Explanation for why Battletech's big autocannons have shorter range?

[Nathaniel3W]

I'm going to geek out for a minute here about something that has been on my mind.

In Battletech, the least damaging autocannons have the longest range and the most damaging autocannons have the shortest range. I can understand why they work this way from a game-balance perspective. I'm wondering if there has ever been any in-universe explanation, because it seems to me very counter-intuitive.

If you compare guns in the real world, you see that increasing caliber correlates with increased muzzle velocity, increased range, and increased payload. I think this generally holds true for direct-fire weapons.

In Battletech however, the mildly annoying AC-2 can buzz all the way across the battlefield and the devastating AC-20 has to be shot directly to the face. Because of the difference in range, I don't think the damage potential can be explained with caliber. Do you think the AC-20's rate-of-fire would account for the increased damage? If so, it doesn't seem to me like the AC-20 is depicted as a high-ROF weapon.

Do any of you know of any official explanations?

 

[Infinitron]

Is this question about Harebrained's game or about the tabletop ruleset?

 

[Nathaniel3W]

Is this question about Harebrained's game or about the tabletop ruleset?

Either one. The exact stats for the computer game and tabletop game are probably different, but autocannons work the same (in principle) in either game: more damage/heat than lasers, trade off damage for range.

 

[sputtering fart balloon]

I suspect it's very much a case of game balance as you have said, as it's not unique to Battletech but prevalent in many wargames I have played. They figure out the lore later. For example in tabletop 40k, keeping in mind points values, this has generally been true over the editions for these weapons:

Longer range but weaker: Autocannon
Shorter range but stronger: Reaper Autocannon

A big caveat is points values though, because you can get a lascannon which hits way harder and further than both, but costs way more points.

As an aside, in 40k the lore excuse is the classic 40k trope of "it's old and hits like a truck, but unreliable" for the reaper autocannon, which translates to shorter range and only being used by Heretic forces who are prone to wielding any outdated/outlawed tech they can get their hands on.