Is Cargo a Valid Hit Location if There is no Actual Cargo?

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by kjamma4

What about a van with only a driver and the smallest engine possible?

Someone tried a Van with extensive CA once.

*ONCE*. :)

Anyhoo: One would be looking at a 6-sp. cargo area, a 3-sp. engine (150cid w/ Turbo and Headers), a 2-sp. driver, and a 0-sp. fuel tank, so:

1: Fuel
2-3: Engine
4: Driver
5-6: Cargo

[Mettius]

So, in the end, are you all ignoring empty cargo, or treating it as a "hit-able" location that damage can just pass through, skipping other components? :)

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by Mettius

So, in the end, are you all ignoring empty cargo, or treating it as a "hit-able" location that damage can just pass through, skipping other components? :)

Treating it as "hit-able" - you just end up stripping the armour on the other side so the damage isn't "wasted".

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by Mettius

So, in the end, are you all ignoring empty cargo, or treating it as a "hit-able" location that damage can just pass through, skipping other components? :)

The latter, in essence -- a component with 0 DP (or 0 DP left). If it's getting hit, the next round may well hit something a little more important.... :)

[Mettius]

Originally Posted by swordtart

Fully concur with kjamma.

Technically there doesn't even have to be any weight left over for there to be a cargo location. This makes sense, if your luxury car is just as big as another luxury car but it only has half the internal space used up then it is more likely the penetrating hit would pass through an empty area. Of course it is an abstraction, you could have a luxury with 1/3 of a space left (2 mini rockets take up 2/3 space). There is the same 1/3 chance of hitting that tiny cargo area as a luxury with the majority of it's space. So giving up less than 2% of your internal space you can gain a 33% immunity to internal hits. This is of course really cheesy :)

Makes sense. However, if one has zero space left over (even if excess weight is left over) and no dedicated cargo, then it would not be a hit-able location.

[juris]

Also, for pedestrians carrying an empty suitcase - 50% chance to hit the pedestrian. 5 empty suitcases? Only a 1 in 6 chance.

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by Mettius

Makes sense. However, if one has zero space left over (even if excess weight is left over) and no dedicated cargo, then it would not be a hit-able location.

Remember there are three and only 3 compartments. Crew, Engine (Power Plant) and Cargo. So any component (that can be destroyed) that is not the Plant or Crew or a mounted weapon (or any accessories that are co-mounted with one of those - e.g. extra magazines, laser batteries, component armour etc.) is in the Cargo compartment and becomes an eligible target for hits on that compartment.

This could include passengers (you get to choose where you put them) but it can also include any other components whether they take up space or not. There aren't that many but for example, PES would be one, obviously portable shop, cargo safe, bulk ammo boxes and the like, rocket boosters or jump jets, solar panels, as well as components explicitly designated as cargo items. I thought searchlight was mounted to a weapon location but I note that it doesn't state this in the actual description (unlike vehicle camera). If it is not mounted as a weapon that would also be a component with DPs that would go in the cargo compartment.

So even a car with no "cargo" might still have components in the Cargo compartment.

[Parody]

Originally Posted by swordtart

Remember there are three and only 3 compartments. Crew, Engine (Power Plant) and Cargo. So any component (that can be destroyed) that is not the Plant or Crew or a mounted weapon (or any accessories that are co-mounted with one of those - e.g. extra magazines, laser batteries, component armour etc.) is in the Cargo compartment and becomes an eligible target for hits on that compartment.

A very notable Cargo location item is a Gas Tank. You need to be electric to get the empty Cargo location for damage allocation.

ObTopic: We play that yes, Cargo is a valid allocation space regardless of what's in it.