Recoil Suppression refers to multiple technologies which suppress high-power recoil from either Cannons or Shrapnel Cannons.
Basic Methods[]
Simple, single-block methods are the most commonly used.
Mass[]
Newton's 2nd Law of Motion states:
Increased mass equals decreased acceleration, resulting in better recoil control. Often, this is the simplest way to suppress recoil of a high-power cannon. However, increasing mass also increases inertia, requiring more structural support to handle the additional weight. Adding mass to a highly-mobile platform (e.g. aircraft) is also undesirable.
Yet, it is aircraft where this philosophy is taken to its extremes. To facilitate high-power and high-accuracy autocannons, aircraft are usually built with a single-Ballast spine, and the autocannons are attached directly to it. The ballast mass is increased (e.g. 12x for an 8x autocannon), and additional mass is added from the rest of the aircraft's structure. A Nive or Flying Block is used to null out the overall effect on the plane's speed while in flight.
The main downsides to this approach include the added mass (which requires more aero to handle) and the constant shock from the cannon firing (which can easily shatter fragile blocks like light Build Surfaces and fracture joints over time).
Mass + Damping[]
The most commonly used recoil suppression system (for turrets and the like) involves a single ballast held by Suspension or Piston blocks. Accessories can be easily added, such as:
- Steering Hinges attached to the suspensions for elevation
- Flamethrowers or Timers for autocannon firing
- Nives for countering autocannon speed effects
The suspension-based variant is far more compact and requires less mass at 'lower' powers (<20-30x), as suspension strength can be changed. However, it has limited travel (1 metre) and a hard stop. If the cannon ever hits this stop - and it often can with autocannons - it will break. It is also limited by the strength of whatever is holding the suspension to the rest of the vehicle.
The piston-based variant is more suitable at higher powers, even though its strength cannot be changed, because it has no stops. It can bleed off velocity (relatively) slowly and stretch as far as it needs to - until the pistons themselves break, of course.
Exotic Methods[]
More complicated methods focus on completely nullifying cannon recoil.
Proportional Response[]
A DL gun technology demonstrator.
A Proportional Response system (or DL gun) uses the linear motion of the cannon recoiling to rotate opposing pairs of high-power Nives or Flying Blocks inward, proportionally countering the recoil and cancelling it out.
It was originally named Talin Cannon (short for the username Crazy Stalin, the apparent inventor). It is mistakenly called DL Cannon (DL = Dalin) due to a Chinese translation error. [1]
A primitive DL Gun in action. Built by CCCanyon.
Advantages[]
- Intuitive to build and understand
- Doesn't exploit glitches
- High power ceiling, often exceeding the capabilities of the basic ballast/suspension system
Disadvantages[]
- Block-intensive
- Bulky
- Uses many moving parts
Overflow[]
Overflow cannon in action. Uses Overflow nives.
By exploiting Overflow to dampen the recoil of the cannon, a high ceiling of cannon power can be achieved for a relatively low block count.
Overflow Vacuums are often used as they can only affect individual clusters, allowing some mobility. Using other Overflow blocks such as water cannons or flying blocks will dampen all movements, including the creation itself.
Advantages[]
- Low block count
- Simple and relatively compact
- Very high power ceiling
Disadvantages[]
- Cannot be used on moving vehicles due to the enormous drag. At least, not without a little effort - see the next section.
FNS[]
A primitive FNS cannon assembly.
The Force Neutralisation System (FNS) exploits the magic of Zero-Mass to nullify forces across a zero-mass interface. Cannons can be attached to ballasts so heavy that no amount of recoil will have an effect (upwards of thousands of tons), and FNS allows them to be lifted as if they were not there.
A 'Lightweight Sword' FNS system. Uses overflow-like spring behaviour for damping and spring tethers for holding the assembly in place. Part of the damping is also taken up by the spring tethers.
For additional effect, Overflow blocks can be used on the cannon ballast, reducing weight requirements enormously and allowing Spring Tethers to be used in place of the bulky frames that normally define FNS systems.
Advantages[]
- Very high power ceiling
- Can be used on a highly mobile platform such as an aircraft
Disadvantages[]
- Extremely difficult to construct and tune, requires sufficient knowledge on Besiege physics
- Bulky
- Fragile - if touched in the wrong places, it explodes
INROB[]
A cog INROB turret.
Inertia Robbery (INROB) is similar in nature to FNS, using zero-mass blocks and abuse of secondary joints to suspend a heavy block .
Advantages[]
- Very high power ceiling
- Stable and compact
Disadvantages[]
- Even worse to tune than FNS, requires sufficient knowledge on Besiege physics
- 'Displacement' of blocks due to velocity limits how it can be used on fast vehicles
Notes[]
- ↑ According to the user 可爱的清羽和雨臣