Suggestion: The Light Autocannon

[(TLL) Heretic]

3058 tech, designed for use against the Clans, very popular in the IS during the Civil war period (FWL produced versions being sold to every House Army by ~3067).

From Sarna.net:

Light Autocannon

The first Light Autocannon were prototypes created by the NAIS during the Clan Invasion.[1] They didn't see widespread production until after the NAIS was destroyed by the Word of Blake's assault on New Avalon. Despite the advances of the NAIS, only the lightest two autocannon were effective weapons.
The LAC/2 and LAC/5 trade some range for a weight reduction of approximately 20%. This allows combat units to carry more weapons, ammunition, or armor, and still use the specialized autocannon rounds (Precision, Flechette, and Armor-Piercing) developed for the AFFS. The AFFS is the largest user of the Light Autocannon, but Imperator Automatic Weaponry has introduced the weapon to the Free Worlds League Military.[2]
Currently there are only two types of Light Autocannon:
Light AC/2
Light AC/5

An excellent way of stuffing more AA stuff onto IS chasis, for example Light Autocannons give us my favourite Mauler design "Pigsticker" 
2ERLarge Beam
2MRM10
4 LightAC5
6 tons of ammo
GECM
4 arm mounted DHS
And enough space and weight left over for a coolant pod in each arm (or probably more ammo in the MWLL version).

But the fact that introducing the Light Autocannons in MWLL would make one of my favourite designs from NBT-HC possible (and with ASF to shoot down woot!) is purely coincidental...i assure you 

In real terms it's just an AC that weights less and has a slightly reduced range but otherwise fires & behaves identical to the AC5.

[HAARP]

Don't really see th use unless we get specialized ammo, sorry :/

[DFDelta]

I think they could be useful.
You could, for example, excange the AC2s on the Parti Prime for LAC5s and 2 tons of extra ammo. Your firepower would be doubled, tough your range would be lower.
Extra damage against divebombers and mechs cornering you, but lower chance to fight back in case of a ELRM-Shiva.


As a comparrison between AC5 and LAC5 how I think they could look in MWLL:

                 AC5            LAC
Range:     800             650     meters
Ammo:      300             300     rounds/tons
Heat:        0.14            0.14    units
Damage:   32               32       lightkinetic

Also LACs have a higher damage dropoff after maximum range

[(TLL)Siilk]

I think they could be useful.
You could, for example, excange the AC2s on the Parti Prime for LAC5s and 2 tons of extra ammo. Your firepower would be doubled, tough your range would be lower.
Extra damage against divebombers and mechs cornering you, but lower chance to fight back in case of a ELRM-Shiva.


As a comparrison between AC5 and LAC5 how I think they could look in MWLL:

                 AC5            LAC
Range:     800             650     meters
Ammo:      300             300     rounds/tons
Heat:        0.14            0.14    units
Damage:   32               32       lightkinetic

Also LACs have a higher damage dropoff after maximum range

 Sounds reasonable.

[Come and See]

Besides for AA, aren't AC2's and 5's pretty much bb-gun's against mediums mechs and higher?

[(TLL)Siilk]

 I can't say about ACs, but UAC5 is quite a beast, if you can use it right.

[~SJ~ Wolf]

Besides for AA, aren't AC2's and 5's pretty much bb-gun's against mediums mechs and higher?

It's all about the user.  If you can aim well, they are excellent.

[Stahlseele]

Headshotting Mechs with AC's is easier than with most other weapons, because you get splash damamage and more projectiles in less time . .

[(TLL) Heretic]

I think they could be useful.
You could, for example, excange the AC2s on the Parti Prime for LAC5s and 2 tons of extra ammo. Your firepower would be doubled, tough your range would be lower.
Extra damage against divebombers and mechs cornering you, but lower chance to fight back in case of a ELRM-Shiva.


As a comparrison between AC5 and LAC5 how I think they could look in MWLL:

                 AC5            LAC
Range:     800             650     meters
Ammo:      300             300     rounds/tons
Heat:        0.14            0.14    units
Damage:   32               32       lightkinetic

Also LACs have a higher damage dropoff after maximum range

Sounds about right, thanks Delta.

[xInVicTuSx]

I can't see a justification for this with the current AC damage.
I mean what is the point?
AC2 and AC5 damage is trashy, a little less range and weight will do what?
Hey now I can add x2 LAC5!... for the same damage and less range of a UAC5 for more weight...
The UAC/AC model we use just obsoletes the small caliber ACs too hard for LAC to be of any use.

NOW if we use my AC5 burst changes I can see a justification to use them for the sake of fitting an extra LAC5 when there is a little weight left over while the LAC2 might be ok for light AA duty. As it is now though, I don't see it being of any use.
Consider the Mauler Prime we use, x4 UAC2, great design. Original? AC2s... trashy. x4 LAC5 would be about the same damage with half the range when compared to UAC2s, how could that be useful?

[(TLL)Sky_walker]

I don't like the idea of Light ACs.

It's just something that'd make balancing the Mechlab more difficult than it should be.
There's no real benefit with weapons diversity by adding it. It's just nothing new...

[~SJ~ Wolf]

I don't like the idea of Light ACs.

It's just something that'd make balancing the Mechlab more difficult than it should be.
There's no real benefit with weapons diversity by adding it. It's just nothing new...

I agree, they are really just more of the same.

[=KoS= Saber15]

Make them much quieter than regular Autocannons with reduced muzzle flash, and a faster projectile but with damage drop off. Swap regular ACs with the LACs if you want to work as AA but not get noticed (and shot at) by everything on the battlefield.

[Zaro27]

I see LACs as being a weapon for the Brawlers. They'd be decent for damaging a target as you close the gap, sorta like an assault weapon in 40k.

[Flyingdebris]

Considering the kind of stuff that goes into weight saving measures on RL weapons is usually shorter barrels and less stabilization, i think the light ACs could be represented without even having to resort to less range.

Just make it so that they have more pronounced ballistic arc and a greater degree of inaccuracy.

If you are gonna be fighting at close ranges, no reason why not to use em to save a little space, just like the CBT counterparts, but the trade off means that long range combat with them is gonna be spotty.