[CAR WARS] Heavy-Duty Transmission
Michael P. Owen
PP = Power Plant
ICE = Internal Combustion Engine
HDT = Heavy-Duty Transmisison
miles / (hour * second) = Acceleration per turn of game play
CA = Component Armor
Apparently, quite a few autoduelists have had difficulty with use of HD
transmissions. I feel that this confusion has been caused because the
wording of the description is not as clear as other descriptions for
other gadgets. In order to help autoduelists confused about this item,
especially novices and retired autoduelists that are returning to Car
Wars I present a revised description of the HD transmission rules.
Heavy-Duty Transmission (CWC2, p.113; UACFH, pp.73-74)
Power plants and ICEs for cars, cycles, and trikes (boats, hovercraft,
oversized vehicles, aircraft, and AFVs have their own specific rules)
have two properties related to their power output.
The first power property is the amount of power factors (PFs) the
PPs/ICEs contain. The value of the PFs is utilized for determination of
top speed and cruising speed.
The second property of power output is "maximum pull," the maximum
amount of weight the PP or ICE can successively move. The maximum pull
value is determined by multiplying the PF value by three which gives the
maximum amount of weight for the vehicle to have in order to have
minimum acceleration, which is normally 5 miles / (hour * second). The
HD transmission effectively doubles this maximum pull value, which is
equivalent to multiplying the power factors by six. Note that only the
maximum pull is affected. The amount of power factors, determined solely
by the PP/ICE is NOT changed. Because of this relationship it is
possible for example to have a vehicle equipped with a HD transmission
to have a top speed of only 60 miles / (hour * second). Before the
introduction of PlatCats and SuperCons many vehicles were equipped with
medium PPs and HD transmissions. The top speeds of these vehicles were
between 50 miles / (hour * second) and 60 miles / (miles * second).
Because the HD transmission is increasing the maximum pull of a PP or an
ICE, the acceleration is greatly reduced. Therefore, cars equipped with
HD transmissions have an acceleration of 2.5 miles / (hour * second)
from 0 mi/(h*s) to 25 mi/(h*s). When the car reaches 25 mi/(h*s) the
maximum acceleration increases to 5 mi/(h*s).
When building a car insert the cost of the frame into a Vehicle Design
Sheet followed by the cost of chassis modifications. Insert both values
AGAIN into the VDS. The sum of these repeated values is the cost of the
HD transmission. Designers can also include the cost of the HD
transmission directly into the body cost and the chassis cost by
multiplying both the body cost and the chassis cost by two.
The determination of the weight of a HD transmission is simple. Add 300
lbs. to the VDS. Note that this weight is in addition to the weight of
the body.
Determination of spaces for a HD transmisison is also easy. Add two
spaces to the VDS. Again note that this space does count against the
vehicle's space limit.
Countless rulings in AutoDuel Quarterly and in Pyramid Magazine have
overruled each other with regards to the compatibility of HD
transmissions and ICEs. Without comparison to military equipment, the
world of 1998 does have HD transmissions connected to ICEs. Therefore,
SWAT makes the following statement:
DECLARATION by SWAT: Heavy-Duty transmission CAN be utilized with
Internal Combustion Engines.
There are two reasons why HD transmissions should be utilized. The first
and major reason is that when the maximum pull is increased, the
HDT-equipped car can pull successively heavier CAR TRAILERS and other
objects with TRAILER HITCHES. Note that the trailer hitches must be
installed separately from the HDT, adding to the cost and the weight of
the car. Vehicles with HD transmissions do NOT have trailer hitches
installed free of cost or weight.
A second but minor reason HDTs should be installed is that in some cases
a PP or an ICE equipped with a HDT is lighter in weight than with a more
powerful PP/ICE and may cost less than the more-powerful PP/ICE. Before
PlatCats and SuperCons were presented in 2038 many cars before 2038 were
built with HD transmissions and PPs with low maximum pull capacities.
This action was performed to save cost and to save weight for
installation of a PP. Note that this action is likely no longer
necessary because PlatCats and SuperCons increase maximum pull AND power
factors without adding weight to the PP.
HD transmissions do NOT affect the amount of Power Units (PUs) contained
in the PP. The amount of PUs is determined solely by the quantity of
spaces occupied by the PP. The value of the PUs is the maximum capacity
of the PP to use power-draining items such as lasers and electronics.
The spaces of the HD transmission are NOT included in the calculation of
PUs of the PP.
Realize that ICEs are NOT capable of running ANY power-draining devices
such as lasers and electronics, even "zero PF" targeting lasers. The
installation of a HDT will NOT give PUs to an ICE. Other power sources
such as laser batteries and auxillary power plants are REQUIRED by
ICE-equipped vehicles in order to use power-draining gadgets.
When using component armor to protect the PP/ICE of a car that is
equipped with a HDT, the spaces of the HD transmission MUST be included
in the calculations of the CA. For example, a vehicle with HD
transmission has a super PP. The designer of the vehicle installs CA
using the following calculations:
Super PP (6 spaces) + HD Transmission (2 spaces) = 8 spaces
10 points 8-space standard plastic CA
($5 * 8 spaces * 10 points plastic) = $400.
($2 lbs. * 8 spaces * 10 points plastic) = 160 lbs.
10-points 8-space plastic CA (protecting super PP and HD transmission
together). $400, 160 lbs., 1 space.
With regards to the spaces occupied by the HDT, the spaces of the PP/ICE
and the HDT are COMBINED. The PP/ICE and the HDT are destroyed when ALL
of the DP of the PP/ICE is destroyed.
A final note to remember is that the HD transmission is not compatible
with a ThunderCar PP, which is already a hybrid of a PP and a HD
transmission but with better acceleration capability.
--
Michael P. Owen
Seattle/Spokane Washington AutoDuel Team (SWAT) Car Wars Club
Merlyn's Formula De League
owe...@hotmail.com , owe...@ior.com
Highway Star
In article <34CB9D...@ior.com>, owe...@ior.com wrote:
> A final note to remember is that the HD transmission is not compatible
> with a ThunderCar PP, which is already a hybrid of a PP and a HD
> transmission but with better acceleration capability.
I remember that the original description of the Thundercat engine put it
that way; however, I thought that subsequent rule changes rendered it moot,
particularly when they got rid of the limited acceleration possibilities
for the Thundercat.
SeanMike
--
SeanMike Whipkey (sm...@virginia.edu) is:
The Grinning Impudite of Andrealphus, Captain of Diabolical Delight
South Republican Green Mamba Heavy Gear Pilot/Wildlander
UVA Gov't Major/VP Paintball Club/GWAR Cyberslave/Pep Band Drummer