Editing Railguns

{{bothversions}}
Railguns are a type of [[Beam Overview|beam weapon]]. 

==Description==
A railgun typically shoots four projectiles at once, each of which has 1/3 the damage of a similar tech [[Lasers|Laser]], for a total damage output that's 33% higher. However, due to the lower damage of each shot, it is not as good at penetrating [[Armor]] or inflicting [[Shock Damage]], and it has a shorter range. 

 Maximum Range = ( Base Damage * 10000km ) * Range Modifier
 Rate of Fire  = ( Base Damage * 3 * 5s  ) / Capacitor Recharge Rate

While the theoretical maximum range far exceeds 1.5m km, no [[Beam Fire Control]] is able to handle ranges beyond this limit. Longer ranges still have some value, as they reduce the damage drop-off at longer ranges, which leads to increased damage across their effective range.

Railguns cannot be mounted in [[turret]]s.

==Usage==
Railguns are used in situations where their rate of fire and raw damage output are most valuable, and their weakness at armour penetration matters less. For example, they are commonly used as an early [[Point Defense|point defense]] weapon, as their high number of shots (as many as 4 per 5-second tick) means a lot of chances to shoot down incoming missiles or fighters. This gives them a similar role to  [[Gauss Cannons]], which are larger per shot (assuming the same accuracy), but can be mounted in turrets. 

==Damage Profile==

{{Template:Damage Profiles}}

The [[Damage Profile]] of a railgun uses a medium gradient, which is not as good at armour penetration as lasers, but better than [[Missiles]] or [[Plasma Carronade]]s. Each shot inflicts damage separately, so the total damage inflicted by a railgun burst can be rather spread out.

==Background Tech==
There are three key pieces of technology involved in the creation of a Railgun.

'''Railgun Size''' or Calibre. Larger projectiles cause more damage, has higher range, but requires more power, which means it'll fire slower unless your recharge tech keeps up.

Larger laser cause more damage, has higher base range
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Calibre !! 10cm !! 12cm !! 15cm !! 20cm !! 25cm !! 30cm !! 35cm !! 40cm !! 45cm !! 50cm 
|-
! Size (HS)
| 3 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 13 || 15 
|-
! Base Damage (per Shot)
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 7 || 9 || 12 || 16 || 20 
|-
! RP cost
|1,000||2,500||5,000||7,500||10,000||20,000||40,000||60,000||120,000||240,000
|}

'''Railgun Launch Velocity''' The muzzle velocity of the railgun. Railguns with higher velocities can shoot their ammo further and inflict damage at greater ranges.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Launch Velocity !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9
|-
! RP cost
|1,000||2,000||4,000||8,000||15,000||30,000||60,000||120,000||240,000
|}

'''Capacitor Recharge Rate''' determines your rate of fire.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Recharge Rate !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 8 !! 10 !! 12 !! 16 !! 20 !! 25
|-
! RP cost
|1,000||2,000||4,000||8,000||15,000||30,000||60,000||125,000||250,000||500,000||1,000,000||2,000,000
|}

{{Components}}

[[Category:Components]]
[[Category:Designed Systems]]
[[Category:Beam Weapons]]