Forums > Suggestions > Game Group clarification: "Weapon: Minigun/Chaingun"
aquapendulum (432) on 8/15/2024 7:56 AM · Reply · Permalink · Report
The current description of the Game Group "Weapon: Minigun/Chaingun" says:
"For example, if one is mounted inside of a helicopter and you can man the gun independently from flying the helicopter - then that would be appropriate and approved. If the minigun is mounted on/affixed to a fighter jet and is just another keyboard or mouse click to fire while you fly around - this would NOT be appropriate and would get rejected."
I think this description still leaves an ambiguous gray zone with minigun attached to an exoskeleton suit worn by the player's character. Does MobyGames treat the exoskeleton suit itself as an extension of the player's character, or as a vehicle that operates independently of the player's character?
What if there is no pilot - remote or otherwise - and the player's character is the AI that is autonomously controlling the exoskeleton robot? What about autonomous-capable exoskeleton suit but has manual override for a pilot?
Does MobyGames further draw the line somewhere between minigun that is integrated into the exoskeleton suit itself, minigun that is attachable/detachable to the exoskeleton suit but cannot be operated independently of the suit, and minigun that theoretically can be picked up and operated independently of the suit but practically cannot due to the weight limit that has to be overcome by the exoskeleton suit itself (think of the giant rifles carried by Gundam mechas)?
I'm looking for clarification from an authority of MobyGames of where this Game Group objectively draws the line, not suggesting how the group should be, not polling other contributors of how the group should be.
Skippy_Chipskunk (35096) on 8/16/2024 1:28 PM · Reply · Permalink · Report
I’ve been involved quite a bit in this particular game group. I would say that if the weapon is part of the mecha, the game group does not count (such as those minigun cannons on the Metal Slug tanks and mecha suits in the Metal Slug series). As the vehicular and robotic parts come in the scope becomes more complex.
aquapendulum (432) on 8/16/2024 2:24 PM · Reply · Permalink · Report
Right, but there remains room for doubt when it comes to exoskeleton suits that are just mechanized armors, not building-sized mechs. In MCU term, let's say, an Iron Man Mark III suit, not a Mark XLIV. Does it count in the group if the player controls a Mark III to carry around an unmounted M134?
If the line we draw allows that, what if the game just have the M134 attached to a slot on the Mark III suit? Not as a permanent part of the Mark III, let's say the slot is swappable with other weapons or remain empty.
And if the line we draw allows weapons that are theoretically operable by hand, but the player's character is limited by his lifting weight and only relying on an exoskeleton suit as a weight-assisting machine to carry the M134, does that open the door to a giant rotary cannon that theoretically can be operated handheld if the gunner is a species of giant like the Zentradi from Macross, but the player's character just happens to not be Zentran?
Skippy_Chipskunk (35096) on 8/16/2024 3:33 PM · Reply · Permalink · Report
In real life there aren't many instances where your typical soldier would carry a minigun https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/17ncuvs/why_are_portable_crew_served_miniguns_not_a_thing/
An exoskeleton suit would be purely to support the carrying and firing of the gun, where doing so by hand couldn't be done by a regular individual.. So I guess excluding suit mounted miniguns would be reasonable, just so you can showoff protagonists using those weapons by hand such as B.J. Blazkowicz, Doom Guy and others.
aquapendulum (432) on 8/16/2024 3:47 PM · Reply · Permalink · Report
Cool, that's a bit clearer. Suit-mounted miniguns are out, miniguns carried by superstrong dudes are in. Does this mean it also doesn't count if the player's character happens to not be one of those superstrong dudes and has to use some form of mechanized assistance that may not amount to a full-body exoskeleton to carry miniguns? Would that be meaningfully different from a static metal mount?