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In ME1 the projectiles were extremely small metal shavings cut from a block and shot down a rail line. I believe that's still true.

But yes, I do wonder XD

Yes, they're still like that. Each "clip" is good for like 10,000 rounds or something like that. You're just changing the heat sink now. Back in my day though the heat sink didn't need to be ejected and worked a lot better. I could fire my assualt rifle indefinately. Even though they basically firing pebbles they're going so fast I guess it causes recoil.

vodo40k wrote:Am I the only one who wonders why these guns have recoil at all, when they are shooting some sort of "energy pulse"? Bioware with their Element Zero and Space Magic.

From the Mass Effect Wiki:

"A mass accelerator propels a solid metal slug using precisely-controlled electromagnetic attraction and repulsion. The slug is designed to squash or shatter on impact, increasing the energy it transfers to the target. If this were not the case, it would simply punch a hole right through, doing minimal damage.

Accelerator design was revolutionized by element zero. A slug lightened by a mass effect field can be accelerated to greater speeds, permitting projectile velocities that were previously unattainable. If accelerated to a high enough velocity, a simple paint chip can impact with the same destructive force as a nuclear weapon. However, mass accelerators produce recoil equal to their impact energy. This is mitigated somewhat by the mass effect fields that rounds are suspended within, but weapon recoil is still the prime limiting factor on slug velocity."

So, effectively the weapon is not firing an energy pulse. It's firing a metal slug like anything else, but it's using a Mass Effect Field to lower the relative mass of the object in order to give it a higher muzzle velocity. It doesn't reduce the mass to 0, like a Mass Relay, it just lightens it to allow the electromagnetic firing mechanism to move the slug at greater speeds. Also, as soon as it leaves the muzzle, the Mass Effect Field is no longer active and the slug returns to normal mass. It's just moving insanely fast, and designed to squash or shatter on impact for maximum energy transfer to the target.

Most of it is actually pure physics when you think about it. The slug has mass, and is moving incredibly fast, so recoil is transferred back to the weapon (less than the impact force because of the Mass Effect Field, but still noticeable), and when it impacts the target, the goal is to transfer as much of that kinetic energy as possible, which is true with most modern weapons. A through-and-through does little to no good unless the slug is moving so fast it creates a shockwave capable of stopping the heart (.50 cal sniper rifle) because it just punches a hole and moves on. It's no better or worse than getting stabbed by a thin rod, so unless you hit something vital like the brain or the heart it does minimal damage and the target survives. If the bullet squashes on impact though it transfers all of its kinetic energy to the target and causes massive trauma, which is why hollow point rounds are so devastating. The only "space magic" involved is the Mass Effect Field itself, which allows the projectiles to be much smaller since they are moving much faster and have more kinetic energy. Without that, the guns are effectively miniaturized Rail Guns, which we can make now, just not small enough for conventional use.

Aldarionn wrote:

vodo40k wrote:Am I the only one who wonders why these guns have recoil at all, when they are shooting some sort of "energy pulse"? Bioware with their Element Zero and Space Magic.

From the Mass Effect Wiki:

"A mass accelerator propels a solid metal slug using precisely-controlled electromagnetic attraction and repulsion. The slug is designed to squash or shatter on impact, increasing the energy it transfers to the target. If this were not the case, it would simply punch a hole right through, doing minimal damage.

Accelerator design was revolutionized by element zero. A slug lightened by a mass effect field can be accelerated to greater speeds, permitting projectile velocities that were previously unattainable. If accelerated to a high enough velocity, a simple paint chip can impact with the same destructive force as a nuclear weapon. However, mass accelerators produce recoil equal to their impact energy. This is mitigated somewhat by the mass effect fields that rounds are suspended within, but weapon recoil is still the prime limiting factor on slug velocity."

So, effectively the weapon is not firing an energy pulse. It's firing a metal slug like anything else, but it's using a Mass Effect Field to lower the relative mass of the object in order to give it a higher muzzle velocity. It doesn't reduce the mass to 0, like a Mass Relay, it just lightens it to allow the electromagnetic firing mechanism to move the slug at greater speeds. Also, as soon as it leaves the muzzle, the Mass Effect Field is no longer active and the slug returns to normal mass. It's just moving insanely fast, and designed to squash or shatter on impact for maximum energy transfer to the target.

Most of it is actually pure physics when you think about it. The slug has mass, and is moving incredibly fast, so recoil is transferred back to the weapon (less than the impact force because of the Mass Effect Field, but still noticeable), and when it impacts the target, the goal is to transfer as much of that kinetic energy as possible, which is true with most modern weapons. A through-and-through does little to no good unless the slug is moving so fast it creates a shockwave capable of stopping the heart (.50 cal sniper rifle) because it just punches a hole and moves on. It's no better or worse than getting stabbed by a thin rod, so unless you hit something vital like the brain or the heart it does minimal damage and the target survives. If the bullet squashes on impact though it transfers all of its kinetic energy to the target and causes massive trauma, which is why hollow point rounds are so devastating. The only "space magic" involved is the Mass Effect Field itself, which allows the projectiles to be much smaller since they are moving much faster and have more kinetic energy. Without that, the guns are effectively miniaturized Rail Guns, which we can make now, just not small enough for conventional use.

Ah so they do fire solid projectiles, that makes sense then, I also always wondered how an "energy pulse" could make someones head explode, when it should only burn a small hole. Nice to know not everything involves the use of "Space Magic".

So guns are just tiny mass relays? can you squash your gun with a planet and blow up the whole solar system?

Heh, I doubt the explosion would be anywhere near enough to damage a bedroom, let alone a solar system. The relays have a self-replicating power source capable of reducing the mass of a starship to 0, then throwing it several billion lightyears in the blink of an eye. The gun only needs energy to lower the mass of a paperclip by enough for the magnetic rails to accelerate it to supersonic speeds. Not exactly a dooms day device, or it would be more effective to rig a grenade to your pistol and hurl it at a group of enemies than actually shoot them with it

Not exactly a dooms day device, or it would be more effective to rig a grenade to your pistol and hurl it at a group of enemies than actually shoot them with it

Bullets can be precise. Explosions less so.