AM   #2
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Off the top of my head I don't remember anything preventing you from smart linking multiple turrets together if you have a vehicle capable of them, but admittedly we don't play oversize or alternative vehicles that much.

In any case, you have access to all the same Pyramid articles we do.
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Old 08-29-2017, 08:30 AM   #3
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Wasn't there a Q&A section from 2014/15 that doesn't have a link up ? When was the last actual Car Wars article posted in Pyramid then ?

Been mentioned on here before if I recall ?
Possibly same one as had rulings on Laminated Plastic / Metal Accessories ... but I'll look through all those again when I'm home .
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Old 08-29-2017, 08:49 AM   #4
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
Most common comment is : " In my book , turrets shouldn't be able to be Smartlinked together ... " and then present zero argument on exactly why they shouldn't be able to ?
In my book, this is directly addressed:

"Weapons with a turret cannot be linked and aimed with weapons in the
main body of the vehicle, or in another turret, unless the weapons are
smart-linked ($500)." CWC 2.5 p. 45
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Old 08-29-2017, 10:37 AM   #5
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
Wasn't there a Q&A section from 2014/15 that doesn't have a link up ? When was the last actual Car Wars article posted in Pyramid then ?
As far as I know, there have been no Car Wars Compendium rules-related articles in Pyramid Volume 3. There have been small story bits set in the CW6 world-to-be. I only own a few Pyramid Volume 3 PDFs, though, so I could easily have missed something.

Before those, the last CWC rules-related article in Pyramid would have been in 2001: the Uncle Albert's 2051 Catalog Supplement article from Pyramid Online. That article includes a rules change for airfoils when you have metal armor, if that's what you're thinking about.
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Old 08-29-2017, 10:53 AM   #6
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kjamma4 View Post
In my book, this is directly addressed:

"Weapons with a turret cannot be linked and aimed with weapons in the
main body of the vehicle, or in another turret, unless the weapons are
smart-linked ($500)." CWC 2.5 p. 45
I haven't the books with me but elsewhere ( CWC 2.5 or UACFH ? ) & in Aeroduel that Smart links can connect two or mote identical Weapons in two or more different locations . I'll look later .

Once again with Car Wars the wording is incredibly vague . Like when Smart Links rather than Links are REQUIRED for weapons L+R on a Trike or to connect LF & LB identical Weapons on an Oversized or larger vehicle etc .
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Old 08-29-2017, 11:06 AM   #7
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

The Real World vs. Game World hardware debate has raged over Car Wars tech for years. For example, lead following gun sights on fighter aircraft have been in use on fighter aircraft since the Vietnam era, yet speed modifiers still affect your to-hit numbers in the Car Wars game universe.
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Old 08-29-2017, 01:32 PM   #8
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
I haven't the books with me but elsewhere ( CWC 2.5 or UACFH ? ) & in Aeroduel that Smart links can connect two or mote identical Weapons in two or more different locations . I'll look later .

Once again with Car Wars the wording is incredibly vague . Like when Smart Links rather than Links are REQUIRED for weapons L+R on a Trike or to connect LF & LB identical Weapons on an Oversized or larger vehicle etc .
The vagueness is generally due to some editing issues over the years.

Smart links are needed to aim weapons of the same type which are mounted on different locations together at targets which are in the field of fire for all of the weapons.

A few that quickly come to mind:
F/L/R on a trike
Turrets
Weapons on multiple parts of the long side of oversized vehicles (FR/BR, FL/BL, etc.)
Corner-mounted weapons

One case which isn't spelled out specifically that I can think of is trailers and towing vehicles. As the towing vehicle can fire weapons on the towed vehicle, it seems reasonable that a smart link would work here too.
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Old 08-29-2017, 02:15 PM   #9
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

I use smart-linked turrets, cupolas and sponsons all the time in oversized vehicles.

With 3 4-space turrets and 7 4-space sponsons on a rig with a van trailer smart-linking means lots of overlapping fire arcs. You probably don't want them all controlled by a single gunner as no target will be in all the arcs at the same time, but it can reduce your crew requirement.

We rule that only a single turret is actually aimed (the others just track into it automatically). That means that you can use a single-weapon computer or cyberlink to fire that single weapon.

Best combo so far, Cupola with Cyberlink and VMG with tracer with your best gunner. Smart-link that to a number of other turrets/sponsons with linked pairs of VMGs with HD ammo and you have a devastating volley that would shame a B-25 gunship. This combo can bring a 14 VMGs to an enemy in a rear corner arc. With +1 for the cupola, +3 cyberlink and at least +2 for the gunner skill, you can confidently find your target and sustained fire makes even far away targets attainable (you only have to fire the main gun not the linked guns to build up the bonus).

With trailers you have plenty of weight available. The turrets also mean that the majority of your cargo space is intact. It's an expensive set-up, but rigs need some love. In our campaign skilled gunners are an ongoing expense. You can't afford to carry too many good ones and cheap ones just cost you more in repairs and ammunition.
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Old 08-30-2017, 03:04 AM   #10
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Default Re: Smart linking Turrets: If B-29 had them, then why not?

Thanks for feedback & opinion guys .

Our group ruled via 'Rule of Logic' that Cyberlinks & SWCs CAN'T be used in conjunction with Smartlinks & still retain their combat bonus .

As Cyberlinks are very rarely used in our games , it's doesn't effect us too much .

Due to the many multiple Turrets & Sponsons on larger vehicles , the amount of Smartlinks required to use them in any combination rises astronomically !

Example : Urban Assault Tank with 130 Space Hull , mounts 2x 4-Space Extendable Turrets TF , 2 Top Back & 4-Space Sponsons RF , LF , RB , LB & B - all armed with Long Barreled Blast Cannons . To fire them in any combo would take ... 187+ Smart links ... that's when I lost count ... ! 8-|

To solve problems like this , we came up with a Smartlink Computer : $10,000 no weight or Space . Any weapon Smart linked into the Computer ( standard Smartlink ) can be fired in any combination , even in two different directions at same time .
Thus on that Tank , 1 TF Turret & both Left Sponsons could fire at one Target & the other TF , both TB , the Right & the Back Sponson can be aimed at another to the back & right of it .

We also came up with a Link Computer : $500 ( or $750 / $1,000 ? ) , no weight or space . This acts in the same way for Standard Links .

Both these we've found are extremely useful for larger vehicles like Road Trains , Super Heavy Tanks , Large Transport Aircraft & Airships etc .
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Last edited by Racer; 10-01-2017 at 06:33 AM.
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