AmaroqStarwind
04/25/18 11:24 AM
174.235.17.140
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As much as they might be disliked, is anybody using Laser Heat Sinks in their designs? Because I actually think they are pretty cool, and would probably gladly take their disadvantages for that extra awesomeness factor.
For those not familiar with them, Laser Heat Sinks in a nutshell:
+ Laser Heat Sinks have the same size and weight as Clan Double Heat Sinks: 1 Ton and 2 Critical Spaces.
+ Laser Heat Sinks dissipate 2 points of heat dissipation, do not suffer from coolant degradation, and work equally well in all environments such as Desert, Volcanic conditions, and vacuum.
+ Laser Heat Sinks provide a +1 bonus on all rolls to avoid internal ammunition cook-off.
– Laser Heat Sinks do not receive any benefit from water or cold environments
– Laser Heat Sinks are incompatible with Coolant Pods, Radical Heat Sink Systems and Emergency Coolant Systems
– Laser Heat Sinks make it easier to hit your mech at night, reducing the night time target modifier to +1 when your mech is Idle, Heat Neutral, or otherwise dissipating more heat than it is producing, and eliminating the modifier entirely when you have any overheat value equal to or greater than 1.
In-universe, Clan Jade Falcon scientists invented them because the simulations showed they were freaking awesome, and it generated a lot of hype among the Warrior and Technician Castes... But when battlefield prototypes first started appearing, they declined in popularity as quickly as they appeared due to the fact that they simply just did not live up to the hype.
If anybody uses these in their designs, I would love to check it out. I am currently using them in a few of my own designs, some of which are supposed to be awesome, and one which is supposed to stand out as the Worst Mech Ever.
Discord: Amaroq the Kitsune#1092
Telegram: @Lycanphoenix
MechEngine (Alpha) -- On Hiatus
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Retry
04/25/18 12:51 PM
129.237.108.6
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The LHS and DHS are interchangeable in Clan designs, so it'd be fairly easy to modify any existing production line to exchange DHS for LHS for specialized 'Mech variants. The lack of coolant degredation is very much a bonus on designs or pilots that like to ride the heat curve.
Those night modifiers prevent them from being practical, though. On Earthlike planets, 1/3rd to half of the time will be dawn/dusk, or night, which limits the time periods you can engage your opponent without being put at a disadvantage. Of course, your opponent is not under any obligation to abide by your desired schedule, and if they know you're equipped with LHS and especially if they're faster they may elect to attack you during dusk or night, where his normal DHS battlemechs will have a decisive advantage.
If he has flamers, plasma weapons, inferno SRMs, or conventional fighters with inferno bombs, overheating your LHS mech at night is suddenly a much bigger deal, as overheating removes the entire overheat penalty and makes your LHS mech far easier to hit compared to the DHS battlemechs.
Overall, LHS 'Mechs are best used as specialized XCT 'Mechs that you deploy whenever you want to destroy a facility in the Sahara or something built on top of an active Volcano. I wouldn't really bother replacing my main-line 'mechs with them.
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AmaroqStarwind
04/25/18 04:00 PM
174.235.17.140
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An Inner Sphere version of the Laser Heat Sink might become popular on Arena Mechs (where flashy mechs tend to attract bigger crowds, meaning bigger payouts) and on Industrial Mechs (where visibility and safety are very important, and many Industrial Mechs operate in hostile environments). If DropShips and JumpShips could use Laser Heat Sinks, then they might use them too for vacuum operation.
Discord: Amaroq the Kitsune#1092
Telegram: @Lycanphoenix
MechEngine (Alpha) -- On Hiatus
The Scientist Caste has determined that time travel is dishonorable. |
Cray
04/25/18 08:13 PM
97.101.136.19
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I've used laser heat sinks a few times, but only when the planned battles allowed such advanced tech. Their major advantage in a quick battle is reduced ammo explosion risk, which is almost academic if I'm packing a design full of laser heat sinks - it's probably a light bulb - so they're sort of incidental choices when putting together an advanced/experimental design. They're there, why not use them?
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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AmaroqStarwind
04/25/18 11:43 PM
174.235.17.140
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Maybe if they weren't so infrequently used in canon designs to begin with, people would probably use them more often as a result, especially if they weren't exclusively Clan Tech.
As I said previously, Arena Mechs (see: Distracting design quirk) and Industrial Mechs are both very good candidates for the installation of Laser Heat Sinks, and the increased visibility in dimly lit environments really isn't that much of a penalty when you combine it with all of the many other factors that could make a mech harder to hit; movement, distance, smoke, trees, lots of cover, ECM, the mech's allies firing back at you, etcetera.
Meanwhile, Clan mechs used primarily for Trials, as opposed to being purpose-engineered Dezgra Hunters, would also not be bothered too much by the increased illumination.
There are a couple things that do bother me about Laser Heat Sinks, though...
For starters, what happens if somebody tries combining them with Void Sig or Chameleon LPS? The game's rules can be quite susceptible to paradoxes at times, and a mech that simultaneously carries both Laser Heat Sinks and Chameleon LPS would definitely qualify.
Discord: Amaroq the Kitsune#1092
Telegram: @Lycanphoenix
MechEngine (Alpha) -- On Hiatus
The Scientist Caste has determined that time travel is dishonorable. |
ATN082268
05/01/18 09:31 AM
69.128.58.222
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Quote:
I've used laser heat sinks a few times, but only when the planned battles allowed such advanced tech. Their major advantage in a quick battle is reduced ammo explosion risk, which is almost academic if I'm packing a design full of laser heat sinks - it's probably a light bulb - so they're sort of incidental choices when putting together an advanced/experimental design. They're there, why not use them?
Usually there isn't anything wrong with using Laser Heat Sinks, even in designs that only use energy weapons. When you have scenarios that are in low light or night, then you have become a fire magnet 
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