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This topic has moved here: Subject: A Question about MAC's
  • Subject: A Question about MAC's
Subject: A Question about MAC's

So I was wondering, how do SMACs have range?

-They're in a vacuum, so nothing should slow them down

-They travel EXTREMELY fast (40% the SoL)

-AI's can calculate targeting solutions quickly and precisely

-They should only be affected by gravity, since they use a magnetic field for propulsion, so why do they have a conceivable "range"?

I just don't get how the SMACs at Reach, even though they were on the other side of the planet shouldn't have been able to take out LNoS. (I'm pretty sure a smart AI could figure out the force of gravity on the projectile and put it on a slingshot, which should make it travel faster which would've made it deadlier.)

Also, Cpt. Keyes was able to slingshot around a planet without an AI I'm pretty sure (First Strike?)

  • 07.19.2011 5:04 PM PDT

The speed that SMACs rounds travel at make nigh impossible to sling shot around a nearby planet.

4% the speed of light

  • 07.19.2011 5:15 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

They still have to travel to their targets. Given enough warning, a ship could conceivably move out of the way of the round. Their "range" is the maximum distance at which this is not possible for a ship to accomplish.

  • 07.19.2011 5:17 PM PDT


Posted by: otterboyz
The speed that SMACs rounds travel at make nigh impossible to sling shot around a nearby planet.

4% the speed of light



launched at "point four-tenths" the speed of light,

As in, .4 the speed of light, and what makes that so hard to slingshot it? I'm pretty sure it would just have a lower angle of firing

They still have to travel to their targets. Given enough warning, a ship could conceivably move out of the way of the round. Their "range" is the maximum distance at which this is not possible for a ship to accomplish.

How could they see it coming? It's traveling so fast it becomes a blur....?


[Edited on 07.19.2011 5:23 PM PDT]

  • 07.19.2011 5:20 PM PDT
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Posted by: zak2014
So I was wondering, how do SMACs have range?


Absolute range is meaningless, they will go on until they hit something, what is meant is their effective range the range within which they can reliably hit a target.

This is affected by aiming tolerances in the structure, mechanical limits of the structure, and likely lightspeed-lag from the targeting sensors.

I just don't get how the SMACs at Reach, even though they were on the other side of the planet shouldn't have been able to take out LNoS. (I'm pretty sure a smart AI could figure out the force of gravity on the projectile and put it on a slingshot, which should make it travel faster which would've made it deadlier.)

Also, Cpt. Keyes was able to slingshot around a planet without an AI I'm pretty sure (First Strike?)


A projectile moving at those kind of velocities isn't going to have it's trajectory meaningfully affected by the planet's gravity, an Earth-like planet is not massive enough.

  • 07.19.2011 5:23 PM PDT

woops, double post.

[Edited on 07.19.2011 5:59 PM PDT]

  • 07.19.2011 5:27 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: zak2014
How could they see it coming? It's traveling so fast it becomes a blur....?

To us and our reaction times, but not to light speed sensors and computers to process the sensor data.

  • 07.19.2011 5:27 PM PDT


Posted by: Dustin 6047
Space is big, Covenant ships can be far away, far enough that they can have minutes of time to evade. It takes 8 minutes for light from the Sun to reach Earth and if a Covenant capital ship was at that range, it would take 32 minutes... I think.


You're thinking 1/4 the speed of light, its late here and this is just a rough calculation in my head but i think it would take around 13 minutes at that distance, but that's much farther than any UNSC/Covenant Engagement, they happen at a few million miles at most

  • 07.19.2011 8:36 PM PDT


Posted by: Dustin 6047
I know the 04% thing, but I hate doing math at night.


Me too, which is why I just did a simple translation, it was actually 12.8 minutes, but I didn't feel like converting.

  • 07.19.2011 8:41 PM PDT