Minigun.

it turns out there's a practical limit to the rate of fire in a single barreled weapon the good news is you can always add more the minigun a scaled-down rotary cannon capable of a terrifying level of output so what are the advantages of a multi-barreled design how did mini guns become a staple of first-person shooters and is it even possible to carry one multiple barreled firearms have long been a solution to increasing rate of fire early volley guns peppered the battlefield with multiple shots but each barrels still need to be reloaded individually named for its inventor the Gatling gun used a rotating array of barrels to automate the firing reloading sequence through mechanical means operated with a hand crank it provided an unprecedented level of sustained fire with effective use by Union forces during the American Civil War such designs are generally misfire tolerant as any cartridge that fails to fire will simply be extracted one of the benefits of not relying on the cartridge to power the action by the early 20th century the now mature single barreled machine guns were the predominant solution for sustained fire but the principles behind cowlings rotary cannon would prove the basis for a new generation of post-war designs General Electric developed the m61 Vulcan rotary cannon in 1959 and an effort to provide more effective armaments for jet-powered fighter aircraft during the Vietnam War a similar solution was sought for helicopter mounted weapons with conventional machine guns such as the m60 proving inadequate from the air the 20-millimeter vulcan design was scaled down to fire a rifle cartridge instead and this smaller design was dubbed to the m134 minigun like it's bigger brother it has six barrels that rotate continuously during firing this assists air cooling and allows the chambering firing extraction sequence to be performed simultaneously on different barrels the net result the m134 is capable of putting out between 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute without pause that's up to 100 rounds per second an incredible rate that will saturate the target area even when firing from a fast-moving platform designed to be vehicle mounted it is commonly seen strapped to helicopters or Humvees and games as it would be in real life here lies frequent use in the turret sequences so often seen in modern FPS the cliched shooting gallery with waves of enemies - coming to your unending fire while often on Rails such sections are at least exhilarating they come as a climax or mark a pivotal plot point by means of frantic action often emerging towards the ultimate chapters of a story facing overwhelming odds continuous fire can be your only Saviour just hold the trigger I know for the best it is a shame to leave such an awesome weapon attached to its emplacement however and so while unrealistic the platform is often manhandled 1987 film predator is largely to blame for this the six barrels are given significant screen time furiously tearing through the jungle at some invisible threat Terminator 2 saw similar treatment albeit in a slightly more believable fashion wielded by a future cyborg so is such use even possible for all the firepower it offers the minigun is a very compact weapon at just over 800 millimeters long it's shorter than most rifles despite this it's not particularly portable they weight in at 40 kilos not including ammunition a high rate of fire and full powered rifle cartridge would make this a mean recoil - and on top of all this the weapon demands an external power supply so man portable use in any practical sense is impossible virtual depictions and games are not bound by reality of course and it should come as no surprise that such a memorable weapon had an impact on the earliest FPS games the chaingun have Wolfenstein and doom said a prototype for those that followed and ensured that any future clone worth its salt would have a multi-barreled option technically the in-game appellation is incorrect chained guns are a similar class of externally powered weapon but they have only a single barrel unlike for mini guns multiple still these Gatling style inclusions and early classics set a powerful precedent the ability to wield such a potent weapon exhibits superhuman or heroic status an extraordinary feat beyond any ordinary man a signature for serious Sam nothing puts more lead downrange than a minigun with an endless belt high rate of fire and no need for precision you can mode them all down without ever needing to reload similarly the heavy weapons guy from the Team Fortress 2 is clearly built for the job shooting many bullets is his raison d'être some need external augmentation in order to employ the weapon the ex MGS from Call of Duty advanced warfare on dual wielded with the help of a powered exoskeleton not a standard weapon by any measure it is sometimes reserved as a reward delivered as a killstreak outside of a conventional weapon power band here it can be as overpowered as it needs to be although the weapon is often lumbered with at least some disadvantage a heavy weapon will leave you less nimble movement speed is often slowed with the minigun equipped rendering you more vulnerable to retaliation quite often you'll need to spool up the barrels before you'll be able to fire a pause that reduces reactivity and can potentially warn the enemy of your presence the software of the electric motor a prelude to a cacophony of carnage chaos and a compact package the very definition of a bullet hose from classic FPS to modern military shooters nothing delivers more the antithesis of precision they hammer off to crack a nut completely unrealistic to wield solo but he gets a pass by virtue of being absolutely awesome the minigun six barrels endless fire payback time thank you very much for watching and until next time farewell [Music]

Channel: Ahoy

Views: 4,767,855

Keywords: xboxahoy, Minigun, Shooter Game (Media Genre)

Id: Ff73iFNF2Lw

Length: 7min 41sec (461 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 20 2015