Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've been trying to picture meltaguns and plasma guns in real life, and I have a question.
1. What would a meltagun shot look like? I can picture plasma as a glowing neon orb of crackling energy, probably green, but perhaps other colors like in Halo. But what about a meltagun shot? Would you even be able to see it, as it is supposed to be microwaves or pure heat or somethin?

It would be like a intense ball of swirling light, similar to plasma but more fiery since its unstable sub-molecular thermal gases.

Well, they way they are portrayed in FoK(DoW mod) is as a "compressed flamethrower discharge".

Personally, I've always thought long the same lines.

yeah a Compressed ray, most likely with the Air itself "catching" fire.

Just play Dawn of War for the PC. Its a pretty accurate representation

Only the ones in Dawn of War 2. The ones in Dawn of War 1 were basically just squirt guns colored differently.

Melissia wrote:Only the ones in Dawn of War 2. The ones in Dawn of War 1 were basically just squirt guns colored differently.

The Fire Dragons fusion guns look about right, I think.

I don't think Multilasers were accurately portrayed at all.

The ones in DoW2's expansion were better (I especially liked the multimelta on the dread), but that's because of a better graphical engine to begin with.

I always pictured a ray of heat. It would be translucent, and shimmery, like heat waves, but in a long, thick, ray. The only real description of it I have is what I have read in the Ciaphas Cain series. And it is described pretty frequently in there, since the title character's sidekick packs one.

I always thought of it as a long beam of white-hot energy, I guess pretty much like how it looks in the Dawn of War series.

Which part of the dawn of war series?

I thought the meltas looked pretty much the same in DOW1 and 2. Maybe it was a little more blue in Soulstorm, but it's been a while since I played that (or DOW2 for that matter)

Well 2nd edition meltaguns were described as heat rays, the new ones are described as pressurized gas. In DoW, Meltaguns shot fiery balls of energy. In FoK they fire a douse of flame. In Soulstorm the Sisters fired a solid beam of light blue.

I would imagine that it would look like a beam of heat haze to start with from the barrel end as it projects farther away it would cause the air around the beam to ignite giving it the kind of ray-gun type effect before reaching it's target and vaporising it's every atom.

asimo77 wrote:I thought the meltas looked pretty much the same in DOW1 and 2. Maybe it was a little more blue in Soulstorm, but it's been a while since I played that (or DOW2 for that matter)

The effect was extremely different. In DoW1, they looked like laser squirt guns (even having a parabolic arc, IIRC). In DoW2, it's much fluffier.

I always imagined them to be microwave guns. I guess like a maser. I liked the 2ed descriptions where it would be an invisible ray that makes the air glow as it fires a prolonged blast, a length of time comparable to a star trek ship firing!

maser now where have I heard that word before?

Imagine a kamehameha.

Samus_aran115 wrote:Imagine a kamehameha.

Okay, now what?

Kamahameha????

For plasma maybe.

The nearest you can get in real life for melta is a microwave ray. It's near invisible but for making the air shimmer and melts whatever it touches.

Plasma is easier.
You know the cool electric globes you get where the electricity follows your fingers? one of those hurling through the air.

cadbren wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Imagine a kamehameha.

Okay, now what?

he meant goku

anywho, i really dont think something like a melta gun can be seen. its supposed to just "melt" the air isn't it? kinda means it's not exactly visable....

I suppose imagine Vortex of Doom as a Kamehameha at Super Sayin 4!

Melta looks pretty convincing in DoW2, it pretty much is like a red/orange semi-transparent heat beam, which is how I would imagine it.

Plasma is a white hot ball of compressed energy.

Kyric wrote:

cadbren wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Imagine a kamehameha.

Okay, now what?

he meant goku

anywho, i really dont think something like a melta gun can be seen. its supposed to just "melt" the air isn't it? kinda means it's not exactly visable....

The melta shot is meant to cook the air molecules it passes through. Presaged by a high pitched keening whine as the weapon fires.

Kyric wrote:he meant goku

Okay, but it still doesn't make any sense. Vague mythological references FTW!

Actually the original DragonBall manga Goku story was loosely based upon the mythological Goku - hence the monkey tail.

My nerd alpha status is supreme!

Very loosely.

I imagine them firing an invisible beam; the trooper points the gun, and then the target melts/catches fire in a fraction of a second.

Haven't played a computer game version.

In books it's usualy described as a bright flash, blindingly bright to anyone who's looking directly at it.

Monster Rain wrote:

Melissia wrote:Only the ones in Dawn of War 2. The ones in Dawn of War 1 were basically just squirt guns colored differently.

The Fire Dragons fusion guns look about right, I think.

I don't think Multilasers were accurately portrayed at all.

Yeah I agree with Monster Rain, I always thought of melta guns looking like eldar fusion guns.