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I think autoguns probably go splonk! splonk!. It's unfortunate that there's so few precedents for how they work.

Bolters actually seem like a lot of people think of them differently to how they should. I actually imagine the old second edition illustrations to be closer than modern ones, since the 'muzzle flash' wouldn't just be the launcher charge, but the exhaust of the rocket as well. That, and they'd probably fire a lot slower than most folks think- more 'Five rounds rapid' than 'Dakkadakkadakka'. Also, they'd probably sound less 'ratatat' and more 'boomFWISHboomFWISH'

for meltas, logicaly they would make a high pitched whine as the microwave emitter charged and as the pyrum 'spray' (for wont of a better word) was dispearsed. then there would be an ungodly roar as the pyrum detonates. for source, the only one i can think of is in the IG codex about the melta cannon on the devil dog.

as for bolter fire, i point you to the AA12, i would say it has about the same rate of fire as a bolter, especialy since the thing can fire mini-grenades like a bolter


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oh and autoguns and stubbers are like modern automatic weapons (for specific notation i think is something like a stubber is like a pistol or single shot carbine, an auto pistol is like an uzi or G18, an autogun is an assault rifle or submachinegun and a heavy stubber is like a .50 cal), probably towards the larger end of the caliber size (i doubt 5.56mm would cut it in the 41st millenium)

Just my two cents (great topic, btw).






Meltaguns: Incredibly thin, straight and bright stream of orange-tinted white light (like a needle thin, orange lightsabre), widening and fading in intensity the further it's propelled from the weapon, and hazing the air around it. I always see a meltagun's target melting, charring, varourising into gas and/or peeling away from the point of impact, and imagine the sound it makes as a crackling, burning, whooshing noise (a little like the static noise you hear an untuned analog TV making).

Plasma Weapons: Semi-automatic, firing a small (or large) blob of plasma, similar both visually and sound-wise to the stuff you see people making in their microwaves on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Ptrwzj10M (skip to 4:10)
Just like that, but tinted blue.

Boltguns: A large, easily visible glowing projectile (like a huge tracer round), leaving a faint trail of exhaust in it's wake. The bolts probably create a massive bang as they exit the weapon's barrel, and begin to make a screaming, whooshing sound as their secondary propulsion rockets kick in during flight.
As for the Boltguns themselves, I see them as slow-firing, but fully-automatic... anywhere up to (but not over) 240 rounds per/minute (or 4 rounds per/second)? The Marines wielding them would almost certainly fire them off as single shots though, or in controlled bursts of 2-3 bolts.
I think Bolt Pistols and Heavy Bolters would be pretty self-explanatory, although I'm not sure about Storm Bolters. Increased rate-of-fire? Homing ammunition?
I always wondered why they counted as Assault... I passed it off within my Chapter's fluff by assuming that Storm Bolter ammo was semi-guided, using advanced rockets to track enemy targets (if you can call it tracking), and allowing it's user to fire on the move more easily.

Las-weapons: I always assumed that the concentrated laser beam itself was invisible, but that reflected radiation (red in my mind) from the gun's muzzle, obstructing particles (such as dust or smoke) and the beam's point of impact would be clearly visible to the naked eye (just like a laser pointer), and might leave a vivid after-image on an onlooker's retina (especially more powerful variants, like lascannons). That theory makes sense to me, but I think BL books have stated otherwise?
Anyway, the weapon would make a loud crack and a sizzling noise when firing, as it oxodises the air (I think?). As for the lasgun itself, I imagine it's discharges as extremely brief, and it's effect on targets almost instantaneous (ie, a lightning-quick flash of reflected red light from both the muzzle and the target simultaneously, as well as particles caught in the beam), as the "projectile" travels at the speed of light. Probably semi-automatic (with the exception of Multilasers, and possibly Hot-Shot Lasguns/Hellguns, thanks to DoW ).

Lance weapons, although similar, I picture as firing a sustained, visible beam of light that bores through armour.

Autoguns/Stubbers: Modern firearms. 'Nuff said.

Shuriken/Splinter Weapons: Create a faint, shimmering "stream" consisting of thousands of near-invisible ammunition shards. Probably accompanied by a continuous noise similar to that of a blade being slashed through air.

Gauss Weapons: You know what happens when you touch one of these with a single finger?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz6sYqRHiyo
Well, that. Except green. And partnered by a tearing, ripping (and screaming) noise as the target's flesh is stripped away atom by atom.
I doubt the beam actually drags pieces of flesh towards the weapon... remember that this process is happening at a molecular level. The beam probably pulls at atoms until they break their bonds and separate from the target, and then releases them. At least, that's how I picture fluctuating Gauss weaponry.

