Neuro-Gunpack



A Neuro-gunpack is a bio-cybernetic addon for machine guns and machine gun arrays, as well as Flamers. It allows these weapons to increase accuracy and target sections, much like a Targeting Computer does for other direct fire weapons.

Development
As Machineguns are considered spray-and-pray weapons, the simple artificial circuitry of targeting computers wasn't of use to the mostly intuitive nature of their use. As Capellan Confederation scientists reverse engineered captured Davion units, they realized this technology wasn't compatible with their new Light Machine Guns, so they intended to develop a new way of increasing accuracy. Since Flamers are also a spraying weapon (Although in a much more literal sense), engineers were delighted to learn that neuro-gunpacks also worked with them.

Principles
A neuro-gunpack is a localized fire control system mounted on a 'mech section. It is composed of quasi-artificial neural tissue connected to biotronic zero-instruction set computers. The neural tissue is not actually made of organic human cells, as that would cost a lot to mantain alive; instead, it is made of a synthetic neural substitute called FNLOLT (Feedback Non-Linear/Ordinal Learning Tissue), much as myomer is a synthetic muscle substitute. That FNLOLT is normally pre-learned with reinforced synapses scanned from the neurohelmets of prominent MechWarrior gunners, though it is also possible for it to dynamically learn in combat how to adapt its firing to each target. A disadvantage of neuro-gunpacks is that, when critted, they actually decrease the accuracy of the associated weapons, as the system is damaged much like a brain and lacks a reliable failsafe mechanism for shutting down and self-disabling. Non-Capellan/Canopian forces have been reticent to utilizing the system, not only for their lack of expertise with it but due to moral qualms about using "artificial brains" imbued with partial experiences from human beings as pseudo-organic firing computers. Capellans assure the system is no different in principle from a deep learning microchip system, just much more efficient, compact, and less heat intensive; so much so in fact, that unlike the Deep Learning Computer Assistant it produces no significant additional heat.

Operation
The system is considerably expensive to produce, and its uses are limited; in fact, there is a bit of a paradox involved, in that it is an expensive upgrade for cheap components. As such, the advanced units that would be chosen for recent upgrades normally don't mount machineguns and flamers; and the 'mechs and vehicles that do are designed to be cheaper, easy to mantain and refit, and thus not burdened with fancy equipment. This bit of a contradiction has ensured the Neuro-gunpack remains relatively rare and only in limited production. A few experimental units are considered "expensive MG boats" in order to benefit from the component, but their combat deployments have been exceedingly small.

Timeline
Prototyped: 3068 (Capellan Confederation) Production: 3073 (Capellan Confederation, Magistracy of Canopus) Common: - Extinct: -

Rules
 A Neuro Gunpack is mounted on a section and works for all Machine Gun and Flamer weapons mounted on that section. It weights 0.5 tons and occupies one critical slot. The Neuro Gunpack gives a -1 to hit bonus to all such weapons mounted on that section in any attack. If the Neuro Gunpack is damaged by a critical hit, this becomes a +1 to hit penalty instead. It also allows the linked weapons to target individual sections in an enemy, with a +3 to-hit penalty, unaffected by the -1 bonus, as long as the Neuro Gunpack wasn't critted. Compared to Learning Mode, this is called the "Pre-trained" modality.

TacOps rules
 Before battle, a Neuro Gunpack can be set to Learning Mode. This means that each Neuro Gunpack must keep track of each enemy attacked by a weapon on their section. The first turn a particular enemy unit is attacked, there is a 0 to-hit bonus; the second turn, a -1 to hit bonus, and a -2 to hit bonus the third time onwards for that same enemy. If the Neuro-pack is critted, those bonuses become equal penalties. It still allows the linked weapons to target individual sections in an enemy, with a +4 to-hit penalty, affected by its own bonuses independently, as long as the Neuro Gunpack wasn't critted.

Neuralchip Gunpack
 A prototype of experimental technology existing from 3064, the Neuralchip Gunpack represents the first Capellan efforts to replicate "Targeting Computers". It is througly a primitive silicon-based control and processing system. It weights 0.25 tons and occupies no crit slots, but generates 1 heat each time any associated weapon is fired and must be applied to each weapon or machinegun array independently (only one and +1 heat for an entire machinegun array). It can also be pre-trained or used on Learning mode, with the second being tracked independently for each weapon/array. By 3079 production had become effectively extinct due to being replaced from 3073 onwards by the Neuro Gunpack.