From: lunatic@netcom.com (Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex)
Subject: Re: <Btech> Two Engines Question
Organization: Netcom; Renegade User
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 12:19:07 GMT

In article <s903609.718791360@minyos.xx.rmit.OZ.AU> s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (ACE) writes:
>rday@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Robert E Day) writes:
>>>     _ 
>>>    (_onsidering that EACH and EVERY BattleTech fusion engine can
>>> dissipate 10 points of heat above and beyond its own heat output...
>	
>	Okay, first point in relation to this is that you are WRONG ! The
>number of free heat sinks from an engine is equal to its rating divided by
>25, dropping ALL fractions. Also, I was suggesting ONLY two engines, more
>would be interesting, but not very practical. To clear up other problems
>before they occur, I'll post the rules I came up with real soon.
>
>			       ACE
>                   s903609@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au

             _ 
    #1  --  (_,et the attribution right.  Robert E Day didn't write
 that, _I_ did (Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex).
 
    #2  --  |\/|ake sure of your information before saying "WRONG !"

    ]-[ere's the relevant information from the BattleTech Compendium,
 and the BattleTech Manual (since the Compendium has a typo -- it's
 still interpreted the same way, though).
 
 Compendium, p. 112, "ADD EXTRA HEAT SINKS":
 
    "Every BattleMech's comes with 10 free heat sinks."
                       ^typo, see below.
 
    Next paragraph: "If double heat sinks are selected, the 10 free
    heat sinks that come with the engine are also double sinks.  If 
    normal heat sinks are selected, the 10 free heat sinks that come
    with the engine are normal heat sinks." 
 
 BattleTech Manual, p. 79, "ADD EXTRA HEAT SINKS":

    "Every 'Mech's engine includes ten heat sinks more than it needs
    to get rid of the heat generated by the engine itself.  Therefore,
    any undamaged 'Mech can automatically dissipate 10 points of heat
    per turn." 
 
     _
    (_)bviously, when they condensed down those two sentences from the
 BattleTech Manual to one sentence in the Compendium, they left out
 the word "engine."  (I've got four versions of the rules for Battle-
 Tech -- you can see how each one evolved from the one before it, and
 there are plenty of errors like this one, where in the interest of
 brevity and clarity they managed to take out TOO MANY words.) 
    ___
     |he rule that you are referring to comes later in the construction
 chapter:
 
 Compendium, p. 112, "COMPLETE CRITICAL HIT TABLES":
 
    "Only a portion of a BattleMech's heat sinks have to be allocated
    to critical slots.  The number that does not have to be allocated
    is equal to the engine rating divided by 25 (rounding down)."
 
     _
    /-\n interesting bit of history: this rule was introduced in the
 BattleTech Manual.  It was a little different then, though....
 
 BattleTech Manual, p. 79, "COMPLETE RECORD SHEET":
 
    "Only a portion of the ten heat sinks that come with the engine
    have to be allocated to critical hit locations."
 
     _
    /-\s you can see, it changed from just the 10 engine 'sinks to
 all of the 'Mechs 'sinks.  I'm sure this change was precipitaed by
 the Star League/Clan technology introduced between the two books,
 which takes an inordinate amount of space.  Now, big 'Mechs with
 very large engines can add more heat sinks without having to worry
 as much about the extra 1 or 3 spaces they take up, up to a point.

-- 
   _______________________________________________________
  /         -= Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex     (:      /
 /  lunatic@netcom.com  GEnie: LUNATIC  CI$: 76170,672  /
/______________________________________________________/