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Description
When we first landed on Broncus 112B, we were still equipped with conventional underwater guns that used cartridges to fire their darts. We soon found out that they didn't have enough power to be of much use against the creatures that attacked us and the depths we used the guns in further diminished their usefulness.

The UPR A1, the Underwater Protection Rifle, was developed to address those problems.

The first prototype was a full-blown coilgun... and a total disaster. Abbove ground, the weapon was fine, if not very accurate. Underwater, however, we were shown once again that water and electricity don't mix well.

Traditional underwater guns didn't have enough power, CO2-powered guns (or with other gases) also lacked that.

The UPR A1, finally, was a mix of a traditional underwater gun, using electronically fired cartridges, and a coilgun. The advantage is that the electric power source is much smaller, and thus ever so slightly safer, although still very well isolated, but the power and range are much enhanced.

After more trials, we also found that the darts themselves had little deadly effect on the creatures we faced, if they weren't targeted directly at the creature's brain. In emergency situations, this isn't always manageable. However, we learned from nature. Even a prick from a thorn can be deadly fast... if that thorn is dipped in poison. Which is exactly what we did with all the darts. They are dipped in a quickly-acting nerve
toxin that kills the creatures in mere instants... The darts have to be handled with care now though.

Since visibility in the waters of Broncus 112B is so low, traditional sighting solutions, like scopes and red dots, where out of the questions. Even thermal imaging was of little use, since Broncus' oceans teem with life forms which all generate heat. In the end, an old, tried and tested solution was selected. The UPR A1 is targeted via a sonar which sends out and receives sounds, interprets them and shows them on the display of the gun. Since studies have shown that humans do not like having to fight in dark waters, a flashlight can be added to the top if the gun to further help with visibility.

A bayonet - often laced with the same toxin as the darts (although that is frowned upon due to risks for the other divers) - is attached to the UPR's front. This helps with cases where a creature doesn't quite die fast enough.

Technical information:
- The magazine in the rear holds 60 toxin darts.
- A highly isolated power cord leads from the grip to the power source worn by the diver
- The power source supplies the coils in the suppressor-like structure in the front and the sonar sight on top of the gun
- The flashlight for added visibility is powered by batteries
- The open skeletal structure in the front allows the weapon to be much easier handled underwater

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For round two of the Tournament over at the Flickr PMG group. In this round we had to build a gun with using only parts (and every part only once) and maximum 10 white shapes. For cables and similar stuff we were allowed to use a part multiple times.

Done in PMG 0.6.

Description
When we first landed on Broncus 112B, we were still equipped with conventional underwater guns that used cartridges to fire their darts. We soon found out that they didn't have enough power to be of much use against the creatures that attacked us and the depths we used the guns in further diminished their usefulness.

The UPR A1, the Underwater Protection Rifle, was developed to address those problems.

The first prototype was a full-blown coilgun... and a total disaster. Abbove ground, the weapon was fine, if not very accurate. Underwater, however, we were shown once again that water and electricity don't mix well.

Traditional underwater guns didn't have enough power, CO2-powered guns (or with other gases) also lacked that.

The UPR A1, finally, was a mix of a traditional underwater gun, using electronically fired cartridges, and a coilgun. The advantage is that the electric power source is much smaller, and thus ever so slightly safer, although still very well isolated, but the power and range are much enhanced.

After more trials, we also found that the darts themselves had little deadly effect on the creatures we faced, if they weren't targeted directly at the creature's brain. In emergency situations, this isn't always manageable. However, we learned from nature. Even a prick from a thorn can be deadly fast... if that thorn is dipped in poison. Which is exactly what we did with all the darts. They are dipped in a quickly-acting nerve
toxin that kills the creatures in mere instants... The darts have to be handled with care now though.

Since visibility in the waters of Broncus 112B is so low, traditional sighting solutions, like scopes and red dots, where out of the questions. Even thermal imaging was of little use, since Broncus' oceans teem with life forms which all generate heat. In the end, an old, tried and tested solution was selected. The UPR A1 is targeted via a sonar which sends out and receives sounds, interprets them and shows them on the display of the gun. Since studies have shown that humans do not like having to fight in dark waters, a flashlight can be added to the top if the gun to further help with visibility.

A bayonet - often laced with the same toxin as the darts (although that is frowned upon due to risks for the other divers) - is attached to the UPR's front. This helps with cases where a creature doesn't quite die fast enough.

Technical information:
- The magazine in the rear holds 60 toxin darts.
- A highly isolated power cord leads from the grip to the power source worn by the diver
- The power source supplies the coils in the suppressor-like structure in the front and the sonar sight on top of the gun
- The flashlight for added visibility is powered by batteries
- The open skeletal structure in the front allows the weapon to be much easier handled underwater

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For round two of the Tournament over at the Flickr PMG group. In this round we had to build a gun with using only parts (and every part only once) and maximum 10 white shapes. For cables and similar stuff we were allowed to use a part multiple times.

Done in PMG 0.6.