Shadowrun

Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: FuelDrop on <05-28-13/0355:51>

Title: LAVs.
Post by: FuelDrop on <05-28-13/0355:51>
I've been doing a bit of research on LAVs for our game, and one thing that I looked up was max altitude.
Now the books mention 'Ground Effect', which is a real thing. according to Wikipedia ground effect is only relevant at an altitude equal to your wingspan or below... which seems to mean that LAVs cap out at about 5-6 meters above the ground.

Is this right?
Title: Re:
Post by: Sichr on <05-28-13/0840:53>
Id say for most heavy armored tbirds this can be true. There for sure are VTOLs capable of higher altitudes, or convertible thrust propeled variants of Osprey like crafts, but thunderbirds are ideal fos NOE flight level
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: KarmaInferno on <05-28-13/0917:56>
LAVs are typically depicted as hovertanks, not aircraft.

At best you might be able to get some wicker air coming off of a ramp.



-k
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: mtfeeney = Baron on <05-28-13/0927:19>
Wicker Air... I loved that movie.  One of the best Nicholas Cage movies ever.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: farothel on <05-28-13/1239:52>
If you have enough speed, you can probably push them higher for a short while, for instance to go over a police blockage or a hedge or something. :)
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Sichr on <05-28-13/1502:12>
Wicker Air... I loved that movie.  One of the best Nicholas Cage movies ever.

OOPs seems google dont know this one??? please link?
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: KarmaInferno on <05-28-13/1508:28>
Lol... I meant "wicked air".

Mtfeeney was likely amagamating "Wicker Man" and "Con Air", as both were Cage flicks.



-k
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Sichr on <05-28-13/1510:54>
After that datasearch I did I was pretty confused  ;D
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: mtfeeney = Baron on <05-28-13/1911:41>
Lol... I meant "wicked air".

Mtfeeney was likely amagamating "Wicker Man" and "Con Air", as both were Cage flicks.



-k
;)  :P
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Mantis on <05-28-13/1913:10>
In SR 3 they capped LAVs max ceiling at 1000 meters but no mention of that is made in SR 4. SR 4 abstracts the vehicle rules so much that I guess it just isn't supposed to be an issue. Just like those same LAVs can travel 6000km on a single tank of fuel while your Americar can only travel 600km.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: CanRay on <05-28-13/2010:17>
So, LAVs are kind of a cross between a helicopter and a light tank.

...

Or a Russian Helicopter.  ;D
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Mantis on <05-28-13/2331:45>
I used that exact comparison over on Dumpshock when someone was asking about the things. Heavily armoured lifting body using ground effects and massive amounts of thrust for speed and lift. Can't glide for anything though.
https://i.minus.com/icxe59TvVCjoj.gif
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Dinendae on <06-01-13/0352:23>
So, LAVs are kind of a cross between a helicopter and a light tank.

...

Or a Russian Helicopter.  ;D

Hind-D for the win!

Unless there are Wolverines around. Nasty little buggers.
Title: Re:
Post by: Sichr on <06-01-13/0511:43>
We got this joke:

News:
On the Russian - Chineese border, Chineese tank platoon attacked Russian tractor plowing the field. Tractor returned fire, and after destroying all targets, if flew back to kolchoz.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: The Wyrm Ouroboros on <06-02-13/1907:16>
LAVs cap out at about 5-6 meters above the ground.
If you have enough speed, you can probably push them higher for a short while, for instance to go over a police blockage or a hedge or something. :)
... that's one hell of a police blockage.  6m = almost 20 feet.  A two-story police blockage ... ?  And that ain't no hedge, that's a damn tree.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: CanRay on <06-02-13/1909:21>
LAVs cap out at about 5-6 meters above the ground.
If you have enough speed, you can probably push them higher for a short while, for instance to go over a police blockage or a hedge or something. :)
... that's one hell of a police blockage.  6m = almost 20 feet.  A two-story police blockage ... ?  And that ain't no hedge, that's a damn tree.
So, Speed Racer and Michael Knight aren't going to have problems getting over the police blockade.

The Duke Boys might need some help, however.  But there's usually a convenient jump available for them.  ;D
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Belker on <06-02-13/2010:24>
LAVs in Shadworun were stolen from lovingly inspired by SF author Walter Jon Williams' 1986 book Hardwired, from which we also got riggers and the old cybersnake weapon implant. He definitely had skillsofts in there too, but I'm not sure if the idea originated with him. Wanna know where the cross-country smugglers through a somewhat balkanized US came from? Look no further.

Hardwired is definitely recommended reading: it's a classic but lesser-known pillar of the cyberpunk canon. You can grab it in e-book form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords, and I think it might still be available in print.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Mantis on <06-02-13/2051:11>
Yup. Loved that book. I think his were more like beefed up hovercraft from what I remember but whatever. That's where they came from.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Hellion on <06-02-13/2220:10>
LAVs cap out at about 5-6 meters above the ground.
If you have enough speed, you can probably push them higher for a short while, for instance to go over a police blockage or a hedge or something. :)
... that's one hell of a police blockage.  6m = almost 20 feet.  A two-story police blockage ... ?  And that ain't no hedge, that's a damn tree.

Heavly Armoured & Armed Vehicle needs to fly above these sort of blockages ????? Spin up the main gun and fire for effect or just push the throttle to maximum and call out "fuck the iceberg full steam ahead" lol
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Belker on <06-02-13/2227:44>
Well, sometimes you can't shoot through or push through obstacles. Having spent four years of my life driving and crewing real armored vehicles, trust me on this. :)

Besides, what rigger worth his or her salt wouldn't want to make their panzer pull a General Lee?
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Hellion on <06-03-13/0203:29>
My rigger, he enjoys explosions, plus he can't afford a LAV fitted out exactly how he likes it, plus cruising around in an armoured Tata Hotspur is a shitload more fun and easier to hide than a flying armoured brick :P (also a hell of a lot easier to pull a general lee in)
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Tzeentch on <07-03-13/2355:03>
The ground effect from a vehicle as small as a LAV (especially if the art is accurate) would be minimal. Imagine them as wingless Harriers and you're probably on the right track.

It's been a while since I read Hardwired, but in the CP2013 sourcebook WJW himself wrote the panzers look more like a Hammer's Slammers type of hovercraft complete with skirts. I might have to double-check the art but that's what I recall.

(Point of note, Shadowrun LAVs were originally Panzers, then WJW got all mad, then they changed it to Thunderbirds. Guess they dropped that nomenclature.)

BTW: That Mi-24 in the GIF posted earlier isn't actually gliding, the camera is synced with the propeller rate so it looks like they are not moving.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: Mantis on <07-04-13/0226:36>
Yeah, I know. That's why I posted it. Looks funny.
Title: Re: LAVs.
Post by: GiraffeShaman on <07-05-13/1839:30>
Quote
He definitely had skillsofts in there too, but I'm not sure if the idea originated with him.


Gibson had skillsofts earlier, but they were called microsofts. Oddly, they didn't play as major a role as other implants did, such as wired reflexes, cyberspurs, and cybereyes did. At least not in the Sprawl Trilogy, which is the first 3 books. I'm not sure what role they played in later books as I haven't read them in a long time.