Tau Pulse Weaponry: I doubt this is scientifically accurate, but I imagine them firing tiny, marble-sized spheres of blue plasma at rapid velocities; significantly faster than a Plasma Gun, and accompanied by more of a pew-pew sound.

In the game Fire Warrior, the meltagun works much like a jet engine on afterburner.

It winds up to full power over a couple of seconds, emits an exhaust flame and a shrieking noise. You have to hold it focussed on the target.

Mr Nobody wrote:Railguns I imagine to be cool, one minute your tank's fine, then the back end blows out as a bullet the size of a fridge hits it.

I think it's more a projectile the size of your arm that hits like something the size of a freight train. It's supposed to be all about kinetic energy transfer after all. Density of the slug would matter.

Still, it could be a projectile the size of a fridge. With GWs weapon scales, it's pretty hard to be sure.

DrDuckman wrote:I always wondered how people envision the 40k energy weapons look like when firing.

I think we all have a common picture of how Lazguns, plasma guns, flamers and bolters look like.

Of all the various wonderful energy weapons in 40k, the meltagun seems to be the one least understood, visually. Is it just an invisible beam, like common science would indicate? Seems kinda boring, and does not really account for the effects Microwave radiation of that magnitute would cause on the atmosphere, especially on allien worlds. I expect it's visuals would actually vary wildly depending on atmosphere, from ball lightning to setting the air itself on fire. Hell, it looks different in every depiction GW has of it firing.

Personally, I see them as a continius beams of bluesh colour alternating light that vaporizes everthing, which I found best shown in that terrible War of the Worlds remake, though more melty, like here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doO-8KtoQYM

Tho I occationally find myself imagining them as the particle cannon weapon from wolvenstein, even though that should really be the necron Gauss guns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idzu0Za2H1M

And how about those Gauss guns? I generally envision a green lightning that kinda messigly vaporizes people, like the District 9 Tesla Rifle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NF32ynKZOY

How about you fellow geeks? How do you see those meltas in your head? How about other exotic weapons of the 4 universe? The Tau Pulse rifles are also interesting. For ages I thought they were really rapid firing, but apparently not.

Play the Dawn of War games you dummy, holy ****. [Mod edit for rudeness.]
[Thanks mod, but "dummy" and "holy" are not curse words. I enjoyed my vacation.]

Owain wrote:I think autoguns probably go splonk! splonk!. It's unfortunate that there's so few precedents for how they work.

I hope this is a troll. An autogun is essentially an improved version of a modern assault rifle.

Here's an interesting one : Kustom Mega Blastas! I actually think they are the most likely candidates to looking like the District 9 gun I mentioned early.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NF32ynKZOY

I say this cause if it's an ork weapon, it better make targets go sploink! And their design really suggests a lighting style weapon. I would imagine it occationally detonates nearby orks.

I reckon most 40k weapons have no firing effects, take a battle cannon for instance, that thing would have a muzzle velocity of 1 foot per minute with such a fat barrel for its length, with no room inside for a breach or shells that have any amount of charge in them

they just go *phut*, then *clang* as the shell slides out of the barrel by hand

Honestly, I'd bet that every single ORK weapon has a different sound, each louder than the last.

the Shokk Attak Gun, in particular, I imagine sounds like Reality itself being torn a new one.

DrDuckman wrote:Lazguns
plasma guns
flamers
bolters
meltagun
Gauss guns

1: A beam of coherent red light, travels the speed of light, not slower like in star wars. Color may vary depending on battery power, make. and model.
2: A ball of superheated plasma contained in a magnetic field which disrupts upon impact with a solid object. The ball of plasma can be of any color depending on what gas is used inside and what temperature it is at, but green and blue are the most common in my head.
3: Flamers are basically the same as modern flamethrowers, only using a more efficient/more powerful fuel, Promethium. They sort of squirt burning promethium over the victims.
4: Weapon fires-- loudly-- casing ejects as the bolter shell flies out at lethal speed, then its rockets ignite-- loudly-- and maintain its speed until it hits its target, at which point it explodes-- loudly-- an instant after penetration for maximum damage.
5: A few stages, all taking place in an instant: A blast of invisible energy, which superheats the air and the target, the air ignites in a yellowish blaze afterwards, but it seems like it is firing yellowish energy because of its speed.
6: Green lightning, definitely, though I'm probably biased from DoW.


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Owain wrote:I think autoguns probably go splonk! splonk!. It's unfortunate that there's so few precedents for how they work.

Not really? We have caseless rifles in the modern world. Autoguns are merely very advanced versions of them.

I personally think DoW2 has the best representations for most of the weapons.

You can clearly hear bolter fire here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AB7R8sI3S0

At 0:27, and 0:40, 0:44 through 0:48, 0:52 through 0:58.

I think bolter fire in DoW2 does it okay. It sounds like a "kathunk"-- two explosions very close to eachother in time.